Ave Maria │ Libera

I thought that the time was right again to feature Libera, the extraordinary choir from Great Britain.  The "Ave Maria", in its various setting, have always been among my choral favorites.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring two mystical musical settings of the "Ave Maria" sung beautifully by Libera.  The topmost video is a new version of the "Ave Maria" that was composed by Robert Prizeman, who incidentally is the founder and director of Libera.  It is very moving.  The second video is of Giulio Caccini's (1551-1618) surprisingly modern sounding "Ave Maria".  I was not able to find any video of Libera singing the Caccini version, but I did find a video of them singing it with some awesome pictures.  This video slide-show should be called "Our Lady From Outer-Space, Pray For Us".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be. 

O Mio Babbino Caro │ Jackie Evancho

Jackie Evancho has a true angelic presence and voice.  I must admit that her performance of "O Mio Babbino Caro (Oh My Dear Father)" from Giacomo Puccini's comic opera in one act, "Gianni Schicchi", brought me to tears.  Sometimes I feel rather sad that there is a dearth of high quality young singers and performers in America.  You have probably noticed that most of the young artists featured on Angel Watchers come from Europe.  Jackie Evancho gives me hope that this trend is now changing.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Jackie singing "O Mio Babbino Caro", and "Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep)" from Puccini's "Turandot".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

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Bright Eyes │ Joseph McManners

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring the remarkable Joseph McManners.  If you have seen the movie "Watership Down", you may recognize the song that Joseph sings.  The song is called "Bright Eyes", and it was written by British singer and songwriter Mike Batt.  It also was a number-one hit for American singer Art Garfunkle in the U.K.  Please click on the video widget below for an uplifting musical experience.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

The Wright Kids

The Wright Kids, Sage (14), Baruch (11), and Levi (8), are fantastic musicians who thrilled the audiences of the "America's Got Talent" TV show.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I stumbled across this amazing video of them singing "Dust In The Wind", as usual, quite by accident.  This song was made popular by Kansas in  1977.  The Wright Kids version of "Dust In The Wind" is so moving, it made my Dear Aunt Martha and I weep  profusely. Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

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Singer Supreme │Afanasy Prokhorov

Afanasy Prokhorov, is one of the greatest young singers on this Planet Earth.  Though he was born and raised in Russia, he now lives with his family in Boston, Massachusetts.  Afanasy, along with Valentin Vierling, Yura Demidovich, and Razvan Dobai, are part of a rarefied class of vocalists that come along only about once, if ever, in a generation.  It is interesting to note that both Afanasy, and Yura, are from Russia.  My Dear Aunt Martha, (who is a retired opera singer) and I, both agree that Afanasy, is the reincarnation of the great Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso.  There is no other natural explanation for Afanasy's preternatural vocal talents.  In this edition of Angel Watchers we present Afanasy in a double-play.  In the top most video he sings the incredibly difficult "Caruso", that was composed as a homage to Enrico Caruso, by Lucio Dalla.  In the video on the bottom Afanasy sings Vitas' "Opera No. 2" that was a hit in the year 2000.  This particular song showcases Afanasy' incredible vocal range.  It is almost beyond the range of human hearing.  These are the kinds of musical notes that travel straight to God.  Afanasy is a member of the prestigious vocal group called Lucky Ten that is based in Boston.  Please click on this link to visit the Lucky Ten website:  Lucky Ten - Official Website  It has a lot of photos, videos and MP3s.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I, held hands, and wept, and wept, and wept, as we listened to Afanasy's emotional rendition of "Caruso".  Angel Watchers takes great pleasure in presenting for your listening pleasure, the magnificent Afanasy Prokhorov.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Extraordinária Fadistas │ João Pedro Geadas and José Luis Geadas

 João Pedro Geadas

 João Pedro Geadas and José Luis Geadas

 

 José Luis Geadas 

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am very pleased to present two extraordinary Fado (Fate) singers from Portugal.  João Pedro Geadas, and José Luis Geadas are brothers, and what a magnificent pair they make.  For those of you who are not familiar with Fado music, Fado is to the Portuguese, as Flamenco is to the Spanish.  It is deep song that is filled with muito saudade.  It's impossible to find an English equivalent for the word saudade, but it is at the heart of all Fado music.  One could say that saudade is that intense yearning that is so powerful, that you feel it as a weight, or pressure in your chest.  João Pedro Geadas and José Luis Geadas posses saudade in great abundance, and that is what makes their music so good.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I wept, and wept, as we listened to all of their beautiful music on YouTube, and we are happy to share it with all of the fans of Angel Watchers.  Personally, Fado means a lot to me as my maternal great grand-mother, Maria Branco was born and raised in Lisboa, Portugal and immigrated to the United States in the 1910s.  Maria Branco spoke very little English, and she was the inspiration for me to study Portuguese when I was an undergraduate at the University of Hawaii.  I remember very fondly as a child listening to the her Fado records on the phonograph, as I lay on the floor with the wonderful aroma of the Portuguese Sweet Bread that she used to bake wafting all around me.  I love and miss you avó Maria.  By-the-way, José Luis Geadas plays the Portuguese Guitarra so well.  It is very difficult for the left-hand of the player to press down to make the notes ring out on it, as the string-tension is so high, but José does a wonderful job.  Without further ado please click on the video widgets below to hear José Luis Geadas sing "Rouxinol da Caneira (Nightingale Of The Caneira)" and João Pedro Geadas singing "Cartas de Amor (Letters Of Love)".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

