A song on Alicia Keys’ new album, Alicia, strikes me as a tonic for this dismal year.
“Authors of Forever”, with light, propulsive and percussive rhythm and her assertive, optimistic vocals, expresses a relaxed yet steadfast sense of unity.
The tune is upbeat. Lyrics, rhyming shadow with rainbow, speak of harmony.
We are born on our own
And we die on our own
And we’re here to make meaning
Of what happens in between
We could hate, we could love
We could doubt, we could trust
But we’re here to make meaning
For as long as we’re breathing
The song’s theme, honoring the individual creator, is in the title, really. It’s featherweight pop music to lift one’s mood, one of several songs on a new album which I’m thoroughly enjoying.