Monica Dockery
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I am One Features
Share your voice in any form, spoken, sung, instrumental, visual. What is it that you have to say to the world? Share your story by sending a video or link to a video via mdockery20005@gmail.com and I will post it here and promote it on social media.
Ibeyi - Mama Says
If you haven't heard of Ibeyi before, it may be that the wave just hasn't hit you yet. They are a tour de force, a young dynamic duo with much spirit and conviction. Of French Cuban descent, raised in the Yoruba culture, these two twin sisters use minimalist instrumentation to convey richly deep emotion and spiritual expressions. This song, in particular, displays the magic in this mixture. It is about their father's passing and the emptiness that they and their mother have had to deal with now that he is gone. There is such honesty in their delivery. You feel their loss as your own. One moment, in particular, is quite poignant. That comes when one of the sisters spontaneously breaks down in tears in the middle of a triumphant Yoruba chant towards the end of the song (one of their signatures) - one cannot help but feel like crying along with her and giving her a hug just as her mother and sister do in the video. In that brief moment, the hope for the future as well as the pain of losing a loved one sit side-by-side. This is the beauty and complexity of life.
Keep a watch out for these two, they have an album out now and a few other videos that are definitely worth a watch. If you think spirit has left music behind, these two will show you that you are wrong.
Pure - Juggernaut
I came across this group of young, Swedish musicians a few years back and I feel now as I did then....grateful. What I love about this group is their purity in delivery and playfulness. They aren't trying to sell you something. The audio and video quality is not on par with "industry standards"....but, I'm glad. I like that it feels like I'm sitting in their house, just hanging out, with a lei around my neck, listening to some talented young folks. Each member brings something to the song that complements what the others are contributing...which I'm assuming speaks to the closeness of friendship that they share. It is refreshing to see and hear. Here are a few of the lyrics in case you weren't able to catch them all:
"I put my life on the table and you came off guards
to get my soul back was the reward
I thought it was worth a try
Even though I'm not a lucky guy
You got the remote control in your hands,
You can choose if I should crash or land,
I close my eyes wanting to disappear, a
question in my head - what am I doing here?
You're a juggernaut, the soul that everyone talks about. You're an earthquake and every time you walk by the ground shakes
There's a question which souls are trying to find
But you're a hurricane spinning the world, spinning the world around.
What is a soul, I don't know, but I know how it feels to lose one......"