A musical ode to my late mother
Mother’s Day used to be one of those special days for me personally because I used to spend it with both my late mother and grandmother but the much loved public holiday that commemorates our Queens is a bit different for me this year.
Of all the things I could do to celebrate her and all the work she put in to raise me, I thought of remembering my mother the best way I know how – through music.
My mother’s love for music stemmed from the fact that she was named after renowned musical legend, Aretha Franklin, and so when any of her songs played on the radio, she made it a point to remind me that she too has a musical ear lol. A lover of Jazz, R&B, Soul and Gospel, my mother enjoyed listening to a variety of artists such as Will Downing, Kelly Price, Oletta Adams, Luther Vandross, Joyous Celebration and many more across these genres which I came to like as I became an adult.
My mother was a frequent purchaser of cassettes and CDs which she took pride in collecting, however, with the downfall of cassette and CD/DVD players, her collection has unfortunately just sat there for years. Despite not being able to listen to all her faves, Spotify has definitely allowed me to curate a personal playlist for Mother’s Day which I could remember her by.
It was quite difficult to pick which songs would make the playlist because there’s over a hundred, but here are the 10 songs that remind me of my mother;
1. Luther Vandross – Buy Me A Rose
2. Joyous Celebration (Vol 5.) – I’ve Got Something
3. Regina Belle – Baby Come To Me
4. Barry White – You’re The First, The Last, My Everything
5. Kelly Price – As We Lay
6. Oleta Adams – Never Knew Love
7. Bebe & Cece Winans – Lost Without You
8. Kenny G – Forever In Love
9. Anita Baker – Sweet Love
10. Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Prayer
You can listen to my Mother’s Day playlist here to listen to more songs or create your very own Mother’s Day playlist, or simply purchasing your mother a Spotify Premium Gift Voucher so she can create one herself today.
