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Summary

...Holy Staccato, Batman – a record 153 entries in this week’s Open-Mic… Wow! There’s no doubt that the much- welcome increase in participation is making my job harder as a judge. It’s not just the sheer volume of entries – that’s the easy part to get through, it is the growing rate of high-quality submissions that make it far more difficult for me to narrow them all down to just five plus five honorable mentions.

GENERAL NOTE: The fifth round/Week-5 of the Open-Mic SONGWRITERS Challenge sponsored by @meno is underway! This week’s theme is “Wind Swept Shore. The first half of the challenge is behind us, and the second half has just begun.

As Meno alluded to in his most recent Top-5 Songwriters post, everyone who has entered, as well as anyone who has not yet entered the challenge thus far, still has a very real chance of capturing the Grand Prize. As such, no one should ever be discouraged from entering at any point in time along the challenge’s path.

I encourage all “Songwriter” entrants to also enter their "Songwriter" submissions under the general Open-Mic contest as well, which begins every Sunday. This Sunday’s Open-Mic will be #65.

You can check out all the current Wind Swept Shore “Songwriter Challenge” entries HERE. Do take the time to read the rules carefully, and follow them when entering.

Steemit Open Mic Week 64

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My Process

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As one of the esteemed Open Mic judges, it is my job to come up with a short-list of my top 5 entrants each week. With all of the great talent here, that is by no means an easy task. Sure, tossing in another 5 honorable mentions helps, but not when my weekly list starts out with 30 or more of my favorite entries... You guy's rock - I'm tellin' ya!

Yes, I am a Libra – so I have an inherent drive deep within me to be fair and balanced – good qualities for a “judge” if you ask me. That being said, I’m still human – filled with emotion and subjective feelings – just like you. So, in order to mitigate my subjective tendencies to the best extent possible, I’ve come up with a method by which to narrow down my selections in a more objective vs. arbitrary manner.

Here’s how I go about my personal judging process: I first start out with a list of 30 or more of my most favorite entries for the week, and score them (yes, subjectively) in six distinct categories via a spreadsheet. The categories I’ve selected for scoring are in general harmony with those explained by @luczypher in his post titled How We Pick The Top 3 Entries, referencing such.

To get a more in-depth perspective as to how I personally go about selecting my artists, please refer to What I go through as an Open-Mic Judge.

Even though it’s still a “subjective” process – diligently going through each scoring category to come up with a “total” score for each entrant helps to minimize any overzealous subjectivity that I may harbor with respect to any specific entrants.

Quite often, this exercise doesn’t give me the exact results I would personally prefer to see – but that only means that my system of judging is working as intended and designed. With all of that said, here are...

My Top-5 Picks in Order

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FIRST PLACE: @lisamalletart - “Leva ao Vento / Let The Wind Take You” - (Original Song)

It’s been a while since they’ve topped the charts, but Lisa and @rhavi have done it once again with “Leva ao Vento! Together, their free-flowing positive vibes bring this passionate fun-filled percussive song to life. Their harmonies and overall chemistry are simply captivating. For that and so much more, Lisa and Rhavi get my top spot this week.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@lisamalletart/open-mic-week-64-or-leva-ao-vento-by-lisa-and-rhavi-or-original-song

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SECOND PLACE: @nestorchacin – “Aunque Sea Poco / Although it is Little” - (Cover Song)

Nestor and company really brought it to the table this week with their stunning performance of “Aunque Sea Poco.” Trust me; there was nothing small about the performance of these three rather talented gentlemen! What a great song choice to cover! All three vocal leads in concert with their respective harmonies just floored me! The guitar playing and recording was also brilliant. These are just a few reasons why these guys’s easily captured my #2 spot.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@nestorchacin/steemit-open-mic-week-64-aunque-sea-poco-cover

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THIRD PLACE: @andrewmarkmusic – “Deva” - (Original Song)

