Watch the Anita Baker Tribute Medley at the 2010 Soul Train Awards

Tamia at the Soul Train
awards

THE 2010 Soul Train awards took place on the weekend and I had to post this video of a tribute to Anita Baker sung by a group of amazingly talented divas. The full list of divas who performed in the  medley  and the time they entered the stage were:

-Chrisette Michele (0.00)
-Tamia (1.23)
-Faith Evans (3.36)
-Rachelle ferrel (5.30)
-Lalah Hathaway (7.25)
-Goapele  (9.20)
-Dionne Farris (9.20)


 Not knowing any of the songs that were sung in the medley I was expecting to lose interest along the way, but the quality of the singers was so marked that I  had a second and third listen to truly soak in the talent on display.

These ladies are singers in the truest sense of the word, reminding us all that anyone can learn to sing but some people are born to do it.


Anita Baker Medley Singers and  reviews:

Faith Evans singing 2010

Chrisette Michele: Sang in such a way that it was impressive without  the use of  any  vocal hysterics. Not something we see often enough.
Tamia: An underrated singer that displayed a smooth tone and a vocal delivery that was natural and easy.
Faith Evans: The soul in this woman's voice is incredible. Unfortunately, maybe due to the material she sings, its something that we don't see enough of. Live is where she shines.
Rachelle ferrel: a somewhat subdued performance, perhaps because it was a duet. Her technique is so unique and individual.
Lalah Hathaway: Blown away by her tone and the unusual notes she chose  in her staccato notes. Even had  Anita Baker on her feet.
Goapele and Dionne Farris: This is how a duet should sound, the voices complemented each other brilliantly.

Lalah Hathaway at Soul Train 2010

What did you think? Leave a comment by clicking here or by
continuing to the end of the post!

Currently Listening to: Keri Hilson "Turn my Swag on" Remix

Cher Lloyd Performs
"Turn my swagger on"

Cher Lloyd is the 17 year old X-Factor hopeful (see left) that brought to the United Kingdoms' -and I'm embarrassed to say that includes mine too- attention the club banger that is Keri Hilsons' remix  of "Turn My Swagger on".

The performance is one of my stand outs from the current series of the X-factor and its partially due to the massive transformation that occurred in Cher within the space of  a few seconds. When she first came out onto the stage she seemed nervous, afraid and overwhelmed by the whole thing but as soon as the music started her whole demeanour changed and suddenly she was a feisty, confident, and commanding performer. Watch the performance below

Below is  the Keri Hilson original and the Cher Loyds performance. What do you think about it?

 

Keri Hilson - Turn my swag on REMIX

Ally Walker Before After Nose Job Plastic Surgery?

Ally Walker before and after plastic surgery?

Let me take few minutes and address all the plastic surgery gibber jabber regarding actress, Ally Walker, which seems to be a hot button topic around the internet lately.

Initially i wasn't aware of Ms. Walker and her overall body of work, however after flipping though some of her photos, i was immediately drawn to her nose as the possible culprit in this plastic surgery mystery.

Ashley Greene before and after nose job

Before and after comparisons show Ms. Walker with two differently shaped noses, mainly focusing on the tip, which appears to be a bit curved in the after snapshot.

Sandra Bullock before and after plastic surgery

Other speculators have suggested the possibility of a minor facelift and facial fillers, however i strongly believe age and makeup are playing a key role in Ally Walker's current appearance. But i could be wrong, considering my familiarity is quite low with this particular celebrity.

Sara Bareilles Offended by 'BridalPlasty' Reality Series

Meet Sara Bareilles, a sensationally talented singer-songwriter and musician, known for her angelic vocals which ranges from contralto to mezzo-soprano, as well as hit albums including Little Voice and Kaleidoscope Heart.

Like many famous people, Sara Bareilles has also taken a liking to the wildly popular social network, twitter, a place where she communicates with her fans, while pulling no punches for what she believes in!

Last night Ms. Bareilles caught a glimpse of the new reality series 'BridalPlasty', where 12 brides compete for a total plastic surgery makeover, and not surprisingly this struck a sour chord with many viewers, including Sara Bareilles, which prompted her to tweet the following message, to her nearly 2 million followers.
Its wasn't long before the hashtag #boycottbridalplasty started trending on twitter, which has grabbed the attention of countless unaware citizens. The question is, did Sara Bareilles start a digital revolution of sorts? Only time will tell...

