Gina Almaguer : Ray Of Sunshine

It's that time of the week and I've got another fantastic artist for you. Firstly, I'd like to wish you all a good month and secondly, I've been having a Smiths week! I must have listened to The Queen Is Dead at least 5 times the other day and seem to have picked up "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out." I covered the serenely, disturbing song a couple days ago and then found myself roaming through endless other covers of it. Surprisingly, most of them were pretty good! I usually have to dig through a bunch of videos to find a real gem. Nevertheless, Gina's cover of the song blew my mind. Performed with what seems to be an electric ukulele, Gina's cover stuck in my mind. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTdp3XdZg0M

It's the definition of beauty isn't it? Who knew the Smiths would sound so good on an ukulele. Gina is loyal to the tune, in that she keeps the original melody. However, she keeps it rather laid back and emphasises the sweet side of the song. The overall simplicity of the cover attracts me, but something about the chemistry of Gina's voice against the electric ukulele is absolutely stunning. Probably one of the best covers of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" that I've seen, alongside Anthony Hill.

Now, if you're not convinced that you have to subscribe to Gina Almaguer you must be nuts! But in any case, amuse me and let me take another stab at it. She's got a bunch of great covers available on her channel including one of a personal favourite of mine called "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (Creedence Clearwater Revival). I always felt bad that CCR never got to number one with one of their songs. People always covered their songs and took them to number one though, so that's pretty cool. Anyways, have a listen to Gina's cover!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYzVc4dERuE

Awesome! If that doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what will. Gina's a ray of sunshine, that's for sure. Her approach to this CCR classic was just right. Nothing fancy, but nothing less than perfect. She keeps that strong rhythm going and surfs on it with her melodic voice. And I personally love the fact that it's a black and white video. Once in a while I wish that all Youtube videos were black and white for a day.

Now aside from the great covers, Gina's got some incredible originals that you can check out on her channel! I caught a glimpse of a song called "Knowing" earlier on and am listening to it as I write. The song is such a blend of influences that I can seem to put my finger on it. What I can say though, is that it is unique. I certainly wish I had an album of her songs. She sounds like an incredible songwriter! Thanks again for supporting Youtube's artists! Check back tomorrow for an important announcement and check back next Thursday for another fantastic artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jUAApdbIi0

Alex Hamel