Jay Simpson | Music to my ears | Columns | news-gazette.com – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

I like to start my mornings off with a little soothing-to-the-soul music.

Kelly Price, Lauryn Hill, Jodeci … you know, that real R&B music. Listening to them takes me back to my childhood, when everything was all good and I had no worries.

Growing up, I could always tell what type of mood my mother was in based on the music she played. Music is therapeutic to a lot of people, including her.

When she wasn’t feeling her best or was just in a down mood, she would play artists like Kelly Price and Mary J. Blige. When she was in a good mood, she played a lot of feel-good music, from artists such as D’Angelo, R. Kelly and Avant.

Seeing how she used music to express herself has really stuck with me throughout my life. Music became very much therapeutic to me, as well, and helped me get through some rough times.

Even though old-school R&B is my go-to genre and what I came up on, there are a few artists in today’s game that I enjoy listening to because I can relate to everything they are saying. With me, I listen to more than just a catchy beat; I like lyrics. I like to be able to feel what the artist is talking about.

Meek Mill is at the top of my list right now because not only are his lyrics on point but his delivery and tone of voice gives no other choice but to feel what he’s saying. With everything he’s been through and watching him bounce back even harder each time, it’s motivated me to never let anything get in the way of my success.

We stand for the same thing — both big on respect and taking care of our families, no matter the circumstances.

My favorite Meek Mill song is “Respect The Game.” This song changed my perspective on a lot of things — from women to family to money — and I needed to hear it. I play the song at least once a day to remind myself to stay humble.

What does music do for you? Drop me a line and let me know.

Jay Simpson writes for The News-Gazette. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. He can be reached at jsimpson@news-gazette.com.