Inspiration – Drama + Controversy

Album Review: Kelly Price’s GRACE

Multi-talented, multi-genre, and multi-Grammy nominated artist Kelly Price has returned with her eighth studio album, GRACE, which is her first studio album in nearly seven years. In the meantime, she and her beautiful spirit have GRACEd our television screens most recently as a host of BET’s gospel singing competition, Sunday Best.

Ms. Price is known for swerving all over the highway of musical genres and has made it clear that she has no lane. From R&B to Gospel, her powerful vocals have contributed to the soundtrack of our lives since her iconic R&B song Friend of Mine was released by in 1998. Her spirit exudes through each song she blesses up with, and her legendary hit, It’s My Time, is prime example of how she chooses to use her gift to inspire and uplift.

GRACE is not necessarily a traditional gospel album — it leans more towards being an inspirational album with heavy gospel influence.

Dance Party

The album starts off with some TURN UP! The first song, Dance Party, is an upbeat jam with a very appropriate name. As soon as it starts, there is really no way you’ll be able to NOT pull out a shoulder bounce or body roll. She even made it interactive, giving us a chance to join in with a “You say, you say”, and it’s guaranteed that you will indeed follow through with “I, I wanna dance! I wanna dance and I’m gonna do it now! I wanna daaaanccce!” It’s an ode to perseverance over negativity and obstacles that tend to bring us down; a reminder that no matter what, that voice within, that spark of Divine, is bigger and more powerful than anything so choose JOY and peace over everything else. Knowing Who is in charge is reason enough to DANCE so let it all go and give praise.

Grace

Kelly slows it down with the title track, Grace, which is essentially a mellow love song to the most high for His forgiveness, mercy, and GRACE. The song itself has an R&B feel with a gospel message. Her vocals are smooth with a spritz of jazz. The message relayed is that no matter how many times we fall, no matter how wretched we are, God continues to cover us when we turn to Him.

What I Need (Interlude)

This interlude fazes in with Kelly reading from Matthew 6:8 over a slow R&B beat: “Be not ye therefore like them: for the Father knows what you have need of, before you even ask him.” She reminds us that our prayer should be guided by Spirit and leads into the Lord’s Prayer with a twist, and those classic, incomparable vocals will give you chills. The interlude is only just over a minute long but you will definitely want to hear more because the way she was belting out that prayer is worthy of an entire song.

What I Need (A Sinner’s Prayer Remix)

The next track begins with a certain intensity, kind of like the calm before a storm. Kelly’s masterful vocals are heard over dramatic R&B music, with a piano adding an extra dramatic effect. There is a fusion of hip hop with rappers Jon Conner and 901$outh lacing the track with meaningful, hard-hitting bars that draw you in and cause you to feel every word. There is absolutely no fluff on this track – from start to finish, it’s all business. Spiritual business. Kelly intermittently graces us her dynamic vocals, pleading for God’s Will over her own desires. Chills will ensue, guaranteed.

I Want To Thank You

Kelly speeds it back up on this next track leading in with a semi-acapella vocalization. Then the beat drops and it’s giving us 80’s vibes. It’s like one of those songs you hear at a cookout where good vibes are abound. Kelly’s vocal range is astounding and as she sings praises to God for sending her love, we are moved to feel grateful as well – grateful for the talent Ms. Price shares with us all. The message all in all is that if you do what’s right and keep faith, you will be blessed. In her powerful delivery, she reminds us to continue to look up and blessings will eventually fall down.

Faith That Conquers

The next and final track has a classic gospel sound with heavy piano influence and Kelly channels Mahalia Jackson with her powerful delivery. It’s that song that the lead vocalist in the church choir sings on Sunday morning moving everyone to tears and praise. Her tone gives the song so much depth and the message reminds us that with faith, nothing is impossible — faith allows us to create our circumstances by first conceiving it with vision and manifesting it through belief that God will bring it forth. A much needed reminder during these unusual times we face, especially in the aftermath of the tumultuous year 2020. Thank you, Kelly, for reigniting the flame of FAITH for those whose fire may have been extinguished while trying to survive through a pandemic and times of social injustice.

GRACE comes across as a facilitator of healing during a time of such intense trauma and also encourages us to reflect on what is really important in life. It inspires us to re-anchor ourselves with faith and remember that nothing is greater than God. Each and every track on the album has a place and a purpose which indicates that Kelly Price moved with intent and purpose while creating this extended play. There will be dancing and there will be quiet reflection, but most importantly, there will be a reminder that God’s GRACE allows everything – every trial and tribulation – to work out in the end. Kelly Price’s GRACE is definitely sufficient.

WCW: Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams: Resilient. Compassionate. Transparent. While a guest host on ‘The Talk’ last year, Michelle was very open about her battle with depression & brought the taboo topic to the forefront on national television: “So many people are walking around acting like they’ve got it all together and they’re suffering.”

