Lady Gaga: "Hair" Live performances:

The more I listen to Lady Gaga's new album Born this way the more I like it. Sure, lyrically it's a little lacking but production wise, thematically, vocally, and melodically its solid piece of work that makes better sense, and stands stronger, as a collection of songs than as individual singles.

One of my favourite performances, so far, from this era is when Gaga took to the stage to perform Hair (review here) on the British chat show, Paul O Grady. Channelling Liza Minnelli, Gaga gave a powerful, stripped back rendition of the searching for acceptance song. The fact that she was bald didn't phase or even really register with me- I've come to expect each performance is going to have a gimmick in it designed to keep her in the headlines, and to be honest I think nothing she does phases me now- but as a whole, a stunning, captivating performance.

Other Performances of Hair:
Lady Gaga on Good Morning America:

Lady Gaga on Taratata in France:

Other Lady Gaga Posts:

• Lady Gaga's Vocal Range
• Born this Way Single Review
• Born this way Video review
• Judas Single Review
• Judas Video Review
• Edge of Glory Review

Prepare yourselves for the return of British soul singer Joss Stone

Having been seen stretching her acting chops of late I was worried singing sensation Joss Stone had ditched singing for good. However, news has reached me that the British soul singer is gearing up to release her first album in 2 years, entitled LP1, on her own Label.

I'm genuinely excited to see how this project- which hardly anything about has been revealed- will sound. Especially now that she has full artistic control over her material. All I know of the project is that it was recorded in Nashvile in only 6 days(!) with Eurythmics legend David A. Stewart. This is bound to be something special. Roll on release date 26th of July!

In honour of this news I thought it was time to showcase some of the singers best live performances. Though Joss lacks the wide vocal range or bombastic belting voice of other Divas, the earthy character of her voice and the power of her delivery more than makes up for it. Her skill and technique is something many a singer would trade a couple of octaves, if not their right arm, for.

In this performance Joss give's possibly the best performance of Dusty Springfield's Son of a Preacher Man I've ever heard.

Joss gives a rousing rendition of Aretha Franklin's Natural woman, all while the singer sits intimidatingly stony faced a few meters away.

Joss- only 18 here- sings with the king of soul James Brown. Watch how she holds her own in what looks like an impromptu performance of It's a Man's World and Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine. 

At the Vh1 Divas concert in 2004 Joss took to the stage to sing I've Got To Use My Imagination with the amazing Glady Knight and the so-so Jessica Simpson.

Lastly, my favourite Joss Stone song Spoiled. A luscious love song that speaks of the power and hold a true love can have over you, spoiling any relationship that follows.

Performance of the decade: Beyonce "Who runs the world (girls)" at the 2011 Billboard awards

Beyonce's commitment to taking her craft to the next level with new project 4 has finally begun to be realised with the amazing live performance of current single Who runs the world (girls)at the 2011 Billboard awards.

Clever use of screens, lighting, extras and pyrotechnics gave the performance a cutting edge, futuristic feel but in credit to the singer and her stage presence, all the extras never overshadowed or competed with Beyonce herself.

Watch the performance below and see why Queen B is on a level of her own when it comes to putting on a show. Who runs the show? Beyonce!

Beyonce by yardie4lifever2

Review: Lady Gaga "Born this way" at 2011 Grammy awards.

2011 Grammy awards: Lady Gaga and her giant Egg

Lady Gaga toned down the weirdness, at least by her standards, and gave her hotly anticipated first performance of new single Born this way at the 2011 Grammy awards. But could the live performance be strong enough to convert me to being a fan of the song?

In a nod to the song title the singer started her performance being born as Lady Gaga- oppose to her human self, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta- from a giant egg  that she claimed to have been in for days. She'd also arrived on the red carpet being carried in said egg, much to the bewilderment, and I guess annoyance, of the other celebrities who had never been upstaged by a giant egg before.

Conceptually the egg thing wasn't a huge leap for the singer, the words "born" and "egg" are pretty much synonymous if you're a bird, and so even though it wasn't particularly weird or outlandish on the Gaga scale of weirdness- remember the blood and the hanging from the chandelier at the VMA's- it was the "weirdest" and "Gaga-est" part of the performance. From that point the gimmicks were ditched and Gaga focused squarely on dancing, singing, and playing the piano to gain the adulation of the crowd.

