I have not heard Moe Provencher’s original version of “Like Moon River.” You probably haven’t either. In fact, it may well be that only Moe and Nic Masangkay have had that pleasure. You see, Nic and Moe went the extra mile with this covers challenge, and got together so Moe could share some tunes with Nic and Nic could choose the song that most spoke to them – and then Moe recorded Nic! I could not have imagined this inspiring, collaborative outcome when I first selected this group of artists and then randomly picked their names out of a hat to decide who would cover whom, and I am just utterly delighted.
Since I have no reference points for “Like Moon River,” I do have the freedom of assessing it on its own merits, rather than as a cover – sort of like how we heard “Nothing Compares 2 U” as a Sinead song, and not a Prince cover, when it came out. And this is a beautiful, moving piece of music. The refrain “You’re like ‘Moon River’ from a golden throat” tells us this is a love song, but there is a strain of sadness that runs through the whole piece, tempered just a bit by a hopeful little synth melody. Thrumming synthesizers and sparse electronic beats provide a foundation for Nic’s voice, which does all the emotional heavy lifting. We hear – we feel – love, longing, heartache, and nostalgia, and when Nic goes high up in their range to sing “Moon . . . River,” it’s hard not to get chills.
Alas, Moe won’t be joining us at the Ball of Wax 59 show next Friday, so the original will remain a mystery, but you can hear Nic’s version live (as well as their version of “Forever,” which I was lucky enough to cover). Be there!