Sometimes endings transcend the entrails of human mind to make a permanent milestone for a new beginning. Even when ends are connected with losing the familiarities, they are also the harbinger of the anticipations of unaccustomed, the new hopes and even the misgivings. But, amidst all the uproar and divided thoughts… endings don’t necessarily have to be sad.
In fact, endings are ecstatic like nothing else! While we have a chance to predict the future to our hearts content, they also transform into a rearview mirror to revel in and deduce the goodness of the times spent. And, as we measure the every and each moment into measuring cups of nostalgia, happenings and music, all that falls into a perfect spot of the jigsaw revealing a gracefully the coherent picture that makes us see the time past through a whole new spotlight.
I stood at the culmination of 2015, and I measured the music that had touched me and made its presence felt, February was the first stop I was lured to explore!
If I had to put each music month under a microscope and examine, some months were in my face with their great hits and releases! But, February was modest and therefore it was, to me, beautiful and important. If January was the month of comebacks in terms of music, February was a subtle story. It did not loudly narrate of big arrivals, neither did it advertise of change. But, it did talk about diversity and balance. It boasted of co-existence and beautifully painted the picture, perfectly seasoned with all flavors, solidifying our belief that there is a place for everyone in music.
February juxtaposed the sultry Diana Krall against the earworm-y Drake. It played Imagine Dragons against a Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. It resurrected Ricky Martin in our lives with A Quien Quiera Escuchar and discovered a hidden gem for us with Steven Wilson’s Hand.Cannot.Erase. All while the charts were adorned with Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do”.
It was the rise of the underdog in a way. Somewhat like the “Wallflower of Music”. And, that is why if you stop to choose one exemplary album that defined the month, Diana Krall’s “Wallflower” was the nutshell of it all. It was the album where we had a Diana we all have been familiar with, and yet we all are new to. It might not be remembered as her best – but, over time, it will definitely be remembered as an important milestone in her career. It had balance – of covers of famous artists like “Desparado” from The Eagles, “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” and hidden favorites like “Don’t Dream it’s Over” by The Crowded House. And, then a carefully placed in original "If I Take You Home Tonight" master stroked by the brilliant pen of Paul McCartney. Also, it had the excitement of some unexpected duets with Bryan Adams in “Feels Like Home” and Michael Buble in “Alone Again (Naturally)”.
Very much like the month that had been an eclectic mix – of Jazz, Pop, Hiphop, Rock and even Latin, everybody had a chance to shine. And even if when we look back in the rearview mirror and it appears to be a bit clouded and overcast, it is like the classic painting that did not receive its due until the time passed. Because, it was February which solidified music stance the year 2015! It played its part in support to the big that was about to come, by giving us a space to breathe in and wander. And, just like the last traces of winter – it left its faint scent in our hearts and a strange camaraderie that we could go back to and re-live and re-discover, not just by being caught in the moment but by carefully and calculatedly returning!
The year has a lot in store for you; March is awaited next with its Rebel Hearted Madonna! But, at the end of the year, if you’d like to return – February still has its welcoming arms open to you.