The performance featured slick choreography, simple staging, a mini organ solo of Toccata and Fugue and a powerful, emotive vocal that communicated a passionate conviction, that is sorely lacking from the studio version, in the songs meaning.

Lady Gaga's performance of Born this way  may have been underwhelming for those who expected Gaga's usual antics, but to me it highlighted how the singer doesn't really need to rely on big production values to impress or amaze. Despite still not liking the song (see my review here), I can't deny Gaga her props as a world class performer.

Watch Lady Gaga perform Born this way live below

Christina Aguilera's best performances: lets all show "Screamtina" some love

There is a whole heap of hate surrounding Christina Aguilera (or Screamtina as she is now being referred to by detractors) after her not-so-great performance of the hallowed Star Spangled Banner at the 2011 Super Bowl.Over-singing and loosing the melody in a wave of unnecessary runs would have been one thing, but Christina added insult to already battered ears by mixing up the words for the American National Anthem. Gasp!

However, I'm not going to be posting the Superbowl performance but instead, to balance out the universe and spread some positivity, I thought I would send out some love for the singer by creating a post which highlights some of her better live performances.

Perhaps it'll remind people why she is considered the voice of a generation by many.


You lost me (live on Vh1 story tellers): This performance demonstrates, during the verses, how soft and sweet Christina's voice can sound in its low to mid range.

Beautiful Live at AOL session: A relaxed and dressed down Christina leaves it to her voice to impress.

(The following videos I've created separate posts for previously but as one illustrates Christina's best vocal and the other her best live routine they had to be included.)

Lift Me up (Hope For Haiti benefit): Perfectly executed vocals that keep Christina's chest belting almost entirely within her comfortable range thus creating a pleasurable and breathtaking listening experience.

Bionic/ Not myself tonight/ Woohoo medley (at the Mtv music awards): Finally here is Christina Aguilera the consummate performer. A crazy good musical production that should have lifted sales of Bionic.

Do you know of any awesome Christina Aguilera Performances. Tell the World about it, comment here!

Alexandra Burke - The silence (Alan Titchmarsh performance)

Watching this made me realise that the extras on the stage during the X-Factor performance of The Silence actually did Alexandra Burke a disservice by distracting from that voice.


The control she demonstrated in all parts of her voice was just crazy. The strong, sustained, chest note (B4) she held at 2.33 with the late addition of vibrato was just stunning. Burke even went up to a Eb5  at 2.59 and a G5#  in head voice at 2.50,while simultaneously giving us her best impression of Mariah Carey with the finger to the ear and crazy hand waving.

For all the feedback she was getting from the aged crowd she would have done just as well to have mimed the song, but kudos to Alex who always seems to bring her A-game whenever and where ever she sings.

Cheryl Cole, The Flood LIVE (Royal Variety Performance 2010)

Cheryl Cole

Chery Cole gave her first live performance of her terrible single The Flood at the Royal Variety Show.

It's almost as if this was a different Cheryl Cole to the one we've watched on the X-Factor these last months. Gone was the tough, in-control aura and instead poor Cheryl looked nervous and meek, visibly shaking throughout the song. It's vulnerable side I've never seen in the confident Geordie before.

There's speculation about whether this was live or not, but I think the tuning issues and Cheryl being clearly nervous made it more likely to be live than not. The belted D5 note-that people are claiming was mimed- on the word "flood" (see 1.07) was also live; although that note is supported by a backing track that can be heard at 3.19.

Mariah Carey ABC Christmas Special 2010: Watch and Read the review (lip-synced or not)

Mariah Carey and the stage set up for her ABC Christmas Special

Mariah carey and her mother
embrace after a rousing duet of
Come All ye Faithful

Set List:
1)Oh Santa
2)O Little Town Of Bethlehem / Little Drummer Boy Medley
3)Oh holy night.
4)Here Comes Santa Claus/ Housetop Celebration
5)Charlie Brown Christmas
6)When Christmas Comes:
7)O Joy to the World
8)Christmas time is in the air again:
9)O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus


Mariah Carey's Christmas Special extravaganza aired on the ABC Network yesterday- much to my excitement- and contained material from both her new (Merry Christmas ii you) and old (Merry Christmas) holiday albums.