The Incredible Stan For Fred

Stanforfred is the actual nom de plume that Stan uses on YouTube.  Stan is very, very entertaining, and some of his videos are just totally manic.  Stan's YouTube channel can be found at this link:  Stan For Fred on YouTube  In this edition of Angel Watchers we are featuring Stan in two fantastic videos.  They are "We Like To Party Hardy", and "You're Welcome Fred".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Prince d'Azur │ Francis Bernier

"Prince d'Azur (Prince Of Blue)" is a hauntingly beautiful song, and Francis Bernier performs it exquisitely.  Francis was born in Saint-Redempteur, Quebec, on September 5, 1997.  He is an amazing singer with a pure voice filled with angelic light.  I've wanted to make a post of this song for quite a while, but I could not find a video of it that did justice to it, until I found this one.  "Prince d'Azur" is full of mystical and healing qualities, that can soothe the troubled soul.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I fell in love with"Prince d'Azur" and do not get tired of hearing it.  We have played it over and over again, with great joy and pleasure.  The complete translation of the lyrics of "Prince d'Azur" can be found below.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

"Prince d'Azur"

Lyrics:  Serge Lama

Music:   Sylvain Michel

 You, Prince of the Blue,
Who dances above the walls
Among the kites.

You above, all
Your children on their knees
With their white candles.

Fly ... Fly
Dance in the air without words
Your home is among the fireflies.

Fly ... Fly
For those who raze the ground
"Hope" is a parable.

You must fly!

You, whose pierced hands
Healed love that was chapped
In the heart of beggars.

You, you who have been able to speak
To the stones of Galileo ...
If ever you hear me:

Fly ... Fly
Dance in the air without words
Your home is among the fireflies.

Fly ... Fly
For those who raze the ground
"Hope" is a parable

Fly

(Narration. Serge Lama)

You must fly.
You must fly away.
For us you must fly, and
Make the dream nightingales
Of our meager lives, riveted to the ground.
Because our flesh isolates us
From our soul, Which is stuck in a straitjacket.

Fly (Fly)
Fly (Fly)
For those who raze the ground
(For those who raze the ground)
"Hope is a parable.
("Hope" is a parable)

Fly ... Fly ...

You must fly!

Seasons In The Sun │ Westlife

Westlife is the most successful boy band ever to originate from Ireland.  With sales in excess of 44 million, 14 UK number ones and 25 top ten singles, Westlife has had more number ones, greater chart success, and more sales than any other boy band in the history of pop music.  It is no wonder though as they are a high-class act.  In this edition of Angel Watchers, we feature Westlife singing "Seasons In The Sun (Le Moribond)".  The history of this song is quite interesting.  It was originally composed by Belgian singer Jacques Brel, with English lyrics by American singer-poet Rod McKuen.  In 1974, Canadian singer Terry Jacks did an atrocious cover version of this song, that really did not do justice to it.  A previous version by American singer Tommy Sands was superb, but it never made the top charts, and it's extremely hard to find, as it was only released as a single.  Then along comes the magnificent Westlife with their excellent version of "Seasons In The Sun".  It is by far the best of them all.  During Christmas of 1999, it became a number one hit for Westlife.  "Seasons In The Sun" is about a man who is giving a dying farewell to the people that he knew and loved the most.  It is so strong emotionally that one finds it hard not to cry while listening to it.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be,

Billy Gilman │ Oklahoma

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Billy Gilman, the golden voiced singer, who in his time, did not have any equal in this sector of the Galaxy.  He is probably the greatest treble voice that America has ever produced.  I've been asked many times as to why Angel Watchers does not feature many singers from the United States.  Well, I was just biding my time for the perfect moment to bring out Billy Gilman, who is the best, of the best.  There was a time in my life when I was going through some very painful personal problems, and the music of Billy Gilman helped to sustain me, and gave balance to my sanity.  I love Billy Gilman's music to no end.  It is with great pleasure that I have the chance now to share the remarkable gifts of Billy Gilman with all of the fans of Angel Watchers. The selection that I am showcasing is the moving, beautiful, and haunting "Oklahoma".  This one of the greatest story songs, ever written, and the tale it tells is still powerful today, even though ten years have passed since its  initial release.  I cannot watch this video without weeping.  "Oklahoma" was featured on Billy Gilman's first CD, "One Voice".  Please click on the video widgets below for a powerful emotional experience.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.