Mu$ic i$ the Door

MDS Sound of 2012

2012-02-05T20:17:00.000-03:00

Results:

3rd Place: Kyla La Grange: I've been following Kyla for quite a while now since her "Walk Through Walls" first showed up. Her vocals just enchanted me and I instantly fell in love with her. As times goes by, it looks like 2012 will finally be her year and hopefully, the year we'll get her debut album!

4th Place: Grimes: Canadian singer Claire Boucher is our fourth placer! The eerie singer will release her album "Visions" in the following months and hopefully, she'll score the success she's been waiting for and after all the hype around her, that's due to happen!

5th Place: Lucy Rose: The sweet Warwickshire native has claimed the fifth place of the competition after hypnotizing the voters with her fantastic tone, cause we all know that's what happened. With an album coming out this year, there's no doubt that this is a well deserved poisition for this raising star!

And it's back! Another year has almost gone by and with that, a new one is coming, and that only means new music stars for us! The MDS Sound of 2011, which was topped by Sweden's iamamiwhoami, proved to be a success so it will be just stupid not to keep doing it. For those who aren't familiar with it, the list features the most promising music acts for the coming year and instead of me being the only pundit, you will be part of the decision by casting your vote on your favourites! This year, it gets bigger and better! In the next days, I'll post my Top 56 acts, that'd be a post for each act featuring its music and my comments on them, and you'll be able to vote for them after all the acts are posted! There will be 2 votation stages. The first will feature all the 56, divided in 4 polls of 14 acts each. You'll be able to pick 2 acts per poll, so choose wisely. Each poll will be open for a week, then I'll reopen all of them for one more week. Then, in the second stage, the Top 15 acts, that's the 15 acts with the most votes (all the polls considered) will be in a new poll where the winner will be decided! In addition to that, some of last year's acts will be in a different poll, where you'll be able to vote for them in order to give them a second chance of winning the contest given that they didn't release any new material this year, there will be 7 acts in the poll but only 1 of them will make it ... Who will be the sound of 2012?!!

VOTE after the JUMP ...

Click on the image to vote.

After a month of votation, I can finally announce our MDS Sound of 2012 finalists! Initially, I was planning to make it 15 but after the results came in, there was a tie, making it a top 16. Then I added the winner of the Repeaters poll, making it a top 17. But 17 isn't a good number, so to round it up, I selected 3 of the 5 acts which where tied in the following position to make it a top 20! The 4 polls results will be revealed after the contest is over. And now, you'll need to select your top 5! Just follow the instructions and remember, you just until January 29 to do so!

Poll 1Click on the pics to check their individual posts.

REMEMBER TO SELECT 2 DIFFERENT ACTS

Poll 2 Click on the pics to check their individual posts.s

REMEMBER TO SELECT 2 DIFFERENT ACTS

Poll 3 Click on the pics to check their individual posts.s

REMEMBER TO SELECT 2 DIFFERENT ACTS

Poll 4 Click on the pics to check their individual posts.s

REMEMBER TO SELECT 2 DIFFERENT ACTS

mdssoundof2012repeatersClick on the pics to check their individual posts.

Voice - Danmarks største stemme Season 1: Top 20 - Part 1 - Perform!

2012-02-01T19:31:00.002-03:00

With the battles over and an incredible talent poll, the remaining 20 contestants will now battle each other until one ultimately is crowned the winner. Tonight, L.O.C's and Sharin's team will perform and not one, but two contestants of each team will be leaving us by the end of the night. Will it be a fan favourite? Will someone surprise us?

Recap after the JUMP ...