The show was clearly a high budget affair with a stage that was decorated beautifully with trees, lights and plenty of glitter. The production also featured a live band, a strings section, a choir and occasional dancers, as well guest appearances from Randy Jackson and her mother, Patricia Carey.



There was some trepidation from me in viewing these performances because, as commented on the review of the Merry Christmas ii you,I feared as the vocals on the album has been enhanced with studio magic she'd be unable to recreate them live. However, not ready to believe that little voice of doubt in the back of my head, I deferred a conclusive opinion until I'd heard her sing the songs live. That moment has arrived. Time to find out if my questioning of her vocal abilities prove unfounded,


Videos and Reviews From Mariah Carey's ABC Christmas Special 2010:


Oh Santa:Best performance of Oh Santa yet. Surprisingly the whistle at 1.49, which i thought was autotuned on the album due to its odd trajectory up and down the scale and tinny quality, may not have been so. She sings it almost exactly the same here live but changes it a bit by stoping it on an ealier note to allow her to catch her breath.

O Little Town Of Bethlehem / Little Drummer Boy Medley: The crowd rose to their feet after this one, but the those belts were too pristine to be live. Right? At 2.53 is an example of why this performance is making me waver in deciding if lipped or not.That vocal is clearly live but sounds so in keeping with the tone and texture of the the belt that leads up to it-which I suspect is lipped- that I don't quite know what to think any more. .

Oh Holy night: An almost carbon copy of the 2000 version of the song. Was convinced this was lipped untill the head note that starts at 2.24 and the wavering that happens at the end of its run. However still not convinced with the liveness of the belt that proceeds it.

Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)/Housetop Celebration:Randy Jackson joined Mariah on stage for my least liked song on the album. Performance was vocally on point and the crowd seemed to enjoy it, getting up to dance. The hamming up of her actions on certain parts screams lipped.

Charlie Brown Christmas: Just Mariah and no backing vocals to fall back on or blend into.Fully live, fully awesome. Perfect example of the improvement in texture and quality of Mariah's mid-range (whisper register).

When Christmas Comes:"It's Christmas right?" love the contrast at 1.52 between Mariah's low, thick, alto speaking voice and the light, bright, whistle note that follows. The belts are lipped but Mariah gets a get out of jail free card for this since it contains a lot of high and sustained belted part that could have exhausted her voice mid-way through the show.

O Joy to the World:  Loved the arrangement and the vocals were strong and almost effortless, but you can see they were live with mistakes such as 1.55 where the note didn't quite make it out. My favourite performance of the song after her BET performance a few years back.

Christmas time is in the air again: A live performance that is virtually a copy of the studio version.The high noted "time" at 2.25 going off key for a split second is for anyone who doesn't think it is.

O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus: The moment anyone who has listened to the album was waiting for; the duet with Mariah and her mother! Unsurprisingly, but surprisingly at the same time, it was spectacularly live and near enough note perfect. Watch how Mariah runs out of breath at 3.20 after the belt, so has to come in late, if you need proof of it being live.
Patricia's voice was stunning, and she made singing looking effortless-especially in contrast to Mariah, who was making some odd faces in the introduction as she navigated her voice- but you'd expect no less from a retired opera singer.Mariah and Mother need to record an album together.Nuff said.

Conclusion:This ABC special proved something important. It wasn't that she could hit practically ever note on the piano-because we knew that- but it's the improvement of the quality of the voice that's doing the hitting of the notes that is shockingly good. It sounds well

Mariah Carey and Jazz band backing
singing Charlie Brown Christmas.

defined and even in texture and tone throughout the range; all qualities that have been in decline since the Charmbracelet album.

But there were still suspicions in the back of my mind that parts of the vocals had been pre-recorded. For every small crack in the voice and off note that showed it was live, there was a high E or F that was so strong and consistent that it couldn't have possibly been live if going on past performances.

Live or not, the most important thing is that Mariah convinced me that the vocals on the Merry Christmas ii you album were all hers and unaided by studio wizardry. This was quite an early Christmas present- as well as a relief- for any Mariah fan to receive this holiday.

