A FEW THINGS THAT KINDA GREW ON ME . . . IN 2007 . . . (Part I: Music)

Don't worry. This isn't a post about weird moles, foot fungus, back fat or anything else that, by all right, ought to run by the nearest family physician or neighborhood pharmacist. No, I'm not talking about that sort of growth.

I'm talking those things that you start out not really feeling, but for some strange reason you keep drifting back to and before you know it, you're straight, cold sprung on, like:

Jill Scott's "The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol.3"

Like a lot of folks, I'd been faithfully awaiting Jilly from Philly's latest release. But when I initially brought home 'The Real Thing" and pop it on, I was like what the . . . ?! First of all, I was not feeling the new 'do or the cd cover photos. On the back she looked like like she'd just finished having a crying/hissy fit and on the front, I couldn't figure out if she was striving to look sultry, constipated or pissed. In any case, I wanted the old Jill back, the one with flaming red 'fro, the 'you ain't even ready for the likes of this' grin, and the slamming, all up in your face lyrics.

So for the first couple of days, the only cut I listened to was the one getting all the radio air play, "Hate On Me." But then one day, I slipped up, left it on and quickly found myself getting all caught up in the intoxicating groove of "Crown Royal." Jill, if you're listening, you really do need to come out with an extended version of that song, girl. You know, something along the lines of Marvin's 30 minute version of "Got To Give It Up?" I swear, I've played "Crown Royal" over so many times, I've nearly worn out the 'previous' button on my Windows Media Player.

Late at night, while I'm pecking away at the keyboard or surfing the net, I like listening to music with my headphones on. So naturally, I started turning to Jill to get my "Crown Royal" and "Hate On Me" fix. But pretty soon, I wasn't just stopping with those two. "My Love" with its telephone conversation opening sounded so much like the real deal, I couldn't help but stop and listen to a vexed and perplexed Jill tell some ole boy:

"Yo, I'm tripping right. I heard you got married. You got married? That don't really make any sense. I mean, its not like I didn't think you were seeing other people or whatever. I mean, I was seeing other people. But you know what this is. You know what it was. I can't say I really understand though." (from Jill Scott's "My Love")

Oh yeah! And then she goes on to put dude in check with a cool and collected that's all right, "cause my love is deeper, tighter, sweeter, higher fly-yer, didn't you know this Didn't you notice?" I guess she told him, huh? (LOL) Anyway, after getting hooked on that cut, I started taking a closer listen to the one after it "Insomnia" which breaks of a bluesy little ditty about a woman who's lying in bed, tossing and turning, watching the clock and waiting for the phone to ring. Yeah, a lot of us have been there, right? Okay, let me stop (smile).

The song that sealed the deal for me, the one that really renewed my faith in Jilly from Philly was the oh so funky, soulful and deeply political, "How It Make You Feel." It took me a couple of listens before I really "got" the message, not only because of the clever way it's posed, but also because I couldn't believe Jill actually owned the audacity to ask: "What if, poof, every Black female in the world disappeared? Tell me, how you'd feel if I was gone?"

For me, as a Black woman, this question is profound on a lot of different emotional levels, in particular given the indifference the media routinely exhibits in the disappearance of Black women. I could go on a tangent, but I instead I'll just say in reponse to Jill's question, a lot folks, including some within our OWN community would really give less than a d@m# if every Black woman (excusing their own mamas, perhaps) suddenly disappeared . . . Sorry, that's just how I feel y'all (smile). Anyway, Jill said it better and against a musical backdrop, no less.

And you know, as far as the "Real Thing" cover photos are concerned, I actually kinda like the ones on the inside of the cd and thought they were much more flattering. But hey, I'm not the one getting paid to make those decisions.

So, have you ever had a similar experience? Any particular cds, albums or musical artist ever grow on you? You started out hating it or them, but then something happened . . . you really started listening and suddenly discovered your were a fan? Do tell.