Hello there my dear musical family here I am, early in the morning finishing up this little post. Honestly I had a strong argument with myself over the entries. So many good originals this week, it was not a simple task.

Without any more delays, here we go:

First Place.-

@lillywilton - Come my way (original song)

This song is leap years in quality of most of the tunes I could ever hear on a radio and I mean that sincerely. This to me belongs as the soundtrack of one of those movies that leaves you all emotional at the end removing your ability to enjoy breakfast the very next day. You know exactly what I'm talking about I'm sure.

Beautiful production, the buildup was the perfect touch and Lily's voice.... angelic as always.

Second Place.-

@kjablonski - Who am I (original song)

It seems like a lifetime ago now that I first heard @kjablonski's entries for the first time. I have to say I've never seen/heard her miss the mark and we've missed her dearly. I kept on wondering "Where are you?" (pun intended, stolen from the lyrics) - But It was a beautiful surprise to see her enter this week, and it was a pleasure to listen to this talented soul once again.

Third Place.-

@ill-esha - Banks - Gemini Feed (cover)

I remember @zipporah telling me that @ill-esha was talented. Of course I believed her. I even heard a few of her productions (talented producer here, you should check her work). But I never imagined she could sing like this, never. So of course when I heard this track I had to stop drinking my coffee, look for my headphones and get lost in the sound.

Absolutely stunning performance. Welcome to the open mic @ill-esha , please keep on sharing your talent with us.

Fourth Place.-

@darrenclaxton - Connecting the Dots(original)

Absolutely beautiful song our friend Darren delivered for us this week. Some of the best lyrics I've heard of him yet. Difficult not to relate to them. I kept getting stuck on this verse thinking to myself. "Just genius"

It was sent by a smile
that I'd never seen
never seen before
connecting the dots
to a picture placed
inside your heart

Darren has been on fire for a while now, no sign of slowing down in the slightest. I for one, freaking love it. If he continues like this, he's going to end up with 10 EPs before the year is over.

Fifth Place.-
@gabriel8ar - NAME OF SONG

So this happened. I was transported to a different time, stolen from my time line for 4 minutes of my life. Honestly unless you are not familiar with Buena Vista Club Social, you might listen to this track and be confused about it. But, this rendition is freaking beautiful, the latin jazz elements are all there, hinted by Gabriel's brilliant playing and caressed by @mangobajito's silky voice.

I absolutely adored this entry.

Honorable Mentions

In no particular order, these are some of the performances I loved this week.... I'm super grateful for being someone who gets to listen to this talent.

@andreabortone - In the name of love(cover)

@moderndayjester - Ease my Pain (original)

@belenlopr - Isnt she lovely / Fly me to the Moon (cover-mashup)

@silentscreamer - Je suis Malade (cover - french)

@k0wsk1 - Gone (jack johnson cover)

Don't forget to checkout the official Steemit OpenMic judges picks from @passion-ground @krystle @soundlegion and @verbal-d. Winners selected and announced every Monday on @luzcypher's blog page.

My deepest of Gratitudes

I would like to personally thank @ausbitbank, @curie and @aggroed for helping out our community. It's inspiring to see leadership taking the initiative to keep our beloved #openmic alive like this and its to me the biggest bullish indicator that we are on our way to a better, brighter tomorrow.

To our long time patron @pfunk once again, thank you for backing this project as you have for so long. I hope seeing the community rally behind the contest that we love so much made you proud. We have something very special here, and you've been key for it to be what it has become.

Long live the openmic!!!

And that is it for me and week 93... You have to agree this week vocalists ruled big time. It makes me feel like I should throw away all my microphones!! right?

But hey friend, before you leave my post musical brother or musical sister, please know that despite the fact that we call this a competition, even though my post says first, second, third place, that is not what matters about the #openmic. In the end of the day the judges are just as human, as flawed and beautiful as everyone else on this planet. The ethos of this contest, of this community, is simply for us to have special place to share our passion for music, for us to laugh together, to cry together and explore emotions that everyday life seems to neglect in one way or another.

Every single one of you is valuable to me, so thank you for being part of my musical family...

Much love

Open Mic Week 93 - Top 5 Selection and Honorable Mentions