"It's been a long, long time coming/But I know a change is gonna come"

It warmed up to 80 degrees in Chicago today. While the weather will cool off again, for a bit, it's always a treat to go out without a coat. Sitting on the steps behind my house with the sun on my face felt reassuring despite the discomfort and confusion hanging in the air. And while the first day of the year when temperatures top 70 degrees usually calls for celebration – everyone gets to spend time outside, talking to neighbors, walking, running or riding in packs, going to the lakefront, and eating ice cream – today seemed very different. People were wearing masks and keeping their distance. Dog walkers coming toward me made me want to cross to the other side of the street.

I've been told I am a person who dislikes change. Well, that's a big problem for me now, as change is coming fast. Getting back to normal, or even a "new normal," seems a world away. I know things will return to normal at some point, but not knowing when that will happen is hard. Maybe the unknown is what makes me a little uneasy. So it goes in times of great change.

First Up: Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Sometimes, when I'm feeling down, I like to crank up early Atlantic-era Aretha Franklin. And today, it was I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. The album perfectly mated with my mood and made me feel better. The reason I initially pulled it out is because it contains her incredible version of the Sam Cooke classic "A Change Is Gonna Come." But the whole album is masterful, and I'm not a "play one cut" kind of guy.

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You speaks to my mood, as even the uptempo numbers drip with a sense of longing and have a somber undertow. I don't need to talk about the way Aretha communicates emotion, and how she does it better than any other singer of the past 60 years. Her legacy remains etched in solid gold, and there is literally nothing I can add to the topic. But today, she makes me feel as if she is singing directly to me – her greatest gift. Every word she sings cuts right through me. I'm absorbing every note, every phrase. I have no idea why some of the sad songs make me feel so much better, but they do. Rest in peace, Aretha, and thank you. I feel like going back outside for another dose of sunshine.

Today, I put on my 4 Men with Beards pressing from 2001. I think it was pressed at RTI; the surfaces are ultra-quiet and the edges smooth to the touch. The mastering job is fabulous, too. I wanted to play the cleanest version I had, as I didn't want anything coming between me and the timeless music.

Today's Special Guest Contribution: Bahamas Earthtones
By Joe Harley, Record Producer/Music Matters and Tone Poet Series Guru/Mentor/Vinyl Fanatic

If this world had more Joe Harleys, we'd all be living in a better place. – JB

OK, I realize many of you know me as a jazz lover, and I am most certainly that! However, today I wanted to bring attention to an album that has been on heavy rotation during these past few turbulent weeks, Bahamas' Earthtones. Bahamas is the solo project of one Afie Jurvanen from Toronto. No, I hadn't heard of him previously, either.

Turns out he tours (sometimes opening for Jack Johnson) and has three other albums, all available on vinyl. I have no idea how good the others sound (I will find out), but the newest LP, Earthtones, has been a source of great personal solace and satisfaction. It features members of D'Angelo's rhythm section, and several tracks include Pino Palladino on bass and the great James Gadson on drums. Grooves don't get any deeper than this, folks!

So, what does Earthtones sound like? A bit like Jack Johnson with a funkier edge. You can check out videos for "Bad Boys Need Love Too," "No Wrong," and "No Expectations" online. Jurvanen proves a gifted lyricist, too. I can't recall the last time I heard so many great hooks, song after song, on a new indie-rock album.

Of course, you want to know how it all sounds, right? It is one of the best-produced albums I've heard in a long time, with demo-quality sonics from start to finish. The mixes are full of little far-stage and deep-stage bits of ear candy. Jurvanen's voice is beautifully captured and locked tight, center stage. Robbie Lackritz is credited as producer, engineer and mixer. Bravo, Robbie!

Philip Shaw Bova is listed as the mastering engineer. However, a check of the tan-colored vinyl reveals the initials of Chris Bellman (from Bernie Grundman Mastering) in the dead wax. I was not able to determine where the 180g LP was pressed, but my copy is dead quiet and centered. Highly recommended.