Welcome to the Finale of Patrick's Song Contest! It's been a long trek, but we've finally arrived.
For the final round, you were each asked to submit 3 songs - one that you have sentimental attachment to, one that you believe is underrated, and one that, based on this competition, you think I would enjoy. For this finale, for each song, you'll receive a score out of 10, and the person with the highest total after all three categories will be the winner.
I loved hearing the story about your dad, and have never heard this song, so I was excited to see what I was about to be treated to. The opening instrumental radiates with turn of the century R&B-pop vibes, and I was hooked. Her voice came in and was really solid. I mean, seriously. Her voice is really strong and it had me excited to feel the escalation that kind of happens throughout the song. The ending vocal section of this really solidified this as a song that I not only enjoy, but gets me excited to check out her discography and see what else she has to offer.
My only other experience with BANKS was in the songs submitted for this competition, so I was ready to see if there would be more to be seen here, and I think you really delivered here. The production on her voice ties in very nicely with her raw delivery, and the track underneath her accompanies that really well. I really enjoyed the lyrics and the harmonies were so nice. I'm shocked to see that this is 3 and a half minutes long, because to me, it felt incredibly short and I didn't want it to end. I really understood where you were coming from as your sentimental choice, and I thought it was done very well.
I have not heard anything by Kate Bush before, so I was intruiged to see what was being offered as she's definitely an artist I've heard of. I was surprised when the song started because I was under the impression Kate Bush was more of a contemporary artist, but I recognized the 80's vibes and googled to be sure. So I really think her voice is interesting and the track underneath is solid. Her delivery is good and feels emotional, but my biggest problem here is the overall production just feels underdone for the first three minutes. After this it picks up and gets a little more interesting, but it just took awhile to get there. I still really enjoyed this song, but it just was slightly underwhelming for where it ended up going.
So like you, I thoroughly love "O Holy Night" as a Christmas song - but, and here's what I love about this category - I don't think I've ever heard Mariah Carey's version. Openly, I'm not a huge fan of Mariah Carey just because of her tendency to oversing and the way some people froth at the mouth over it, but I'd be lying if I said I hated all of her music. Vocally, as expected, this is very strong, and the inclusion of the choir backing only selective moments really is top notch. The little keyboard instrumental was also a really nice touch, especially with the choir vamping a little bit, then backing off again. The arrangement is really solid, and her vocals are good, even if a touch of the ornamented notes were unnecessary given the excellent production of everything going on around her. However, the whistle tones at the peak were spot-on. This arrangement was really nice, and I'll definitely agree that this is underrated after hearing it.
I have never heard of CXLOE, so this was new to me. I appreciated the tie-in to the Tove Lo song, and see why you chose this. This very much does have a boppy sound with a darker lyric content, and this almost reminds me of the very first Dua Lipa song you submitted with a "dark pop" sound that I really just vibe with. The references to the 12 step program made sense and really fit with the song. Great choice for this round.
As I believe I shared last time you submitted Kylie, I'm really not familiar with her music. But hearing this opening instrumental was enough to reel me in. The opening orchestral line was good, but so was the other instrumentation when it came in. This track actually gives me vibes of a solid James Bond song throughout. Her vocals are really solid throughout and some of the best I've heard (admittedly, haven't heard too much). I really enjoyed this slow-jam and would love to hear more of her music like this.
Thank you for this submission! As I specified in the last time you submitted "Go Your Own Way", Rumors is easily my favorite album from the 70's, and this song is great example of that. While the vocals on this song don't really do much on this for me, the instrumental throughout is easily one of my favorites ever. This was an amazing submission, thank you for this.
So, first and foremost, I really appreciated that you opted to go with an artist that you haven't already submitted as a way to show what you've learned so far. You explanation really shows that you've learned to cater to my music taste without having to go with something that I already told you I enjoyed. This song really started out differently than where it went and really had that build-up that you discussed. Her vocals along with the little guitar solo were outstanding, like, I was not prepared for this. This was a fantastic selection that literally left me with chills. VERY well done.
I do love Björk, that's true. And this song is no exception! The instrumental here is top-tier for Björk, and the vocal layering and lyrics are just outstanding. This song just exudes such grace and beauty that is mesmerizing. I really loved this song and thought it was something different than many of your submissions up to this point. Well done.
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Finally, before we reveal the results, I just wanna say how much of a pleasure it was for me to get to host all of you throughout. I've been shown a lot of music I otherwise would not have heard and it was fun to get to take an in-depth look at some of these songs that really mean so much to people. With that said, it's time to reveal the winner.
The winner of Patrick's Song Contest... after scoring a 10/10 on the final category is...
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#Insanity! While both of your other submissions fell in the middle, "Dynasty" was such a hit that it scored enough points to win this for you. Throughout this competition, you've consistently shown to have some really great songs and placed in the top several times, but here, it was more than enough to win!
#tbrown_47 and #purplebb4, after scoring an 8/10 and a 9/10 respectively, you actually both tied for 2nd/3rd place. Both of you have consisently also had solid songs most of the time with solid run-ups until the finale that I had no idea what was going to happen but thank you both for the abundance of wonderful music you shared with me.
