Make a Beautiful Noise!
Caribbean Life, NOVEMBER 5-11, 2021 35
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
You don’t like that.
It wasn’t what you wanted.
You didn’t ask for it and you’re
not happy. Things shouldn’t
be that way. It’s not right, and
you don’t like it. Somebody
needs to fix this, so why not
you? Why, as in the new book
“Change Sings: A Children’s
Anthem” by Amanda Gorman,
pictures by Loren Long, don’t
you reach for a different kind
of music?
One thing you can count
on for the rest of your life:
things won’t always stay the
same. You were once a baby
and now you’re grown. Your
room changed when you were
too big for your crib. Look
around and your neighborhood
changes all the time!
Change happens every minute
of every day, it hums like a
guitar string, and if you listen,
you can “sing along.” You
won’t be the first one, you
know; many of America’s most
beloved heroes screamed and
spoke and speeched and sang
for change to come.
That’s because with change
comes hope.
Change doesn’t have to be
big, of course. You can make
change by picking up trash in
the park near your home, or
asking for cleaner air or better
playground equipment or better
schools. You can volunteer
to help others by being generous
with your time. Bring
your friends along and make
it “a hundred hearts, each of
us lifting a hand.” Do it today,
tomorrow morning, the next
day or the next, even when no
one else knows about it.
Make change, even if you
aren’t around to see it and
the good that comes from it.
Make your change into music
that anyone can play, even
if they’re different than you.
Make it something fun. Make
the change that’s inside you,
to see the results you want
to see.
Then watch what happens:
when you start to do good,
someone else is inspired and
they want to do something
good, too. Two people become
four and more and more and
that’s “just what the world
needs.” So what will you do?
Where will you start? Who will
you ask? Won’t you jump on
the bandwagon, too?
When everybody around you
is doing something that looks
like fun, you naturally want to
jump in and join them. Your
4-to-8-year-old may feel shy
about that, or they may feel
excited when they see people
doing something for the
world; either way, “Change
Sings” shows why it’s important
to get involved, especially
if you’re a kid.
Grab this book to read
aloud to your child, and you’ll
notice two things: the illustrations
are lush and colorful,
but artist Loren Long doesn’t
overstimulate. In this book
are gentle, quiet pictures to
accompany the second thing:
a story that consists of relatively
few words, as authorpoet
Amanda Gorman tells the
tale simply but in a way that
truly calls kids to action.
This book is a good start to
a current-events conversation,
or you can just enjoy it for its
musical prose. “Change Sings”
is a joyous book, and your
child will like that.
“Change Sings: A Children’s
Anthem” by Amanda
Gorman, pictures by
Loren Long
c.2021, Viking Penguin
$18.99 / $24.99
Canada 32 pages
Book cover of “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem” by Amanda Gorman
By Nelson A. King
Audiences will be “seeing
red” when dancehall star Konshens
releases his fifth solo
studio album in November,
according to Adrian Stupica,
of PlaybookMG, a Brooklynbased
entertainment publicity
company.
Stupica told Caribbean Life
on Monday that Konshens’
“Red Reign” LP is an homage
to his “red-haired reign over
the dancehall charts.”
“In 2011, Konshens lost a
bet that forced him to dye his
hair, and his crimson locks
have become his signature look
in the decade since,” Stupica
said. “Red is a bold color associated
with love, danger and
seduction.
“These themes coincide
with recent events in Konshens’
life, like his tumultuous
public relationship, the threats
of the pandemic, and the desire
to connect with others after
forced isolation,” he added.
During the quarantine,
Stupica said Konshens created
over 70 new songs, with
some appearing on his latest
project.
“This creative experience
has inspired Konshens to hold
nothing back, prompting the
artist’s evolved intensity and
sexuality,” said Stupica, stating
that “’Red Reign’ marks a new
era for the Jamaican singer,
showcasing an edgier sound
with provocative visuals.
“The unofficial ‘Playboy of
Dancehall’ blends club bangers
with tracks destined to be postpandemic
classics,” he added.
Stupica said Konshens is
“ready to get the world whining
again with a roster of collaborators,
including Davido, Stefflon
Don, Rvssian, Dre Island,
Kaelyn Kastle, Kemar Highcon,
Jesse Royal, and Spice.
“His social media followers
are ringing the alarm with redthemed
content and steamy
scenes percolating onto his
platforms in a slow, scarlet
drip,” Stupica said. “The consistent
release of teasers and
trailers keeps his audience on
red alert and eager for Konshens
to unleash his Red Reign.”
Konshens ‘Red Reign’
Front cover of Konshens’ “Red Reign” album. Ineffablemusic