I've decided to start a new feature here, where I can take cover requests from my Facebook page, put together my own version of them, and then post them here. Ali suggested this idea to me, so I've decided to do her request first. Here's my cover of Katy Perry's Last Friday Night (TGIF), as requested by Ali. If you have any cover requests, you can post them in the comments here, or on my Facebook page. Hope you enjoy! 

A huge part of being a singer is building a repertoire for yourself. You want to have a catalogue of songs that you can access easily, and have ready for any occasion or gig. I’ve been spending the last few weeks challenging myself - I’m trying to learn one song a day to really buff up my set lists. It has been a fun experience because it forces me into the music room every day, and also exposes me to all sorts of new and interesting tunes.

After singing a Scottish tune last week in celebration of Robbie Burns day, I’ve been in a fairly Celtic mood. Aside from wearing tartan and drinking scotch, it has meant I’ve been delving into all sorts of Irish and Scottish songs for the past week. For this Song of the Day post, I’ve decided to do an old Irish classic, “An Irish Lullaby”.

The song was written in 1914 by James Royce Shannon, and was made popular by Bing Crosby, originally in the 1944 film, Going My Way, where he sang another character in the film to sleep with it. The song displays all the classical elements of a great Irish tune: a lilting melody, a large range, and a beautiful, smooth legato line.

My girlfriend, Ali, has a great personal story about this song. Her grandfather is a musician himself, and used to be in a band where he sang and played the guitar and the harmonica. He really loves to talk about music - especially the golden oldies. Of course, Ali usually doesn’t know many of the songs that he is talking about. This was the one Ali always used as an example that he would sing to her when talking about his musical escapades.

Here’s a clip of me practicing the song, I hope you enjoy it! Do you have any favourite Irish tunes? I’d love to hear about them.

Today is a very special day - the birthday of Scottish poet extraordinaire, Robbie Burns. In celebration, I decided to sing one of my favourite Burns songs, "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose". (best enjoyed with a nice glass of scotch). 

A huge part of being a singer is building a repertoire for yourself. You want to have a catalogue of songs that you can access easily, and have ready for any occasion or gig. I’ve been spending the last few weeks challenging myself - I’m trying to learn one song a day to really buff up my set lists. It has been a fun experience because it forces me into the music room every day, and also exposes me to all sorts of new and interesting tunes.

My song of the day today is Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. This song is absolutely beautiful in its simplicity, and has obviously captivated a large audience of fans, since it has been covered so many different times.

The song was originally released by Cohen in 1984, on his album Various Positions. The first cover of it, by John Cale, really brought it into the popular sphere, and lead to what might be the most famous cover of the song, by Jeff Buckley, in 1994. Since then, hundreds of artists have recorded and covered it, and the song has been featured in many films and television shows.

I think what I love most about it is the simple chord progressions, and the way the melody swells and builds through the verses, only to pull back to a tensely quiet chorus. And of course, since Leonard Cohen is also an incredible poet, the lyrics are brilliant.

As part of my “Song of the Day” set of posts, I’ve decided to try out recording small clips of me practicing the songs as well. So, keeping in mind I’m not a great piano player, here is a clip of me practicing “Hallelujah”. Let me know what you think, and if you like this format for the posts!

A huge part of being a singer is building a repertoire for yourself. You want to have a catalogue of songs that you can access easily, and have ready for any occasion or gig. I’ve been spending the last few weeks challenging myself - I’m trying to learn one song a day to really buff up my set lists. It has been a fun experience because it forces me into the music room every day, and also exposes me to all sorts of new and interesting tunes.

I’m going to do an on-going series highlighting some of the music I’m learning about, starting today, with Jim Steinman’s power ballad classic, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”.

It seems the song was originally meant for Meatloaf’s “Bat out of Hell III” album, but Jim Steinman apparently felt the ballad was better suited to a female voice. Disputes between Meatloaf and Steinman caused the album to be delayed, and the track ended up first being produced on a large scale by David Foster, in a now-famous recording sung by Celine Dion. Meatloaf would later record it in 2003 (in my favourite version, which you can check out here) when Bat Out of Hell III was finally produced.

I love this song because it exudes the drama Jim Steinman is famous for - the song starts out soft, and vulnerable, and eventually builds to an incredibly powerful and exciting climax. After the strong final chorus of the song, it pulls back, and ends on a bit of a question mark. As a singer with a love of drama, it’s definitely a song I feel like I can sink my teeth into. Dion’s version really demonstrates the beauty of the melody, while I find Meatloaf’s brings some edge and reckless energy to the whole piece.

Any Meatloaf or Jim Steinman fans out there? How do you guys feel about the different versions of the song? I’d be happy to hear what you think!