I can seem to tell if a song is being sung for the sake of it. A song may carry excellent tunes and lyrics, yet if the performer doesn’t seem to understand what he or she is singing about no matter how amazing his or her voice may be, somehow one can sense that something is missing.

Most often than not, songs that are performed for the first time turn out to be best versions. There are a few exceptions, of course, especially when the song manages to stand by itself no matter who’s singing or who is singing --- I find these songs in the standards.

I believe that the biggest challenge of every performer lies not in expressing his or her originality as much as in giving life to the song --- in living the message of the song when it is being sung. If there’s only one singer I should mention who best exemplifies this, it is Frank Sinatra. I mean, think about Frank Sinatra’s A Day in a Life of a Fool, You and Me, We Wanted It All, My Way. I am not surprised if every home has his album worldwide.