But first, let us put all of the great tunes in one place for those who have not been breathlessly following along to the Countdown:
OK, here we go:
10:
9:
8:
7:
6:
5:
4:
It was only as I was ordering my Top 10 that I realized that these three songs create a trilogy reflecting community, diversity and inclusiveness, values that are most sorely needed in these dark times. While each addresses these needs in distinctly-different ways, together they demonstrate what music can bring us when brought to us by artists full of humanity:
3:
2. “This track was written by the indie singer-songwriter Kevin Morby, who recorded it in 2016 as a tenderhearted protest song. Staples’s rendition honors the original spirit, but her incomparable voice fills it with a luminous gravitas. Morby said that hearing Staples sing one of his songs has been “hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career.” He added, “As the person who penned ‘Beautiful Strangers,’ I feel I have every right to say; her version is better.”
1: A powerful and necessary message of inclusiveness. This grew on me from the first time I heard it until now. Both the song and video are works of art from truly beautiful people:
“It’s our differences that make us beautiful.”