My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
Our Sun is like a star--well, because it is a star. Today millions of observers will witness the moon passing in front of their view of the Sun. The Moon covers many stars on a regular basis, but very few of us notice. On this day (Monday August 21, 2017) millions will see this rare phenomena first hand while those like me will mostly watch on television. I'll peek outside now and then to see what my view will be, but I don't expect things to get very darkened where I live. And watching on TV I shouldn't have any risk of going blind.
Anyway, since I can't really compete with a total eclipse of the Sun and I don't have all that much to say about the science or history or whatever about eclipses, I'll just move along to announcing the winner of my previous Battle of the Bandsmatch-up.
Battle of the Bands Results
I figured this match between Jane Monheit and Corinne Bailey Rae performing Rae's "Like A Star" would be a close one. This Battle did not disappoint. Even without my vote, my preferred artists won by a tiny margin.
My wife and I both agreed that Corinne's version was perhaps more heartfelt and more dramatically delivered, but from an aesthetically musical standpoint we agreed that Jane Monheit's version was more pleasing to our ears. Besides Monheit's dreamy vocals, the instrumentation put me in a faraway contemplative state of mind. Love that kind of sound!
Final Vote Tally:
Jane Monheit 13 Corinne Bailey Rae 9
Next Battle on Friday September 1st
Yes, I will be trying a two Battle a month schedule to see what response I get. Hopefully some others will join me on the 1st--but I hope plenty of you will at least stop by to vote.
Will you be (or did you) watch the total eclipse? What were your feelings about it? Had you been facing this day will some uncertain sense of dread or apprehension?
There are some things that demand they be remembered. The highway of history should consist of identifiable markers that prompt us to think and not empty ruins that have no meaning to anyone--those mile markers contain important lessons that can provide insight and promise for the future.
Birth of a Battle
My previous post told the story of my encounter with a song that I'll be using for my current Battle of the Bands entry. As noted in that account, this song snuggled into my brain and I did not want to let it go. When I first heard it, this particular song struck me as an older tune, perhaps from the sixties. I speculated that it might be a bossa nova style tune by the Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. I could not recall ever having heard the song and I wanted to know who performed this lovely rendition of the mystery song.
Thankfully, the radio announcer let me know that what I'd heard was performed by Jane Monheit, an artist not only with whom I was remotely familiar, but who I have been considering using in a future BOTB post. After all, Monheit is a jazz and pop song stylist who has recorded numerous covers. She had appeared on at least one other BOTB post that I could remember.
Upon my return home a couple days after hearing the song on the radio, I researched YouTube to see if I could find the beautiful song that I had heard on the road in Missouri. It didn't take long to find the song and shortly thereafter I discovered that the original version by the composer Corrine Bailey Rae was also very good. This was a call to Battle...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
Jane Monheit "Like A Star" (2009)
Since her first album in 2000, Jane Monheit has released twelve albums as well as appearing on a number of albums by other artists. Along with the many accolades for her music, Monheit has been nominated twice in the Grammy Awards. Here is the song that transfixed me so on Highway 60 in Missouri.
Corinne Bailey Rae "Like A Star" (2006)
With six Grammy nominations and two wins along with a slew of other international awards and recognition, Corinne Bailey Rae has established an impressive music career in a relatively short time. Though I previously had no idea who she was, I was familiar with her song "Put Your Records On". Now I can gladly say that I know who this artist/composer is and I'll be watching for more music from her. According to the website Genius, Rae says that "Like a Star" was inspired by the grunge group Nirvana. It's not the first thing I would have guessed, but we all know that inspiration can come from the strangest places. I'll leave it to you to see what you hear in the song.
Time to Vote! Are you as torn between these two versions as I am? Do you have a preference between these two choices? Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. Which version do you like the best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
This might be a tough match so I'm anxious to see what the outcome will be. Tune in next Monday for the Battle results. That will be my next post--on Solar Eclipse Day!
Do you like this song as much as I do? Do you think my response to the song was a bit of overreaction? Do you live in the path of the solar eclipse or will you be going to a place that is?
