It’s up to you if you want to tune in for Carrie Underwood’s rendition of “America the Beautiful” at today’s presidential inauguration. But we’ll be rewatching Melissa Etheridge’s raspy, soulful spin on the American standard, instead.
Etheridge’s 2021 performance is actually a cover of a version of the song recorded by Ray Charles in 1976, and it reminds us that patriotism is not the purview of any one party.
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The out musician’s take sounds a bit like America the Beautiful had a little whiskey and put its heart on its sleeve—a big dose of soul and just a little bit of edge. And we could all soon use a little bit more edge.
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