You leave me wordless Raising worn out phrases like broken bowls From the well within Poor riven fragments, dripping and empty From a place purer—deeper in me Than anything I’ve known Even to look at you Sometimes is too much And the water rises and overflows Silent and bright From the corners of my eyes There is a place Older than words Wiser than thought Longer than life Deeper than waking Quieter than silence Closer than skin You touch me there ...
I have notebooks everywhere. There is one I carry in my bag as I am out doing my errands. Another sits on my work desk. Still others lurk on the shelves of another room, and there is one beside my bed. Why all this paper in the digital age? It's partly habit. I kept a diary for years. Something about the pen moving across paper, kept in a beautiful binding, was very attractive to me. I...
I just released the music video for my song “Voodoo Magic Man”, and I can’t quite believe we pulled it off. Getting to the finished product was a long series of twists, uncertainties and last minute crises. Somehow it all came together and everything found its place. You could say it was luck …or maybe a bit of magic. It all started about a month ago when I had coffee with my friend and filming...
Some projects you plan, and others just creep up and attack from behind. You never can tell what is going to work. If you are familiar with my music at all, you’ll know that I’m primarily a jazz singer. There are some other influences coming in my second album, but rock, pop, and synthesized sounds are about as far away from my signature sound as you can get. Yet, my most popular music video to...
One of my favorite songs is Nat King Cole’s version of “Smile”. I first heard it as a little girl, and it made a big impression. It wasn’t until I was much older that I learned about the singer’s life. The poor son of a butcher turned Baptist minister, his musical career was set against the racism of mid century America as the black civil rights movement was taking off. Of course, Nat wasn’t the...
I grew up listening to classic jazz. It was really all my grandfather’s fault. He had an infectious love of this music, and when he put those vinyl records on he never just sat and listened. He was always up on his feet, snapping his fingers, singing along, and invariably, dancing. (I got into swing dancing too, but that’s another story.) I just remember this music, especially when he would look at me and...
Let’s not pick out curtains Life’s moved us too far To think of shared addresses Or quarrels in the car There are too many pieces Now to rearrange But if I tell you this Will you think it strange Chorus: There’s a hidden place No eye can see Sheltered from the storm Of reality And when I close my eyes That’s where I’ll be In the secret world of you and me We will never work out How to pay the rent Or have conversations About how much we’ve spent You’ll always live about...
Well you’ve driven me to music I hope you’re satisfied I’m drunk on a longing That will always be denied I write these songs like sonar Or stones into a well I’m looking for an echo But the silence tells Chorus: And I’m singing in the dark For a man who isn’t there But I’ve learned to love the aching And the wistful smile I wear I’ve studied all the poets But you don’t read that stuff Pages of perfect sonnets Would never be enough I’m looking for the words The right...
I got a fever Can’t clear my head All I want to do Is crawl back into bed I called the doctor But he didn’t have a plan The only one left to call Is the voodoo magic man Chorus: Oh….the way he works Is something I don’t understand But he leaves me feeling better That voodoo magic man He mutters about chakras And evil spirits too Even said my aura Was looking kind of blue He said, “We got to treat this With the laying on of hands” I said, “Do what...
There’s always blood on the leaves When they cut sugar cane No pleasure’s ever offered Without a taste of pain You’ll always be alone Unless you open up your door But when the guest is gone The quiet’s louder than before Chorus: But there’s no joy without complications Headaches chase intoxication You’ve got to pay your dues So bring on the blues When the ballerina dances The music is complete She pirouettes on satin shoes That hide her bleeding feet You’ll never feel that major thrill ‘Til you get close and bare And...