Damn, if it’s hard to be hopeful these days. So who would have thought a blues musician could be so exuberant and optimistic? The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised singer, songwriter, and pounder of the piano keys Marcia Ball has always looked on the sunny side of life, but her version of the good-time blues has never felt more needed than today. Ball’s no Pollyanna. She understands that life is hard for many. However, that’s no reason not to celebrate one’s existence and find gusto in food, drink, and music—not to mention playing dominoes.
Okay, so maybe that domino reference is a Southern thing. The point is that if one can’t change the world, one can at least change one’s attitude. And who’s to say one can’t change the world? Ball namechecks a litany of past inspirational figures from a variety of fields, from Neil Armstrong to Jackie Robinson to Ken Kesey to Irma Thomas to Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Little Richard to Susan B. Anthony and celebrates them for their achievements.
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