Early Talk Back!
They're quick on the ball this week. Here are this week's song choices:
Nicky – ''Underneath Your Clothes'', Shakira; ''Brass in Pocket'', The Pretenders
Karin – ''Do You Know Where You’re Going To'', Diana Ross; ''If I Can’t Have You'', Yvonne Elliman
Gift – ''Uptown Girl'', Westlife; ''Back at One'', Brian McKnight
V – ''Other Side of the World'', KT Tunstall; ''Call Me'', Blondie
Ayanda – ''Another Sad Love Song'', Toni Braxton; ''One Day I’ll Fly Away'', Randy Crawford
Nhlanhla – ''All Night Long'', Lionel Richie; ''Walking Away'', Craig David
I actually had recommended "Brass in Pocket" for Deidre for the Viewer's Choice rounds; I thought it would have suited her perfectly. But no matter, here are my thoughts:
Nicky - She should have no problem with her Pretenders number (though I think it was the perfect song for Deidre), but Shakira is a very difficult act to follow, so it will definitely be a challenge for her. My gut feeling is that it will prove to be much too big for her.
Karin - Perfect choices for her on both fronts. I can't wait to hear her singing "Do You Know" - one of The Supremes best songs, I think she is going to do this beautifully. And as if to further prove that her pop-ability isn't a once off, the judges have also given her a nice, energetic song. Unfortunately, both choices seem to underline the fact that Karin's talent doesn't really with contemporary pop music. Somehow, though, I don't think that will matter...
Gift - My main man singing a Piano man song. He should do really well with this number, and a thumbs-up to the judges for having suggested it. Remember a few weeks ago when I could swear I had heard Nhlanhla singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" before? Just so with Gift's second song, Brian McKnight's sappy Back At One. I have to confess: I hate this song. Don't ask me why, because I don't know, but when this song comes on the radio, I have to change the station. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Smooth can breathe an entirely new life into the song and make me a fan.
V - She'll have no problem with her Blondie number (and really, the more Blondie in this competition, the better). If she breaks out of her familiar repertoire of moves and mannerisms, she could make this a really fun performance. If she does the fingers-by-the-ears telephone trick, I'm going to cry. Not in a good way. You know what I think would work for her? Stick a mic on the stand, give it the rockstar deathgrip, and put all of the energy (and she has plenty of it) into her singing, and less into her performance. As for her KT Tungstall song, this is yet another song this week that I can't wait to hear. She should do fine, however the understated nature of the song will require an effective performance to make it captivating. Can she do it? We shall see...
One of these days I'm going to have to stop calling Ayanda the Comeback Kid, and start referring to her as "The Great One who got off to a bad start". Nonetheless, she has a couple of challenges ahead of her: "Another Sad Love Song" is not an easy song, and will test Ayanda at both ends of the scale. One thing I feel confident of: she'll deliver a great stage performance. "One Day I'll Fly Away" is another song I'm not fond of, though, and will be hard to translate into a commanding stage performance. Vocally, though, I think she can do it. I mean, if Nicole Kidman can, surely Ayanda can!
Nhlanhla - "All Night Long" is one of my favorite Lionel Richie numbers, and I'm looking forward to Nhlanhla's performance. As I've mentioned, I have felt that he's been slipping a bit, and I think that this will be the perfect opportunity to recapture some of the magic. My initial suspicion is that "Walking Away" will, unfortunately, bring back that reedy quality in his voice that I don't like. If he can round his voice out just ever so slightly, and soften those high notes, he'll be fine. We'll see what happens.
And sticking with my earlier pre-prediction, I still see Nicky walking the plank this Monday. But, as always, only time will tell.
What do you think of the song selections? After this week, there will be more eliminees than contestants: who will be the one to tip the scales? Talk back, and let me know!
Nicky – ''Underneath Your Clothes'', Shakira; ''Brass in Pocket'', The Pretenders
Karin – ''Do You Know Where You’re Going To'', Diana Ross; ''If I Can’t Have You'', Yvonne Elliman
Gift – ''Uptown Girl'', Westlife; ''Back at One'', Brian McKnight
V – ''Other Side of the World'', KT Tunstall; ''Call Me'', Blondie
Ayanda – ''Another Sad Love Song'', Toni Braxton; ''One Day I’ll Fly Away'', Randy Crawford
Nhlanhla – ''All Night Long'', Lionel Richie; ''Walking Away'', Craig David
I actually had recommended "Brass in Pocket" for Deidre for the Viewer's Choice rounds; I thought it would have suited her perfectly. But no matter, here are my thoughts:
Nicky - She should have no problem with her Pretenders number (though I think it was the perfect song for Deidre), but Shakira is a very difficult act to follow, so it will definitely be a challenge for her. My gut feeling is that it will prove to be much too big for her.
Karin - Perfect choices for her on both fronts. I can't wait to hear her singing "Do You Know" - one of The Supremes best songs, I think she is going to do this beautifully. And as if to further prove that her pop-ability isn't a once off, the judges have also given her a nice, energetic song. Unfortunately, both choices seem to underline the fact that Karin's talent doesn't really with contemporary pop music. Somehow, though, I don't think that will matter...
Gift - My main man singing a Piano man song. He should do really well with this number, and a thumbs-up to the judges for having suggested it. Remember a few weeks ago when I could swear I had heard Nhlanhla singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" before? Just so with Gift's second song, Brian McKnight's sappy Back At One. I have to confess: I hate this song. Don't ask me why, because I don't know, but when this song comes on the radio, I have to change the station. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Smooth can breathe an entirely new life into the song and make me a fan.
V - She'll have no problem with her Blondie number (and really, the more Blondie in this competition, the better). If she breaks out of her familiar repertoire of moves and mannerisms, she could make this a really fun performance. If she does the fingers-by-the-ears telephone trick, I'm going to cry. Not in a good way. You know what I think would work for her? Stick a mic on the stand, give it the rockstar deathgrip, and put all of the energy (and she has plenty of it) into her singing, and less into her performance. As for her KT Tungstall song, this is yet another song this week that I can't wait to hear. She should do fine, however the understated nature of the song will require an effective performance to make it captivating. Can she do it? We shall see...
One of these days I'm going to have to stop calling Ayanda the Comeback Kid, and start referring to her as "The Great One who got off to a bad start". Nonetheless, she has a couple of challenges ahead of her: "Another Sad Love Song" is not an easy song, and will test Ayanda at both ends of the scale. One thing I feel confident of: she'll deliver a great stage performance. "One Day I'll Fly Away" is another song I'm not fond of, though, and will be hard to translate into a commanding stage performance. Vocally, though, I think she can do it. I mean, if Nicole Kidman can, surely Ayanda can!
Nhlanhla - "All Night Long" is one of my favorite Lionel Richie numbers, and I'm looking forward to Nhlanhla's performance. As I've mentioned, I have felt that he's been slipping a bit, and I think that this will be the perfect opportunity to recapture some of the magic. My initial suspicion is that "Walking Away" will, unfortunately, bring back that reedy quality in his voice that I don't like. If he can round his voice out just ever so slightly, and soften those high notes, he'll be fine. We'll see what happens.
And sticking with my earlier pre-prediction, I still see Nicky walking the plank this Monday. But, as always, only time will tell.
What do you think of the song selections? After this week, there will be more eliminees than contestants: who will be the one to tip the scales? Talk back, and let me know!
posted by Julie at
7:33 AM
