NATCHEZ &045; &uot;Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast,&uot; penned playwright William Congreve in seventeenth century England.

And although there were few London pubs featuring hip-hop and the blues back in Congreve’s day, Natchez resident Cedrick Woods would completely agree with Congreve’s assessment of the musical arts. &uot;Music soothes you, mellows you out,&uot; said Woods Friday afternoon as he prepared to leave for work from his Mimosa Drive home.

The past five months have not been the easiest for Woods, his wife and his two children. After being one of the many workers who lost their jobs when Johns Manville closed last September, Woods has been busy searching for a new job in and around the Natchez area.

Quickly turning to his computer and the Internet, Woods found a job opening with Georgia Gulf in Jackson. One job application and several interviews later, Woods became Georgia Gulf’s newest mix operator for the Jackson chemical manufacturer.

Now four times a week, Woods travels 100 miles to his job and back. That is where music plays a vital role in Woods’s life. &uot;I have to have my music,&uot; says Woods as he packs up his music CDs that he burned especially for the trip to and from work.

Much of his free time at home is spent making new CD’s for his next ride to work. Whether it’s a hip-hop, blues, jazz or even a rare country song, Woods will find it and download it onto his next custom CD.

Burning almost 50 CDs a week, Woods has amassed quite a collection of music to take with him. Over the past year Woods estimates that he has burned over 2,000 CDs in the past year.

Once he has burned his weekly collection of songs, Woods is ready to go.

&uot;Whenever I go to work, I put in a CD, crank up the music and cruise,&uot; said Woods smiling, &uot;It makes the trip go easier.&uot;

While the music helps make the trip easier, it also makes the job easier, as well.

&uot;When I get to work, I am still playing the music in my head. And before you know it, it’s time to go home,&uot; said Woods.