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
I love Hallelujah. I am learning it on the piano. I just can’t figure out why people think it is for Christmas or for funerals. Have they even listened to all the lyrics? It boggles my mind.
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I wasn’t sure why people consider it a Christmas song either. But it is a beautiful song. Good luck learning it on the piano!
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She has a beautiful voice, but boy she sure makes some crazy faces when she sings.
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she really gets into it…
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That’s ironic because when I sing it is the audience that makes crazy faces.
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I have a magical voice. When I sing, the audience disappears.
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What were all those people doing in the shower with you in the first place?
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We were trying to save water.
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If you want to save water, you should take it to the river and put it in the bank.
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I’m afraid if I put water in the dam bank, the bank will go broke and my savings will wash away.
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I can see how that would erode your confidence.
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Besides, I don’t think water is a valid current-cy for depositing in a bank.
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but it could help keep the bank afloat
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Until there’s a run on the bank, and all the water runs out.
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sounds like the plot for the movie Chinatown…
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Yep. People will kill for water.
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in some situations, it’s worth more than money…
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and if there’s a drought, all your savings would dry up…
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that’s what flood insurance is for
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the interest rates probably float.
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🙂
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the $64,000 question…
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Hey, how ever Tippy wants to take a shower is OK with me.
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I wonder how often unicorns shower…
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Whenever there is a rainbow?
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🙂
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IF I were to sing, people would start throwing things…
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Go ahead and sing. Unleash your joy! Just wear a helmet.
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maybe there is something to being a masked singer…
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No, a mask won’t protect you from thrown objects.
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what about expelled objects…
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Just the big gobbets.
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it’s the little ones that worry me…
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Yeah, those are the most dangerous ones.
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at least that shows they are listening…
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Harriet is an incredible movie too.
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thanks for the tip!
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Make sure you have a box of tissues handy. You will cry.
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thanks for the heads-up…
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Nettles is an amazing singer. She has an enormous mouth which must be a great asset for creating those pleasing and powerful tones
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I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who thought that about her mouth!
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I wish I knew more about how great singers sing. I assume it is about much more than using the vocal chords.
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I am guessing a lot of it is also breath control…
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She sure has an impressive resume. It seems impossible that the duet she did with Jon Bon Jovi is already 15 years old.
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time flies…
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she has an amazing voice, jim and i wasn’t familiar with her, so thanks for sharing –
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you are welcome, Beth!
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She is an impressive talent with passion for her art. She can make all the faces she wants as long as she sings like that.
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I wonder if the voice and faces are a package deal…
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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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Do you think of here as a diva? I have trouble thinking of someone from country music as a diva.
I’ll see if I can fix that video link, but I’m with you, so it’s not a high priority 🙂
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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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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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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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of course, I had to look up semaphore…
I agree; I think the arms/hands should only move when driven by the singer’s passion for the song…
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Sorry, but you can see what I mean!
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indeed…
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Jim, on this morning filled with stress, personal, local and global, this song provided five minutes of easy breathing. Thank you.
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glad you enjoyed it, Jeff!
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My favorite too Jim.
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👍
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Always liked her voice. Great song choices! 😊
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it is an amazing voice…
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Hi Jim. I thought you might like this. O Holy Night https://g.co/kgs/t8KBA6. Hopefully the link works.
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that was a great video; a unique take on the song, and what a voice he has. thanks for sharing!
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He does have a wonderful voice. He lives locally so I have had the pleasure of seeing him live a few times. He puts on a great show.
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it’s always nice to see someone you like perform live…
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I love both songs, and so many others! Silent Night and Merry Christmas Baby are some of my other faves 😀
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there is no shortage of great Christmas carols!
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What a voice!
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I agree; it is phenomenal…
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She definitely puts her all into that Carol…Good choice , Jim 🙂 x
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that she does…
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I liked her, but I had to go back to your original post to find the best of the best- the voice that matches the song, and how it was intended to be heard. Thank you!
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yes – you picked out a good one!
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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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she does have a great voice…
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