Reflections for May 4, 2011

Terminated relationships (and life moving on)

There are not many things more complex, and more potentially explosive, than human relation­ships, and that certainly includes affairs of the heart.

Aretha Franklin’s new album has an attention-grabbing title, “A Woman Falling Out of Love.” She is not into brood­ing when a love goes bad or just naturally comes to the end of its road. That’s why she wrote and recorded “A Rose Is Still A Rose” (featuring Lauryn Hill) that strongly spoke against a man for, among other things, his “slick game.” It was a pep talk for that man’s would-be “victim.”

Franklin says, “Don’t sit by the phone waiting for him to call. Go out and have a ball.”

But there’s another side to all this, from a man’s point of view, that essentially says the same thing.

COUNTRY superstar Toby Keith said in “Grain of Salt” from his “White Trash With Money” album (funny title!) that “the minute you left, me and the boys went out and had a real good time.” And he drove his point home with, “I’d already gotten over it before you were even gone.”

(If you want truth in lyrics, you will very often find it in R&B, country and blues.)

What determines who is attracted to whom and what will happen in a relation­ship?

Luther Vandross summed it up in seven words in one of his songs, “You can’t tell love what to do.”

But when a relationship is over, it’s over. And eventually both parties will connect with the senti­ment in the title of the Mavis Staples song, “I Have Learned To Do Without You.

FRANKLIN’S album is only available at Walmart and the store’s website, just as Smokey Robinson’s is sold by way of a restaurant chain!

I, for one, am not pleased with this new trend. What’s happening is that the big record companies are choosing to work with younger artists, no matter how accomplished, or legendary, the older artists are.

That is wrong on so many levels.

TONI BRAXTON was court ordered to take a financial management course. That makes a lot of sense because something is very wrong when a person files bankruptcy twice, which the talented Braxton did in 1998 and 2010.

Speaking of failed use of money, it came as no real surprise that Flavor Flav’s fast-food restaurant, Flavor Flav’s Fried Chicken, closed after being open for far less than one year. He had planned on it becoming a franchise. But what does he know about restaurant management, and why did he choose to open it in Clin­ton, Iowa, of all places?

“There’s a lot of employees not getting paid,” Flav said in explaining his decision to cease operating.

Indeed.

Jennifer Hudson says posing nude or semi-nude is out of the question. As she put it, “I love my new figure, but I won’t be taking my clothes off. No way! That’s just not me. I like to cover up more.”

BY THE TIME you read this, “the royal wedding” between Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton will be over — thank good­ness! I was sick of hearing about it to the point intense irritation and changing TV stations immediately.

I resent that whole “roy­alty” thing anyway. It is strongly implied that they are better than other people when, in fact, they are not. The day before the wedding, one TV reporter said Middle­ton “was spending her last day as a commoner.” I hate classism and snobbery, and I believe God does too.

Despite the “royal” designation, Sarah Ferguson (Fergie), the married duchess of York, had an affair. Prince Charles had an affair, as did his wife, Princess Diana. And that’s just three of the scandals. Not exactly “royal” behavior.

David Letterman hit the nail on the head regarding “the royal wedding” when he quipped, “I can’t decide if I don’t care or if I couldn’t care less.”

And as an afterthought, can you imagine what would have happened if the prince had intended to marry a woman of color, especially a Black woman? Action would have been taken at Buckingham Palace that would horrify the world.

IT IS ALWAYS a good thing when entertainers give back to the community. The Black Eyed Peas are heav­ily involved in the opening of a higher learning facility in lower Manhattan. At the Peabody Adobe Youth Voices music and multimedia acad­emies (three already exist on the West Coast) teens can learn video and music produc­tion.

Will.i.am said, “Our pas­sion for music and media was fueled by many generous people on our road to suc­cess.”

It is reported that Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, former wife and husband, are not pleased that their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, has developed a friendship with Laurence Fishburne’s daugh­ter, Montana, who makes porn movies.

Bobbi, an obviously trou­bled young lady, reportedly spent time recently in rehab, which comes as no surprise in light of the example set by her parents.

For as long as he has been in the public eye, I have basically had no opinion of Donald Trump. But he was way out of line when he said Barack Obama “might be the worst president of all time.”

That is not even close to being true. Actually, he is one of the best, all the more so considering that he has been hit with one crisis after another.

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that when Michael Henderson was hired by Miles Davis as bassist in 1967, believe it or not, he didn’t know who Miles Davis was.

MEMORIES: “One Hun­dred Ways” (Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram), “When Will I See You Again?” (the Three Degrees), “Deja Vu” (Dionne Warwick), “Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)” (Wilson Pickett), “Care­less Whisper” (Wham! featur­ing George Michael), “The Glamorous Life” (Sheila E.), “Get a Job” (the Silouettes), “Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)” (the Temptations), “Rock Your Baby” (George McRae), “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” (Boyz II Men).

BLESSINGS to Aaron Riser, Yvonne Gullick, Ron Stevenson, Bud McQueen, Angie Daniels (thanks for the birthday wish!), Frankie Dar­cell, June LaGreen, Earthel LaGreen, Stefanie Worth and Sylvia Quarles.

WORDS OF THE WEEK, from Fantasia: “Before you judge somebody or open your mouth to talk about them, learn to pray for them. You never know what they may be dealing with.”

Let the music play!

(Steve Holsey can be reached at Svh517@aol.com and PO Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.)