Jhene Aiko "Sailing Soul(s)" review

Sailing Soul (s) is the debut mixtape by singer Jhene Aiko It was self released on March 16, 2011. The mixtape features musical guests like Drake, Gucci Mane, Kanye West, Miguel, H.O.P.E., Kendrick Lamar, and K. Roosevelt. Don't forget to check out my previous post on Jhene's Souled Out album by clicking on this link: https://whenathinkbubblebursts.blogspot.com/2018/04/jhene-aiko-souled-out-review_23.html

Click to listen to "The Beginning"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejXRtTogtwc

The Beginning serves as the opener for the mixtape. It only lasts for eight seconds with an intro that is sped up and reversed.

Stranger is where Jhene addresses her feelings for a man who use her and leave her heartbroken singing, "Yea yea, ah/ Similar ways, similar game. Starting to feel the similar pain/ Are you sure we haven't met before?/ I know ya face, I know ya name/ But I don't know you?/ Isn't that crazy? Isn't that crazy?", and moves on to the chorus with lyrics like, "I think we may be/ In a different book/ On a different page/ You said you are different/ But you're the same/ Stranger".

Click to listen to "Hoe"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kZ9qcqZN58

Hoe featuring Miguel and Gucci Mane is a "steady drum beat" which was produced by Fisticuffs. 

July featuring Drake is about comparing the different phases of a relationship to changing seasons. Drake starts off his verse with, "This verse starts as my sniper hit their marks/ And your guards fall down from a rifle to the heart/ Like, clap, clap, let em fall snow/ I know you had your fears, you can let 'em all go/ And most women are motivated so I act accordingly/ But this is so refreshing that it means a little more to me", and then Jhene exchanges her verses singing on the bridge, "Oh, you had to change the game/ Oh, the weather is not the same/ Now there's only cloudy days/ Can't stand the rain in July/ Oh July, there were fireworks explodin'/ But now it's getting colder/ Leaves are turning colors/ Why, it's just not our season/ The one and only reason/ Baby oh, baby oh/ Our summer turned into fall".

My Mine is about reflecting on a past relationship with Jhene singing, "Memories sinkin', deep in, leakin' in my mine/ All of the time tried to forget you/ Memories sinkin', deep in, leakin; in my mine/ All of the time tried to forget you/ Try to forget you in my mine", and then talks about pretending to wait on a guy, but she really doesn't a man in her life right now saying, "Pretending I have the patience/ Pretending there is enough time for waiting/ Remembering when we kept it all basic/ I wanna go back so bad, I can taste it/ What do I care for?/ You are not there anymore/ I was not careful/ That is all your fault/ You let me fall".

Click to listen to "Popular"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQ3pOHONtU

Popular is where Jhene goes back to her younger state of mind and how she had a crush on a guy. However, the feeling was not mutual. She sings, "I was young girl/ I was a dumb girl/ I was the one who could never be your one girl/ You were the fly guy/ Never ask why guy/ Running around making all the girls cry guy/ Laying in your bed, it gets so cold/ You wonder why/ You were such the man/ What happened? It's just so sad". The hook of the song contains the sample of "Wanksta" by rapper 50 Cent.

Click to listen to "Real Now"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PmBzNJVxME

Real Now featuring K. Roosevelt, Lite and H.O.P.E. is about Jhene wondering what's real now after she has been hit hard singing on the hook, "What I feel, what I feel now/ What is real? What is real now?/ Am I still, am I here now?/ If I'm still, will I feel now/ What is real now?/ Will I feel now/ What is real now?/ Will I feel now/ What is real now?'.

Sailing NOT Selling featuring Kanye West is where the singer is choosing to "sail" her soul, not sell it. It begins with, "See I got a lot to say/ And I ain't afraid to say it/ Mind on money so it's why I'm tryin' to make it/ Yeah, but the money's what you make it/ Let it make you see where it's gon' take ya/ Hey, you'll be headed nowhere/ Moving so fast you won't even care", and then sends a positive to her listeners saying, "Soul/ Oh, let go, let go of your ego/ Don't lose your soul/ Sail your soul/ Sailing soul". Then Kanye exchanges his verse rapping, "This game you could never win/ Cause they love you then they hate you then they love you again/ Get away from me loneliness/ Get away from me misery/ I can only make only hits/ I'm an only child lost in the World/ I swear to momma wish me and my father talk more/ I stopped visiting around the time when I was a sophomore/ I guess everything I hate about me, I see it in him/ And I ain't finna change, so we'll never agree again/ Just a few things pouring out my soul/ Rosewood, we can see with our eyes closed/ G.O.O.D. Music". This track contains the sample of "Eyez Closed" by rapper Snoop Dogg featuring John Legend and Kanye West.

