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thechanelmuse's review against another edition
5.0
In her interview with The Atlantic, veteran music journalist, Danyel Smith, said: "To just shine bright on behalf of myself is new." A number of our musical greats never experienced that lasting impression in the end on a timeless centerstage or their light was dimmed in exchange for their obstacles being elevated instead. This book presents them their vibrant bouquet as a start.
Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women In Pop is the music biography I’ve always longed to see as a book pay homage to our stapled Black American female powerhouses — from girl groups to solo acts — who head their own chapters in this book, with many of the other iconic songbirds weaved throughout to create a beautiful tapestry that holds each other’s imprints at some point in their own musical journey.
Danyel manages to tie in her own story as well, shaping this into an unconventional, fitting read. We see the pivotal stages of her blossoming into a young music enthusiast leading to her coming-of-age and veteran career in music journalism. Peeling back the layers of our highlighted vocalists that experienced pivotal highs and dipped lows, Danyel never shies away from their lasting impact and the beauty of their humanity and incomparable craft. She also unveils many intimate moments of her own journey where our legends are taken along for the ride, playing a part in her life that's highly relatable in so many ways because haven't we all done it? The song that got us through dark times? Takes us back to a nostalgic moment?
In the concluding chapter, she affirms a stance that is undeniable:
We must take the lead in upholding our stories, especially those that are the history of our lineage, to sustain our presence for future generations even after we've passed on. A firm platform with an endless spotlight. Shine Bright is a celebratory playlist that I will cherish in my collection. Thank you, Danyel. Now if only this can be turned into a documentary as well. *cough cough*
Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women In Pop is the music biography I’ve always longed to see as a book pay homage to our stapled Black American female powerhouses — from girl groups to solo acts — who head their own chapters in this book, with many of the other iconic songbirds weaved throughout to create a beautiful tapestry that holds each other’s imprints at some point in their own musical journey.
Danyel manages to tie in her own story as well, shaping this into an unconventional, fitting read. We see the pivotal stages of her blossoming into a young music enthusiast leading to her coming-of-age and veteran career in music journalism. Peeling back the layers of our highlighted vocalists that experienced pivotal highs and dipped lows, Danyel never shies away from their lasting impact and the beauty of their humanity and incomparable craft. She also unveils many intimate moments of her own journey where our legends are taken along for the ride, playing a part in her life that's highly relatable in so many ways because haven't we all done it? The song that got us through dark times? Takes us back to a nostalgic moment?
In the concluding chapter, she affirms a stance that is undeniable:
“There is this deep fear of stopping. Of resting in the rests. [...] Because if we stop, we will be forgotten. That is the fear. And it’s not an irrational fear, because so many Black women and so much of Black women’s work is undervalued and strategically un-remembered. We cannot sit quietly while everyone dresses like us and sings like us and writes like us and just kind of steals us from ourselves. That’s the part that makes us tired. But what’s even more heartbreaking than that is the thought that people may not truly know us, or the details of our lives. What if no one ever gets us right? What if our spirits and stories are never truly known? It could so easily be that we—except for our songs, our art, our children—were never here at all.”
We must take the lead in upholding our stories, especially those that are the history of our lineage, to sustain our presence for future generations even after we've passed on. A firm platform with an endless spotlight. Shine Bright is a celebratory playlist that I will cherish in my collection. Thank you, Danyel. Now if only this can be turned into a documentary as well. *cough cough*
erickaonpaper's review against another edition
i got nearly halfway through and felt like i still wasn't understanding a big part of the memoir... i understand danyel's work is important and needed, just couldn't get into it!
dinasamimi's review against another edition
3.0
I want to love this. Smith knows what she's talking about. For me, it was a little too inside baseball -- the minor players in each chapter and their stories sometimes took away from the main show and I often got lost as Smith moved back and forth between story lines throughout the course of a chapter. There are a lot of threads to weave and I wish she was able to do this a little more expertly (I'm thinking about A Little Devil in America here). I was definitely interested in the subject matter and the intersection of personal memoir and criticism, just needed the writing to be a little tighter. Starting with Phillis Wheatley was really beautiful. Ending was great as well.
emk5's review against another edition
genuinely nothing against this book, I'm just not able to focus enough right now to read it
phdpageturner's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
As a music lover, I loved the history in this book! And we definitely do not give Black women enough credit for their influence on modern pop music. I also loved that this was part Danyel Smith memoir. Her life sounds fascinating, and she is *vulnerable* with the reader. I found it so compelling how her experiences paralleled with some of the artists she interviewed. However, I wanted the book to have a stronger overall structure or framework. I couldn’t tell what the organization was—kind of chronological, but not exactly? And I wanted a bit more detail on why she chose the artists she did. Without that structure, I felt like the book didn’t quite reach either of its goals: to be a memoir or to be a history.
lindsloveslit's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I. Love. Music.
I didn't realize it until I moved away after college, but I grew up in an uncharacteristically, musically talented town. We were reading music and singing four part harmony in first grade. By middle school it wasn't uncommon to sing eight part, acapella harmony. Even though sports were my first love, I made it into state and national honors choirs, and played four different instruments growing... that was just the norm!
Because of my love of music, I was really excited to pick this one up! "Shine Bright" was equal parts essays/memoir of Danyel Smith's experience with music and part history of Black women in pop music. It was easy to feel Smith's love of music through her writing. After recently finishing "The Three Mothers" by Anna Malaika Tubbs, I was struck how these two books both show how prominent the erasure of Black women is. We need more writings like this to show/give credit where credit is due.
I will say, the transitions between memoir and history did not always feel smooth to me which made the timeline difficult to follow. In addition, I craved more focus on the background and history of music. Instead, I felt like I was given Danyel's experience meeting the artists. I tried this one on audio, but much preferred it digitally/as a paperback. Overall, I'm glad I read it. There were some new-to-me singers I was introduced to, and I found #TheBlackGirlSoundtrack because of it, too!
I didn't realize it until I moved away after college, but I grew up in an uncharacteristically, musically talented town. We were reading music and singing four part harmony in first grade. By middle school it wasn't uncommon to sing eight part, acapella harmony. Even though sports were my first love, I made it into state and national honors choirs, and played four different instruments growing... that was just the norm!
Because of my love of music, I was really excited to pick this one up! "Shine Bright" was equal parts essays/memoir of Danyel Smith's experience with music and part history of Black women in pop music. It was easy to feel Smith's love of music through her writing. After recently finishing "The Three Mothers" by Anna Malaika Tubbs, I was struck how these two books both show how prominent the erasure of Black women is. We need more writings like this to show/give credit where credit is due.
I will say, the transitions between memoir and history did not always feel smooth to me which made the timeline difficult to follow. In addition, I craved more focus on the background and history of music. Instead, I felt like I was given Danyel's experience meeting the artists. I tried this one on audio, but much preferred it digitally/as a paperback. Overall, I'm glad I read it. There were some new-to-me singers I was introduced to, and I found #TheBlackGirlSoundtrack because of it, too!