Sweet Soul Music

The Joyful Content of Our Lives

The Queen of Soul

As of late I have come to some convictions about my life here on Earth. These convictions are mostly born of and driven by a decade long journey into sobriety and a growing faith in a triune God as represented in the Gospels and teachings of Christ Jesus. These convictions are that my purpose here on Earth truly, is only to provide joyful content and that content is derived from the objective daily pursuit of growing my relationship with my Creator, the Source of all that was, is and ever shall be. So for today, with one more step, I will attempt to further fulfill my purpose here on Earth.

I want to dwell on one Miss Aretha Franklin. This lady with Mississippi roots born in Memphis, Tennessee began in earnest her life of creating scintillating vocals in and throughout the soul music genre by singing in the gospel choir of her father's Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. I do not recollect the exact circumstance or timing, but I remember her recording of "Natural Woman" being spiritually moving for me. It has always epitomized the essence of "sweet soul music." Her life's artistic accomplishments as far a providing content would most certainly be pleasing to our Lord/Creator.

Natural Woman

Stop and consider for a moment how far and wide Miss Franklin's soulful voice traveled around this globe we inhabit. Ponder how deep her notes penetrated across cultural lines and barriers or how thoroughly they permeated people's daily emotional experience. Consider the distances in miles and social strata from the dirt roads of the deep south and the industrial inner city streets of the Midwest's Motown stages to metropolises like Amsterdam and Melbourne half way around the globe. God is happy when we bring joy (content) to our immediate neighborhoods. Imagine the size of His smile when our joy spreads around the globe!

It is hard to imagine a distance greater in culture and language than the expanse between the roots of deep south cotton field Gospel music and the passionate Italian origins of Opera. Well, thirty years after bursting onto the music scene in America as a twenty something "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin bridged a gap spanning four centuries. With short notice she stepped in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti and performed the aria "Nessun Dorma" during the live worldwide telecast of The 1998 Grammy's from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was nothing but a miracle full of Grace. Her recorded performance of "Natural Woman" decades earlier had been spiritually moving but watching her transcendent performance on live television shook me to the bones. If providing joyful redemptive content for our world is our purpose here, then Miss Aretha Franklin you have set a standard to strive for.

Take a moment and experience Aretha's soulful performance of " Nessun Dorma."

Aretha's Pure Grace - Click to experience.

Amen Soul Sister

Bradford Bosworth

April 2014