Another all-time favorite.

…or two…

Some time ago, I was listening to Daryle Singletary’s discography on Spotify. He recorded an album of cover songs back in 2002 titled That’s Why I Sing This Way. This was one of the songs from that album.

Now, that is a great version, but the original, to me, is just transcendent.

I first heard that song some 20 years ago on KORA 98.3 in Bryan-College Station and fell in love with it. Pretty sure that was the only terrestrial radio station I’d ever heard that song on. What makes it all the more amazing was that Ryles was only 17 years old when he recorded that song, and that album. I was reminded of the song when I was listening to the Singletary album a few weeks ago, and I thought, Oh hey, let’s see if the original is on here.

It sure was…along with the rest of the album.  And the album was also available on Amazon, albeit only on mp3. I had never been able to find it anywhere before, so you better believe I snapped it up. Really glad I did, too, as it has some great stuff on it, including a version of “Little Green Apples” that’s second only to Roger Miller’s, and a cover of “Wichita Lineman” that compares surprisingly well to the iconic Glen Campbell version. Not surprising, though, as they do have quite similar voices.

I was really quite pleased to find this one.

The latest jam.

I was first made aware of Within Temptation not long after I heard Sharon den Adel on “Isle of Evermore” from Avantasia’s 2016 album Ghostlights…

…and I thought, “wow, she has a great voice.” Not long ago, I asked a buddy what album I should get if I was going to check them out.

“Start with The Heart of Everything. That one’s pretty accessible.”

Man, this is great stuff.

And as good as the studio version is, the live version with the symphony is on another level entirely…