Watch the video for Mariah Carey & Patricia Carey - Oh Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus

Mariah Carey and her mother Patricia
Carey perform "Oh Come all ye Faithful"

The video for one of my favourite cuts from Mariah Careys' Merry Christmas ii You album, "Oh come All ye Faithful" has just been released. The video features both Carey and her mother, Patricia, singing the medley in a Christmassy studio environment.

Though the video is clearly low budget and is pretty much trading on watching mother and daughter together to carry it, the song itself is pure gold with stunning production and a rousing vocal from both.It's sure to brighten anyone's Monday with festive goodness.

Do you agree? Comment below or by clicking here!

Watch and read the review of Keri Hilson ‘The Way You Love Me (ft. Rick Ross)

>

Kerri Hilson gets practically
nude in the video of "The way
you love me". 

So what do you do when your last album didn't live up to industry expectations. You do what Keri Hilson has done with her new single "The way You love me" off her upcoming second album  and switch to sex to sell your music.

The song:
Don't let the title of the song fool you; this is not a love song or  a ballad. Its an up-tempo track about sex that is neither subtle or poetic about it. In fact I'm surprised they went with such a tame title considering the lyrical content being so crude and the obvious desire to shock with this release.

Warning to anyone listening with kids about: DON'T! This song has repeated swears in the chorus!The whole thing is all just TMI (too much information).

The video:
The video looks like its had a lot of money thrown at it and features a lot of suggestive dancing and semi clothed ladies.To "cleverly" try and disguise it from being being a desperate attempt to sell music using ones body, they've thrown in a thin plot about Kerri and a group of femme fatales-including Faith Evans(?!) - successfully carrying out a heist for a group of  male gangsters who doubted their ability. In fact if you concentrate REAL hard you can see that its not actually a load of smut, but an advert for feminism and female empowerment...(!)

Unfortunately for all there is more to come because the video ends with the joyous line"to be continued.". Yikes

Summary: "The way you Love me" and it's video were undoubtedly chosen to wake the world up to Kerri Hilson again, and it succeeds for the duration of its playtime. However, once you get over the lyrics and the seedy video , the song, at its core, is ultimately bad and forgettable.

Comment as to what you think of the video/song/review/Kerri Hilson/ at the bottom of the post or by clicking here.

Keri Hilson and Rick Ross together in her new video "The Way you Love me"

Nicole Scherzinger- Vocal Profile/ Range

Nicole Scherzinger

Vocal Type:  Mezzo Soprano
Whistle Register:  Yes

Vocal Range: D3-G#6 (3 Octaves 2 Note and a semi tone)

Vocal Pluses: Strong and resilient voice that has a sultry, pleasant tone to the mid-range and a punchy, rock tinge to the upper-register.

Vocal Negatives:   Belted notes can sometimes sound harsh and more akin to shouting due to improper placement of the the voice, especially so when she forgoes vibrato.

Anything to add? comment below

Watch Nicole Scherzingers' X-factor performance of Poison 2010

 Nicole Scherzinger Poison cover

Nicole Scherzinger on the
X-factor 2010

Tonight it was Nicole Scherzingers' turn to ride the X-Factor publicity train to the top 10 of the UK singles chart, performing her latest single "Poison"on the results show. Nicole admirably managed to make a weak song seem a lot better than it is with an awesome routine, tons of dancers and lots of cool lighting.

But I just don't understand how someone who has had some amazingly catchy songs previously, with the Pussy  Cat Dolls, can't seem to spot a hit from a miss without them.I know she wasn't the mastermind behind the operation, but you'd think some of the magic woulda rubbed off on her!

Do you like Nicoles' solo song or do you think she needs to hook back up with the Pussy Cat Dolls quick sharp? Comment here or below:

Nicki Minaj & Rihanna Perform "Fly" Live

Rihanna has a little cheeky
squeeze of Niki Minaj's butt!

Rihanna and Nick Minaj
on the set of "Fly"

Rihanna was one of Nicki Minaj's guests at her concert to promote the release of her new album Pink Friday. The duo performed a speedy rendition of the track Fly, after which Rihanna gave Nicki's famous ass-et a cheeky squeeze before leaving the stage.