Thank you all so much once again for the wonderful music you've shown me, I hope you all enjoyed being a part of this half as much as I've enjoyed hosting all of you.
Welcome to the Final Round of Patrick's Song Contest! You three have survived 13 rounds of eliminations with a great mix of categories, so I thought this would be the perfect time to give you THREE categories that you have to submit for to try and win this Song Contest.
Category #1 - SENTIMENTAL VALUE
As we know, music can be very emotional and a lot of our memories and feelings can be tied and reflected to the music that we listen to. For this first category, I want you to submit a song that you have a personal tie to that means a lot to you.
Category #2 - UNDERAPPRECIATED SONGS
Not all songs get as big as we expect them or think that they should be, so for this category, I want you to select a song that you think is underappreciated. This is a pretty general category, as you could go with a song by an artist that you just think is one of their best that is underappreciated, or a song that did get big that you don't think got enough credit for how good the song was. The world is your oyster.
Category #3 - SONGS FOR PATTY
As you've been in this competition and seen how certain songs have faired, I want you to submit ANY song that you think I would like based on the music taste of the competition and the results/feedback up to this point. I just want to see if you've picked up on any critiques or learned anything about what I like.
For this finale, I will be giving each submission a rating out of 10, and after all 3 categories are tabulated, the individual with the highest point total will WIN Patrick's Song Contest.
The deadline will be for 24 hours from this blog to get your submissions in. As per usual, post them in the comments below along with any explanation/comments (such as why you have sentimental value to the song, why you think it's underappreciated, or why you think I would like it). Best of luck, everyone!
Christina Perri - "A Thousand Years" & Scotty McCreery - "Five More Minutes"
Christina Perri is such an interesting artist because I love her simply arrangements and her vocals are on point. This was the song that put her into the minds of many (probably credited to its use in the Twilight series). This is a really pretty song that has a very sweet message. You've done a great job of subverting expectations in previous rounds, so I was almost hoping to see the Part 2 version of this, or the even better (and extremely underrated) lullaby version she released on her wonderful "carmella" album. This may be a basic choice, but it's a "basic" choice for a reason. Good job.
Looking into the second song, which I'm not familiar with, the opening instrumentation is so beautiful. But then he starts singing... Very unpopular opinion, but I'm not a fan of Scotty's voice. I think there's much better country singers that could have pulled this off. His voice just never sounds authentic and genuine. I believe you when you talk about the emotion of this song, but I think another singer could deliver the emotions better. The lyrics do a great job of selling nostalgia, and I love the guitar solo that happens in the middle of it and just wish there was as much emotion coming from the singer as there is the instrumentation and songwriters.
I love this first choice for the romantic love song. Like, I can't even hold it back, this was a fantastic choice. The vocal delivery and instrumentation pair with the lyrics beautifully to drive home the emotions of this song. And when the very dramatic guitar comes in, it's just the perfect cherry on top. This song is PEAK Steve Perry. This was a near-perfect selection for this round, very well done.
So, this next choice. I'll have to be honest, I don't think I've once in my life listened to a 2Pac song. First thoughts are about the authentic production here that has been lost in more modern rap music, I really enjoy that the rawness in the instrumentation and vocals is here, especially in a more emotionally-driven song like this. 2Pac's open delivery here about his life and his relationships is really solid and made me emotional. I think that this really hit the nail on the head with this category. This was an extremely strong round for you, and thank you for sharing this with me.
Carly Rae Jepsen - "Run Away With Me" & Beyonce - "Blue"
Okay first CRJ in this competition! And... it's the meme song! Okay, it's actually way more than a meme, but I did have to listen to it a couple of times to try to think of it outside of Vine (because I've never listened to this song outside of its appearances on Vine). I think this was really a fun romantic love song that never really took itself too seriously. I enjoyed this song and thought that it really did stay stuck in my head. This isn't anything revolutionary, but a fun song that I will continue to jam to.
Moving onto the Beyonce song, I was glad to see this relationship highlighted here. "Blue" is kind of a deepcut from the self-titled album (the whole album basically went mainstream, so "deepcut" is relative), but it's one of my personal faves from the album. I love the syncopation from the piano that comes in after the first chorus, and I do just love listening to her vocals in this song. I think this is one of my favorite songs by Beyonce, and the way she describes her love for her daughter only adds to it for me.
So, as I think I discussed in Round 1, Dua Lipa is a huge blindspot in my pop culture knowledge, but I LOVED "Physical" when you sent it in and it's been on repeat since. So, having another song by Dua got me excited - and this song did not disappoint! I really thought this was catchy, but as you described, did have some raw vocals with emotionally delivery that really tied this song together as a great romantic love song.
Not to sound basic, but I really enjoyed Lizzo's album, and this was a great track from it. Her self-acceptance and the way she loves herself is so positive and is a great inspiration. Also, your inclusion of self-love as the other selection was such a great choice that I didn't even think of as something that would be submitted. The thinking outside the box was so creative here, especially since it was followed up with this banger. Very well done here.
