Old Is New Again

Old Co-worker, New Friend For Life: Last night, a woman who has grown to be my mentor, friend and confidante came to New York. She was my producer on a crime series before I left Washington D.C. We spent 4 weeks on the road in Florida, accompanied by our exceptionally talented, German cameraman. Its a funny thing being on the road, filming a show about murders. We learned a lot on those shoots and had some of the most memorable times (which I've only come to appreciate in retrospect). She applauded me on my successes in New York so far and as always, encouraged me to push my limits. As one of my biggest supporters, she has invited me to work on a shoot with some of the world's top wedding designers! Thank you Lynn!

Old Friend, New Inspiration: Later, I met a friend who I haven't seen in years. She spent two years in Guyana doing Peace Corps. It was as if no time had gone by. Still the same, beautiful, passionate, driven and intelligent girl I knew years ago -- with a few moderations (Gentleman, snatch her up while you can!). I'm sure adjusting to the American way of life will take time but I know she will make her mark in this world as she is a true philanthropist. She's already landed herself a teaching position and is on her way to grad school. Congrats Anita!

Old Music, New Vibe: My music library is so plentiful and diverse that at times I forget what I have! The other day I rediscovered my love for Maxwell and Res. Maxwell, the sexy, 'make-you-wanna-hop-in-bed' artist who put neo-soul on the map. When I first heard "Ascension," I was in love. I didn't know who with, but I knew I wanted to be in love after I heard that. And how can you not feel sexy after hearing "Sumthin-Sumthin"?? Lately I've been listening to the "Now" album, which has gotten less acclaim than his previous work. But if you ask me I think it's just as good. "Changed" and "Lifetime" are two of my favorites from his discography. Any man who can hit the high octave and still seem masculine is top shelf at my bar :-)

Res, a lesser known, and in my opinion, underappreciated musician, created a genre all her own. There is no way to really categorize her, except under good-original-music. But if I tried, I'd say she'd fall under the new-soul-hop-rock category (I just made that up). She has only one, phenomenal album released in 2001 and is probably better known for her songs "They Say (Vision)" and her "Ice King" remix with Nas. The first track on the album, "Golden Boy" is a classy bust on the wannabes of the music industry, with a triad of break-beats and downtempo. She sings with attitude and sex appeal, never wavering from originality. Please, do yourself a favor and check her out (even if it is 5 years old).