Idols Compilation Review
Finally made my way to the store to buy my copy of the Idols III compilation, featuring this year's Top 12 contestants, with a bonus track featuring five of the youngest contestants of the year. One thing that stood out the most after listening to the CD was the clear difference between live performances and the finely controlled studio atmosphere. Overall, it's a great CD, and will definitely be making it onto my mp3 player for future listening. Here's the rundown:
Karin, Ordinary People: Karin's velvety smooth voice translates beautifully onto CD, further perfected with studio enhancements. Accompanied only by gentle piano, this song is one of the best on the CD, and further underlines her strength in the jazzier side of the music world. Listening to this track on the CD, it's easy to imagine her putting out an entire album of smooth, melodic hits.
Nicky, Searchin' My Soul: Nicky follows with the energetic theme song from "Ally McBeal and sounds miles better than she has ever sounded on stage. Her voice loses some its "childish" edge, and she manages to remain well-controlled without smothering her fresh and energetic vocals, though she flags just slightly in the lower registers. Expertly executed backing vocals make this a polished song that really showcases her abilities, especially in the chorus.
Nhlanhla, Hello: The opening verses reminded me how pleasing Nhlanhla's voice can be - soft, rounded and delicate, this is easily the best I've ever heard him sound. He manages the chorus nicely, though very slight hints of the thinness that plagued his later performances begin to crop up. Overall, a very listenable track, and proof that Nhlanhla deserved his place amongst the Top 5.
Ayanda, Over the Rainbow: Ayanda's performance was something of a mixed-bag. Exhibiting phenomenal control and tenderness exactly where it's needed, she pulls off the higher notes with admirable ease, but her low notes are a little unsteady and breathy. A simple piano track highlights the simple beauty of both the song itself and Ayanda's pleasant voice. Possibly most notable is Ayanda's ability to sustain a high note with incredible steadiness, without the slightest hint of waver or unintended vibrato.
Deidre, Holding Out For A Hero: Performing what was probably her best number from the Live Spectaculars, this songs starts off slow and gentle, and Deidre shows considerable control over her often boisterous voice. She handles the tempo change perfectly, rocking right into the chorus without a hitch. Something strange happens in the chorus, though, where the back track manages to overwhelm her voice while still sounding oddly thin and washed out. Vocally, a strong performance, but overall, the track leaves a good deal to be desired.
Gift, Senorita: This track ranks among the best on the album, and Gift sounds exceedingly smooth and sexy here. He carried off the song admirably during the Group Stages, but with the benefit of mixing and editing at his side, he sounds flawless here, and does a superb job with the call-and-answer verses at the end. Of all the songs on the CD, this is one of the easiest to imagine getting radio air play. It feels like something's heating up, alright: Gift's future as a pop star, no matter what happens this season.
V, Show Me Heaven: Showcasing every ounce of the considerable talent that she possesses, V's track is possibly the most polished sounding on the album. While her live performance of this song left me feeling a emotionally disconnected, her voice carries the emotions of this song perfectly, and she comes across with beautiful clarity and technically flawless vocals.
Martelize, All By Myself: I felt Martelize got off to a weak start on this track, and struggled with the deep notes, but rallies back in the chorus with crystal-clarity and beautiful restraint. Oddly, this is the only song on the album where I preferred the live version over the studio recording, and ended up finding it a little too repetitive towards the end, though I did quite enjoy the lovely piano solo.
Jamie Lee, Shiver: What was striking about this song was, as it started, I couldn't place the voice, and if I hadn't remembered which contestant had sung Shiver, I would likely have never figured it out. Jamie-Lee sounded worlds different on the CD than she did on stage, for the better. No sign of that whisky-cigar voice she was so proud of, she sounds absolutely phenomenal, and her voice comes across as pure and gentle, and where she tripped up a bit with the low notes in the group stages, she pulled them off perfectly and unhesitatingly. This track single-handedly made me very eager to hear more from our girl James in the future.
Pume, Dance With My Father: More proof for the argument that the studio is far kinder than the stage, this track shows off everything that is beautiful about Pume's voice. If I remember correctly, Randall had declared Pume "sublime" after hearing her performing this song during the group stages. He must have wept after hearing this version, then. Spot on vocally and emotionally, this was a highly enjoyable track that would have given even Luther Vandross a run for his money.
Kesha, There You'll Be: I'll admit it: I'm still stunned that Kesha was eliminated so early in the competition. Sounding remarkably polished and mature on this track, and keeping a tight rein on her vocals, this is a beautiful track, with one of the best back tracks on the disc.
Bonolo, You're Amazing: I hate to say it, but I think this is the weakest track on the album. Strangely (and perhaps telling), I found Jacques Terre'Blanche's backing performance the most enjoyable part of this track. While not a terrible track, it was just uncompelling and in the light of having listened to 11 other very good tracks, it failed to live up to the others.
Bonus Track, Pop Trash: The final track on this CD is a fun and attitude-heavy collaboration between Deidre, Jamie-Lee, Kesha, Martelize and Nicky that makes me wonder if we wouldn't be looking to these five for a spunky girl group that could easily be this decade's answer to the Spice Girls. They sound great together, and between the five of them, deliver a cool performance with great pop appeal.