Rebecca Melodee Ndigaye

"Halo" (Beyoncé) - 5/10 - Her battle didn't impress me at all and unfortunately, she's not either tonight. There were some nice moments on that performance but on most of it she was off tune and her tone was even painful. It's a shame, she had potential and with a little bit of vocal classes she could be good. I think it's to late for that now ... - VIDEO

Martin Preisler

"Living for the City" (Stevie Wonder) - 7/10 - He's got a great raspy tone, very in the blues/rock vibe. I don't know if this song is a good pick for him. It suits his vocal perfectly but I'm not sure that he's showing him as a current artist, is L.O.C trying to sabotage Martin? - VIDEO

Joakim Tranberg

"Without You" (David Guetta featuring Usher) - 8/10 - Great song, really like the slowed down arrengment at the start but then it goes back to the normal tempo of the track. Joakim's voice sounds really similar to the original. Not a bad thing given that Usher sounds great on this but I would've liked something different and not just a copy of the song. Still, great job! - VIDEO

Kim Wagner

"Prayin'" (Plan B) - 8,5/10 - I hated his battle, not because he didn't sing well but because L.O.C paired him with my fave Pernille. Not really sure about this performance, he's nailing it but I don't really like the song much. I would've gave him something much more folky and not this strange tune. Really good though. - VIDEO

Noa Sophie Stoustrup

"Born This Way" (Lady Gaga) - 9/10 - Wow L.O.C! What the hell are you doing with your acts? You didn't pick a single good song for them. Start thinking of picking suitable songs instead songs you like yourself. That already said, I actually liked this. Still hate the song but the jazzy start without the dancers and the faster track really worked great with her voice, I just hope she had done that the whole performance. Still, definitely the best in this team. - VIDEO

Freja Kirk

"Like I Love You" (Justin Timberlake) - 4/10 - I loved her audition, she totally dissapointed me on the battles rounds and she's doing it again tonight. What's wrong with her? She showed lots of potential the first time and she's just gone backwards since then. This was really messy, many off notes and she just looked completely off. - VIDEO

Bjarne Langhoff

"Somebody That I Used to Know" (Gotye featuring Kimbra) with Sharin- 7,5/10 - I'm obsessed with this song recently. Why does he get to sing with Sharin while the others sang by themselves? Unfair advantage? Bjarne sounds ok, nothing too interesting to me plus he seems to be copying Goyte's style. And Kimbra is so much better than Sharin ... She did a good job though, well, kinda. - VIDEO

Frederik Meyer-Zeuthen

"Somewhere Only We Know" (Keane) - 7,5/10 - This guy is radio ready! His tone is wonderfull and his voice is every label's dream. I remember Sharin's assistant telling him that if he didn't make it he'll sign him. I hope that happens if that's the case. This lacks a little excitement but his voice does the job for me. I liked it ... - VIDEO

Amie Jones

"Lost in the Fire" (The Storm) - 8/10 - Hair change! One of the many styles she's had. This is actually the best on her, it's also probably her natural color. She's a great singer, I'm glad Sharin picked her but I still can't forgive her for cutting Anne Louise. I also liked the fact that she sang a quite dark tune, whose original artist is no other than Pernille, XF DK judge. Way to pimp the competition girl! - VIDEO

Stella Danielsen

"Video Games" (Lana Del Rey) - 10/10 - She's my favourite on Sharin's team. Her voice is sultry and her tone is incrediblly interesting. She's really unique and it'd be a shame to lose her. I'm glad she's singing this song! I just love it. The only complain I have is that her voice is too similar to Lana's, not that it's a bad thing but she can't show her originality. Still, it was without a doubt the best performance of the night! - VIDEO

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Martin Preisler

Rebecca Melodee Ndigaye

Frederik Meyer-Zeuthen

Stella Danielsen

Awful, awful, awful results. I don't even know what the hell was crossing Sharin's mind when making this decision, pot? crack? several drugs? She did not only eliminated the fantastic Stella, who was arugably the best of the night but she also decided to keep Freja over Fredrik. Freja was the weakest, not only of Sharin's team but also of the night and she deserved to go. Unfortunately, Sharin is known for her stupid decisions, so I was expecting something like this to happen. On L.O.C's side, the right people went home. Martin and Rebecca were the weakest and Kim had a much better performance than theirs. Let's just hope that Lene and Steen are better at making decisions next week ...

