09

When a snippet of this song came up on my Facebook page as a reel, thanks to a former coursemate,  I didn’t pay much attention to it. That is, until I found out this morning that the music video for the entire song was already published on YouTube on the 5th of June 2024. The only reason for me to listen to oldies is because the ones who raised me would always put on the radio station that used to play everything related to the oldies, including the love song “Islands in the Stream”, written by the Australian group The Bee Gees.

Usually, one does not mess with original songs – especially when they are associated with Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, but this version is a breathtaking one – so much so that it will likely get stuck in your head. I guess it helps that Music Travel Love goes around to scenic locations across the globe. Someone take me to Sabah now, please and thank you. For this song, the music video was shot at Pulau Kalampunian Besar, Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Malaysia. Marsha Milan (Londoh) showcases her range and dynamics and puts her spin on this romantic hit, while Music Travel Love’s relaxed vibe sits well with the stunning background of the music video location. Using mainly guitar and piano, you’ll be surprised at how this acoustic version gets you snapping your fingers, while listening to this.

Marsha Milan is a Malaysian and Kadazan-Dusun by ethnic group, famous for providing the Malay dub of the Disney original “Frozen” and also the vocals for “Bebaskan”, the Malay version of the original soundtrack “Let it Go”. Marsha was a former contestant of Malaysian reality TV singing competition show Akademi Fantasia during its third season and finished fourth. Bob and Clint Moffatt are the identical twins behind Music Travel Love, previously of The Moffatts fame in the 90s.

The song is now out on Spotify, if you prefer the audio version.

Some of Dolly Parton’s other songs include “I Will Always Love You" and “Jolene”, while songs by the late Kenny Rogers’ include “Lucille” and “She Believes in Me”. The late Kenny Rogers also owned a franchise of restaurants called Kenny Rogers Roasters.