Ke$ha performs "Tick Tock" and "We R Who We R" on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Kesha and Jimmy Kimmel

Kesha and Katy Perry

Kesha is like Marmite, you either Hate her or Love her. Me, I love the trashy look and the carefree attitude. It's a nice contrast to a lot of artists who take themselves too seriously at the moment.

Below Kesha performs "Tick tock" and "We R Who We R" On Jimmy Kimmel Live. The vocals aren't really worth commenting on, and the performance was uninspired and tired... but I still love her though!

Do you love or Hate K$sha? Let the world know!

Embedding for her performance of We R who we R has been disabled but watch it on Youtube here

Cheryl Cole "The Flood" : Video and Review

Cheryl Cole still taken from "The Flood"

Cheryl Cole is back with new single The Flood, a soppy, mid-tempo ballad about, you guessed it, Love (symbolised by the water) and its transient nature. All in all it's a pretty mediocre and forgettable follow up to her last single Promise This, but will no doubt go top 10 thanks to her X-factor profile.

Watch the video below:

Do you Agree or do you think Cheryl Can do no wrong?

Judge Reinhold Plastic Surgery?

Judge Reinhold before and after plastic surgery makeover?

Many of you will remember actor, Judge Reinhold, for his role in classic 80's flicks such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the Beverly Hills Cop series. However some of you may not quite recognize the actor today, as it would appear a makeover of sorts has taken place...

Rupert Everett before and after plastic surgery

It was earlier this year when rumors began to swirl, after Mr. Reinhold took to the red carpet while looking awfully different, and showing signs of plastic surgery with a doughy and stretched facial texture. Somewhat reminiscent of our good pal, Mickey Rourke, though slightly less drastic.
If plastic surgery is the culprit in Mr. Reinhold's change of appearance, the procedures are presumed to be a minor facelift, and then some facial fillers to even everything out, or at least try.

Vince Neil before and after plastic surgery

Others have suggested cheek implants, however the tightening of a facelift can often result in more defined looking cheek bones.

Christina Aguilera- "Beautiful" 2010 Performance on Dancing with the Stars

Dancing With the Stars - Beautiful (2010)

Uploaded by Christina-News. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Christina Aguilera on 2010s Dancing
with the stars

Christina Aguilera sang her 2002 hit Beautiful on the American show Dancing With the stars. The performance started well enough with Christina singing comfortably in her head voice and  Mid range, however Strained chest vocals, off key notes and weird timing followed,  wrecking any chance of a good performance in their wake.

 What would have made this performance- bum notes and all- is if she made us believe she believed in the words she was singing. Instead, you can see in this performance that she's more focused on placing her voice and second guessing if she'll make the next big note than conveying the empowering message of the song. Emotional connection will trump mediocre technical singing any day of the week.

However, it's obvious Christiana is going through tough times at the moment so we'll cut her some slack and wish her well, but to all those reading, this performance is a prime example of why singing with a high larynx is not conducive to good singing.

Do you agree or are you singing a different song? Comment and let the world know.

Hayley Williams- Vocal Profile/ Range

Hayley Williams

Vocal Type:  Mezzo-soprano

Vocal Range: E3-A6 (3 Octaves 3 Note)

Vocal Pluses:  (Any ideas? Comment)

Vocal Negatives:   (Any ideas? Comment)

Paramores' Hayley Williams singing in the whistle Register.

The Female With The Largest Vocal Range:Georgia Brown

Georgia Brown:The 
woman with the 
largest Vocal range

Georgia Brown, (born June 29, 1980) is an Italian/Brazilian singer noted for her extensive vocal range. She was listed in the 2005 Guinness World Records for hitting the highest vocal note ever and for possessing the greatest range, claimed to be exactly 8 octaves (G2-G10).

I'm not entirely convinced by this claim as no recording of her hitting above the eighth octave-which is still impressive- has been found. She has since been replaced in the Guinness book of world Records by Adam Lopez.

Listen to some of Georgia Brown's high notes in the compilation below.

What do you think? Does a large Range equal a Great singer?

Vanessa Hudgens Breast Implants Plastic Surgery?