Lucy Rose: "Red Face" Music Video

2012-02-01T17:26:00.000-03:00

Our MDS Sound of 2012 5th placer was only announced yesterday but she's already debutting some new music for us! Her new single, "Red Face" is yet another lovely indie folk driven sweet track and it's video is much in the style of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games". It's gets off to a slow start but starts building tempo towards the end and also proves that she can deliver when accompanied by a full band. Another cutesy track from her ...

Video after the JUMP ...

Buy "Red Face" HERE

The Voice Of Ireland: The Blind Auditions!

2012-01-31T18:00:00.001-03:00

After the massive success of The Voice Of Holland and The Voice of America, everyone else seems to be getting their own series. BBC One will be airing The Voice of UK later this year with Jessie J and Tom Jones amongst the coaches. However, I would never have predicted that RTE would pick up the series in place of another series of the (frankly awful) variety programme The All Ireland Talent Show, seen as Ireland's answer to the Got Talent format that was limbered by rubbish judges and a mostly poor standard of talent.

So have RTE tried to resolve this issue in their line-up of coaches? It's not that bad! Hoping to find some talent are Northern Irish singer-songwriter Brian Kennedy, one quarter of singing siblings The Corrs; Sharon Corr, Westlife member Kian Egan and finally, the one I'm most excited about, gaelic footballer turned hurler turned Leinster rugby player turned rocker and frontman of The Blizzards; Niall 'Bressie' Breslin. So yes, it's not exactly up there with Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green but they'll do, I hope.

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Week 1

Onya Gray - Sings 'Running Up That Hill' by Kate Bush/Placebo

Yes - First up is Onya Gray, she's from Limerick and she may be best known to everyone as being part of Black Daisy who represented Ireland in 2009 in the Eurovision Song Contest alongside Sinead Mulvey. Oddly, she's now operating under a different name to when she was part of Black Daisy when she was known as Lesley-Ann Halvey. She's singing Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush and absolutely smashing it. Andrea presses her button straight away, swiftly followed by Bressie. Bryan Kennedy also presses his button, only Kian doesn't but let's face it, he's not rock, he's barely even a pebble. She chooses Sharon, to be honest, I half expected it to be Bressie after he showed an extensive knowledge of modern rockers but Sharon will no doubt lead her well.

Darren Bates - Sings 'Patience' by Take That

No - The next hopeful is Darren Bates, he's got the Ed Sheeran look about him so I kind of expect him to be quite poppy. He wants Kian as his coach. He's singing 'Patience' by Take That, he's okay but he's got a very generic voice, probably a bit like a poor imitation of Damien Rice or David Gray. He misses most of the notes in the chorus and nobody turns their chair around. I do think nerves got the better of him to be honest and none of the judges thought he was bad but a little bit like a wedding singer. He's no massive loss.

Kate Donohue - Sings 'Mustang Sally' by Mack Rice/Wilson Pickett

Yes - Kate is from Dublin, she has already performed as a backing choir for Westlife and infront of The Queen. She's singing Mustang Sally and has a really interesting tone to her voice, not quite Paloma Faith, not quite Debbie Harry, it's very unique and all the judges are tapping their feet. It looks like nobody is going to choose her then Sharon presses her button just as the song is about to end. Kate is delighted as she wanted Sharon to choose her but Kian has some feedback for her telling her that she was a bit too cabaret. Sure what would he know?

Conor Quinn - Sings '9 Crimes' by Damien Rice

Yes - I'd be lying if I said my first thought wasn't what in under God is he doing when Conor first opened his mouth. He has quite a unique voice, it's not dissimilar to Aiden Grimshaw off The X Factor UK in 2010 and he has a similar stage mannerism, what I'd describe as standing with the posture of the Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Bressie presses his button and nobody else does. His voice doesn't seem to match his look as he resembles Niall from One Direction so I kind of expected him to sing a pop song but I'm pleasantly surprised. The other judges all agree that they didn't want to press their buttons as they felt that Bressie is the best judge for him. I hope that Conor goes far as he's very unique albeit definitely needs to work on his diction when singing.

