"You Put A Move On My Heart"

it's no secret that i love music. good music...

if you are acquainted with me, you know i always have the TV tuned to Music Choice or i'm listening to my iPod or even last.fm and Pandora.

the amazing thing to me about music, is that it takes you places. you drift back to the moment in time when "that particular song" first hit your ears. you remember how it made you feel, listening to the song over and over again. you recall people, places and things associated with "that song".

i have those moments every day. my musical range is eclectic, ranging from Classic R&B/Soul from the 1960s and on, Hip-Hop, Alternative, Punk, Rock and Country. so whenever and wherever GOOD music is playing, i'm grooving along, maybe even singing and dancing... to the beat and the memories in my head.

Tamia's introduction into the mainstream music world came courtesy of Quincy Jones' Q's Jook Joint Compilation. the same album that saw Brandy and Heavy D remake Michael Jackson's iconic "Rock With You", saw the appearance of a young lady from Ontario, Canada. Tamia Hill, née Washington, sang her heart out on, "You Put A Move On My Heart". she wormed her way into my heart with her song about true love and how with it in your corner, nothing is impossible and just how amazing "her love" was.

i was only 14; barely a freshman in high school but i was well on my way down the road when it came to my relationship with music. my dad played his records every Saturday and Sunday and i grew up learning the lyrics to classics. this song... it hit me hard. to me, this song was EVERYTHING i wanted my first love to be like. it was the kind of love that inspired epics: Antony and Cleopatra, Helen of Troy and Paris, Romeo and Juliet... and it made me want to fall headlong into love with anyone. there was no one in particular at that time, but lyrics such as:

"time after time, when i'm feelin low

something inside of me lets me know

it's alright, loves on my side

when the world... seems a lonely place

i've got a dream that won't leave a trace

of the blues

i just think of you..."

made me want to love someone just as much. that was 15 years ago and every time this song comes on... i take a second to envision that perfect love that awaits me in time. i get misty-eyed, imagining how it would feel to love someone so much that your heart feels like it's going to burst. additionally, the thought of love being the definitive factor in overcoming anything, makes me smile.

over the years, i have encountered love. whether it was an affair of my own or those around me... somehow this song has always been at the foreground of my mind. not to say that it made me look down on my romantic partners if they didn't measure up to statements like "...hold me, love me passionately blind, love me 'til the end of time...", but it did make me aware of the possibilities that a particular relationship was not headed in the right direction or giving me "...the warmest glow, heat in the passion that, heaven knows..."

here's to Rod Temperton (writer), Quincy Jones (producer) and Tamia (singer) for executing one of the finest love songs in my time.

up late with too much on my mind...

currently listening to... Eric Benet, You're The Only One
i actually logged into MySpace tonight and started looking around at people's profiles (on my Friends list). it is truly amazing to see the number of people i went to high school and college with, who have settled into the adult life. i'm talking marriage and children. house in the suburbs, 2-car garage and a dog. me, i'm running as fast and as far away as i can from that reality. i assume that i'm not the type to sit back and slow down. i always have to be on-the-go and busy as a bee. it is safe to assume that a life with a family is nothing but busy, but just the thought... gets my mind racing and pictures of a suburbian prison with picket fences instead of iron bars, pops into my head. that's not a knock on those who chose that life, but i am just not ready to take those steps, and i might never be.

currently listening to... The Game feat/Travis Barker, Dope Boyz
stress is a killer! it raises your blood pressure, causes headaches and body aches and can cause you to feel like you are losing your mind. is it ever a wonder in some homicide cases, the detectives come to the conclusion that the suspect "just snapped" under extreme pressures from life and work? some people deal with it in predictable ways: exercise, alcohol, drugs. there is also religion, the written words and confiding in friends/seeking advice. i seek solace in music. what i am listening to at any given moment, usually reflects my mood. if it's loud and obnoxious... chances are, i'm pissed off. if you hear some slow jams... i'm probably feeling melancholy. if it's upbeat... i'm in a normal, happy, perky mood. but if you hear some Luther or the O'Jays... look out now, cuz i'm in a sensual mood and someone is about to GET DA BIZNESS!

currently listening to... Mario, Music For Love
when this song came on, immediately my mind flew to the bedroom. i'm not one of those women who hides the kind of person they are behind closed doors, but i'm not an open book either. my close friends and i have conversations about all types of topics from across the sexual spectrum and i'm usually on the receiving end of questions (from technique, props and opinions on people). i have no problem sharing the knowledge i acquired throughout my life, but not everyone is privy to the little minute details in my life. these conversations, i think, keep me and my friends from a sheltered existence and also helps us open our minds to things that are out there that we may have never considered.

currently listening to... Ne-Yo, Let's Just Be
is there someone out there for everyone? is everyone destined to find the "one true love of this life"? do people still actively look for the person that they are meant to be with, or do they just go with the flow and hope that fate matches them up? i don't have an opinion either way on this topic, but i am not one to "look". i believe that you can't spend your life searching for something when you have no idea what it is that you are looking for.

currently listening to... The Ting Tings, Shut Up and Let Me Go

how i'm feeling right now?

i can't put it into words, so i am gonna use what i know best... music.

sometimes i wish i could fly away
looking for a place to getaway
get away from all the heartache and pain
that life can bring
i really don't wanna sound
like i can't stand my ground
but everybody need some time
that they can getaway...
~Monica, Getaway

As long as I'm living
I'll be waiting
As long as I'm breathing
I'll be there
Whenever you call me
I'll be waiting
Whenever you need me
I'll be there
~Lenny Kravitz, I'll Be Waiting

I knew I hadn't met my match,
But every moment we could snatch,
I don't know why I got so attached,
It's my responsibility,
And you don't owe nothing to me,
But to walk away I have no capacity
~Amy Winehouse, Tears Dry On Their Own

I know what we have is dead and gone.
Too many times I made you cry.
And I don't mean to interupt your life.
I just wonder do I cross your mind?
~Ne-Yo, Do You?

for your love
I would do anything
Just to see the smile upon your face
For your love
I would go anywhere
Just you tell me and I’ll be right there
~Stevie Wonder, For Your Love

Tell me baby, did I push you away
Was I coming on to strong for you
Why can't you tell me, tell me what am I supposed to do
~Mary J. Blige, Changes I've Been Going Through

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.
~Michael Buble, Everything

yeah... it's like that right about now. but i have resolved to move on, alone. there are other things i can be spending my time and energy on. least of all a man who continuously sucks me in and then makes me hurt all over again.

i know it's going to hurt, but i have to do it. for my sanity. for my health. and most of all, so my heart can heal and bewhole again.

Music I'm currently into... for now

Music is a way of life for me. What I am listening to, dictates how I'm feeling. These are my current favorites:


Tessanne Chin "Hideaway"


Duffy "Mercy"


Adele "Cold Shoulder"


Cherish "Amnesia"

Breath of Fresh Air!

his young lady, Jazmine Sullivan, has been captivating audiences lately with her sultry voice. I fell into her a couple of years ago when she remade Victoria Beckham's soung "Resentment". she made me cry listening to her talk about being betrayed (the original wasn't bad either, and neither was Beyoncé's remake), but Jazzy's version was hot to def!

Check out the first single off her debut album, due later this year. I believe it's called "Fearless"

Jazmine Sullivan "Need U Bad"