Somewhere in My Lifetime

Have you ever heard a song or had a moment that completely awestruck you? Like, you wanted to immediately tell someone about an experience you were in the middle of having but didn't want to ruin the moment with words? For me, a moment like that happened last week when I heard Phyllis Hyman's album “Somewhere in My Lifetime” for the first time.

The timing up to this moment took roughly three years to actually happen.

Let me explain.

Years ago I went to an event with my girlfriend and some friends. There my local record store was having an awesome deal. For either 10 or 20 dollars (can't remember the exact number) you could take home as many records as you could fit in a thin brown paper bag.

Not being one to turn down an incredible deal or challenge like this one I paid the fee and began picking records. I didn't have a vinyl record player at the time so I was planning to use the cover art as inspiration for projects later.

I fit about 19 or 20 records in the bag with music from a variety of artists. Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, and Cissy Houston to name a few.

Needless to say, I went home happy.

The records sat for a while and I did nothing with them outside of looking at the cover art.

Fast forward a few years later and my girlfriend surprises me with an Audio Technica vinyl record player for my birthday. It's pretty dope because it has Bluetooth capability and I like the idea of fusing new tech with functional retro decor.

I had been staying up late all week and decided to draw while thumbing through the stack of records I bought all those years ago. I don't know if it's her alluring gaze or the cool composition of the photograph on the cover but I decided to draw a picture of Phyllis Hyman from her album “Somewhere in My Lifetime”.

After a quick cleaning, I placed the album in the record player, and prepared to start the illustration.

Here we go.

The music begins and I'm immediately grooving to it. The instrumentation is what I was expecting from the music of the era but as soon as Phyllis began singing I knew this album was going to be a joy!

She has a warm angelic voice and the lyrics on the album are so full of love that I was nearly overwhelmed.

Strange as it may sound, I could feel the appreciation she had for the person she was singing to as if it was me.

I kept drawing into the night with each song fueling my mind in a different way.

I decided to keep my tools minimal only using pencil, gouache, a sticky note, and a piece of washi tape.

Full disclosure, I tilted one of her eyes too far down and by that time in the process it was too late to go back. I've seen a lot of sketchbook tour videos where the artist uses a sticky note to cover a “problem area” and thought it would look cool to try that out here.

An added bonus is that it blended well and kind of looks like it was painted on.

By the end of the album, the illustration was completed and I was beyond happy with the results.

“Somewhere in My Lifetime” is well worth checking out if you want to hear music that will put you in a good mood.

It also pairs well with that Saturday morning clean the house playlist we all have.

If you've heard this album, leave a comment to tell me about your experience and favorite song from it.

Also, feel free to give suggestions on older music you think I should check out.

I'm all ears.

Until next time, have a great day, drink an extra glass of water, and listen to great music.

Peace.