15 Feb 18: Song of the Day

Song: Only Wanna Be With You

Artist: Samm Henshaw

Album (Year): The Sound Experiment (2015)

Notable Lyric: "See there ain't nothing wrong with trying to be with you"

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the goldmine that is Mahogany Sessions on YouTube but if not then I encourage you to head that way the second you finish reading this post. That is how I came across Samm Henshaw and his soulful and soothing voice.

Only Wanna Be With You is the first of his gems that listened to in 2016 and it began an momentous trajectory up to one of my "Most Played" songs of the year. The version I've shared below is the "Unplugged / Acoustic" version as there is only a video for that however both versions are equally beautiful.

I do really enjoy a good ol' love song. After all, countless one hit wonders, albums, and careers have all been built on the foundation of the expression of how people feel inside about love. Everyone wants to feel loved in some way & it doesn't necessarily have to be romantically. There's a huge difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. For example, without delving into Freud's Oedipus Complex, you can love your mother and be in love with your partner.

Through music we can escape with our imagination to a Utopian world where - even for a moment - there's no fear of vulnerability and insecurity. You've taken that leap and landed on your feet - and at least just for that moment everything is pure bliss. I think that's beautiful.

It's almost impossible to escape stories of love as it's omnipresent in art through cinema, stories, culture and in acts of inspiration and desperation. The self-induced emotional high from reading and hearing about feelings of love is why we're probably all so addicted to the stories.

The skill that artists, authors, and poets posses - and sets them apart - is being able to express their feelings with words that people can relate to so vividly. I've not done a lot of writing and am still trying to work out the most effective way to express my thoughts.

There will be many more entries for #SOTD that come from incredible artists on Mahogany Sessions such as Jacob Banks & Dan Caplen. I'm really excited to share more with you!