It´s the end of 2009 and everyone is making lists for the best something or others of the year, and Red Karaoke is no exception. Thus we have Red Karaoke Year´s Best, a three part series of what I think are the cream of the crop here in our singing community. I wanted to honor some truly great contributions to our lovely RK, and trust me it was hard! So enjoy this third and final installment, RK Year´s Best: Best of the best. 

Best Female Vocal - All I want for Christmas is you, Lavinik

All I want for Christmas is you (-g) - Vote for my rendition!

While there are plenty of beautiful voices to choose from here on Red karaoke, one of the best belongs to Lavinik. Lavinik is a wonderful part of our Red Karaoke community, and her rendition of All I want for Christmas is you is the best of the best when it comes to female vocals.

Best Male Vocal - And I love her, Nighthours

And I love her - Vote for my rendition!

Nighthours has been a voice worth reckoning with for a long time here on Red karaoke. His mellow style and handsome voice turn every karaoke he records into a style all his own. It was no easy choice, but his rendition of And I love her is the best male vocal of 2009.The next two honors go to members who have gone above and beyond karaoke, but have also really become major parts of the Red Karaoke community and helped it become what it is. These are the best male and females overall, not just based on their magnificent voices.

Best Female Overall - Sweetheart4sure

The choice was obvious to me, Sweetheart4sure has been one of our leading ladies this year. Besides possesing vocal chords that are off the charts, she has been a friendly face and tried to do her best in welcoming people here with a smile. It´s hard to find a new or old user that hasn´t received a kind comment or helping hand from this lady. With beautiful karaoke recodings and an unparalleled presence in our community, Sweeatheart4sure gets the honor of best female overall.

Best Male Overall - Syndistic

There was no other choice when it came to best male overall, last but not least, the man everyone knows as Syndistic. This guy does it all. He´s got tons of recordings, some of the most fun and entertaining stuff you are gonna find here. He welcomes everyone here with a friendly smile. And as if that´s not enough, ideas to get users involved and excited about singing pour out of his head at lightening speed. But all that aside, the really important reason why Syndistic is the best male overall is because of his positive attitude that never seems to waver and how he always reminds us of the important things in life and here on Red Karaoke, singing and having a darn good time at it.

There were tons of karaokes and categories I would´ve liked to include, but in the interest in keeping it short, I had to narrow it down. If you would like to share what you thought were some of the year´s best, check out The Best of 2009 thread in the forum and tell me what you think! 

It´s the end of 2009 and everyone is making lists for the best something or others of the year, and Red Karaoke is no exception. Thus we have Red Karaoke Year´s Best, a three part series of what I think are the cream of the crop here in our singing community. I wanted to honor some truly great contributions to our lovely RK, and trust me it was hard! So enjoy this second installment, RK Year´s Best: Best by Theme.

Best Duet - Endless love, Barraba and Lavinik

Endless Love - Vote for my rendition!

One amazing thing about Red Karaoke is the ability to create duets over distances, a fun feature we offer, though it´s no easy task. Then again, Barraba and Lavinik´s amazing duet of Endless love is so darn good, they make creating the best duet on Red Karaoke look like a piece of cake.

Best Group Effort- Indian Lake, Colonelmac, Barraba, and Misty4you

Indian Lake - Vote for my rendition!

Taking duets a step further and putting multiple voices on one karaoke is that much harder, but that much more exciting to hear a final product. When Colonelmac, Barraba and Misty4you all sang together on Indian Lake, they accomplished a really amazing group effort.

Most Entertaining video - Under the sea, Syndistic

Under the Sea - Vote for my rendition!

There´s a face on Red Karaoke no one can deny exudes joy and comedy when he´s singing and that´s Syndistic. Any one of his karaokes could be considered the most entertaining video, but I´d have to say that his rendition of Sebastion singing Under the Sea (along with his claw hands to match the theme) tops them all.

Best Challenge Winner - Feeling Good, Bluecastle

Feeling Good - Vote for my rendition!

Thanks to participation and encouragement from users we have had some really amazing weekly challenges and there have been some great recordings made in hopes of winning that Wednesday spot in the newsletter. But out of all the challenges, Bluecastle´s dead on winning rendition of Feeling good is hands down the best.

Best Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror, JSAMPRAS

Man in the Mirror - Vote for my rendition!

This year the music industry suffered an incredible loss when The King of Pop passed away. After Michael Jackson´s death many honored him by recording the many MJ karaokes here on Red karaoke, so I thought it only fair to honor one of Red Karaoke´s top artists with a selection of his best rendition, and that goes to Jsampras for his recording of Man in the mirror.

