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Soothing That 'Lost Voice'

I’m stuck. I go to my list of ideas for Perspective topics, and they all look tired. I feel empty of opinions that matter, devoid of any insight. It’s January; the holidays are over and my birthday just passed. 2018 is new and I feel old.

I know I have to snap out of it, so I eat what’s left of the coffee ice cream in the freezer and chase it with a diet Dr. Pepper. Where’s my discipline, my muse?

It’s too easy and boring to blame the weather or politics. I want to inspire you, and myself, so I’ll tell you about a concert I recently enjoyed.

I didn’t really know much about the singer, Lee Ann Womack, but as soon as I heard her voice, I was hooked.

The highlight for me was the title song from her latest album, “All the Trouble.” It starts a cappella and low key. Then her band kicks in and she lets loose her powerhouse of a voice. The sound hits something deep; it’s haunting and somehow takes me back to the pews of my Southern Baptist upbringing.

Womack’s lyrics are fine, but it’s her voice that zings you to the core.

I suppose we all lose our voice from time to time. We get harried and overwhelmed; light-deprived and logic-deprived.

But in the middle of that malaise, I see that it’s OK, maybe even best, if we are silent for a spell and turn to our artists and musicians -- and maybe a bit of ice cream -- for rejuvenation.

I’m Paula Garrett, and that’s my perspective.

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