There are moments when we meet someone, read a poem, or hear a recording that change us for the rest of our lives.
We can pretend haven’t met, or never heard the words, but they forever ring in our hearts. Those are the moments we keep with us, returning to them when we are afraid or need a reminder of who we really are.
When I first heard Andrea Gibson perform, I was fresh out of a bad relationship and needing to find my way into community again. Her words sliced through the bullshit of my heart, the stories I was telling myself about the relationship and my part in it. When I saw Andrea perform, everything changed. And I never forgot the impact she had.
A few weeks ago, Andrea released a new album called Truce. I had the chance to see her perform on tour for this new album, and just like that very first moment, I am forever altered.
There are a million things I could say about the poems on this album, but it feels like trying to talk about them takes away from the power of the album. I’ve been listening to it almost non-stop since I brought home a copy from the show.
It’s one of those albums that rearranges everything I think I know about myself.
It cracks me open, spills out my insides, and assembles them again in ways I least expect.
Normally, I’d write a review with lots of words. I’d regale you on the merits of consuming some media, and all the ways that it has impacted me personally. This month, this album, this artist: they don’t lend themselves to my ramblings.
What I really want to know, what I would love to see happen here, is a conversation about what is real and inspiring in your world.
Right now, the most inspiring thing I have encountered in many weeks is Truce.