Today's Top 11 is a collection of outstanding musicians appearing in this week's Steemit Open Mic, presented and sponsored by @pfunk and @luzcypher. To me, this is the single most beneficial community in all of Steemit–a playground where artists create, critique, and curate great talent on a weekly basis, now on its 53rd consecutive week!

For Example:

In honor of today's full moon, I shared this song. And here's the post: “The Message Of The Moon” (Original Song).

💎 The Top 11, Vol. 04 - #OpenMic Spotlight

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#11. “Safar” (Original Song) by @atulmittal

@atulmittal is one of the regular participants in the Steemit Open Mic, and he's a standout, in my opinion. Each week, he brings something fresh and dreamy. I mentioned to this songwriter I appreciate this song for the animal trills, the flowy singing, the chill vibe, the smooth guitar playing, the quality audio recording, and the overall artistry.

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#10. “Improvisation In C” (Original Piano Piece) by @drewley

I admire the songwriting talent as well as the expression and emotion in this performance. To me, the black and white video makes good sense for a piano piece like this one.

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#09. “When You Wish Upon A Star” (Cover Song) by @oliverwaterman

This is the quintessential Disney song, to me. My family and I enjoy listening to tunes like this one when we're on long road trips. We just returned from a Colorado wedding, and so now we have “Hakuna Matata” and “Colors Of The Wind” echoing in mind. I like the arrangement here. Long live Jiminy Cricket!

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#08. “Chin Up Buttercup” (Original Song) by @timothympratt

Gotta love rad daddies who encourage the next generation to express themselves creatively. And @timothympratt's daughter has real talent for songwriting, not to mention her pretty singing. Really beautiful hearing this young woman shining with such radiance through her voice. Am I right? Such a bright and cheerful song!

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#07. “To Be Without You” (Cover Song) by @tfeldman

Earlier today, I remembered Bryan Adam's song, “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?”. So, naturally, it still trips me up when people mention “Ryan Adams” because my brain immediately goes to the unrelated “Bryan,” unfortunately. Ryan deserves his own distinct name, I'd say. What a great songwriter he is. And I greatly appreciate @tfeldman here for covering this nice new one–I hadn't heard it before. Found this vid that feels like a good fit for the #openmic here.

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#06. “Back Up” (Original Song) by @carlgnash

Grateful to hear this guy again. For some reason, I get the impression he is channeling Jerry Garcia. He continues to impress me. This song is totally artistic, from the whimsical whistling to the imaginative songwriting to the upbeat ending. I imagine he's singing about a grasshopper. :) Listened twice, because I enjoy it so much–especially the ending.

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#05. “Either Way” (Cover Song) by @iamhbros

The Steemit Open Mic event is filled with variety. This is an example of a “Pop Country” sound, in my interpretation, and while it's not my favorite musical genre I certainly appreciate the artistry in it. This guy hits the high notes nicely. Yeah, and the audio production quality is superb! Solid performance throughout, I'd say. I haven't heard this song before, and I think it's the first time I've seen Chris Stapleton's name, so all of this is new to me, and I'm really feeling the beauty in it.

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#04. “Learn To Fly” (Cover Song) by @leotrap

Newbie here! Yeah, one of the best aspects of the Steemit Open Mic is its encouragement for newcomers to jump right in and participate each week. It's the perfect place for minnows to swim into the spotlight, to be seen and heard. In fact, I'm still astounded about first entry: “Angel Michael In This Moment (Original)”, which earned over $100 and improved my Steemit reputation score by 6 points overnight! The Steemit Open Mic is seriously thriving, and I hope that all Steemians will embrace the arts community here and find their place of belonging.

I'm proud of @leotrap for diving in! He's learning the guitar as a full-grown adult, which is a beautiful thing, if you think about it. Goes to show: Anytime is a good time to learn something new! My story is similar, in fact. I first started playing guitar in my 20s. And check out this guy's enthusiasm! He's the perfect addition to our community. I also share his appreciation for the Foo Fighters. I used to cover one of their songs, just for fun, called “Everlong”, and I seem to remember it's in Drop-D guitar tuning, for all you guitarists. The Everlong music video is one of my favorites, by my all-time favorite filmmaker: Michel Gondry - he's the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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#03. “Just Like A Woman” (Cover Song) by @paulhallman

This guy is the epitome of understated talent. The thread of comments on his post made me laugh out loud. One guy says: “Not bad.” That comment is pretty funny in itself, because there's no substance in it, plus it's a bit rude. But the best part is @paulhallman's reply: “Thanks! That's exactly what I shoot for.” As if anyone aims for mediocrity. :) So funny. I told @paulhallman his song here is much better than “Not bad.” It's great, really. I mean, it's so impressive to continue the legacy of a song like this one from Dylan, and sing it from memory like he does here. I'm a fan.

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#02. “Simply Falling” (Cover Song) by @melavie and @chaifm

Similarly humorous, these ladies mention the fun they had in recording this video, full of bloopers, trying not to laugh. I can completely relate! It's so funny trying not to laugh during an ultra-serious moment such as this. I think it's a story we can all relate with, and yeah, storytelling is another one of the beauties of the Steemit Open Mic. Now I am imagining @melavie and @chaifm laughing and snorting, and re-recording this song, over and over. :D To me, there is greatness in their song too. I like their percussive guitar playing and their talented voices.

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#01. “Run” (Cover Song) by @coruscate

Sheesh, she has a powerful voice. Good to hear this song again – heck of a good band. There's another Snow Patrol song I really love, that doesn't seem to get much attention, but is certainly worthy of a listen: “Called Out In The Dark”. Are you familiar? It's my favorite song by this band. Try covering that one, though. ;)

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Key Takeaways

Yes, the Steemit Open Mic is a terrific platform for radical creative thought, as you can see here. The genuine talent and passion expressed here is off-the-charts awesome! The Top 11 you see here is only a sample of the brilliance and beauty to behold in this week's Steemit Open Mic. Honorable mentions include: “Liberty” (Cover Song) by @dreamrafa and “True Colors” (Cover Song) by @soonmusic.

Thank You

To all of the Steemians listed here, I thank you for your songs. You inspire me. Your vulnerability in putting yourself out there and trying something new is worthy of recognition, my brothers and my sisters. I hope you feel my peace, love, and respect. Thanks to you, too, dear reader. Hugs and high-fives!

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by @cabelindsay