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My daughter Johanna is a singer/sonwriter living in Portland. Several years ago she came up with an infectuous chant/song called Free to Decide. Back in Corvallis she shared the song with friends in the women's acapella group Absolute. They created an arrangement and added it to their repertoire. Johanna recruited Absolute to back her up when she recorded the song on her CD If I Could Fly.

Free to Decide is one of those songs that feels like it was written by nobody--and everybody. The simple lyrics celebrate the power of rhythm, song, earth, breath, community, and the freedom to chart our own destinies. Its intertwining melodies and hypnotic rhythms touch me deeply. Like many such songs, it's especially powerful when you sing along.

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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