brittany howard {rewind} + holding on with mumford & sons, stars and sam & dave

Since my Monday post,  I’ve gotten  emails, calls and even someone stopping me on the sidewalk to talk about the neverending rollercoaster of holding on and letting go.

 

One conversation evolved into a discussion of things worth holding onto — everything from soul-satisfying friendships to dreams that may seem too difficult to realize but somehow keep inspiring  us to move forward to a sense of gratitude for who we are and the gifts we bring to this world, no matter how tired and unsure we feel.

 

I felt so much lighter afterward, and I immediately turned up  a song that’s filled me with unstoppable resolve since the first time it barreled into me — “Hold On,” by Alabama Shakes.

 

Here’s an encore of my February post that captures Brittany Howard’s soulful, contagious, no-holds-barred determination followed by three other songs worth holding onto. Just click on the photos to jump in.

 

 

 

If Jack White & Janis Joplin had a daughter . . she’d probably sound a lot like Brittany Howard  of Alabama Shakes.

 

“Hold On,” is the  band’s  debut single.

 

Listen up and listen loud . . . but only if you’re prepared to have a raw infusion of neo-soul whip you into a frenzy and then  swirl around in your brain long after the last notes fade.

 

You’ll hum it, tap it, and sing, “C’mon Brittany!” like you’re the one clutching  the mic and letting your soul pour out in a song that’s so achingly simple it soars.

 

And,  if you’re having a day {month/ year/ life so far} that seems to have veered off into the brambles of confusion,  despair, disappointment, loneliness, frustration, fear or all of the above . . .  TURN IT UP, LISTEN, REPEAT.

 

Bono was right on when he said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.”

 

Let this song change you.

 

“You and I now

We can be alright

If we just hold onto what we know is true

Though it’s cold inside

Feel the tide turning.”

                               “Feel the Tide”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“There’s been a lot of talk of love,
but that don’t amount to nothing.
You can evolve the stars above,
but that doesn’t make it something

And the only way to last,
and the only way to live it,
is to hold on when you get love,
and let go when you give it.”

“Hold On When You Get Love & Let Go When You Give It” 

“Don’t you ever, be sad.

Lean on me, when times get bad.

When the day comes, and you know you’re down,

 in a river of trouble, your ’bout to drown . . .

Hold on, cause I’m comin’!
Hold on, I’m comin’!”

                            “Hold On, I’m Comin'”