THE SOUND OF MUSIC- THE BEST OF SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER, 2020.

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More worthy musical cues for this later quarter of 2020 are included here, including some throwbacks and live performances. As I have said earlier, musicians are going above and beyond the call of duty to inspire us and make us believe in the strength of our collective vocations.

Another constant is the presence of stirring lyrics in each instance. So without further ado, let's listen to them.

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H.E.R.'s 2020 IN MEMORIAM EMMY PERFORMANCE OF NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU.

Owing to Covid guidelines, the intimacy of this otherwise jam-packed ceremony was a change we had to accustom ourselves to likewise everything this year. That solitary nature made the consistently compelling vocal power of H.E.R. shine and make absolute sense on the cover of a song that particularly cues an element of melancholy in our situational frame of mind.

It was poignant and earned its sole musical moment ,in an awards ceremony that was grounded in the feeling of distance and remembrance .

BETTY (LIVE) AT THE 2020 ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS by TAYLOR SWIFT.

Taylor's performance of this modern classic off her instantly unforgettable concoction of lyrical tales on FOLKLORE warranted appreciation and more. Suffice to say, the acoustic melody and cyclical narrative won us over again even as the storytelling felt urgent in the solo setting, like a memory recounted in one's private chambers, shared within the mind's eye while simultaneously sung and enunciated.

LETTER TO YOU, GHOSTS by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.

The Boss is back with two exceptional new tracks, maintaining the equilibrium of quality and a richly sensitive soundscape that celebrates minutest of human endeavours.

LETTER TO YOU relays one's thoughts in the form of conveyance that is intimate to a fault, that is through epistolary correspondence while GHOSTS has the classic E STREET BAND vibe complete with synths and guitars and a tune one can memorise on the very first listen. Both are equally gripping and essentially Springsteenian.

 


HURTS TO BE ALONE by NORAH JONES.

Norah's new album PICK ME UP OFF THE FLOOR is one marvelous collection of slow- burning melodies pairing effortlessly with her iconic, jazzy musical expertise. After the sonic serenity occasioned by I'M ALIVE, TRYING TO KEEP IT TOGETHER, TO LIVE and TWIN FLAME, HURTS TO BE ALONE employs the magic of pianos and graceful percussion to break down how it's easy to embrace self-sufficiency in theory than practice.

The lines progress from 'never hurts to be alone' to the more wistful 'yeah, it hurts to be alone' until the climax. It's a song that fits the way we experience the world now more than ever before, that is if it was better at any point before tides turned.

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