I
Shall
Be
Released
The
Last
Waltz
I LOVE Bob Dylan songs performed in groups. Of the many group versions of this classic, this is my favourite for the incredible energy and talent in this group.
For
Good
Kristin
Chenoweth
&
Idina
Menzel
I saw the original and I think it's still the best. The characters are in these voices, and not just singers singing a song, which also makes for a perfect voice pairing as the characters were perfect for each other in the story.
Doodlin'
Sarah
Vaughn
This is an attitude song and the way Sarah Vaughn expresses it, she's the last one I'd want to mess with!
Old
Man
Mose
Betty
Hutton
Nobody sings f*ck it like Betty Hutton... no chicken, either! And the big band sound just makes it all the more glorious!
Every
Time
We Say
Goodbye
Annie
Lennox
This modern take on an old standard is as refreshing as it is tragic. Annie really makes it sounds like a tragedy every time she says goodbye, like it's forever, as she meant it with death from AIDS.
Phantom
of the
Opera
Sarah
Brightman
&
Michael
Crawford
Still my favourite. Not too much excess musical background, with singing not too shrill and most sincere.
The
White
Cliffs of
Dover
Rosemary
Clooney
Whenever I listen to this quiet version, I feel like the Luftwaffe will soon be on their way to set up the air raid sirens like what might have happened during World War II when this song was popular.
The
Very
Thought
of You
Carmen
McRae
Carmen McRae's the only one who's managed to completely convince me, without a doubt, that the very thought of me evokes all that she sings in the song.
Beethoven's
Moonlight
Sonata
Claudio
Arrau
What is everybody's freakin' hurry to play this piece so fast? The slow pace is not only appropriate, but it prolongs the piece enjoyment. And that soft paw-like touch playing is just mesmerizing!
Emotionally
Yours
The
O'Jays
Bob Dylan's music is incredibly adaptable to any genre of music. This gospel version of a Bob Dylan classic is full of emotions, all being given to the listener.
Somewhere
Over the
Rainbow
Ian
Tyson
This is actually my favourite version of this song, piano and orchestral country style, by Canadian icon Ian Tyson. It just wasn't iconic enough of an image and video for the title of this presentation to use on the first screen.
Strange
Fruit
Billie
Holiday
Only one singer could delivery the raw tragedy and devastating lyrics of this song, and that's Billie. The less than clean original recording evokes the times described in the song.
The
Lies of
Handsome
Men
Margaret
Whiting
If there were ever a lady who knew what the lyrics were about, it'd have to be Margaret Whiting... and it sounds like it! I LOVED this version so much that I made my own video for it just to have a version on YouTube that others could hear and enjoy.
Fly
Me
to
the
Moon
Doris
Day
Oh, Doris. Take me with you to the moon, stars, or wherever you may go, near or far...
Dark
Eyes
Judy
Collins
Judy puts unmatched love and empathy into her simple piano version of this Bob Dylan song.
Moon
River
Audrey
Hepburn
I heard and loved this version before I ever saw the scene in the movie where Audrey sings it, and felt the same magic from it just from the audio alone. She captured authenticity of the dreamy moment alone perfectly! (not knowing someone else was listening).
For
the
Good
Times
Perry
Como
Perry's soft voice and that easy lilt made this most nostalgic and sad for me, like he meant it more than others who sang it.
I've
Got
You
Under
My
Skin
The
Four
Seasons
This doo wop / pop interpretation adds a life and energy to the song nobody else has, even if it might not have been meant to have been interpreted in that way.
Somewhere
My Love
Ray
Conniff
Singers
Loved the group singers version ever since I first heard it.
