I had a load of positive feedback last time I posted a feature on five songs from the last week, so here we are again with another instalment!
1. Salley Gardens
A solid folk tune, this was brought in this week by a fab student whose voice has REALLY come on in the last few months. There are many versions, but this is one that I quite enjoy!
2. Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts
This was brought in at the end of the week by a local performer. Whilst too high in the original key for their particular voice, this stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
3. Demi Lovato – Skyscraper
This is an oft-talked about song by students but only a few bring it in to work on. This particular song requires quite an attitude to deliver just right, even with technique being under your belt!
4. Sting – If I Ever Lose My Faith
I am a moderate fan of Sting. I really enjoy certain pieces but there’s a large number of tracks I just don’t gel with. This one crossed my ears again via a cover someone had done on Facebook, and when I mentioned it in front of a student later in the week they jumped on the chance to give it a whirl!
5. Matt Redman – 10,000 Reasons
I work with a fair few church singers and worship leaders (if you’re not sure what this job is, it’s a kind of band leader and functional lead singer for modern church congregations), and it so happens that this track is a fairly common song to hear at modern churches these day by a writer of MANY modern hymn classics. It’s got a somewhat tricky ascent in the chorus, and is tough to nail with quality (given the ballad speed it goes it) without just yelling (as many leaders tend to do!).