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This blog was written by Dana Sopah. Dana is our Operations Lead for APAC & ANZ, she keeps the ship sailing, the lights on and keeps us all on track!
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For the first time in five years, I find myself on garden leave - switching jobs during this circuit breaker. It’s a process that’s a challenge to navigate even under regular circumstances. It's its own form of circuit breaking, as you surrender one set of connections for another. And while it was all part of the plan, I never expected to be doing it at the end of the world.
Confined to my apartment, all travel plans cancelled and with only Netflix and Zoom delivering company, the past week has been challenging but also strangely liberating. I’ve only had to talk to people I‘ve wanted to talk to. I’ve only had to read what I’ve wanted to read. And while I wake up each morning wondering if I’m in some kind of denial that this is my afterlife, I burn my toast a little to keep things interesting before putting some music on with the coffee.
On the request of a good friend, I’m sharing some highlights from my Circuit Breaker playlist.
1. Nina Simone - I Sing Just to Know That I’m Alive
This is a recording that was reissued two months ago and I have found myself, more than once, singing its verses in the shower and while pacing my apartment. Along with being a solid earworm, it also helps me shake that Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense feeling.
2. Amerigo Gazaway - B.I.G. Poppa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Featuring James Brown and The Notorious B.I.G.)
I came of age at the height of the Mash. And no one has done it better, in my opinion, than Amerigo Gazaway. Every year, for the past five, he has taken a soul artist’s catalogue and mashed it together with a classic hip hop one. Last year he threw together the works of James Brown and Biggie Smalls. You won’t find this on Spotify. Check YouTube and Bandcamp. Clear the furniture, put this on and dance like no one’s watching.
3. Judy Collins - No One Is Alone
I’m a fan of Sondheim. No other broadway lyricist has captured the intricacies, ecstasies and perils of adulthood quite like ‘God’. I’ve chosen this articular recording of No One Is Alone because it feels apropos. The stripped-down arrangement and sincerity in Collins' phrasing helps remind me of the truth in Sondheim's lyric.
4. Common - The Light
A classic. Best played when you’re brushing your teeth, prepping eggs or tidying up. The whole Be album from Common is worth a spin...ahem...stream, I mean, stream.
5. Aretha Franklin - Wholy Holy (from Amazing Grace)
Finally, to bring it home, I am going to leave you at church. One of the Late Ms. Franklin’s greatest recordings is her cover of Marvin Gaye’s Wholy Holy - taken from her live album, Amazing Grace. It’s a rallying cry for change, yes, but there’s an optimism here that I hold onto, especially in trying times.
The experience of the past few weeks has taught me how necessary it can be to hit reset. On many different levels. I hope these tracks help you pass the week in a better groove. More importantly though, as the earth rocks our world’s foundations, I hope you get the chance to redefine your wildest dreams.
YouTube Playlist Link: https://bit.ly/joesbreaker