1. Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys has a knack for coming up with clever ways to change lyrics to songs to fit whatever is needed for that current occasion or time. She did it brilliantly when she changed the lyrics to Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” at the Grammys. Keys recently did a version of Flo Rida’s “My House” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to represent how we are all feeling right now in quarantine.
“This song is dedicated to the moment,” Keys said before starting to sing the song. “I have a feeling that we’re all going through a similar thing so I figured we could break it down like this.”
Keys makes it known to the listener that you can’t come to her house unless you happen to be her husband, Swizz Beatz.
“You can’t come to my house,” sings Keys. “Suddenly two's a crowd. Only Swizz is allowed. We don’t have to go out.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h2BqSS5R3U
2. Luke Bryan
“Most People Are Good” is a song that is truly fitting for the times we live in. This is one of my favorite songs by Luke Bryan and it’s good to remember when things seem chaotic and disconcerting that most people are good in the world.
“I believe if you just go by the nightly news,” sings Bryan, “Your faith in all mankind would be the first thing you lose.”
It’s nice to see artists singing at home. Even though it might seem you would feel more connected at a concert instead of watching a screen, seeing your favorite artists perform in their own homes creates an intimate type of feeling in its own way. The connection one feels at a concert is an incredible feeling, but during these times, videos like this tug at your heartstrings because you feel like the artist is singing directly to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v69mBuKyGk
3. Tamia and Deborah Cox
Canadian songstresses Tamia and Deborah Cox are vocalists that are spectacular. Tamia has been one of my favorite singers for many years and Deborah Cox has an incredible voice. Cox provided the vocals for the 2015 Lifetime biopic of Whitney Houston. I hesitated to put this video on the list because their belting can get too loud and distorted when recorded this way but this video presents a mostly solid vocal.
This video is also important because during this quarantine we must count on each other. Social distancing means we can’t get together in-person, but we must still remain connected by video chat or even just picking up the phone and calling someone.
“I know sometimes it seems as if it’s never gonna end,” sings Tamia. “But we’ll get through it. Just don’t give in.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diPxXw6KPEM
4. Kane Brown and John Legend
This duet combines the best in both country and RNB. These two performers have distinct vocal styles. Kane Brown’s vocals are deep and raw, whereas John Legend’s are full and elegant. With that being said, these men have the ability to sing beautifully and edgy and both artists are storytellers. Seeing different genres come together is wonderful, because it shows different styles of music and people often have more in common than we sometimes think.
Both the version from the “ACM Presents: Our Country” and the official music video they made in quarantine are worth checking out. I enjoyed the vocal better for the ACM performance but the music video was decent and they even allowed themselves to have fun and be cute. The fact that an official music video was made during this time when everything must be done from home is something I’m sure we will look back on and be able to tell the next generation how weird this “moment,” to quote Alicia Keys, happened to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvYIj1PzFNI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHuv0hO-D7w