March 3, 2025
“I’ve Got a Woman”
by Ray Charles
I’ve never been a fan of country. And honestly, I’ve heard of a larger dislike for the music genre than liking. But since I’ve started dating my boyfriend, I’ve been exposed to a wider variety country music than the typical, nostalgic music they play at fairs. He’s the typical country boy: hunter, fisher, etc. And his favorite artist? Johnny Cash.
During the time of Johnny Cash, another artist was rising within the country genre, Ray Charles. As a blind, Black man, Ray Charles was most known for his “soul music” as he dabbled in more genres than country. These included jazz, blues, and pop. His biggest hit (“Hit the Road Jack!”) wasn’t released until 1960. Some of his more well-known hits aren’t necessarily country, but that’s how I found out about Ray Charles and his legacy as a blind musician. Although I personally discovered Ray Charles through his country music, I’ll be talking about one of his most popular hits, which is, “I Got a Woman.”
This song was his first No. 1 hit and released in 1954. The song soared with popularity, because of the mixed elements of blues, gospel, and R&B. At first, “I Got a Woman” was released as a single with “Come Back Baby” as the B-side but was later re-released on the album “Ray Charles,” later renamed to “Hallelujah I Love Her So.” Sampling the beat from “It Must be Jesus,” Ray Charles wrote the song with his trumpeter Renald Richard. It was shocking because it was released as a “religious song,” but it introduced a new type of music in America. That’s what Ray Charles was known best for: being a major influence on American music.
You Promised A Lifetime by Myles Smith is an album that takes you on a journey through emotions, stories, and sounds. From start to finish, Smith crafts an atmosphere that feels fresh and nostalgic, blending smooth melodies with heartfelt lyrics. It’s the kind of album you can enjoy repeatedly, whether unwinding at home or driving through the city at night.
Big Mama Thornton first recorded the iconic song “Hound Dog” in 1952, but it was Elvis Presley’s 1956 version that made it famous. Although the song has been covered over 250 times, many still believe Elvis was the original artist, overshadowing Thornton’s groundbreaking version. Although Thornton did not receive recognition until recently, she was paid after Elvis made the song famous.
“Louie Louie,” a rock ‘n’ roll classic, was originally written by African American artist Richard Berry in 1955. The song was later popularized by the all-White garage rock band, The Kingsmen, who transformed the laid-back original into the raucous, guitar-driven version we know today. Richard Berry had sold the rights to the song for $750 prior to The Kingsmen’s cover, making it available for others to use.
In a vast universe of online games, few titles can capture and keep my attention quite like Star Stable Online (SSO). Launched in 2011, this online multiplayer role-playing game has a very dedicated and niche playerbase. SSO blends a thrill of adventure with the beauty and fun of horse riding. Set on the mystical island of Jorvik, players embark on a journey filled with quests, mysteries, and friendship.
Toontown Online is a game I hold very dear to my heart. This was an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game developed by Disney Interactive and published by The Walt Disney Corporation. In Toontown Online, you play as a Toon, an animal species of your choosing. The main premise of the game is to fight Cogs, who take the form of robots depicting a number of corporate stereotypes. These stereotypes are unique to each Cog, with the Bossbots varying from the Flunky to The Big Cheese, with only the Chief Executive Officer above them. These Cogs get larger and more powerful as you go up the chain, with each of the four types of Cogs being stylized around their theme. The four types are Bossbots, Lawbots, Cashbots, and Sellbots. The Toons fight these Cogs by using Gags. These Gags can be throwing a pie, playing a trumpet, or even dropping an anvil.
Zany characters, challenging stages, and a banger soundtrack. These are all what can be expected from Donkey Kong Country: a game that has meant a great deal to me since I was a child. I will never forget the day that my mom dusted off her old Super Nintendo and booted up this game to show me for the very first time. The colorful 16-bit graphics — along with the characters of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong themselves — mesmerized my three-year-old self at once, and it wasn’t long before I wanted to try it for myself. From the moment I held that beautiful SNES controller in my hands, there was no going back. I was hooked on gaming — something that has stuck with me ever since.
I remember my first time playing an Elder Scrolls game. I was trying different games on the Xbox, something that, when I was around seven years old, was an endlessly exciting experience to me. Every new game put me in a different universe, in a manner of speaking. I would play maybe 10 minutes of one game before rummaging through my father’s collection for yet another. But then I got bored, and as I went through the hundred games I had already tried, the words on one caught my eye: Morrowind. In hindsight, the dragon behind the words drew my attention the most, I think, but I booted it up all the same.
Obsidian Entertainment, a gaming development studio known for narrative-heavy games like Fallout: New Vegas and Outer Worlds has released a new title that has the opportunity to bring their name back into the public eye and save them from gradual marginalization. Avowed is the newest first-person RPG from Obsidian Entertainment.
The world of sports is full of nonverbal cues and language, which are often used in basketball, hockey, baseball, and rugby. But how are they used and what do they look like? Each of these sports have their own respective methods of nonverbally communicating key aspects of their game between players. Not every sport mentioned will get coverage here. However, of the two that do, the hope is that the language will become more understandable, both in terms of what it looks like and how it’s used in the game.
Having a healthy mindset can aid in building a better self-care schedule. While following the typical routine advice of eating healthy, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and exercising can do many things for you (physically and mentally), there’s more to it! Changing up your routine, even if it were to benefit you, is difficult. Adding in healthy habits when you’re not accumulated to them, is just hard, but I have a piece of advice that helps me do it!