Slow Down

from Love Is the Ground by Rena Branson

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about

I made up the first two parts of this song while pacing around a cemetery in the first 2 weeks of lockdown, feeling loopy and singing into a phone app called Loopy. During that time, I was participating in the Rising Song music residency with 7 other artists, and we'd been making music and mishegas (shenanigans) every day for 6 months before the pandemic hit and we couldn’t sing together anymore. When I was envisioning how I wanted this track on the album, I reached out to the 6 other residency alums and asked them to send me layers of their voices and to noodle around like we used to do in-person. I wound up with a bunch of improvisational tracks and wove them together.

lyrics

Slow down
Feel your feet on the ground
שַׁל־נְעָלֶ֙יךָ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְלֶ֔יךָ
Shal na’alecha mei'al raglecha

Translation: Take off your shoes [for the ground you are standing on is holy] - from Exodus 3:5, Hashem speaking to Moshe at the burning bush

credits

from Love Is the Ground, released September 18, 2022
Vox: Rena Branson, Rebekka Goldsmith, Batya Levine, Sam Tygiel, Eitan Kantor, Gedalia Penner, Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe

Percussion: Jonathan Leibovic

Cello: Melanie Hsu

Arrangement Support: Gedalia Penner

Recording: Jonathan's percussion was recorded by Eric Sherman. All other parts recorded by individual artists and arranged by Rena Branson.

Mix & Master: Don Godwin

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about

Rena Branson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rena Branson (they/she) is a Jewish composer, ritual leader, and educator who uplifts personal and collective healing through song. They founded A Queer Nigun Project, which organizes singing events for LGBTQIA+ folks and sends audio content to people in the Jewish community who are incarcerated. Rena is also a Reiki practitioner. Learn more at renabranson.com. ... more

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