Vanessa Hudgens before and after breast implants plastic surgery?

Never in a million years did i ever think we'd be mentioning the breathtakingly beautiful Vanessa Hudgens, and plastic surgery in the same sentence, however that time has now come...

If you haven't heard the news, Vanessa Hudgens will be starring alongside Dwayne The Rock Johnson in the upcoming movie entitled Journey 2, which is currently filming in Hawaii.

Zac Efron before and after plastic surgery

So, there is been a boatload of photos surfacing from the movie set, photos which show Ms. Hudgens with an unusually full chest, which has prompted speculation of a boob job for the young starlet.

Well it looks like one of three things may have happened: 1. Vanessa Hudgens opted for breast implants. 2. Vanessa Hudgens hit a huge and somewhat delayed growth spurt. 3. Vanessa Hudgens was fitted for a humongous padded bra for her latest role in Journey 2.

Ashley Tisdale nose job plastic surgery

Those three options are the only reasonable explanations i can conjure up at the moment, so lets just cross our fingers and hope the correct answer is number 2 or 3.

Because heaven knows Vanessa Hudgens is hands down the most stunning women in show business today, and any type of plastic surgery would be a complete disservice to her stunning God given beauty.

Christina Aguilera on Connan and The 2010 American Music Awards

In spite of gaining a little weight-  by Hollywood standards-and looking a little tired, Christina Aguilera is still out there promoting the release of her upcoming film Burlesque.

Firstly at the 2010 American Music Awards where she performed Express and more recently on Late Night With Conan O’Brien where she sang the jazzy, Something got a hold on me.Both Performances were a little sloppy and lacklustre, with her voice sounding darker and heavier than usual.However, there's no denying she still has amazing pipes.

Am I being too harsh? Let me, and the world, know what you thought of the performances.

Christina performs "Express" at the2010 American Music Awards:

Christina performed the movie theme song Express for the first time live at the America Music Awards 2010. Unfortunately, Christina came off more trashy stripper than classy burlesque dancer in this live performance. At least the song and voice sounded good.

Late Night With Conan O’Brien Show "Something Got a Hold On Me"
A 60's inspired ditty about Love getting a hold of a person. Another solid vocal performance, but please Christina we can do with less growling and grunting,it makes listening to you a little painful.

Jaime Bergman Plastic Surgery Rumors

Jaime Bergman before and after plastic surgery?

Jaime Bergman is an adorable American actress and model, best known for her role on the television series Son of the Beach, and more recently known as the betrayed wife of actor, David Boreanaz, who allegedly had an affair with Hollywood chew-toy/trout pout sufferer, Rachel Uchitel.

Back to Ms. Bergman, the pretty pint-sized actress has been the topic of a few plastic surgery rumors, which aren't exactly evident from this before and after three piece.

Olivia Newton-John before and after plastic surgery

At least one prominent plastic surgery blog has previously suggested Jaime Bergman has undergone procedures such as a nose job, facelift and botox injections.

Jenny McCarthy admits to botox injections

However from the looks of these photos, I'd say no dice on the nose augmentation and any type of facelift operation, while a question mark can be placed on the botox assessment. Mainly what we're seeing is a heavy shot of makeup in the more recent snapshot.

Cameron Diaz Before After Nose Job Plastic Surgery

Cameron Diaz before and after nose job plastic surgery.

Cameron Diaz is a fabulous American A-list actress, known for starring in countless blockbuster movies, including fan favorites such as There's Something About Mary, My Best Friend's Wedding and The Mask.

Sandra Bullock before and after plastic surgery

Its no secret Ms. Diaz has endured a painfully lengthy bout of broken noses in her past, in fact the naturally brunette bombshell has broken her nose an astounding four times! Which is surely a hollywood record of sorts.
Cameron claims all her previous schnoz work was strictly for health purposes and not cosmetic reasons, however the operations performed did alter the appearance of her nose, on more than one occasion.

Sh*t just finds my face, it's crazy!

Janet Jackson before and after nose job plastic surgery

As you can see from this array of before and after photos, Cameron Diaz's nose has taken on numerous shapes and sizes. Whether or not these procedures were cosmetically or medically inspired isn't totally clear, however we'll take Ms. Diaz word for it, with a grain of salt of course.
As for the possibility of a future plastic surgery makeover...

