Albums to Get You Through to Thanksgiving Break

It's that time of year. We're dragging ourselves towards Thanksgiving Break in the hopes that there will be some refuge and that we won't have to spend the whole break doing school work or worrying about how we should be doing school work. So how do you keep motivated to get through this final push in the semester? Here are some albums that have been helping me! Enjoy!

Remember the Titans Soundtrack

This is a classic from my childhood. It's super chill and mostly unobtrusive, so I think it's great for studying. Plus this movie is probably in my top 10 favorites, so it gives me inspiring good feelings.

Lou Bega's A Little Bit of Mambo

I know you know Mambo No. 5, because honestly, who doesn't? But what you might not know is how great the rest of this album is. I mostly like it because of all the nostalgia feels it gives me (my brother and I used to jam in the car with Grandma to this album), but I actually genuinely think it's really great. It reminds me of more carefree times and provides a great soundtrack for just dancing it out or maybe even working out. I'm a fan.

Pharrell Williams's GIRL

This one reminds me of summer time. I listened to it a ton two summers ago, and it gives me all the good vibes of cruising in the car with the windows down. My favorite is Brand New because what's better than Pharrell and JT together?

Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles

John Mayer is secretly one of my favorite artists. I feel like I often forget about it, but then when I come back I'm look ooh yeah this is great. This live album is like the best of too, so it's ideal, especially if you haven't listened to much of his music before. It's definitely blues inspired and it just feels good for the soul. Neon, Stop This Train, and Free Fallin' are my favorite on this album. It's the kind of music that you can listen to to just chill out, but it also can really make you think. 

"Stop this train, I wanna get off and go home again. I can't take the speed it's moving in, I know I can't. But, honestly, won't someone stop this train?" But then to turn around and say, "Had a talk with my old man, said, 'Help me understand.' He said, 'Turn 68, you'll renegotiate. Don't stop this train. Don't for a minute change the place you're in. Don't think I couldn't ever understand. I tried my hand. John, honestly, we'll never stop this train."

With lyrics like this how could you not love it and relate (especially for me with graduation rapidly approaching)? It just really gets me.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton

I just recently finally jumped on board with this, and I must resignedly admit that it lives up to the hype. I'm the kind of the person that often resists the new things that people are getting hyped about. I don't really know why, that's just who I am. So I didn't actually listen to this until after I saw the PBS documentary about Hamilton, which was great by the way. You can find it here if you're interested. I was just more convinced about it after hearing from the actors and seeing how much research and thought went into writing and composing this show. Lin-Manuel Miranda is forking brilliant, and that's a fact. 

Now this album is really long. I've been listening to it on Prime Music and there are 46 tracks, so it's a commitment. But I actually think it's worth it. All of the musicians are fantastic. I'm a little obsessed with Leslie Odom, Jr. at the moment (especially after seeing this, like are you forking serious? His voice is beautiful). Plus I honestly learned a lot from the music about American history, which is seriously cool. I recommend you give it a listen, if if you're hesitant it won't live up to the hype, because I truly think it is that good.

What's helping you get through? Any recommendations for me?