SOUL

It's my first Saturday in my new flat. For the first time in weeks, I finally get to have down time.

I decided to spend it going through my Facebook feed (my addiction, sad to say) and I saw the link to a video of a 12-year old girl singing a version of Edith Piaf's La Vie En Rose who successfully gave me goosebumps (La Vie En Rose cover).

This led me to looking for videos of Beyonce's live performances. Oh yes, Queen Bee and her hips.

And by the power of YouTube's Related Videos, I found this gem. Janelle Monae, Tessanne Chin, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Jill Scott, Melissa Etheridge, and Ariana Grande all perform for President Obama in honor of soul music.

I'm not African American. I do not have their history. But somehow soul just gets to me. It can bring me to tears when performed live like in the video above.

Not quite sure what started me on soul. It's not really the genre that's popular in my home country. They generally like ballads there.

I'm thinking it was Lauryn Hill's That Thing (Doo Wop), Alicia Keys really cool Songs In A Minor which I played in my room with all the lights out, or maybe it was hearing Proud Mary and Respect somewhere.

There was something about the songs' character style that got me wondering, Where is this music coming from?

So I kept researching and I discovered Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, The Supremes and a whole lot more. And over the years, my taste has leaned towards music very close to soul (thank you, world, for Janelle Monae).

Soul will ALWAYS be the genre that makes me feel the most.

I will forever envy the way these artists can sing. It's like their souls are being ripped out of their bodies every single time. And no performance is ever the same. They know how to flip around notes and distort melodies of a song yet still remain loyal to the essence of the song (please see the many versions of Amazing Grace).

Some people dream of being like Victoria's Secret models. I dream of being able to sing like a soulful black woman.