Wow! A Review of 2016 and a Optimistic Glance into 2017.
Well....that happened. 2016 came and went, leaving all of us feeling some sort of way. For some, 2016 was one of the greatest years on the books. For many others, 2016 reeked of loss and orange-tinged spray tan (had to take a small jab). No matter how we cut the deck, 2016 was a year that we all had to live through. And I guess that is the central point of what I want to say here. No matter what happened to you throughout that crazy year, you are reading this post. You survived. Celebrate!
2016 was a complicated year for me. It was the most difficult school year of my life, constantly forcing me to prove my worth and justify my career path. Oftentimes, I feel that the harshest judge of my performance was myself. Confidence is certainly a trait that I need to work on. I wouldn't want to be in any other field, as music constantly intrigues me and keeps me coming back. Although I have room to improve, teaching is another thing that I am learning to love. Put them together and I have a career path I can love and improve upon. Not too shabby :D
Emma can speak for herself, but her 2016 has been super hectic and amazing as well! Every day I am impressed with her abilities, drive, and love.
But now, to the music!
This last year has been tumultuous in the music world. There is simply no way to condense the insanity into a single post. Here's a video that might do a better job:
(source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpSOtX4S4zo)
I want to hone in on one specific victim of 2016. David Bowie. With his album "Blackstar" premiering January 8th, Bowie was back to business. His death two days later shocked the world. Knowing that he was on his way out, Bowie did something unprecedented. He seemingly wrote his own eulogy in the form of this album. His strength to continue blows my mind. Bowie's treatise on his own death is still being deciphered by music critics, with everyone agreeing that the album is masterfully created. It's as if Bowie transferred his soul into the album and it continue to live along with his undying legacy as an innovative musician. Please, if you haven't, give Blackstar a listen with an open and accepting mind. I will be the first to admit, it is borderline scary at times (especially if you watch the music videos). But even with this, the unique perspective Bowie presents is eye-opening to say the least.
The album that took 2016 for me had to be "Blackstar" simply because of how intense it really was. Two other favorites of mine go to Chance the Rapper's "Coloring Book" and A Tribe Called Quest's "We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service". These albums were constantly being returned to and relistened. I highly recommend both!
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I am really looking forward to 2017 and all of the drama that I am sure will accompany it. It will be another year of growth for me and I welcome every challenge. Please, if you have any suggestions for albums that I should review, contact us and I will be more than happy to include it. This is your blog as much as it is ours, so we welcome any and all suggestions and feedback.
