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I sat on the bank of “The Singing River” and gave God a definitive “Yes.”
The question was, “Will you come to Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and bare your soul?”
My last album, Common Ground, was all about reconciling relationships and mending divisions. One of the main responses I got from that album was, “I know you’re right, we all need to reconcile relationships, but what about when you can’t?” This album became, in part, is the answer to that question, and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time in my life. In recent years, I have had to painfully face the letting go of some relationships I never wanted to lose. It takes two, as they say, and this album comes at a time when I am taking a deep look again into my side of relational issues. It is a grappling with love. I’ve come to accept that there are times when division is sadly the only answer.
In my last blog, I talked about being at the peak of my relationship issues by the end of the Common Ground summer tour in 2023. The last show of that tour was in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. One could easily claim that Muscle Shoals is a very mysterious place, beginning with what’s known as “The Singing River” or "The River That Sings." One legend says that the Yuchi tribe gave this name to the Tennessee River which runs through Muscle Shoals because the flowing waters sounded like a woman singing. Some actually believe that they literally heard a woman singing from within the river, and that it was not just the sound of the waters flowing. Another legend shares that the Pascagoula people chose to drown themsleves in the river. While they were singing their death song, they joined hands and walked into the waters. According to the legend this has a direct connection to the sounds that come from the water.
I had alot of time to kill while I was there, so in looking for something to do one day, I decided to finally take the tour of Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. I’ve never been drawn to the equally famous studio named, FAME Studios, but something seemed to draw me to this other iconic studio. When the studio tour was over, I talked to a couple of guys who worked there, sharing mutual music business friends and studio experiences. There was a very kindred spirit among the three of us in that conversation. Muscle Shoals Sound Studios does not just let any old nobody come in to record, and rightfully so. To preserve the rich history there, they tend to rely on a certain set of standards and protocols in deciding who can record there.
Afterwards, I decided to go sit on the side of The Singing River and see if I couldn’t have a little mystical experience for the fun of it. In all seriousness though, I just wanted to sit in silence and hear whatever I might hear. I’m spiritually curious and open minded enough to believe I could hear the woman singing in the river, if she was to be heard. What I heard was this question, “Will you come to Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and bare your soul?” God was speaking loud and clear, and I knew not to ignore it. And the rest is history, as they say… which I will share in the coming weeks through this blog series.
Love to all,
Jill