Once again, you managed to clean up. The inclusion of a true classic and a song that I wasn't familiar with really knocked this one out of the park for me. This was a great round for you, and with two wins in a row, gives you great momentum heading into the finale.
I'm really sad to see you go here, Noelle! You had the most wins up to this point, but all of the other selections this round were just really strong, and there was only one song out of 8 that I didn't enjoy, and unfortunately, that's what did you in here. Great job and thank you so much for your participation in this!
Congratulations to #tbrown_47, #purplebb4, and #Insanity for comprising our F3! The last blog will be posted shortly, and results possibly tonight if we get all submissions in :)
Welcome to the penultimate round of Patrick's Music Contest!
After two rounds of unfortunate DQ's, we've reached the Final Four!
This round will be your final 2-for-1, and we're talking LOVE songs! We've covered break-up and sad songs, it was only a matter of time before we got here.
For today's challenge, I want you to submit two love songs. However, I want ONE to be a romantic love song, while I'd like the other to be another sort of love - love of family, a platonic love, something along those lines. Feel free to get creative and to share what kind of love it is that you're sharing.
Welcome to the Final Five results show of Patrick's Song Contest. For this challenge, you were tasked with submitting OPPOSITE SONGS - songs that can be categorized as "opposites", whether that be in content, in sound, however you deemed appropriate. Without further ado - let's move on to the critiques.
Gabby Barrett - "The Good Ones" & Carrie Underwood - "Cowboy Cassanova"
Alright, so first, "The Good Ones". I previously only knew of "I Hope" by Gabby Barrett, so being able to dive more into her music was a first for me. The content of this song was very true to how you described it. Musically, it bored me a little as I think it's a little understated for her voice which almost seems to be wanting to break into something a little bigger. The best part of this was when the music stripped away and she was able to just sing. I have talked about songs with an identity crisis, and this is one of them - I think the song would have been better if it was softer or bigger.
Talk about opposites - this Carrie Underwood song really gets you from the jump. The tone tells you from the beginning that this boy is trouble, and this song really works. Carrie's strong voice is very supported by the big production here. I think this song was very solid as an individual. In terms of opposites, I definitely get the opposite vibes from these songs and think you met the category well. Great job.
X Ambassadors - "Litost" & Diana Ross - "I'm Coming Out"
I was really excited to listen to your choices after reading your explanation. Of course "I'm Coming Out" is a staple, so I was really intruiged to hear the X Ambarassadors song. I'm aware of nothing in their discography. This song was really strong for me. I enjoyed the instrumentation and the orchestra on top of the drums and other instruments, the vocals were strong, and I really felt that sense of misery in the singer's delivery.
To contrast it with "I'm Coming Out" I thought was a really interesting choice. I think tonally, they're very different, but they both are very strong songs on their own. I think you not only met the requirements challenge, but stepped it up even more with the out of the box song selection.
I wasn't aware of either of these songs before this, so I was quite intruiged. The opening instrumentation of the FKA twigs song really hooked me right from the jump. Throughout, this song is really great actually, sonically and lyrically, and dammit, I want more! It being short and essentially just repeating two short verses is my only complaint, because this was so good, I didn't want it to end.
"Hyperballad" is really interesting - so much of it feels like typical "Bjork" music - but there's really something more gripping in her vocal delivery in this one - it sounds more passionate, more emotional, which is a lot for an already-emotional singer like Bjork. I really enjoyed this song thoroughly, and I thought that the dichotomy of the lyrics of the two songs were opposed each other. You did very well this week.
I'm not too familiar with Tove Lo and I've never heard of Ängie, so after reading your explanation, I was really intruiged by this pairing. Unfortunately, I don't think "Spun" really sunk in for me. I think I was hoping for something to be a little stronger, but the production simultaneously feels that it's going too hard and not hard enough, and there's something about her voice that just isn't clicking for me. The song did grow as it went on, but I think a singer with a little more charisma could have sold this just a little bit better.
Moving onto the Tove Lo song, and I think immediately this strikes as a true "opposite" for me. Moving from the braggadocious nature of "Spun" into this reflective mood really did fit so well for me. Her vocals here are extremely strong, and when she begins to repeat, "you won't stay the night for me", I felt something. I thought this is one of my favorite songs you've submitted up to this song. I don't think "Spun" was a very strong individual song, but that the two played off each other well. Well done this week.
The winner is...
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. #tbrown_47! I thoroughly enjoyed both of your selections so much, but they really felt like opposites to me. #purplebb4, you had one of your strongest weeks yet, and you're safe.
I can't believe this happened in both the F6 and F5 Rounds after 12 Rounds of eliminations with very few people not submitting, but without any submission this week, I have to eliminate you. You've been a strong contender with some fun bops, and I hope you'll continue to share your music with me.
My Final Four! We move on to the last round before the finale. One of you will be cut just before the finale where one of you will be crowned the winner of Patrick's Music Contest! Round 13 will be posted shortly, congratulations!
