Music Monday: Two All-Time Favorites For the Price of One

Blogging, music 2 Minutes

If I had to choose, I would pick O Holy Night as my favorite Christmas carol, In fact, three years ago I wrote a post that contained a dozen different versions of the classic song. (I’ll leave it up to Clive to check my math on both the years and the number of songs).

Another one of my favorite songs, which is allegedly not a Christmas carol but many people consider it as one, is Hallelujah. I also featured a wonderful version of this song three years ago.

So imagine my surprise when I came across a video that featured these two songs together.

Jennifer Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush. She also charted as a duet partner on the country version of rock band Bon Jovi’s 2006 single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, a number-one hit on the Billboard country chart.

She has won multiple CMA awards as well as two Grammies.

She must be wonderful to collaborate with, given the number of singers with whom she has performed.

  • Nettles performed at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, singing James Taylor’s “Shower the People” with James Taylor and John Legend.
  • Nettles performed “All of Me” with John Legend and Hunter Hayes at the CMT Music Awards.
  • Nettles duetted with Josh Groban on his “Bridges” and “Bridges Live” albums with the Groban-penned song “99 Years”.
  • Nettles performed with Idina Menzel to sing Little Drummer Boy (featured on Day 10 of Clive’s 2021 Advent Calendar post).

Nettles has also performed at the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors for Bruce Springsteen and a second time in 2011 for Neil Diamond.

She has expanded into acting as well:

  • Nettles made her acting debut in the NBC television movie, Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors portraying Dolly Parton’s mother.
  • In February 2015, Nettles joined the Broadway cast of Chicago, where she played the role of Roxie Hart for a limited engagement.
  • In April 2016, she had a role on the WGN America hit series Underground. Her role was as a wife and mother who became a mental patient.
  • In 2019, Nettles portrayed Aimee-Leigh Gemstone, the deceased matriarch of a fictional Southern evangelical family in HBO’s dark comedy The Righteous Gemstones. She also co-starred in the drama Harriet, about abolitionist Harriet Tubman, playing Eliza Brodess. The film was directed by Kasi Lemmons.
  • She is set to play the lead role of Jenna in the musical Waitress on Broadway from October 19 to November 25, 2021.

A multi-talented artist for sure, and it was nice hearing her sing a couple of my favorites.

source: Wikipedia

*image from I Believe

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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77 thoughts on “Music Monday: Two All-Time Favorites For the Price of One”

  8. Many thanks for the mentions, Jim. As I said when I did my post, I’m not really a fan of diva singers but she has a powerful voice. Like others, though, I don’t understand how anyone can think of Hallelujah as a Christmas song – it’s anything but!

    You knew I’d check your previous post, didn’t you? You’re fine with the numbers, but one of the videos is no longer available. It’s Celine Dion – maybe some internet overseer has removed it on grounds of taste? 😉

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      1. Yes, I do. Something in the way she throws her hands around theatrically says that to me. Not a genre for it, maybe, but they still sneak in there!

        You’re probably doing the world a service by not replacing that video…

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      2. I usually like to see singers moving their arms like that; to me it shows that they are totally into the song. I just looked at few videos of WOTE, and I saw Sarah moving her hands like that…

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      3. I know lots of singers do it, but some seem to be doing it more for effect than through feeling for the music. Nothing wrong with showing feeling – it’s the ones giving us the lyrics in semaphore that I don’t like…

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  17. Jennifer Nettles is one of just a few country singers who has such a distinctive voice that is always recognizable no matter who she may be singing with or what song she may be singing. I had to dig some to find the band she first became famous with. That’s Sugarland and I wish they would record some new stuff soon!

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