Click to listen to "Do Better Blues"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zjsQ8NY6_k

Do Better Blues featuring H.O.P.E. talks about the struggles of being together. H.O.P.E. opens up the song with, "First I saw you, Aye/ Then I liked you, Aye/ Now I love you, Aye/ Now I fight you, Aye/ If I could do better/ Then you could do better too/ But I don't want better/ It gets better with you", and then Aiko responds to H.O.P.E. with, "If I could do better/ Then you could do better too/ But I don't want better/ Cause I'm only better with you, whoa/ If you could do better/ Then I can do better too/ But I don't need better/ It only gets better with you".

On Higher, Aiko is telling the subject of her love will be like that of a high person singing, "I will get you higher (higher)/ My love will get you high".

You Vs. Them is a mid tempo song that is described as "hauntingly beautiful". The first part talks about Jhene not having him, when she wants him, is what makes it interesting for her singing, "It's the wanting you/ Never getting you/ Keeps me wanting you/ Missing you/ Just to picture you, is what gets me through/ Fit for you/ I was meant for you/ What I sent to do, meant to do/ Wasn't meant for you". Then the second part talks about her child and whether or not she should keep it with the lyrics, "I'm...... tryna save the world/ How can I when/ You belong to me/ I belong to them/ Who do I give me to? Who do I let win? You or the world/ You or the world".

Space Jam tells the story about a guy that Aiko met and the guy could tell that she was out of her comfort zone saying, "I met him in outer space/ He asked me what I was doing there/ Cause I looked out of place/ I told him where I come from/ I don't wanna go back/ He said compared to where he's from/ It can't be that bad/ And I said, "Yeah, well". Then she references to her brother's cancer singing, "I told him where I reside/ My brother is dying/ There is no cute", and she also mentions that she has a baby while continuing to follow her dreams with the lyrics, "I got a baby to feed/ I barely can eat/ Chasing a dream".

Click to listen to "Growing Apart Too"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x557kGdvYw

Growing Apart Too featuring Kendrick Lamar & H.O.P.E. is the last song on Sailing Soul (s). It is a sequel to "Growing Apart" from Lamar's mixtape "Overly Dedicated". Jhene can't figure out her thoughts when it comes to a path regarding a relationship singing, "Where are you going now?/Why are you slowing down?/ Why, why, why?/ Where are we going?/ Why are we slowing down?/ Where are you going?/ We should be growing now!".

Make sure that you purchase Sailing Soul (s) on Amazon Music, Google Play, DatPiff, Spotify and SoundCloud. Support a new artist like Jhene Aiko that you've never heard of. You'll be glad that you became a fan of hers. Here are the links:

https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Souls-Explicit-Jhené-Aiko/dp/B00Q4MUBBG

http://www.datpiff.com/Jhene-Aiko-Sailing-Souls-mixtape.213671.html

https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Jhene_Aiko_Sailing_Souls?id=Bbed4l7i2zafqbzxzw5dvr4itxm&hl=en_US

https://open.spotify.com/album/2aWOhraLECva2AD394MDi0

https://soundcloud.com/unathi-tshuma/01-the-beginning?in=unathi-tshuma/sets/jhene-aiko-sailing-souls-1

Charlotte Day Wilson "Stone Woman" review

Stone Woman is the second extended play by Canadian singer Charlotte Day Wilson. It was self released on February 23, 2018. Stone Woman talks about the downfall of a relationship. Also, check out my previous post of Charlotte Day Wilson's CDW EP by clicking on the link below.

https://whenathinkbubblebursts.blogspot.com/2018/05/charlotte-day-wilson-cdw-review.html

Click on this link to watch the music video for "Stone Woman"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkaL6oLTbkc

Stone Woman serves as the opening song. It's a midtempo R&B song as Wilson talks about the cold strength and beauty of a relationship singing, "Oh, I know/ You're breaking stone/ Oh, you're so cold/ You're sculpted through my mind/ No end in sight/ Won't go, so cold", and she continues with, "Stone woman, stone woman, stone woman, stone woman/ Stone woman, stone woman, stone woman, stone woman".