Best Kid Performance - Play that funky music whiteboy, LittleRocker

play that funky music white boy - Vote for my rendition!

Now Red Karaoke, being an all ages site, open to kids from 10 to 92 to sing their little hearts out, can´t leave out the little guys in the Year´s best. The best kid performance goes to Littlerocker and his jamming rendition of Play that funky music whiteboy. This kid has more spirit in his little finger than some of us could even dream of. Rock on little guy, rock on.

There were tons of karaokes and categories I would´ve liked to include, but in the interest in keeping it short, I had to narrow it down. If you would like to share what you thought were some of the year´s best, check out The Best of 2009 thread in the forum and tell me what you think! 

Red Karaoke wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas this year! Once your done stuffing yourselves silly with a holiday roast and tearing up the presents under the Christmas tree, why not sing a carol with the family to celebrate the spirit. Or take a look at all the Christmas cheer we´ve already been spreading this Decemeber.

Check out the fun holiday challenges in the forum to see tons of amazing renditions of It´s beginning to look like Christmas, All I want for Christmas is you, and The Christmas Song.

Or stop by The Caroller´s Contest, the official 2009 Red Karaoke holiday contest. Today is the last day to sing one of 10 selected carols and have the chance to win an exclusive Red Karaoke t-shirt!

the twelve days of christmas - 私のレコーディングに投票してください

And as a very special Christmas treat, several users of Red Karaoke have gotten together to create a special Red Karaoke Christmas Carol Card for you and your families to enjoy. Special thanks to Sweetheart4sure, Lavinik, Solitaryman and Mid_night for making a special group karaoke of 12 days of Christmas for everyone to listen to and share with their family and friends.

So kick back and enjoy all that Red Karaoke has to offer this wonderful Christmas day, and don´t forget to get in the spirit and sing one of our many holiday karaokes.

Merry Christmas Red Karaoke!

It´s the end of 2009 and everyone is making lists for the best something or others of the year, and Red Karaoke is no exception. Thus we have Red Karaoke Year´s Best, a three part series of what I think are the cream of the crop here in our singing community. I wanted to honor some truly great contributions to our lovely RK, and trust me it was hard! So enjoy this first installment, RK Year´s Best: Best by Genre.

Best Country - Live like you were dying, ColonelMac

Live Like You Were DyinŽ - Vote for my rendition!

A staple here on Red Karaoke, ColonelMac is known for some of the best recordings here on Red Karaoke, whether they are spoofs on classics or naturally heartwarming renditions. His version of Live like you were dying is no exception and is a favorite of the country recordings.

Best Pop - Love Story, Cherrylove29

the climb - Red Karaoke

Miley Cyrus has had quite an amazing 2009, including here on Red Karaoke as one of our top searched artist, so it was only natural to choose Cherrylove29´s amazing (and I think major improvement) rendition of Miley´s hit pop song, The Climb.

Best Rhythm & Blues - Ain´t no sunshine when she´s gone, Barraba

ainŽt no sunshine - Vote for my rendition!

There´s no R&B better than Bill Wither´s Ain´t no sunshine when she´s gone, and as far as Red Karaoke is concerned, there´s no R&B karaoke rendition better than Barraba´s vocal stylings on this 1970´s hit.

Best Rock - Barracuda, Sweetheart4sure

Barracuda - Vote for my rendition!

It´s hard to deny that one of the best set of pipes on Red Karaoke belongs to Sweetheart4sure and her rendition of the rock hit Barracuda is a testament to her ability to dominate any genre.

Best Oldies - All shook up, RichardBe

All shook up - Vote for my rendition!

Richardbe is another voice that has made a serious impact here on Red Karaoke, and while any one of his fantastic renditions of Elvis´s oldies could be considered the best, you just can´t help but get up and dance around to his All shook up.

Best Jazz - Summertime, Suecaz

SUMMERTIME-(format-1, separate tracks) - Vote for my rendition!

Awhile ago I challenged the users of Red Karaoke to sing one of my favorite Jazz numbers, Summertime, and Suecaz without a doubt mastered this tune, creating one of the best Jazz recordings found here.

Best Classic - My way, Solitaryman

My way - Vote for my rendition!

Nobody on Red Karaoke can resist a classic like Frank Sinatra, but I think Solitaryman did it best when he did it his way.

Best Ballad - On my own, Milesdestiny

On my own - Vote for my rendition!

