Talk Back: Song Selections and Predictions
Here we go: this week's song selections!
Nicky: Jewel "Foolish Games"; Karen Zoid "Small Room"
Karin: Shirley Bassey "Never Never"; Mary J Blige "Never Too Much"
Gift: Usher "U Remind Me"; Boyz II Men "End of the Road"
V: Christina Augilera "I Turn To You"; Beyonce "Work It Out"
Nhlanhla: Luther Vandross "Here and Now"; Stevie Wonder "Part Time Lover"
Every week I marvel over how short the list is getting!
It's a nice mix of selections and should make for good listening. Will the contestants do well enough to battle it out another week?
Nicky has definitely proven herself to be up to a lot of challenges. Jewel's achingly beautiful "Foolish Games" should be right up her alley. Let's just hope she bears Randall's warning in mind, and doesn't slack off simply because the song isn't as challenging as, say, Shakira. Seeing how well she did with her Evanescence number, though, Jewel should be no problem at all. However, especially at this point in the competition, vocal strength isn't going to be enough to keep going, and she's going to have to give a captivating performance to edge out her competition. As for her Karen Zoid song, I have to admit I haven't heard "Small Room" so I can't say how it will work for her, but picking a local artist could work either way for her, and garner the "Local is Lekker" vote, or alienate those who prefer more mainstream music.
Karin has already proven her ability to sing Never Never with stunning ease and beauty. After all the work with Johan and Mali, I only predict improvement. I can't wait to hear this one. As for her Mary J Blige-esque tribute to the late, great Luther Vandross, I can think of much better songs, and I'm really not impressed with this choice. Who knows, maybe she'll make the song work for me, the way Gift made "Back to One" work last week, but we'll see. Karin is one contestant who seems unable to do any wrong, so there's little criticism or advice I can offer, but I'd really like to see her deliver a more captivating performance. She has the vocal ability all right, but I think she needs to start focusing on her performance if she wants to win over more voters. There are voters out there who don't buy into Karin mania, and as contestants continue to drop out of the competition, there are a decent number of votes up for grabs. To get them, she's going to have to win these people over in a big way, and continue to stick with what she's been doing isn't going to cut it. She has to blow people away in every regard - vocally, and performance-wise.
And for perfect choices, I can't see a problem with either of Gift's selections. I predict that Mara will shed tears over his rendition of the Boyz II Men ballad. I always worry just a smidge when a contestant picks a song that would be the perfect goodbye song (I mean, really, if he goes home this week, who would be able to resist using "End of the Road" in the headline?), but I have a lot of confidence that he'll do really well, and if he can portray the emotion of the song well, this could be his biggest performance to date. The Usher song is perfect for his voice, and we know he has the moves. My problem with this song is that it's not a very compelling vocal performance, so I see potential danger there. It's fine on the radio, or on MTV, but as a live performanc, I think it leaves a lot to be desired. We'll have to see if he can make it compelling. That's definitely a bit of a challenge.
V breaks out the big guns and tackles two of the biggest voices in pop music - Beyonce and Christina Aguilera. Landing in the bottom three had to have come as a shock last week - I know I was floored - so falling back on what she does best will be a good way to get back to the top. I do see a problem with the Beyonce song: it's almost too perfect for V. With this track, it will be very hard for her not to draw criticism for sounding "too much like a cover" because their voices in this track sound so similar. A compliment to V, of course, but a dangerous road to travel. The good news is that it's probably the funkiest number that V has done so far, and if she can get the wardrobe to match (a challenge when you're limited to the Truworth's collection), she could really underline her ability to deliver the "whole package". However, this will be a tricky one performance wise. I keep trying to think of what would work, but the only things I come up with probably aren't implementable. If she can just follow the groove of the music (and this song has some serious groove) and vamp it a bit, she could blow some minds. Her Christina number is also a good fit vocally, and with a heartfelt song like "I Turn To You", this is another test of her ability to connect. I've been asked what it is she can do to make that connection happen, and trust me, I've given it a lot of thought. I think what it comes down to is just sincerity. If she could manage to look as if she has one person in mind that she's thinking of in that song, and really pour her emotion into it, it could be very powerful.
Nhlanhla has been losing ground with me lately. His voice continues to lose its appeal, in my opinion, and his attitude seems to be flagging a bit under the pressure. While he can give a commanding performance during a song, the hints of a likeable, down-to-earth guy that we saw in the beginning of the competition seem to be fading. From his edgy reactions to the judge's criticism to his general demeanor when he isn't performing, he is in danger of shutting himself down. He simply doesn't look like he is enjoying it anymore. Granted, I can fully understand that this is a competition, and a difficult one at that, but it can't be denied that the ability to win the public's affection is a very big factor. While he is safe with his die-hard fans, he also needs to win over other voters. He toppled from the top half to the bottom last week, and if he doesn't work on softening up his personality, he is at great risk of shutting himself out of this competition completely. As for this week's song selections, the same provisos apply as in former weeks: if he can round out his voice and bring a little warmth back, he could do very well with his Lionel Richie number. However, I predict the Luther Vandross number could prove to be too much for him, and isn't a very good pairing for his vocal talents.
And so, for the first time, my pre-show prediction is that Nhlanhla is going home. Yes, you read right: I am not predicting Nicky to leave this week. At this stage of the game, it's getting mighty hard to call. There are 3 contestants who have remained consistently good for the most part: (in no particular order) V, Gift and Karin. Nicky has continued to improve and surprise, while Nhlanhla has steadily declined in my book. What will happen from here on out is anybody's guess, though, and I'm just as eager to find out as ever.
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What do you think? Who's going to shine, and who's going to fall? Who do you think is going home this week? Talk back, and let me know!
