A Soul Thing

Ray Charles once said, ~What is soul? It's like electricity, we don't really know what it is, but its a force that can light up a room.~ Let me ask you this question, when you think of the word soul when it pertains to music, who do you immediately think of? Personally speaking, names that come to my mind are Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Fats Domino, Luther Vandross, Bo Diddley and of course the late great Ray Charles. It's these particular people who have an essence to their soul that they not only breathed life into their songs but also they moved you both physically and metaphorically to where it brings out certain thoughts, feelings, and/or emotions as well.

Without a doubt, music touches the soul to a point where you can literally get lost in the melody and lyrics. Sending you to a far off distant world thinking about a moment of happiness or sadness in your life, depending on which song it was of course. Every person, at some point in life, has stopped what they were doing, closed their eyes, and listened to a song that would take them on a journey. Although they weren't physically going anywhere, they were most certainly going somewhere mentally, as well as, emotionally to a point that you actually were tired from the journey afterwards. Whether it was your first kiss, first dance, the day you got married, when your child was born, etc. your soul was moved by that particular song playing on the radio.

If you think about it, there is an absolute truth and beauty when something or someone stirs your soul to the point where it changes you. Most definitely, there is absolute truth and beauty in a song especially the ones that you keep close to your heart and soul because they're a link to someone special or particular event in your life either in the past, present, or future. In a sense, a song defines who we all are as individuals and it brings to life something within one's soul that when you hear a particular song you can't help but be captivated by not only the lyrics but also the person singing those words.

For the question can be asked, who have you seen or heard lately on the radio that exudes soul today? Not many come to mind because certain artists tend to bring out one single emotion rather than a plethora of emotions such as joy, laughter, sorrow, aggressiveness, anger, heartache, heartbreak, and anger. An artist, such as Ray Charles, had that underlying presence and energy to bring out those emotions and feelings to where you continue to feel the soulful meaning within every word he sings to this day. It's a rarity these days to hear a person now-d-ays whose presence leaves a lasting impression on not only you but also people around you as well.

American Idol has graced our presence once again and one simple questions needs to be asked, 'Does anybody have soul?" Among thousands of people, Taylor Hicks, has become the definition of soul and he's a person who not only has it, but also brings with him a certain, presence, likeability factor, and an energy that is electrifying many people across the world, which hasn't been felt in music in quite some time. A throwback of Ray Charles and Joe Cocker, with a bit of Michael McDonald mixed in. When it comes to the fans of Mr. Taylor Hicks, it's not about an obsession thing or a popularity thing, it's not even a rivalry thing with over fans; in the end, what it basically comes down to is a soul thing.