“I swear, it got so dark and heavy, because sometimes you feel like, I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way.”

Despite her battle with depression, Michelle has persevered through the negativity thrown her way over the years and continues to flourish and WIN! She has a new man, she’s ventured into entrepreneurship, and she continues to inspire others through motivational speaking. She will be a guest speaker this summer at Sarah Jakes Roberts’ conference, Woman Evolve.

Get Your Life Back.

Elevation We go through so many changes in this life. There are the good times, when we are in love with life and find fulfillment. During these times, great memories are created that will serve as lifelines in days to come. We go out and enjoy the world, take many pictures to commemorate our enjoyment, and make acquaintance with people who oftentimes become our Siamese twins. Life is grand, and you fall asleep each night with a sense of purpose and contentment.

However, the only thing constant in life is change, which means that unexpected events or circumstances threaten to create a new normal for us at some point in our life. Things happen – people leave, bad decisions are made – and so is the nature of being human. These circumstances may cause us to feel stupid, hopeless, and in some cases, we become severely depressed. We could have short stints of bad karma where our resiliency is stellar, and we are able to bounce out of the depressive funk with quickness. Staying mentally strong is the key to surviving difficult times. When we’ve been in a tough situation for too long and negativity begins to infiltrate our mind and spirit, we start to lose our mental strength and become vulnerable to diminished self-confidence. It is at this point where we could start allowing opinions of others to determine our value. This is a slippery road down to abysmal depression – a place of darkness where we can’t seem to find any sense of joy in the world anymore. If feels like everything was stolen from us – love, happiness, fulfillment. We start to feel like the whole world is against us and could lose our will to live. Those good memories we have stored within our minds are the only miniscule sources of peace we can scrounge up — and then we realize that remembering the good times won’t magically bring them back.

When dealing with the darkest moments of depression, you come to a ‘do or die’ moment. Either you will continue to wallow in self-pity and let despair eat you alive until you have alienated yourself from everyone you love, and allow the darkness to take you out. Or you can pull yourself out of the black hole and take action to regain your vitality.

Here are a few ways to take action to get your life back:

Find something that inspires you.

Start reading books that kindle your imagination or find self-help books that inspire you to do something creative/constructive. I recommend reading “The Alchemist”, by Paulo Coelho. It will spark your imagination and inspire you at the same time.
Listening to inspirational music in the morning or throughout your day could start to retrain your mind to think positive thoughts. Tuning in to an inspirational radio station during your morning commute, or even creating a personalized playlist of songs that inspire you and listening to the music throughout the day or right before you fall asleep could fill your subconscious mind with healthy content to process and eventually manifest better situations in your life.

Start an exercise regime.

We often hear about the benefits of exercise for losing weight and fighting ailments such as diabetes and heart disease, but working out could assist in fighting depression as well. Exercise increases serotonin – a bodily chemical that is known to affect your mood. Studies have shown that aerobic exercises are good for boosting serotonin levels. Go for a brisk walk, a jog in the park, or even head to the gym and sweat it out on the stationary bike and you might start to feel better. However, you will need to be consistent and fight through the urge to sit and sulk on the couch in order to start making progress. Not only will you boost your serotonin levels, you could start to see some desirable physical results or make a great friend while you’re at it. Getting a physical exam at your doctor’s office would be advisable prior to starting your exercise routine. Your doctor might even give you a few tips on changing your diet or suggest some natural supplements to maximize your overall health.

Start a hobby.

Sign up for that cooking class you’ve always wanted to take. Pick up those art utensils and get back to creating masterpieces. Start writing your best-selling novel or start a blog. Tap into your inner creative mastermind and start doing something that brings you joy and takes your mind off your sorrows. You never know, you could end of being a source of inspiration for others. It’s possible that you may even open a door of opportunity for self-employment doing something you actually enjoy.

The most important thing we can do to get our life back is to change our negative thinking patters. Each of the aforementioned suggestions will hopefully nudge you forward on your journey of revival. Also, taking the time to listen to our inner voice can allow us to tap in to the divine wisdom we all inherently possess. This often requires moments of isolation and deep thought – meditation and prayer. Whether or not you believe in a higher power, being pensive and tuning in to your thoughts could reveal ideas that lead you to act on creative projects, or even a career change. We all possess everything we need to succeed, but life becomes hectic and we are too bogged down by society’s expectations to really tune in to our inner wisdom, or intuition. We must take time away from the world, even if just for a few minutes each day, to ponder our purpose for existence. When we know why we’re here – when we are truly awakened – we can move with intent and purpose to leave our mark in the world. And your contribution to humanity makes a difference, even in the grand scheme of things. When you live with intent, you take your life back – with force! By doing so, you most likely inspire others to do so, as well.