On Doubt, the singer finds herself going through a tough breakup. On the first verse of the song, she sings, "I'm done with doubt/ I'm done with drinkin'/ Cause I've been away/ And I've been think'/ I may not always have/ The comfort of you", and then she asks a question to her lover saying, "What have I done for your love?/ Oooh ohh... I'm selfish and dumb for your love".

Nothing New is about issues repeating themselves in a relationship with the lyrics, "Are we really gone this far?/ We yell upstream to watch it fall/ Have we still the fanciest clue?/The past repeats to nothing new", and then sings on the first verse, "Every day is a shot in the dark and we're tested/ Fate and luck are more or less than/ It's nothing new, oh-oh-oh, oh".

Click to listen to "Let You Down"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQTbfo7st74

Let You Down is where Charlotte addresses her love interest saying that she's not going to let them down even though to leave everything behind singing, "Baby, you say it takes you years before you trust someone/ But I don't know how long there's got if this has just begun/ Because I know that.../ I'm only letting you down/ I'm only letting you down/ And I know it's hard, leaving it all behind/ But I know, I'll only let you down".

Falling Apart talks about Charlotte's downfall after the end of a romance with lyrics like, "I keep falling apart, oh yeah baby, when I'm falling to hard/ And I keep stalling the start, anytime it's almost dawn it gets dark", and, "Falling deeper and I'm never coming home/ Never coming home, no/ And no one told me, but I just wanna go/ Never coming home, no".

Click to listen to "Funeral"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRxgXG-crKo

Funeral is the closing song for Stone Woman. This is where the singer is mourning the death of her lover singing, "I went to a funeral, so I could feel something/ Don't know what I'm living for. if I don't feel nothing/ Where are you without me now, I see it in my head/ Getting high my nature girl, I wish you all the best", and then gets personal on the chorus with, "Oh, anytime I think of you, I'm empty hearted/ Oh, tell me how it got so far from where we started".

Here's the link to buy Stone Woman on Amazon Music:

https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Woman-Charlotte-Day-Wilson/dp/B079K87G79

How to: Start a Bullet Journal

On April 1st, I went online to Pinterest on my computer and I discovered a thing called bullet journals. So, what is a bullet journal? A bullet journal is a combination of a diary, sketchbook, and a notebook that you can use for ideas, inspirations, to organize your schedule, goals etc. Now, that you know what a bullet journal is, I'm going to give you some pointers on how you start your very own bullet journal.

1. Choose a quality notebook

Did you know that you don't need to have a fancy notebook to do a bullet journal? You can select any notebook of your choice. It can either be dotted, lined, grid or just a blank notebook. Next, choose which color that you want your notebook to be. Blue, black, purple, green, pink etc. Amazon has a notebook called Leuchttrum 1917 on their website. They come in different colors and are perfect for your bullet journaling. Here are the links for the notebooks in different colors.
https://www.amazon.com/Leuchtturm1917-Softcover-Pocket-Dotted-Notebook/dp/B01BSTVBWW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382278&sr=8-3&keywords=amazon+leuchtturm+1917
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BSTVC0I/ref=twister_B073DGW43Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0732B78H9/ref=twister_B073DGW43Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07326DGR2/ref=twister_B073DGW43Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Leuchtturm1917-Medium-Size-Hardcover-Notebook/dp/B002TSIMW4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382528&sr=8-2&keywords=amazon+leuchtturm+1917

2. Choosing the right pen

Before you begin writing in your journal, you need to have the right pen for your notebook in your choice of color. Sharpie Art & Fine Pens, Paper Mate Flair Felt-Tipped Pen, and Tombow Fudenosuke are good choices for when it comes to writing. Here are the links for pens that you purchase on Amazon.com.
https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Point-Assorted-Colors-1982057/dp/B01KLLQRCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382858&sr=8-1&keywords=sharpie+art+and+fine+pens
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J09CO6?aaxitk=tmdG08OZkXEJjUGq3lkJDA&pd_rd_i=B000J09CO6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3534726502&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=papermate+flair+felt-tipped+pen&hsa_cr_id=8814716420101
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006VO194?aaxitk=FWdXkLH8CLu.mUv.70KN4g&pd_rd_i=B0006VO194&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3534726502&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=papermate+flair+felt-tipped+pen&hsa_cr_id=8814716420101

Or you could just use a pencil if you don't want to use a pen, but make sure that it's the one. Pen may show up better on a journal, but, darker colors are easier to see and read.

