An Annual Holiday Tradition

Happy New Year, dear readers. I hope that 2009 brings you health, wealth, and love. You deserve it.

I just returned from two holiday trips, and boy are my arms tired. I'm certainly not complaining, no not me, but it was a lot of work. I'm looking forward to getting back into a less hectic daily routine.

As soon as I got home, I setttled into my new favorite holiday tradition: struggling to get through the Kennedy Center Honors. I got turned onto this dead horse of a show back when Beyonce killed a rendition of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" in 2005, and Ms. Knowles-Carter did it again this year. TrinityAGH, how can you not love her?

Beyonce wowed me in her tribute to Barbara Streisand by singing "The Way We Were." Her performance is delicate, and simple, and lovely. I watched it twice yesterday, and just watched it two more times this morning. I love her look, her hair, her earrings, she's just butter, so they say.

But, my true favorite was Bettye LaVette killing a song I'd never heard before in a tribute to The Who's Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey. Why Ms. LaVette is not a household name, I'll never know -- according to Wikipedia, she only recently gained fame with her 2007 album The Scene of the Crime. Wacky, are you a fan? I'm guessing you are and know all about her.

She performed "Love Reign O'er Me," and I promise you won't be able to stop watching it. Her voice has an ease and a sadness to it that is intoxicating. I'm going to have to find more of her work for sure.

Hope you enjoy these performances as much as I do.
Check out Beyonce and "The Way We Were" here:



And Bettye LaVette on "Love Reign O'er Me" (skip ahead to the 3:00 mark):