I generally consider myself to be an open book, but if there’s one topic that I avoid speaking on, it’s relationships. They’re hard to advise because if it’s not the recipient failing to get the point of what the advisor is saying, then it’s the advisor saying a whole bunch of stuff that doesn’t help the recipient at all. Where do you go for your relationship advice? For my generation, the answer is music. We aren’t the first to do this, but I’ve noticed something unique about the messages and feelings found in ours:
I would describe older generations to have a sense of “Hopeless Intense Love” or that the love felt between to is so strong that they are willing to do almost anything for it, and without it comes desperation and despair. I’d say our generation has a sense of “Intensely Confused Love” which I describe as having no clue whatsoever of what they want; Who they want; How to get what they want; Or what to do with whatever they get. The music acts as a reflection of our widespread confusion and a pacifier to the pain it brings.
The genre of R&B goes hand and hand with these types of emotions, and one of my favorite artists as of recent Lucky Daye recently released a project which holds a mirror up that shows us the ugly truths of dating today. His new project “Table for Two’s” title and album cover suggests that we are in store for a romance album, further implied it’s releasing only being a few days before Valentines’ Day. In reality, it’s a setup for Lucky to confront all of his frustrations about a relationship that just isn’t working. This album isn’t one-sided in that regard, as six of the seven tracks feature a female artist, Ari Lennox, and Queen Naija to name a couple, with their valid points of view. The song that caught my attention the most is the second track titled “How Much Can A Heart Take,” which features Grammy Award-winning Gospel artist Yebba. In this song, both artists voice their frustrations with the other but won’t call it quits because they can’t be sure of their ever-changing feelings. It’s a recipe for toxicity than just Lucky takes us through in this project.
When it comes down to it, we can find ourselves in situations with people we care about. We don’t have to play the blame game, but we do have a choice with how we handle these issues. If we love those who we say we do as much as we say, why do we find it hard to walk away if there’s so much hurt? If somebody says they love us, only to hurt us at every turn, is it wrong to want better for ourselves? I don’t know if any of us has the answer for sure, but I’d say the best course of action is what brings better days for everyone involved.
Album Cover, Table for Two