3. Start creating an index for your journal

So, once you have gotten your pen or pencil and a notebook, you can begin by creating a index for your bullet journal. You can write all of the numbers on each page of the journal. This will help you to keep track of which sections fall on which page. The next step in this process is to make a future log. A future log is a way of you getting a view of all of your tasks you need to complete within the next six months. This will include a month-by-month breakdown of events, tasks, and goals that you make on your own. Tip: Count the number of lines in the journal and divide it by three. Example, if you have 24 lines, then make three sections on each page of eight lines. Also, use a ruler to draw out three straight lines across the blank spread. This will make it much easier for you to work with.

4. Write your name of the next six months within each section

If you're just starting a bullet journal for the new year, then congratulations! So, what you would do is write "January" in the first box that you see, then write the other months like February, March, April and so on. Write the numbers on the corners of each page. With your future log serving as the first section, the page numbers should be listed on the blank spread as one and two. So, what you would do is flip back to your index that you created and write something like, "Future Log ... 1-2."

5. Add in your monthly log

Flip over to the next blank spread page on your journal. This section will be considered as your monthly log. A monthly log gives you an overview of a given month. Start with the current month that you're in and write the name of the month on the top of both pages. On the left page of the journal, put down every date of the month. After you're finished with that, write down the abbreviation of the day of the week next to the number beside it. So, you would basically write down, "January 1st, Wed. On the right page, jot down your task list for the month. By using bullet points, make a list of all of the goals that you need to complete like any bills that you have to pay and deadlines that you have to meet. You would write something like, "Pay the phone bill", or "Complete draft of term paper." When you're done, write down the page numbers on the corner of each page of the journal. Turn back to your index and add your monthly log. Like, "April Monthly Log ... 3-4".

6.  Add a daily log

Turn to the next blank spread and write today's date on the top of the page. Tip: Use small bullet points to write down things that you need to do for that day, tasks you have completed, or anything else of interest that occurred on that day. Use as many lines as you can to write about your daily activities. And when the day is over with, write a new entry for the below for the next day. A bullet journal is meant to be brief not long, so use only short and simple sentences while you're writing.

7. Start organizing your monthly goals in categories

This will really help you out a lot by categorizing your monthly goals in your monthly log. Write down headings like "Weight and Fitness Goals", "Work Goals", and "Creative Goals."

8. Use signifiers that work best for you

Signifiers are the type of bullet points that you would need to use in your journal. There are no set rules about using signifiers, and it depends on the type of event that you choose to jot down. You can write your events into categories like work, school, bills, personal, creative projects, etc. Every type of event that you can think of, write it down and make sure that you have a different bullet point signifying its type. It's probably best to use as few categories as possible.

9. Add some long-term goals to your future log

The key to making a future log is that you have to continue building on it. As you read through your daily and monthly logs for the past month, see what kind of long-term tasks are included. Try to add things to your future log as necessary.

10. Jot down daily events that matter to you

You can also write out events according to your preference. You get to keep track of what occurred at work, appointments that you have to go, and so on.

11. Add some "Collections" to your journal

Collections are broad to-do lists that you want to accomplish over the course of the year. It includes anything that is not a log of any sort. You have a collections of books you want to read, movies and TV shows that you want to watch, recipes that you want to try, etc.

12. Always make notes on projects that are specifically for you

This can help you to eventually make a project log or list on the back of your bullet journal. This can also help you keep track of long-term projects like "Yearly Projects."

13. Finally, use your journal on a daily basis

It's your bullet journal and you should use it on a regular basis. That's what it's made for. Begin to cross off items as you complete them. Each time that you complete a task, you can go and flip back to your monthly log. This will help you to keep up with what you have accomplished and what you still need to accomplish for a given month.

Thank you so much for your time. If you want more ideas for your bullet journal, I recommend that you go to either Google or Pinterest and research some bullet journal ideas. You can also download some templates on Google especially for your journal. Also, check out bulletjournal.com. I came up across this website on Google when I was looking some things regarding bullet journal. Here's the link to the website: https://bulletjournal.com/