Nicky: Jewel "Foolish Games"; Karen Zoid "Small Room"
Karin: Shirley Bassey "Never Never"; Mary J Blige "Never Too Much"
Gift: Usher "U Remind Me"; Boyz II Men "End of the Road"
V: Christina Augilera "I Turn To You"; Beyonce "Work It Out"
Nhlanhla: Luther Vandross "Here and Now"; Stevie Wonder "Part Time Lover"
Every week I marvel over how short the list is getting!
It's a nice mix of selections and should make for good listening. Will the contestants do well enough to battle it out another week?
Nicky has definitely proven herself to be up to a lot of challenges. Jewel's achingly beautiful "Foolish Games" should be right up her alley. Let's just hope she bears Randall's warning in mind, and doesn't slack off simply because the song isn't as challenging as, say, Shakira. Seeing how well she did with her Evanescence number, though, Jewel should be no problem at all. However, especially at this point in the competition, vocal strength isn't going to be enough to keep going, and she's going to have to give a captivating performance to edge out her competition. As for her Karen Zoid song, I have to admit I haven't heard "Small Room" so I can't say how it will work for her, but picking a local artist could work either way for her, and garner the "Local is Lekker" vote, or alienate those who prefer more mainstream music.
Karin has already proven her ability to sing Never Never with stunning ease and beauty. After all the work with Johan and Mali, I only predict improvement. I can't wait to hear this one. As for her Mary J Blige-esque tribute to the late, great Luther Vandross, I can think of much better songs, and I'm really not impressed with this choice. Who knows, maybe she'll make the song work for me, the way Gift made "Back to One" work last week, but we'll see. Karin is one contestant who seems unable to do any wrong, so there's little criticism or advice I can offer, but I'd really like to see her deliver a more captivating performance. She has the vocal ability all right, but I think she needs to start focusing on her performance if she wants to win over more voters. There are voters out there who don't buy into Karin mania, and as contestants continue to drop out of the competition, there are a decent number of votes up for grabs. To get them, she's going to have to win these people over in a big way, and continue to stick with what she's been doing isn't going to cut it. She has to blow people away in every regard - vocally, and performance-wise.
And for perfect choices, I can't see a problem with either of Gift's selections. I predict that Mara will shed tears over his rendition of the Boyz II Men ballad. I always worry just a smidge when a contestant picks a song that would be the perfect goodbye song (I mean, really, if he goes home this week, who would be able to resist using "End of the Road" in the headline?), but I have a lot of confidence that he'll do really well, and if he can portray the emotion of the song well, this could be his biggest performance to date. The Usher song is perfect for his voice, and we know he has the moves. My problem with this song is that it's not a very compelling vocal performance, so I see potential danger there. It's fine on the radio, or on MTV, but as a live performanc, I think it leaves a lot to be desired. We'll have to see if he can make it compelling. That's definitely a bit of a challenge.
V breaks out the big guns and tackles two of the biggest voices in pop music - Beyonce and Christina Aguilera. Landing in the bottom three had to have come as a shock last week - I know I was floored - so falling back on what she does best will be a good way to get back to the top. I do see a problem with the Beyonce song: it's almost too perfect for V. With this track, it will be very hard for her not to draw criticism for sounding "too much like a cover" because their voices in this track sound so similar. A compliment to V, of course, but a dangerous road to travel. The good news is that it's probably the funkiest number that V has done so far, and if she can get the wardrobe to match (a challenge when you're limited to the Truworth's collection), she could really underline her ability to deliver the "whole package". However, this will be a tricky one performance wise. I keep trying to think of what would work, but the only things I come up with probably aren't implementable. If she can just follow the groove of the music (and this song has some serious groove) and vamp it a bit, she could blow some minds. Her Christina number is also a good fit vocally, and with a heartfelt song like "I Turn To You", this is another test of her ability to connect. I've been asked what it is she can do to make that connection happen, and trust me, I've given it a lot of thought. I think what it comes down to is just sincerity. If she could manage to look as if she has one person in mind that she's thinking of in that song, and really pour her emotion into it, it could be very powerful.
Nhlanhla has been losing ground with me lately. His voice continues to lose its appeal, in my opinion, and his attitude seems to be flagging a bit under the pressure. While he can give a commanding performance during a song, the hints of a likeable, down-to-earth guy that we saw in the beginning of the competition seem to be fading. From his edgy reactions to the judge's criticism to his general demeanor when he isn't performing, he is in danger of shutting himself down. He simply doesn't look like he is enjoying it anymore. Granted, I can fully understand that this is a competition, and a difficult one at that, but it can't be denied that the ability to win the public's affection is a very big factor. While he is safe with his die-hard fans, he also needs to win over other voters. He toppled from the top half to the bottom last week, and if he doesn't work on softening up his personality, he is at great risk of shutting himself out of this competition completely. As for this week's song selections, the same provisos apply as in former weeks: if he can round out his voice and bring a little warmth back, he could do very well with his Lionel Richie number. However, I predict the Luther Vandross number could prove to be too much for him, and isn't a very good pairing for his vocal talents.
And so, for the first time, my pre-show prediction is that Nhlanhla is going home. Yes, you read right: I am not predicting Nicky to leave this week. At this stage of the game, it's getting mighty hard to call. There are 3 contestants who have remained consistently good for the most part: (in no particular order) V, Gift and Karin. Nicky has continued to improve and surprise, while Nhlanhla has steadily declined in my book. What will happen from here on out is anybody's guess, though, and I'm just as eager to find out as ever.
--
What do you think? Who's going to shine, and who's going to fall? Who do you think is going home this week? Talk back, and let me know!
posted by Julie at
4:09 AM