Yeah, well, hey. I'm not doing anything right now. But we'll see. So far, so good. But I'll never say never to anything.

Hilary Swank Before After Breast Implants

Hilary Swank before and after breast implants plastic surgery.

Hilary Swank is a magnificently talented Academy Award-winning actress who starred in films such as Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby.

The idea of Hilary Swank undergoing plastic surgery has been a hot topic for quite some time now, and the debate heated up substantially after last years Oscars, when Ms. Swank graced the red carpet while donning a revealing dress which showcased all her goodies.

Heidi Montag before and after plastic surgery

At first glance things appeared quite nicely, however upon further review of the snapshot below, you'll noticed an interestingly located vertical scar, plus a strange bulging/rippling area of her left breast, which are two huge red flags when spotting breast implants.
The evidence seems quite clear, however the question is why... Why would an already established actress feel the need for breast enhancement surgery at this point in her career? Perhaps to land different roles? Maybe peer pressure, or perhaps she did it for her own self-esteem.

Jodie Marsh before and after breast implants

With all that being said, how would rate the finished results and assess the overall decision of Hilary Swank's presumed breast augmentation plastic surgery procedure?

Is she a million dollar babe or did she make all the boys cry...

Could Celine Dion sing Opera?

Could Celine dion sing opera?

Celine Dion hitting some very operatic sounding notes during her vocal warm up. More on her vocal range and type here.

Watch Christina Aguilera perform "Bound To You" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Christina Performs"Bound to you"

Christina Aguilera performed another song from the "Burlesque" soundtrack called "Bound to You" on the Tonight Show. The performance sounded pretty shaky with some of the top notes towards the end sounding out of tune and strained.

Hopefully it's not a sign of the stress of her breakup and poor album sales getting to her.

Uploaded by yardie4lifever2. - 

Christina Aguilera - Bound To You - Burlesque Vidéo MrMusic sélectionnée dans Musique

Yma Sumac-Vocal Profile/ Range

Yma Sumac 

Vocal Type:  Soprano

Vocal Range: Bb2-c#7 (4 Octaves 1 Note and a semi tone)

Vocal Pluses: Strong  soprano voice, with a wide range. Unique technique.

Vocal Negatives:   Unusual vocal style may not be to everyone's taste.

Listen to Adele: "Rollin in the Deep" Original and Jamie XX remix

Adele "21" release
date 24th January 2011

British Soul Diva Adele returns with  Rollin' in the Deep taken from her second album 21.  Listen and enjoy  below.

Recommended: Listen to another track from 21 entitled "Someone like you"

The single has now also been remixed by Jamie XX from the uber cool, mercury prize winning band the XX. Listen to his remix of Rollin in the deep below:

Giannina Facio Plastic Surgery Yes or No?

Giannina Facio nose job and cheek implants plastic surgery?

Meet Giannina Facio, a largely unknown Costa Rican actress, best recognized as the love interest of famed English film director and producer, Ridley Scott. In fact her entire American filmography consists of minor roles in Scott directed films.

We recently stumbled across a blog posting which suggested Ms. Facio has previously undergone plastic surgery procedures such as cheek implants and a nose job.

Oksana Grigorieva before and after plastic surgery

Despite the actresses altered appearance, there isn't any clear before and after photos to gauge her transformation, so we'll reserve our assessment for later.

Pete Burns botched plastic surgery results

However feel free to share your own astute analysis of Giannina Facio's presumed plastic surgery makeover. We known our readers are sharp like that...

Ashley Greene Nose Job Plastic Surgery

Ashley Greene nose job plastic surgery?

Ashley Greene is a stunningly beautiful American actress and model, featured in the sensationally successful Twilight film series.

Blake Lively before and after nose job plastic surgery

Since Ms. Greene exploded onto the scene back in 08, there has been quite a bit of discussion surrounding her nose, the shape and size of it, and whether or not shes undergone plastic surgery to alter said schnoz.
Well i guess it goes without saying, Ashley Greene has an extraordinarily "petite" nose with a uniquely pointy tip, which others have compared to historically botched celebrity nose jobs of yesteryear. However we're not so sure the stunning starlet has cosmetically altered her nose at all...

