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Summary

...Okay - so this is the very first week that we began to employ some filters and safeguards to the Open-Mic contest, and I must say that I am thrilled with the results of this week’s “See Who Played” lists.

Despite such efforts, and much to my surprise considering the general quality level of improvements seen, we still had nearly 400 entrants who made the grade into this week's “See Who Played List”!

At the end of this post I have included a very special mention. An EXCLUSIVE STEEMIT single release that I want to share with you from one of our most esteemed songwriters, @wilin’s. Check it out, you’re going to LOVE IT! Please give @wilin’s a lot of well-deserved and much-needed love by way of your massive up-votes, and do re-steem this exclusive Steemit drop if you like it as much as I did.

Do keep a lookout for a few exciting announcements in the coming weeks regarding the first completed season of the Songwriters Challenge. I’m sure you’re not going to want to miss the announcement of the winner along with a few other surprises we have in store for you. Now let’s get on with the immediate business at hand, shall we.

Steemit Open Mic Week 68

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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 (or “curate” as it were) 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: @julianroso - “My Dream” - (Original Song)

Wow! Yet another accomplished musician, (and brand spanking new to Steemit), has just rocked the Open-Mic venue like nobody’s business with his maiden week 68 submission of an original song entitled, “My Dream!” Julian performs this rather engaging composition quite brilliantly, with incredible vocals and guitar skills that are top notch by any standard. Through his lyrics, he takes on a personal journey of chasing his dreams – something we all can very much relate to. As soon as I started listening to him, I knew that from my perspective anyway, that Julian was gonna be hard to top this week, and that’s exactly why his entry sits atop my list for week 68.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@julianroso/steemit-open-mic-week-68-original-song-my-dream

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SECOND PLACE: @rial17 – “Wild World” - (Cover Song)

So, this vocal performance just really got the better of me every which way from Sunday! It wasn’t just @rial17’s vocals that got me, nor was it that I just really love this song. Rather in concert with all of these things, he had a rather outstanding star-quality to his performance and persona which I enjoyed immensely! The passion and charisma that he exuded here, with such grace and confidence, simply take his musical gifts to a whole different level. In my eyes, this guy could be a star, and that’s why he’s right here in my # 2 spot this week. Also, major props to the awesome guitarist who provided the steady backdrop from which @rial17 simply nailed this classic cover.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@rial17/steemit-open-mic-week-68-wild-world-mr-big-cover

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THIRD PLACE: @byrongrant – “Lazy Days” - (Original Song)

Though Byron has been on Steemit for about three months, this is only his second entry into the Open-Mic contest. He certainly caught my attention with his first, and well, this time around his performance of “Lazy Day’s” just reeled me in! This pleasantly melodic, lyrically driven song of new friendships sounds like it could have been a smash summer hit single during my youth. His original composition and performance were truly impressive, and for that, he’s earned my #3 spot this week.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@byrongrant/steemit-open-mic-week-68-lazy-days-an-original-song

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FOURTH PLACE: @kendramoriah – “Want You” - (Original Song)

Kendra is also a relatively new member of Steemit. If I’m not mistaken, it is she, who inspired my 1st place entrant Julian to hop on board the Steem Train. Kendra is quickly proving to the Open-Mic community that she is a brilliantly gifted songwriter with a style that’s all her own. Her vocals are simply intoxicating! The total package of her lovely composition, presentation, and performance here in week 68 is what landed her here in my #4 spot this week.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@kendramoriah/steemit-open-mic-week-68-want-you-original-song

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FIFTH PLACE: @pechichemena – “September” - (Cover Song)

Firstly, Earth Wind and Fire is one of my favorite bands of all time. So, when I saw that our most esteemed Pechiche posted a cover entry of “September,” needless to say, I got super pumped to check it out! Pechiche moved out of his solo comfort zone here in the spirit of bringing new musicians to the platform. Here, he showcases Gabriel Garcia, who I can’t wait to start following once he gets his account up and running. Anyway, although they get off to a bit of a slow start, I just love Gabriel’s passion and energy! As the song progresses, he and Pechiche get tighter and tighter until I thought I was going to explode from the sheer joy of listening to them cover one of my favorite bands of all time! That and the rest of the above is why they made my top-5 this week, but there is another very important reason I chose them as well.

That other reason to which I referred, is the fact that their blooper reel made me laugh so hard, and for so long, that I literally fell off my chair! I think it is very important to stress that we are all here to have a lot of fun while doing all this, and there is no better example of such good fun as with Pechiche and Gabriel! You can check out their blooper reel outtake below.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@pechichemena/steemit-open-mic-week-68-september-earth-wind-and-fire-cover-song-feat-gabriel-garcia

Blooper Reel

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My Top-5 Honorable Mentions in Order:

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First: @kayclarity – “Sometimes” - (Original)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@kayclarity/open-mic-week-68-original-song-sometimes-by-kay-clarity

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Second: @kjablonski - "Confession" - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@kjablonski/steemit-openmic-week-68-original-song-confession

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Third: @claratymusic – “Play With Me” - (Original Song)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@claratymusic/steemit-openmic-week-68-claraty-original-play-with-me

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Fourth: @pandamama – “Super Right” - (Original by Eden Michelle)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@pandamama/steemit-open-mic-week-67-secret-place-original-song-by-eden-michelle

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Fifth: @yetxuni – “Yo sé que él vive / I Know He Lives” - (Cover)
https://steemit.com/openmic/@yetxuni/steemit-open-mic-week-68-yo-se-que-el-vive

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Thank you for reviewing my selections for this week’s Open-Mic contest. If you find the content I curate entertaining and of value to you, then please consider up-voting and/or re-steeming it.

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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:

@yourmercury, @vera.carla, @iamhbros, @tarotbyfergus, @jaybird, @wethepatsies, @coruscate, @art-mess, @raci, @thesimpson, @kiloindigo, @williamsreinoso, @stanhopeofficial, @innerdialogue, @edward-ong, @erpachon, @chimtivers96, @allanshrestha, @senzenfrenz, @mcmarian, @mogatiexperiment, @jesuszoliz, @sallyswitchblade, @melodeons, @denis.savisko3, @luisojedagc, @hokulor, @mightyjoenolan, @itsallasong, @chimtivers96, @bennettitalia, @jaredkhamanah, @scribblingwilly, @cheesom, @joetravels, @dreamrafa, @fax4u, @wilins.

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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SPECIAL MENTION

EXCLUSIVE STEEMIT RELEASE: @wilins – “Gira la Tierra / Earth Turns” - (Original Single Release STEEMIT EXCLUSIVE)

This is a truly awesome single and a fantastic production, which was born out of the struggle of the people of Venezuela. I have recently come to learn that in addition to being a musician-songwriter, @wilins is also a professional writer with many published books. Do open the link, and if need be, translate the page to English for a brief background story on this Steemit-Exclusive drop.
https://steemit.com/spanish/@wilins/estreno-exclusivo-para-steemit-sencillo-y-videoclip-gira-la-tierra-cancion-original-de-wilins-y-trabajo-visual-de-hectgranate