Chances are, if you've breathed in the last 3 months, you've heard Rihanna's Stay. And if you're a fan of this blog, you may have noticed that the Demi correlated posts get the most views. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, so here is another Demi plug. And you don't want to miss this post. Let me say that the Rihanna original is very enrapturing in her vocal delivery, but when a superior emoter (and vocalist) like Demi Lovato takes on a ballad like Stay, Rihanna doesn't stand a chance. I've been very hard on my girl Demi lately, but with a performance like this, I think she's got me back on her side.
She connected with Stay just as well as she would with Skyscraper, she gave heart broken glances, moved her head away from the mic, and looked like she was on the verge of tears at points. It all added to her powerful phrasing, and powerful voice, which blew the notes off of the page at the end of the performance. By taking the chorus up an octave, she showed off her own individuality on a cover; there is no way Rihanna could stand to belt it out like that.
Powerful, passionate, emotive. A performance guaranteed to give you chills.
Vocal Rating: C+ Recommended Listenings: Brite Lites, Heart-Shaped Box, Young and Beautiful
Positives: Lana has adopted a unique style of phrasing, combined with her unique vocal type, that makes her voice instantly recognizable. Her voice compliments her darker musical styling, but can also adopt a much happier style (Compare Born To Die to Off To the Races).
Her low notes are her most identifiable feature, developing an impressive lower register. Though initially (and still somewhat) foggy, they have grown over time to become heavier and darker.
Her midrange brightens and it ascends, gaining a youthful timbre, compared to her dark lower register. She rarely uses her upper chest voice (B4-E5), instead she opts for her head voice and falsetto. Her falsetto is incredibly light, and Del Rey has no issues staying in this register for extensive periods. The head voice is fuller and almost operatic (Brite Lites). Though not utilized often, her upper chest voice is projected well. Overall her voice starts off very dark at the bottom, before becoming remarkably bright at the top.
Negatives:Though her phrasing is unique, it can percieved as 'hollow' or 'icy.' Her live performances have drawn heavy criticism for being unpolished in terms of phrasing, leading to off-key runs and intonation issues. Lower notes are also hit with a low larynx, and her voice is often nasal.
Vocal Rating: C Recommended Listenings: The Harold Song, Last Goodbye
Positives: A voice that can be sweet and gentle, or full of attitude and vigor. Her phrasing is top-notch, she can portray heartbroken with deft ability, have a comical approach, and also give a 'bad girl' attitude with the same deft ability. She is skilled at register transitions.
Her lows are generally comfortable, but are the weakest part of her range. Her mid-range is full and can be held for extended periods without wavering in pitch. The belting range gains resonance the higher it ascends, up to an F5.
Her voice can transition from several genres, such as Rock, Balladry, Country, Electronic, Pop, Rap and Musical Theatre. She has even developed a distinct 'Yodel' characteristic.
Negatives: Her use of auto-tune has drawn heavy criticism, though she has stated that this is an artistic choice. Her intonation in upper reaches is inaccurate in live settings. Her breath control could use some improvement, and her tone isn't to everyone's taste.
Positives: Agile voice capable of rapid melismas in falsetto and chest voice. The falsetto can be used for extended amounts of time without fatigue (See Climax) and is remarkably piercing. Though the voice is at it's home in R&B stylings, it can adapt a rock edge, that allows for mixed belts up to G5.
His vocals almost drip with sexual energy, which adds to the last R&B comment. His chest voice is powerful in all extents, and his low notes are thick and velvety. His breath control allows for rigorous dance routine without sounding tired or with random breaths thrown into the song. Excellent diction which allows for powerful emoting.
Negatives: The voice can sound shrill or nasal at points. After leaving the R&B field for pop music, his voice no longer carries his distinct sexual tone, and he sounds 'hollow.'
Judges in the big singing competitions like The Voice, The X Factor, and especially American Idol have advised its contestants to stay away from some big voiced singers. So what happens when they try to pull it off?
Let's start off with the success, so we don't cringe in agony for too long.
Attempt: Adele
Technically this isn't an Adele song, though the song was recorded for her sophomore set 21. Candice Glover, AKA Season 12 American Idol winner, recently nailed Lovesong with Mariah Carey throwing glitter at her, Keith Urban bowing to her, and Randy Jackson calling it one of the best performances in American Idol history. And quite honestly, they're not exaggerating one bit.
Attempt: Aretha Franklin
So even though Kelly Clarkson is a big voiced diva herself, she still deserves a spot on the list for some incredible work on Idol. What made Clarkson truly excel on the show was her soul. She took on the Queen of Soul week after week and nailed it each time. Her Respect was screaming with vengeance, while her Natural Woman was... WHEW.
Respect
Natural Woman
Attempt: Whitney Houston
Jessica made headlines last year for actually doing Whitney justice on American Idol when she took on the pinnacle of Whitney: I Will Always Love You. Did it live up to Whitney? Probably not. But for being 19 years old, she did a damn good job.
And the bad....
Attempt: Adele
Excuse my french, but what the hell was this? It wasn't even Adele, it just sounded like she was reciting demonic chants while being constipated. I only wish I could hear a comment from Simon Cowell on this... noise.
Attempt: Christina Aguilera
I actually kind of secretly liked CeCe Frey on the X Factor but... After re-watching this I want to hit myself over the head with a brick for ever liking her. The pitch was everywhere, the attitude was awful, messy melismas, and the nasally singing was funnier than she ever will be... Okay maybe she needed the brick. The only good thing was her stage presence, because that was definitely there. But I honestly don't know how she made it to the next round, let alone 5th place.
Attempt: Kelly Clarkson
Kelly often doesn't go recognized as a "Stay Away From Covering Her or Your Career Will Collapse" kind of singer like fellow greats Mariah and Whitney. But she really needs too, to prevent people like Lazaro Arbos from attempting songs like Breakaway. At this point I wanted to him to Breakaway too, Breakaway from the show and never come back.
