A Review of Georgia Anne Muldrow’s Song, “Never a Day in Vain”: ‘60s Spiritual Soul with a Hip-Hop Fist

Is the world a big rubber band ball with everything connected to everything? Maybe. When you look for common threads among people, history, science…relationships start to surface. At the very least, you and I are connected right now through the Internet. So with this in mind, let’s play a game (not the Kevin Bacon game).

Question: What do “The Secret” (the Law of Attraction philosophy featured on Oprah), jazz artists Eddie Harris and Pharaoh Sanders (best known for their work in the ‘60s and ‘70s) and the year 1983 have in common?

Answer: Georgia Anne Muldrow.

Many of the universe’s funkiest wavelengths have converged recently to create the neo-soul hip-hopstress, Georgia Ann Muldrow (jahjahmuldrow on Twitter).

Born in 1983, Muldrow was raised in a musical home in Los Angeles. Her mom, Rickie Byars Beckwith, sang with avant-garde jazz saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders among others. Muldrow’s late father, Ronald Muldrow, was a jazz guitarist who played with artists such as soul-jazz pioneer Eddie Harris.

With this foundation, Georgia naturally gravitated toward music, and also appears to have incorporated her mother’s spirituality. Beckwith is the musical director of Agape Spiritual Center, a “New Thought” church founded by Muldrow’s stepdad, Dr. Michael Beckwith. The reverend was featured in the 2006 movie, “The Secret.”

 (Georgia Anne Muldrow’s mother, Rickie Byars Beckwith, and stepfather Michael Beckwith)
Take into account these influences along with the hip-hop voice of Muldrow’s generation, and you have the song, “Never a Day in Vain,” from the new album, “Early” (released Nov. 10 on Animatedcartunes).
Listen to the song here

 

Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics:

“My prayer is to be better, and to live a life of love
An honest human being, whose light heart can soar with the doves.
It’s hard to keep your head up, when life’s smoke obscures your gaze
I pray to see the beauty, even in that smoke’s dark haze
And when, I feel worthy to receive, the universe opens up to me
I’m a wide open vessel, true love expressin’,
I’ll never live a day in vain”

Another 1983 Connection
Steven Ellison (Flying Lotus), with whom Muldrow and her partner, Dudley Perkins have recorded and performed, called his debut album, “1983.” (I can all but confirm that this was the year he was born.)

Here’s a video of Perkins (a.k.a. Declaime) and Muldrow (a.k.a. Patti Blingh) performing to Flying Lotus’ beats.

Ellison’s background was similar to Muldrow’s in that he grew up in L.A. in a musical family. He is the great nephew of Alice Coltrane, the late free-jazz singer/mystic and John Coltrane, the late jazz god.

Now follow me here. Pharaoh Sanders, who played with Muldrow’s mom, also recorded and played with the Coltranes, who were big influences of Muldrow’s and just about all serious musicians out there.

And so our story comes full circle.

So check out Georgia Anne Muldrow’s song, “Never a Day in Vain,” on the album “Early.” Muldrow’s web sites include
http://www.myspace.com/georgiaannemuldrow
and www.myspace.com/theworthnothingskrew . She has a fan page on Facebook.

Sources:
http://www.stonesthrow.com/georgia
,
http://www.billboard.com/artist/georgia-anne-muldrow
,
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2008/12/01/081201crmu_music_frerejones
,
http://www.rickiebyars.com/bio.html
, www.myspace.com/flyinglotus and
http://exclaim.ca/articles/points.aspx?csid1=135
.

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