Watch Christina Aguilera's X-Factor Finale Performances (2010)

Christina Aguilera performing Burlesque on the X-Factor

Despite Christina Aguilera giving a performance of Express that made us reminisce about Britney Spear's car crash performance of Gimme more at the MTV awards, her appearance on the X-Factor seems to have done the album no end of good. Sales have reportedly increased by 400% since the weekend!

Watch her X-factor performances below.

Review: Lady GaGa- Telephone/Dance in the dark Medley at the 2010 Brit Awards

The week that Lady Gaga was scheduled to perform at the 2010 Brit awards tragedy struck as her friend and fashion designer Alexandra McQueen committed suicide.

Initially there had been wild speculation in the papers that Gaga had been planning an elaborate, extravagant and costly performance.

Lady Gaga

 However as a result of the sad news, that idea was scrapped and instead, Gaga  set on choreographing, virtually at the eleventh hour, a new arrangement that would act as a tribute to her friend.

Dressed in an Alexandra Mcqueen outfit, and in the shadow of a giant modernist statue, she began her tribute with an intense version of Telephone. The performance was stopped midway for Gaga to dedicate the performance to the designer, before she went on to the climax of the song. 

Never one to play by the book, and knowing everyone would be expecting a somber performance, the genius that is Gaga flipped the tribute on its head  by following the acoustic version of Telephone with a techno/alternative version of Dance in the Dark. 

Surprisingly this song  worked better as a tribute song than the slower start because of the relevant references to tragic figures Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland.

Gaga's risky and unusual song choice was spot on and  fittingly mirrored McQueens' own unusual and unique approach to fashion.The whole performance was a brilliant tribute, and it's definitely one of my favourite performances by the singer

Diva's Christina Aguilera and Rihanna To duet with Rebecca and Matt on the 2010 X-factor Finale:

Update:

• View Matt and Rihanna's performance here
• View Christina and Rebecca's performance here

Exciting news from the X-factor camp about which celebrities will duet with which contestants in the X-factor finale this weekend.

Rihanna and Matt Cardle

Matt and Rihanna are Duetting on
the x-factor  finale

Painter and decorator Matt Cardle has been paired up with Bajan singer Rihanna; an odd choice considering their contrasting voices. Matt has a soft, delicate, emotive voice whereas Rhiannas' tends to be solid, nasal and a little harsh.

Listen to Matt's voice below as he sings The first time (I ever saw your face) 

Christina Aguilera and Rebecca Ferguson

Rebecca and Christina Aguilera  are duetting
on the x-factor  finale

Rebecca has a gorgeous voice that's stunning in a discreet, non showy, way. So who do they chose to compliment these qualities?A singer who is practically the opposite in every way! Enter Ms Christina Aguilera. Madness.

Listen to Rebecca's voice below as she sings Chris Isaac's Wicked Games.

The other duet partners:

• One direction and Robbie Williams
• Cher and Will.I.Am

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

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.

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.

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

Did Willow Smith Diss Rihanna before performing "WHIP MY HAIR" (LIVE ON ELLEN)

It looks like Willow Smith is aware of the Rihanna comparisons being banded about and deftly brushes them off by singing a little tribute of Rihanna's "Only girl in the world" at the start of her performance of "Whip my hair" on Ellen. Watch the clip below

Rachelle Ferrell - "With Open Arms" Live ( 25 second belt and whistle note)

Rachelle Ferrell is an amazing singer who not only has a 5 octave range, access to the whistle register (see 3.44 for the whistle note) but incredible stamina-see 5.14 as she holds a note effortlessly for 25 seconds- and amazing technique to boot too.  A true vocalist in every sense of the word!

Christina Aguilera: Performs "Bionic", "woohoo" and "Not myself Tonight" Live at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards

Christina Aguilera at
the 2010 Mtv Awards

Christina Aguilera announced herself back on to the music scene in 2010 with an outstanding performance at MTV music awards. Christina's set was a medley of three songs from her Bionic album-Bionic, Not myself tonight and Woohoo- that along with the production and choreography, brought the house down on the night.


The performance, the styling and the video for Not Myself Tonight hinted at an exciting era for Christina Aguilera and her fans; it's just a shame Bionic flopped and her interest in promoting it sank just as quickly.

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