Grade: A Also Outįolk has been reincarnated so many times – and in so many ways – it’s hard to recall what it used to sound like. Those 20 feet? You won’t find them on any song here. And then, somehow, it gets even better: “Suspicious Minds” is a stirring version of the Elvis classic that comes to an emotional break that gets you in the heart. Her belty “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is felt deep, deep down. She takes “The Mighty Quinn” to church, turning the Dylan ditty into a gospel rouser. Songs from her only solo effort, the one that was supposed to make her a star (and should have), get a second life on this triumphant collection: She tears into Neil Young’s “Southern Man,” goes soft and sweet on the Carole King contribution “After All This Time” and croons “Country Road” with a raw realness that defines the essence of this soul queen. Sony Legacy’s “The Best of Merry Clayton” puts the diva front and center for her pivotal moment on The Rolling Stone’s riveting wake-up call “Gimme Shelter” – but now the track is all hers, and the woman who can sing circles around most owns more than just the famed “rape, murder – it’s just a shot away” bit. Because of it, Merry Clayton is, at last, basking in the limelight. Give it up for “20 Feet from Stardom,” the wonderful documentary that’s finally spotlighting voices too big to just be backup. Merry Clayton, ‘The Best of Merry Clayton’ While Bareilles stories the ups and downs of relationships, presumably her own, she also dedicates a song – the moving “Satellite Call” – to “the lonely child.” If you ever wondered what Sarah McLachlan sounded like singing over a Sigur Ros track, wonder no more. “It doesn’t disappear just because you say it isn’t there.” She gets in musical mode for “Little Black Dress,” a celebration of singlehood.
“Eden” stands out most as an exhilarating turn and a definite highlight in the mix the track borrows from Prince and then reaches a chorus that flicks with glistening near-dance synths while her heart breaks all over it: “No way to make the pain play fair,” she sings. And her boy-chasing gets the best of her on pretty ballad “1,000 Times.” But besides the safe first single, the LGBT-inspired anthem “Brave,” Bareilles shakes up her tried-and-true formula heard on past hits “Love Song” and “King of Anything” for more uncharted territory. With her third disc, the pop pianist is giving the gays their wedding theme: “I Choose You,” an undeniably irresistible ditty – cello included for added romanticism – that’s a sweet ode to love, the good and the bad.
I’m sure you’ll find something to love on this LGBTQIA+ wedding playlist.Maybe you didn’t ask for it, but Sara Bareilles wrote you a love song anyway. But ignore my hypocritical ass, because I love the shit out of “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. I just do dozens of events every year and this song is not unique.
Apologies if you’ve chosen this song for something during your wedding. I’m sorry, but I’m really really sick of “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. I also steadfastly avoided the majority of over-popular songs. I scoured the internet for resources and after spending way too long slogging my way through good and terrible songs, I decided to come up with a Spotify playlist for those looking for awesome gender-neutral wedding songs! Do those pronouns even work? “They” hasn’t really hit the mainstream music industry, so it’s high time to find the perfect gender-neutral wedding playlist that will feel even more special for you. Especially for your wedding! Who wants to listen to hours and hours of songs, irritated by the constant “hims” and “hers.” Some songs are amazing, but your partner is trans. But you’re on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and as such, you want/demand/hope for something that is a bit more unique. The world is so binary, especially in the mainstream media. Even in modern days, it’s hard to find gender-neutral romance songs, let alone a gender-neutral wedding playlist.