Hahahh, It was late and I ran out of eye lube John. You always post a good read.

LOL, Yes, Jim. I am quite the essayist on message boards. ;D

Thank You.

Greetings:

Beautiful statement, starvinARTguy! It was a great read! I believe you are speaking for many, if not all of us there. Nice work, and thank you.

Your pal,

Clamchucker

Ok, time out. I'll have to finish this tomorrow.

It happened like this: I was looking for some Nina Simone on YouTube- I had just discovered the site and didn't have an account yet- I saw a thumbnail of a lovely woman singing in the search results and clicked on the link to "Feelin' Good". What little did I know! I wasn't prepared for the heavenly jolt that my heart and my brain were about to receive. Her voice, her presence, her look- This muse was seducing and challenging me with her complex sultry voice, those big bright eyes, that disarmingly sweet smile, her uncommon beauty, from some deep dark void lit by a divine light from a single simple broken desk lamp? It was simply stunning. How could this girl be an amateur?? She had to have been one of the brightest and most talented people I had encountered.

Somehow I was knocked from my chair- My socks were blown into another zip code. I think I had to put my eyes back into my head, and pick my jaw up off of the floor. (I drank some water, took a nap, and a shower- pondered it all for a while.) When I recovered, I clawed my way back up to my desk, used the back of my chair as a kind of shield, and ever so cautiously clicked the mouse on "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". ( I knew I was about to unleash some serious power here,) I was hooked. Every fascinating video by this woman that I uncovered had something new and exciting to offer. Each song, every nuance, has moved me in some way. She was so compelling and captivating. If she laughed, I laughed. If she cried, I cried? What was going on here? What was wrong with me?

Maybe it has to do with the interactive nature of the medium with the comments and all- but sometimes it feels as though she's looking at you despite it being a recording or her not seeing you live. It's uncanny. It's like the person is in the room with you. We take it for granted, but telecommunications still amazes me. It's as if we've been cracking open the earth or something, and setting reality on its ear ever since we hooked up computers and cameras to phone networks.

It's been quite a ride and a kind of blur at times. Maybe with Ysabella Brave it's just knowing there is some one good out there who wants understanding, and offers up the same in generous portions. She has a knack for keeping her finger on the pulse. Just recently she posted on how she confided in her brother about stress at work, and he said that, "we should be proud for just brushing our teeth and going out the door to face it each day". This led her to tell her audience with sincerity that, "If we knew we were doing the best that we could in life despite what others say- we should be proud.", and that she was proud of us. It was like an acknowledgment of "Hey, I'm out there in the fire with you- we're in the same boat- we are all doing our best- God bless us." I'd had a bad day, and when I heard her say that; I felt much better.
She does this kind of thing all the time for so many, and I love her for that.

Now, when was the last time you saw something like that on TV? You don't get that from the nightly news, certainly! I think the last time I felt a genuinely positive message like that from a TV screen, was when I watched Mr. Rogers as a kid. He was an educated and deeply religious man who wanted to inspire children. His fame was secondary to his message. Seriously, think of neglected or abused kids who turned on the TV, and cried or laughed because they knew Mr. Rogers, a man who didn't know them personally, said that he liked them when it seemed that others did not. He had the courage to tell young people that they didn't have to be afraid of this world, that they mattered, how they were special, unique, and full of positive potential. That much Fred Rogers knew about kids in general, and he meant it. -And he didn't care what his critics thought. His courageous message from behind the camera continues to inspire countless children.

I'm sure it seems like a bizarre comparison, but MaryAnne "Ysabella Brave" has that same kind of potential to pass along a positive message from God to a lot of people, and to make that small difference in some one's life that matters a lot by just putting out a few minutes of video.

Here's a true story. Once, a man was was contemplating suicide. Just before he would have acted, his favorite song by John Denver, "Poems, Prayers, and Promises", came on the radio. It hit him on an emotional level that gave him pause to feel and to think. Hearing it at that moment helped him find the will to live. Sometimes the smallest things we do- like singing the right song, or saying the right thing, can make the biggest difference in ways we never thought possible for someone. When we are feeling down and don't think that other people care about us- there are people who do care.

And the thing about God is that He never stops believing in us when we don't know how to believe in ourselves. He is our strength, courage, goodness, love, grace, and HOPE. He is there to show you the way - all you have to do is ask, and listen.

Ysabella Brave came along and helped to remind me of this at a time when I needed a spiritual re-awakening. She wasn't the only source of this message -I was getting this in my life for some time. She just helped remind me about God at I time when I needed to believe the most. I do thank God for Ysabella Brave and other people like her. I don't think I would ever want to return to not knowing about her and her amazing talents. She's one of the nicest surprises I've had in some time, and I became aware of her at just the right time. I find a previously unknown treasure every time she posts something new. I feel honored, privileged, humbled, and yet lifted by her whenever I watch. It may sound crazy or foolish, but I'm only being honest, and it's as simple as that.

Welcome Ole Olsen!

Your account of stumbling upon Ysabella Brave is all too familiar around here. In my case it was while researching “Moon River.” My initial reaction was the same as yours, as was the subsequent realization that she was indeed a greatly talented, unique individual.

I cannot endure more than 18 hours without having to listen to one of her performances. Often times it is less than that, more like four hours. . . . Addiction, obsession, compulsion, call it what you want. All I know is it feels good. The more I watch and listen, the better it feels.

Your pal,

Clamchucker

potent357: LOL, ka-CHOO! [blows nose with a paper towel] I think I've got it, too. I think I've got it, too. I think I've got the virus, too.
But iowamike may be on to something, here. Repetition is never gauche where Ysabellabrave is concerned. I prefer to call it devotion instead of addiction, but maybe that's just me. Bravo, iowamike! I have a soft spot for members of this group who welcome new people. We're all in this lifeboat together, becalmed on the Sargasso Sea of existence, and I honestly believe that Ysabellabrave created this site, just so we could all become friends. Life ain't no rehearsal. God bless to you both. --Bob

Dagoberto: Nao falo portugues, but I do speak Spanish fluently. Portuguese is Ysabella's heritage language, from the Azores.

Welcome , bem-vindo! Happy to meet another fan from another part of the world; feliz de conocer otro aficionado de otra parte del mundo. I am as crazy about Cole Porter music as you are (soy tan loco por la musica de Cole Porter que tu).

Mi canal is "Bobchai" : gozelo!

But I also love Doris Monteiro, Maria Creuza, Fafa de Belen, Clara Nunes, and all things Brazilian.

Dagoberto, have you heard of this singer, Cristina Motta, on Youtube? I think she's fabulosa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CK1TKEwEBY

Ysabellabrave is a special and very unique singer. But I like to put her in context with many other great singers. (Ysabellabrave es un cantante especial y singular. Pero me gusta ponerla en el contexto de otras cantantes grandes).

---Bob Robertson
Napa Valley, California

Someone's got a virus.

Greeting fellow addict!!

Greeting fellow addict!!

Greeting fellow addict!!

Greeting fellow addict!!

Greeting fellow addict!!

Hi! You sing a charming Cole Porter song's. I like this. Bravo! Bravo! Bravissimo!
My English is very bad, but I like much the Cole Porter song's.
I'm your far friend. Ok?
Dagoberto