'The Songs I Sang At Woodstock' is available on Bandcamp via link 💫…
melaniesafka.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-i-sang-a…
#peace #love #melaniebandcamp 🎶
I hope you enjoy the show!

Love Melanie♥️

And the reviews are in! 👍💙🎶
Thank you Paul Freeman at Pop Culture Classics👍🎶…

MELANIE: “THE SONGS I SANG AT WOODSTOCK"
If anyone epitomizes the beautiful, loving, hopeful spirit of the 60s, it's Melanie. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Melanie Safka attained icon status with her unforgettable performance at Woodstock. She was an inexperienced teen, but her fragility only made her more appealing. Gentle, authentic and exquisite, she gave that August 1969 festival some of its most moving moments.

Over the decades, she has continued to make gorgeous music. Now she has released, from her August 2021 online concert, "The Songs I Sang at Woodstock." Warm yourself in the glow Melanie's natural radiance as she revisits the tunes that mesmerized the vast 60s crowd at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York.

In the online concert, Melanie is accompanied by her talented son Beau-Jarred Schekeryk. He contributes harmonies in opportune spots, blending pleasingly with his mom's vocals. The occasional synth string or woodwind passages tastefully and imaginatively complement the acoustic guitars.

Folk, blues and a soulful essence are engrained in Melanie's music. The opener, "Close to It All," reminds us that Melanie wants to us break down barriers and connect with one another. That's the Woodstock vibe. In the song, she sings, "Everyone tear down your own little wall...that keeps you from being a part of it all."

The next number, the emotional "Momma, Momma" is riveting as it reveals insecurities and yearning.

The in-between-song chatting to the audience adds another element of charm to this concert. Melanie mentions that she was too nervous to attempt any patter at the 1969 concert. But her little comments here add immeasurably. They include memories of what she felt as an out-of-body sensation at Woodstock.

Prior to serving up a powerful, dramatic version of the song, Melanie describes the obstacles the classic "Beautiful People" faced before it could be widely heard. The song shows vulnerability. That trait vies with the desire to establish a link with strangers with whom we may have much in common.

The tone changes with the wonderfully whimsical "Animal Crackers." She then offers an enchanting, thoughtful rendition of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Melanie points out that she had written "Birthday of the Sun," just prior to playing it in the drenching rain at Woodstock... and had never performed it live since that time... until now. She momentarily falters a couple of times, but that only makes it a more disarming and winsome segment.


Melanie ends the 2021 concert, as she did in 1969, with "Tuning My Guitar," to which any singer-songwriter can relate. After that, she thanks those who attended this new performance virtually. She bids adieu, before tossing in a sweet little a cappella snippet from "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)."

This lovely, uplifting acoustic set will remind you that the world is capable of optimism, sincerity and idealism. When you think of beautiful people, Melanie should immediately spring to mind. Her music is timeless. Her voice is extraordinarily expressive, only enriched by the years.

This is the first time Melanie has performed this exact song lineup since the historic Woodstock event in 1969. Don't miss the chance to relive this captivating concert. It will renew your adoration for Melanie, as a singer and songwriter. At the end, feel free to light candles in gratitude and solidarity.

You can stream and download this extraordinary album, for just $10, on her Bandcamp site: melaniesafka.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-i-sang-a…


And if you haven't yet read our 2014 interview with Melanie, you'll find it here: popcultureclassics.com/melanie.htm


Paul Freeman in Pop Culture Classics

popcultureclassics.com/deja_202108.html#melanie
www.patreon.com/MelanieSafka