If you´re looking to hear a great love ballad, you go to Celine Dion. And if you´re looking on Red Karaoke, you want to hear any one of Milesdestiny´s breathtaking renditions, particularly her version of On my own.

There were tons of karaokes and categories I would´ve liked to include, but in the interest in keeping it short, I had to narrow it down. If you would like to share what you thought were some of the year´s best, check out The Best of 2009 thread in the forum and tell me what you think!

Mary J. Blige, the long reigning Queen of hip hop and soul herself has offered the world yet another testament to her mastery as an artist and her fortitude as a woman with the release of her ninth album, Stronger with each tear. And while Blige may have faced some serious battles over the span of her life and 20 year career to inspire the powerful music she creates, she also has had some major victories. Join us as we take a look at a few of our favorite Mary J. Blige karaokes.

I can love you

While Blige´s first two albums brought her celebrity status, it was her third, Share my world which became her most succesful album. With songs like Love is all we need, Blige was at a turning point in her life. Blige wanted to move past an unhealthy lifestyle and focus on her music career. Of the five hits the AMA winning album spawned, I can love you, featuring Lil´ Kim was one of the chart toppers, reaching number two on the Hip hop charts.

No more drama

No more drama, Blige´s 5th album, was yet another testament to her battle against a vicious circle of substance abuse and bad relationships. The album´s title track, No more drama fits this theme and became one of Blige´s biggest hits, peaking at 15 on the Hot 100. The powerful song and video about Blige´s personal battle to put the trouble of her past behind even won Blige her first MTV music video award.

Be without you

Though Blige had her share of success, her history making achievements as an R&B artist didn´t come around until 2005 with her album The Breakthrough and it´s lead single Be without you. The Breakthrough had the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist before Alicia Keys came along with As I am, and Be without you spent 16 weeks on the R&B charts, becoming the biggest song in the 50 year history of that chart. Be without you was also nominated for a handful of grammies and won both Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B performance, along with yet another MTV Music Video award.

Show the Queen of R&B a little appreciation and check out Mary J. Blige, along with these and other karaokes by her highness, here on Red Karaoke.

Susan Boyle has come a long way from her awkward dance and the sniggering faces that preceeded her breath taking and earth shaking performace of I dreamed a dream from Les Miserables in this year´s Britain´s Got Talent. Though she only won second place in the talent packed season of the world´s most watched talent show, Boyle has since became the media´s leading Cinderella and won enough other honors to make that loss not even worth counting.

The youngest daughter of a Scottish miner in a family of 11, Susan Boyle, though she always had an eye on her dream, never had it easy. Bullied as a child, and with her adult life spent caring for her ill mother, nobody expected much of this ¨frumpy¨ woman as she walked on the stage for her first shot with Pierce, Amanda and Simon. And though her cheeky attitude and sloppy appearance may have turned off quite a few in the crowd, particularly Simon, everyone quickly recieved, as Amanda best said, ¨The world´s biggest wake up call.¨

Boyle quickly became the world´s favorite ugly duckling fairytale, what Entertainment Weekly called a ¨victory for talent and artistry in a culture obsessed with physical attractiveness and presentation.¨ Boyle´s angelic voice, not to mention the emotion that went into the all too approproate song choice, I dreamed a dream, swept fans by storm and the youtube video of her performance began breaking records for views.

Now, despite losing the competition and a tough adjustment to the life of a celebrity, Boyle is on top and only going higher as her dream becomes a reality over and over, surprising even her. Not only is Boyle´s youtube performance the top 2009 video with several record breaking numbers, she is also the most tweeted subject of the year, but that´s beans and potatoes compared to what else she is doing.

On November 23rd, Boyle released her first album, entitled I dreamed a dream, a surprising mix of classics, hymns and modern covers, including The Rolling Stones and Madonna. Debuting at number one, the album has rocked the top spot on the charts for over three weeks, selling over 180 millions copies and beating out even the likes of teeny bopper craze Hannah Montanna. The LA Times commends the album´s holiday time release as having a little to do with the success, though her ¨unearthly calm and gently piercing timbre¨ are what really do the trick on songs like Wild Horses and Cry me a River.

While the album I dreamed a dream may even have a shot at becoming the top record of the year, Boyle´s real wish was granted during her television special which aired on the 13th. The special, which featured unseen footage and beautiful performances of the songs from Boyle´s album, had a surprise treat in store for the woman who wanted to be as famous as Elaine Paige… Elaine Paige herself! Boyle was able to sing along with her idol in a duet of I know him so well, afterwhich an exhilirated Boyle declared, “I never thought I would see myself standing on the same stage with such an icon from West End theatre, let alone singing with her as an equal.”