All in all, this CD exceeded my hopes and expectations. A few disappointments, perhaps, but in general, this CD serves as proof that South Africa has just as much musical talent as anywhere else, and that this year's top contestants all have a shot at making their mark in the music world - both here and abroad.
Karin, Ordinary People: Karin's velvety smooth voice translates beautifully onto CD, further perfected with studio enhancements. Accompanied only by gentle piano, this song is one of the best on the CD, and further underlines her strength in the jazzier side of the music world. Listening to this track on the CD, it's easy to imagine her putting out an entire album of smooth, melodic hits.
Nicky, Searchin' My Soul: Nicky follows with the energetic theme song from "Ally McBeal and sounds miles better than she has ever sounded on stage. Her voice loses some its "childish" edge, and she manages to remain well-controlled without smothering her fresh and energetic vocals, though she flags just slightly in the lower registers. Expertly executed backing vocals make this a polished song that really showcases her abilities, especially in the chorus.
Nhlanhla, Hello: The opening verses reminded me how pleasing Nhlanhla's voice can be - soft, rounded and delicate, this is easily the best I've ever heard him sound. He manages the chorus nicely, though very slight hints of the thinness that plagued his later performances begin to crop up. Overall, a very listenable track, and proof that Nhlanhla deserved his place amongst the Top 5.
Ayanda, Over the Rainbow: Ayanda's performance was something of a mixed-bag. Exhibiting phenomenal control and tenderness exactly where it's needed, she pulls off the higher notes with admirable ease, but her low notes are a little unsteady and breathy. A simple piano track highlights the simple beauty of both the song itself and Ayanda's pleasant voice. Possibly most notable is Ayanda's ability to sustain a high note with incredible steadiness, without the slightest hint of waver or unintended vibrato.
Deidre, Holding Out For A Hero: Performing what was probably her best number from the Live Spectaculars, this songs starts off slow and gentle, and Deidre shows considerable control over her often boisterous voice. She handles the tempo change perfectly, rocking right into the chorus without a hitch. Something strange happens in the chorus, though, where the back track manages to overwhelm her voice while still sounding oddly thin and washed out. Vocally, a strong performance, but overall, the track leaves a good deal to be desired.
Gift, Senorita: This track ranks among the best on the album, and Gift sounds exceedingly smooth and sexy here. He carried off the song admirably during the Group Stages, but with the benefit of mixing and editing at his side, he sounds flawless here, and does a superb job with the call-and-answer verses at the end. Of all the songs on the CD, this is one of the easiest to imagine getting radio air play. It feels like something's heating up, alright: Gift's future as a pop star, no matter what happens this season.
V, Show Me Heaven: Showcasing every ounce of the considerable talent that she possesses, V's track is possibly the most polished sounding on the album. While her live performance of this song left me feeling a emotionally disconnected, her voice carries the emotions of this song perfectly, and she comes across with beautiful clarity and technically flawless vocals.
Martelize, All By Myself: I felt Martelize got off to a weak start on this track, and struggled with the deep notes, but rallies back in the chorus with crystal-clarity and beautiful restraint. Oddly, this is the only song on the album where I preferred the live version over the studio recording, and ended up finding it a little too repetitive towards the end, though I did quite enjoy the lovely piano solo.
Jamie Lee, Shiver: What was striking about this song was, as it started, I couldn't place the voice, and if I hadn't remembered which contestant had sung Shiver, I would likely have never figured it out. Jamie-Lee sounded worlds different on the CD than she did on stage, for the better. No sign of that whisky-cigar voice she was so proud of, she sounds absolutely phenomenal, and her voice comes across as pure and gentle, and where she tripped up a bit with the low notes in the group stages, she pulled them off perfectly and unhesitatingly. This track single-handedly made me very eager to hear more from our girl James in the future.
Pume, Dance With My Father: More proof for the argument that the studio is far kinder than the stage, this track shows off everything that is beautiful about Pume's voice. If I remember correctly, Randall had declared Pume "sublime" after hearing her performing this song during the group stages. He must have wept after hearing this version, then. Spot on vocally and emotionally, this was a highly enjoyable track that would have given even Luther Vandross a run for his money.
Kesha, There You'll Be: I'll admit it: I'm still stunned that Kesha was eliminated so early in the competition. Sounding remarkably polished and mature on this track, and keeping a tight rein on her vocals, this is a beautiful track, with one of the best back tracks on the disc.
Bonolo, You're Amazing: I hate to say it, but I think this is the weakest track on the album. Strangely (and perhaps telling), I found Jacques Terre'Blanche's backing performance the most enjoyable part of this track. While not a terrible track, it was just uncompelling and in the light of having listened to 11 other very good tracks, it failed to live up to the others.
Bonus Track, Pop Trash: The final track on this CD is a fun and attitude-heavy collaboration between Deidre, Jamie-Lee, Kesha, Martelize and Nicky that makes me wonder if we wouldn't be looking to these five for a spunky girl group that could easily be this decade's answer to the Spice Girls. They sound great together, and between the five of them, deliver a cool performance with great pop appeal.
All in all, this CD exceeded my hopes and expectations. A few disappointments, perhaps, but in general, this CD serves as proof that South Africa has just as much musical talent as anywhere else, and that this year's top contestants all have a shot at making their mark in the music world - both here and abroad.
posted by Julie at
5:28 AM