Andrew somehow keeps managing to climb up my ladder. Last week I placed him at #5, and here he is again this week, topping my charts at #3. Casting aside the awesome production quality that he’s fast becoming known for – that freakin’ pre-chorus and chorus is totally contagious and spot-on-the-mark! I love the string tracks as well as the way that’s he’s woven his answering vocals throughout this most awesome song of spiritual awakening.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@andrewmarkmusic/stems-open-mic-64-original-deva

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FOURTH PLACE: @teukurobbybinor – “Terima Kasih Cinta / Thank You Love” - (Original Song)

This is one of my favorite Open-Mic people! Though he is extremely talented, he is quite humble and perhaps a tad shy at times. For the longest time he was just submitting instrumentals – and though they were very good, I told him on several occasions that I really loved it when he sang too! I’m so happy to see him share with us his original composition, which is a most beautiful tribute to his lovely wife. You can feel his love for her the moment he begins to play. His heart-felt lyrics of gratitude and appreciation shine brilliantly through his tender, melodic, and loving vocals. This and so much more has gotten @ teukurobbybinor solidly in my top-5 this week.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@teukurobbybinor/steemit-open-mic-week-64-original-song-thanks-for-love-686fa301a8fe6

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FIFTH PLACE: @ allanshrestha – “Hide and Seek” - (Original Song)

Allan is definitely one cool cat! The rather intense composition he’s put together here is about his “cool cat,” “Haku,” one that likes to play “Hide & Seek” sometimes for several “nail-biting” days on end. Despite its somewhat playful origins, one can easily reinterpret his lyrics to suit a plethora of heartaches and questions about relationships of all sorts. As such, I find “Hide and Seek” a most beautiful and penetrating song of love, and that’s why it sits here solidly amongst my very best selections of the week.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@allanshrestha/steemit-open-mic-week-64-hide-and-seek-feat-my-cat-haku-original-composition

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My Top-5 Honorable Mentions in Order:

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First: @raci – “Valerie” - (Cover)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@raci/steemit-open-mic-week-64-valerie-the-zutons-amy-winehouse

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Second: @foodgood - "Cakra Khan – Kekasih Bayangan" - (Cover)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@foodgood/steemit-open-mic-week-64-cover-song-cakra-khan-kekasih-bayangan

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Third: @kaizag – “Santa la Noche / Noche de Paz” - (Cover)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@kaizag/steemit-open-mic-week-64-santa-la-noche-oh-holy-night-noche-de-paz-silent-night-cover

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Fourth: @enderson49 – “ERES TÚ, HIJO / Are You, Son” - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@enderson49/steemit-open-mic-semana-64-eres-tu-hijo-original-music

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Fifth: @stevenalexander – “The Weight” - (Cover)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@stevenalexander/steemit-open-mic-week-64-the-weight-by-the-band

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Thank you all so much for taking some of your precious time to review my take on all of the magnificent artists here at the Open-Mic venue this week. Thanks so much as well for up-voting and re-steeming this post in order to spread the word that Open-Mic is clearly taking Steemit by storm – and that it shall remain a collective people-oriented force of love and artistry to be reckoned with on every level of measure.

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Peace, Love, and Justice for All

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A very special shout-out to: The following artists who were very much on my radar, each within a splitting hair of making it into my overall top-10, and whose performances I loved, cherish, and respect most assuredly.

They are - in no particular order:

@kendramoriah, @chrisgoans, @sidibeat, @g10a, @michaelstellaire, @storycharlemagne, @kayclarity, @nirtsfaty, @kiloindigo, @malvarezmusic, @brudaj, @thomhoglen, @paulhallman, @yusaymon, @delifer25, @ingridkornelia, @the-vile-maxim, @kjablonski, @denis.savisko, @owner99, @smith-house, @soonmusic, and @j-lee._

Much love and thanks to each and every one of you who have touched a part of my heart and soul - not only this week but forever!

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