Ashley Tisdale before and after rhinoplasty

I suppose for now we'll leave a solemn question mark on Ashley Greene's nose job (rhinoplasty) rumor, until we locate some old school snapshots and create a worthy before and after photo. Stay tuned kiddies!

Mary McCormack Lips Plastic Surgery

Mary McCormack before and after plastic surgery? Lip injections.

Mary McCormack is a delightfully talented American actress, who has starred on the television series Murder One, In Plain Sight and in movies such as Private Parts and 1408.

Once again we have a naturally beautiful starlet who is rumored to have experimented with plastic surgery, in fact there has been an increased amount of online chatter regarding the facial appearance of Ms. Mary McCormack, most of which is focusing on her lips.

Lisa Rinna lip reduction plastic surgery

As we glance at the before and after photo, we see an decade old snapshot of a lovely thin-lipped McCormack, however in current photos the actress appears to have slightly increased the size of her kisser, presumably from a few collagen injections into her upper lip, which is also quite evident in the photo below.
Since these rumors first began to swirl, at least one other plastic surgery blog suggested Ms. McCormack has also been the benefactor of procedures such as a nose job (rhinoplasty), brow lift and botox injections.

Julie Benz before and after plastic surgery

Very interested to hear our local community chime in and share some opinions on the topic of Mary McCormack, and her alleged plastic surgery makeover.

Did Jessica Simpson rip off Mariah's "All I want for Christmas"?

Did Jessica Rip off Mariah?

Jessica Simpson has just released her first single from her new Christmas album "Happy Christmas" called "My only wish" and boy oh boy does it sound like Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas". It has the same lyrical content, the same melody and the same overall sound as Mariah's hit, with the only real change being the middle eight.

Listen to them both below. what do you think? Rip off or coincidence?

 

9

Fiona Apple- Vocal Profile/ Range

Fiona Apple  

Vocal Type:  Contralto

Vocal Range: 2 Octaves 5 notes C3-A5

Vocal Pluses: Gorgeous low tessitura and a brilliantly expressive voice.

  

Nadine Coyle's New single "Put your hands up" is actually Good! Take a listen

Nadine Coyle "Put your Hands up"

Nadine Coyle's second single "Put your Hands up" is a definite improvement on her last, and pretty poor, flop "Insatiable".The song itself is an electro-pop, dance floor groove that is built around a muted trumpet sample.

Unfortunately this song suffers the same problem, but to a lessor extent, as her last release in that it sounds dated. Luckily for Nadine it sounds nowhere near as a dated as "Insatiable" and a strange attempt at autotuning  her voice part-way through may  be enough to make it appeal to the younger fanbase she desperately needs for this to sell well and become a hit.

"Put your Hands up" deserves to go top 10 at least, as its actually a  good ,grown-up, pop song. However, it's going to need a big push promotionally for people to take notice because it doesn't scream "hit" straight away or have a gimmick for people to latch on to ("Promise me", anyone?).

Watch the Official video for Rhianna's- "What's My Name?"

Rihanna's new video to accompany her American number 1 hit Whats my name? featuring Drake. Yeh or meh?

Rihanna and Drake

Heidi Montag Before And After Regrets

Its hard to believe that the sorrowful anniversary of Heidi Montag's plastic surgery transformation is just around the corner, which prompted us to feature some up close and eerily personal before and after photos of the former "Hills" star turned plastic surgery test subject.

As you may remember, Ms. Montag underwent nearly a dozen cosmetic procedures in a very short period of time, which stripped her of all natural God given beauty and rendered her virtually unrecognizable.
Since her near full-body overhaul, Heidi Montag has voiced deep concerns and regrets about her extensive plastic surgery makeover, saying to Life & Style magazine ...

I'm desperate to go back to normal, I'm downgrading and going a little smaller, to a D or a double D.

I'm obsessed with fitness but it's impossible to workout with these boobs. It's heartbreaking, I can't live an everyday life, I feel trapped in my own body. I have major anxiety about it. I was taking painkillers but they weren't working so I stopped. It hurt either way.

So if there is any good that could possibly come from this disastrously unfortunate situation, it should serve as a warning to any and all young women out there, who feel uncomfortable in their own skin, and to understand that you weren't created by mistake.

And most importantly to remember that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".