Cover Boys • Ronan Keating

As Cover Boys go, Ronan Keating is pretty damn easy on the eyes, and a lovely listen as well. The Irishman came to the forefront as a member of Boyzone, the boyband that also included the late Stephen Gately. Boyzone started making hits in 1994, and by 2000, he made his debut as a solo artist. But in 1997, Boyzone recorded Tracy Chapman's Baby Can I Hold You in the UK to much success. In fact, they brought the song to #2 on the UK Pop chart. Then, in 2006, he rerecorded it for a personal Greatest Hits album.



In 2002, Ronan released a version of Bob Seger's 1978 hit, We've Got Tonight, with the amazing Lulu. Their duet was quite nice, and made it to #4 on the UK Pop charts.



When You've Said Nothing At All was originally written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and released in 1988 by Keith Whitley, where it topped the Country charts for two consecutive weeks. And while others have covered it, Ronan recorded it to be on his first album, as well as part of the soundtrack for Notting Hill.



For more about Ronan Keating, you can visit his official website here, and find him on Facebook here, and on Twitter here.

Ladies Sing the Lennon/McCartney Songbook in 1965

Clockwise: Lulu; Esther Phillips; Marianne Faithfull; and Cilla Black.

I was struggling a bit 1965, and then it hit me. Well, once I found a video from a show I didn't even know existed. The Music of Lennon & McCartney was broadcast in 1965, and featured several performers who recorded songs written by the legendary Beatles. The premiss of the show intrigued me, as I was thinking it was 1965, and some of their greatest work has yet to be written. However, they certainly had a strong enough collection to make it work, and in fact, had many songs left for a follow up at a later date.




I will begin with a performance by Cilla Black singing It's For You. It is the only song in this post that was not previously recorded by the Beatles. It was given to Cilla, who I hate to admit I had no clue of whom she was. She had a couple of hits in the UK, and eventually went from singer to performer to a top presented on the BBC. But in 1965, she appeared on The Music of Lennon & McCartney.



Like so many other people in this world, I adore Marianne Faithfull. She had quite the career in the 60s, as well as the most glamorous lifestyles, being Mick Jagger's girlfriend. She also sang a remarkable version of Yesterday, and did it on the show.



Esther Phillips was a remarkably talented singer I discovered with this post. It seems like so many people, Esther fought a particularly hard war with her demons, although it was the demons who eventually won. Here she offered up a gorgeous and poignant version of And I Love Him.



Lulu was a little girl with a big, big voice. Lulu had already had a few hits under her belt, and was still a few years from her biggest hit of all. In 1967 she released To Sir With Love, as well as have a featured toll in that movie. It topped the charts all over the world. Here is her version of the Beatles classic, I Saw Him Standing There.



Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane!