Music – Forgive and forget the past year

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By Beverly Ingle

There’s something about the new year, with the earth in repose and crispness in the air. It signals a time to reflect on what the old delivered, acknowledge what didn’t work out perhaps in the way that I had hoped, and find peace in letting go of any disappointment. From that perspective, the following music selections may make the perfect soundtrack for my — and your — reflections on forgiveness.

Sweet Forgiveness (album) — Bonnie Raitt, 1977 (remastered in 2001)

Ms. Raitt’s voice is simply intoxicating, and when it’s laced with emotion as it is in Sweet Forgiveness, it is downright irresistible. Originally released more than three decades ago, the title song is timeless, an homage to bumbling love but with a determination to keep trying, wrapped up in a bluesy twinge that to this listener is classic Raitt. In a way, the song makes forgiveness a bit sexy. The whole of the album is bittersweet, with cuts such as “My Opening Farewell” and “Takin’ My Time” channeling the universal ache and yearning inherent in all relationships to create nearly 40 minutes of life’s soundtrack.

Forgiven, Not Forgotten (single) — The Corrs, 1995

Remember the Corrs, the impossibly attractive quartet of Irish siblings who broke onto the music scene in the mid-’90s? Hailing from Dundalk, Ireland, and with an impressive string of pop hits and success in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom — with only a brief flirtation with fame in America — the Corrs blend delicious harmonies with a touch of Irish folk traditional melodies and some powerful vocals to create quite moving music. “Forgiven, Not Forgotten” resonates with anyone who has accomplished the sometimes arduous task of forgiveness, but who will never quite reach the nirvana of forgetting the transgression that was forgiven. Have a box of tissues handy; you may need it.

Ghosts That We Knew (single) — Mumford & Sons, 2012

If you have yet to discover Mumford & Sons, an English folk/rock band that began its rise to prominence in the U.S. in 2010, a year culminating in two Grammy award nominations, grab the iPod of the nearest teenager and take a listen. I’ll bet you £20 you’ll find a few of their songs. A distinct blend of lightly accented vocals, the tinny sound of a banjo, and raw lyrics is the hallmark of Mumford & Sons. “Ghosts That We Knew,” reported to be a cut that will be included in the band’s second studio album due out in September 2012, first debuted during a live appearance on Radio 104.5 in Philadelphia. The response from fans was huge, and the song became regularly requested at Mumford & Sons’ live shows. Thankfully, the refrain “I will hold as long as you like, just promise me we’ll be alright” will be soon recorded for perpetuity.

About the Author

Beverly Ingle is a San Antonio-based freelance writer who, when not manipulating the English language for fun and profit, is parenting four daughters and trying to maintain her sanity. Profile