“I want you to be free
But there seems to always be
Forces of gravity
Weighing you down
And I want you to fly with me”

Artist: Victory
Song: “Open Your Eyes”
Album: The Broken Instrument
Year: 2018

Song Meaning

Seeing the beauty beyond the black lens.

A Drop of Much-Needed Sunshine

It’s rough going for the eternal optimist right now. Anyone with a pulse is outraged about the latest “Breaking News” bulletin, which is totally understandable.

But temperance, sir and ma’am. Temperance.

Too much of one thing is harmful, which is why it’s OK to leave the news off for a day. I’m back to feeding on the teachings of Lao Tzu and Rumi, momentarily oblivious to odious presence polluting our hearts and minds. This is freedom (even if it’s not, you’re only as good as your outlook).

I needed this album in the best way. Victory Boyd, who caught the attention of Jay-Z while performing with her siblings in Central park, just released her first album and it shines like a new dawn.

This song in particular gently encourages us to shed our bitterness and see the beauty right before our eyes, which can seem difficult at the moment. But if you give into the downward spiral without coming up for air, that’s when you start drowning in irrational and hateful behavior. We have enough of that.

It’s summer – go out and reacquaint yourself with the daylight. I hear sunsets are still in season.

Random Notes

• Listen to that trip-hop beat. Way to sell the chill.
• Though ignorance is bliss, this is not to say to just go outside and leave everything behind. Unfortunately, your attention and opinions still matter – you just have to know how to act upon them when the time comes. I miss the days where I this wasn’t the case.
• It’s the midway point in the year and I maybe have three surefire top albums of 2018. This album is among them.