Tell It Like It Is has long been a favorite, a superlative tune by Aaron Neville back in the day. It speaks to delicately balancing truth and integrity in relationship—when cultural (maybe even natural) tendencies propel a couple into a kind of opposition or even war—who wins, who holds power, who’s subjected to the other, who calls the shots. . . who gets what they want, and who doesn’t? I love how the song confronts, holding to truth & deep values, seeing life as fleeting, that we should realize & actualize our potential, our needs & deepest desires, while we can! In this “post”-Covid world—now a world of firestorms and giant tides—this speaks to me. Also, fyi, Tell It was the 1st of these travelin’ tunes that I worked on— I think I recorded 5 or 6 takes, compared to all the other songs, which were recorded on the move & with only 2 takes each!