As I dreamed a dream takes charge of the charts and this incredible woman achieves everything she has ever dreamed of, you too have the chance to break hearts with this beautiful song from the musical Les Miserables. Susan Boyle´s I dreamed a dream is now available for all the dreamers here on Red Karaoke.

While Christmas carols may dominate the radio every December, there are other holidays where the sound of song isn´t just tradition, it´s critical! And with only a few nights left of Hanukkah, it´s time to recognize the Festival of Lights in all its musical glory

Many people know that Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days by lighting a menorah. What people may not know is just how much singing goes into the second most recognizable December holiday.

Not only are there three Hanukkah blessings sung for the lighting of the candles on the menorah, there are also the hymns sung afterwards, such as the Hanerot Halalu and Ma´oz Tzur. Each song is a beautiful commemoration of the wonder and miracle that is the tradition of Hanukkah, but it´s not just hymns to celebrate the beauty of Hanukkah, there are also hands full of children´s songs for games and fun.

Some of the most well known English Hanukkah songs have to do with it´s most well known game, the Dreidel. Both Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel and I have a little dreidel are silly little songs sung while spinning the top.

Yet another famous children´s song is Hanukkah, O Hanukkah. Also know as just O Hanukkah, the song is an English version of a popular Yiddish song for the holiday, an upbeat children´s sing along about dancing the Horah, eating latkes, playing dreidel and ighting the menorah.

But if you´re not a fan of the classics, there is always Adam Sandler´s more modern ode to his Jewish heritage, the Chanukah Song. The Chanukah Song is a series of comedic Hanukkah songs centered around celebrities who also spend 8 days lighting the menorah. And while the different versions may poke jokes at both jewish traditions and Christmas alike, you´ve got to give it Sandler for writing a fun song for those kids left out of the whole trimming of the tree hassle.

So this holiday season when all those Christmas carols start to overwhelm you, why not take a breather by singing one of these lovely Hanukkah songs and honoring a different kind of celebration!

Through all the  hustle and bustle of unpacking christmas ornaments, decorating the tree and wrapping gifts, my family has always had that one song that brings warmth to our hearts and a smile to our face during even the most hectic Christmas moments. It´s one of those Christmas songs that is an indisputable classic. A song that can´t help but become a special part of your holiday traditions, a song that, no matter how many times you have heard it, it just never get old. This week´s challenge is the epitome of what a holiday song should be, The Christmas Song.

The Christmas Song, also sometimes referred to by its famous first line, ¨Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…¨ is a 1940´s gem, written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells and recorded for the first time in 1946 by Nat King Cole. Cole recorded several versions of the song and turned it into THE Christmas song to sing, one of the most performed holiday songs ever. Not only did Cole´s first version of the song enter into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974, practically every musician from Judy Garland to Christina Aguilera has offered us a simple phrase, singing us a Merry Christmas.

Join in the holiday spirit and sing The Christmas Song as part of this week´s karaoke challenge. Post your rendition of Nat King Cole´s Christmas classic in the forum and it could be featured in next week´s newsletter.

This week´s Karaoke Challenge is another Christmas song, but not of the traditional carolling variety. In honor of the dance remix released on itunes yesterday, Mariah Carey´s original All I want for Christmas is you makes this week´s holiday themed challenge.

Not to be confused with the Vince Vance & the Valiants song of the same title, All I want for Christmas is you is an original song by Mariah Carey, released in 1994 on her holiday album, Merry Christmas. And if anyone knows how to do Christmas right, it´s Miss Carey, who informed Redbook recently that her assistants refer to her as ¨The Queen of Christmas.¨

Perhaps its the child like joy that has always adorned this diva, but when Carey sings, ¨I don't want a lot for Christmas, there's just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents, underneath the Christmas tree…¨ you can´t help but believe in the true meaning of the holiday season, having those you love near. Posessing one of the most angelic voices on the planet probably didn´t hurt Carey´s chances of turning the song into what The New Yorker called, ¨one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon.¨

Now, All I want for Christmas is you may not be the easiest song to sing, but if 10 year old Olivia Olson could rock this jingle the way she did in the film Love Actually, maybe you have a shot too.

So join in the holiday spirit, keep that special someone in mind and join in this Holiday Karaoke Challenge with Mariah Carey´s All I want for Christmas is you. Post your rendition in the forum challenge thread, and if your recording is chosen, you could appear in next week´s newsletter!