Magical Voice ProductionsImagine, as a parent, helping your child form a robust and resilient identity and allowing your child to define his or her own values based on his or her own upbringing. Perhaps the gift that follows such acts is an individual with the ability to resist both the conditioning of modern marketing and majoritarian societies and the pressure of some peer groups that may not have his or her own best interests at heart. The Magic Of Think presents a host of artistic lessons designed to encourage our children to take solace and confidence from a remembrance of the uniqueness of their individuality. Singer/songwriter Janyse was inspired by her participation with the Make a Wish Foundation as a part of her role with the hit children’s show Ed, Edd and Eddy.
While listening to the CD, I was able to experience a rare aspect of personal nostalgia in the form of remembering the dreams of my youth, which seem to slip with every passing year. To become UN Secretary-General, write a world-renowned collection of poems, or simply “farm” alternative energy, you name it, the limits of my dreams were only confined by the breadth of my imagination. And I suspect the same is true of my nieces and nephews and of the millions of youngsters across the planet who are more familiar with being united with their peers than any other generation in human history.
Janyse seems to want to remind those adults charged with shaping and nurturing our inheritors that it is not simply the possibility of youth but the revitalized dreams of us who are farther down the path of life that must be cherished and continually maintained. The peppy and upbeat songs on The Magic Of Think deal with courage, friendship, and happiness. These are values and concepts that we, particularly in the Western world a la “the pursuit of happiness” or “the courage to be,” are invoked to cherish early on in our lives.
I will conclude with my personal favorite from the CD, it’s the fourth track entitled “Hero” and its most touching words are: “If I could be somebody, I know who I would be exactly... I would be the hero... find the hero inside.” True, noble wishes and a challenge to us all to ensure that youth strive to do good while remaining faithful to what is most true to them.
Review by Brandon Copeland
