The sun is shining here in beautiful California and spring is definitely in the air. I’ve been working with my own sense of accountability. If we look at life, we have a choice in everything we do. Not all of the choices seem like good ones, but we are at the place we’re at because we’ve created it that way. We choose our work. We choose our friends. We choose with whom to stay angry, or who to forgive. We choose our partners. We choose where we spend our money. We choose which charities to give to. We choose who to trust, and who to avoid. We choose where to hang out… you get the idea. Every decision we make contributes to our overall quality of life. The good news is that because we create the life we live, we can change it if we’re unhappy. Just a thought…

In February I went down to Long Beach for the Raggamuffins Festival. The best part is always seeing the familiar faces. I didn’t see that many performances, although I did see Gentleman who I thought stole the show, but laughing and catching up with everybody was a real gift. Up North, the San Francisco show was PACKED! It was amazing to see such a sea of people at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium united to hear the wonderful sounds of Jimmy Cliff, Barrington Levy, Steel Pulse, Tanya Stephens, and Israel Vibration. Special thanks to Russell, Barbara, Moss, and the crew at Another Planetfor such an organized and professionally run event.

I HAVE to single out some CDs that have been on my radar lately. I just received a “Mali” compilation from Putumayo Records and it’s the best thing I think they’ve done so far. The music from this West African country is so unique and richly layered, home to artists like Salif Keïta, Ali Farka Toure, and Oumou Sangare, who made it onto the international map. However, these artists are surprisingly not on this compilation, making way for lesser known musicians like Tom Diakite, whose track “Fala” is a highlight for me. “Mali” will be released to the public on May 3.

Jetstar is about to come out with a 4-disc box set of their “Reggae Hits” series. Each disc has a theme: Ragga, Duets, Culture, and Lovers. I think they did a wonderful job with this one, in spite of the cover art! The songs are “hits” so you’ll most likely know them all, but they are all together in this one collection. I thought the “Duets” idea was a wonderful concept as the deejay/singer vibe is such a strong sound.