Kim Burke - Sings 'Price Tag' by Jessie J

No - 19-year-old Kim from Limerick automatically screams 'attitude' to me. I don't know what it is about her but the way she walked in as the camera panned after her reminded me a bit of Cher Lloyd who wasn't renowned for being shy and retiring. Straight away, her interview pretty much lets us know that she'll be full of herself as she claims she's good ''at most genres''. She's singing hit single Price Tag. It's not bad to be fair, it's a little bit pitchy but I've heard much much worse. Definitely wouldn't be enough for me to justify turning round though, her voice is actually a little bit like Cher Lloyd but the growling is just a straight carbon copy of Jessie J. She doesn't get through and isn't impressed, evident when she gives Kian some backchat when he tries to offer her constructive criticism. It's nowhere near as dramatic as the deluded auditionees who argue on The X Factor but it's probably the most melodramatic audition so far. Bressie makes me laugh again telling the other judges 'She just needs a hug'.

Chris Currid - Sings 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' by The Darkness

No - Unlike the other auditionees, we aren't shown Chris' face as he is interviewed whilst presenter Kathryn instructs us to play along at home. Chris is singing rock song 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' and to be fair, it's not a half-bad attempt to sing the song. The only thing is that his high notes are very very pitchy and he does sound a bit too much like Justin Hawkins for my liking. I personally wouldn't choose him as I don't think he's very original. And none of the judges disagree with me as nobody presses their button meaning so far, only Sharon and Bressie have actually got any acts yet. In fact, Kian has yet to turn his chair around for an act. What's he waiting on? A girlband comprising of Irish girls and one English girl who is a former soap actress? Oh wait, he already tried to make one of them.

Christina Foran - Sings 'You Can Go Your Own Way' by Fleetwood Mac

Yes - Art student Christina is the next hopeful out. She's one of the youngest auditionees, aged 18 and compares herself most closely to Ellie Goulding. She's picked quite a unique song choice, I can't say that I expected someone of a similar style to Ellie Goulding to come out singing country-rock but she's actually rather brilliant at it. She's singing it in the similar breathy style to Ellie and to X Factor 2011 contestant Janet Devlin actually. She's good although it starts off slightly pitchy. And Sharon becomes the first to press her button, or does she? Kian also presses the button in what looks to be parallel to Sharon. So she has two potential coaches to choose from. I would choose Sharon if I were in her shoes but that might be because I don't really like Kian much incase you haven't noticed. She chooses Kian, fair enough, now there's just Bryan left to get at least one act tonight.

Gavin Kenny - Sings 'Hurt' by Christina Aguilera

Yes - He has a very unique tone. I wouldn't say he has a male diva style voice but it's not a million miles away from it, it's quite soulful which is refreshing as we haven't had any urban artists so far tonight. Bressie presses his button which is a surprise as I didn't think he would be into any of the more urban or pop artists but I do think he will be a great coach for Gavin as he, along with Sharon seems to have the most wide taste in music and has already given some great advice tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Gavin sings later in the competition.

Angela Shanny - Sings 'Listen' by Beyonce

No - I usually like the big voiced diva-singers but when you choose a song as massively challenging as 'Listen', you really need to be prepared to completely smash it or you'll be torn apart. Maybe it's just me but she completely falls apart, it's pretty much consistently pitchy thoughout the song and her tone is completely wrong for the song. She also does some odd over-emphasised songs in the chorus. Bryan is the first and only person to pick her and Kian says he would have pressed the button if Bryan hadn't already pressed his button. Bressie calls it the best vocal performance, I completely disagree, it wasn't awful, none of the auditions have been awful but the standard she set for herself by choosing that song was about twice what she delivered. Oh well, maybe Bryan can change my mind in the later rounds.

Dan Twomey - Sings 'Nella Fantasia' by Sarah Brightman

No - Dan is a tenor so naturally enough, it's classical music that he's going to be tackling. He's singing Nella Fantasia based on the theme 'Gabriel's Oboe'. I'm no classical music expert so there's no way I'd press my buzzer and from what I can gather he does it pretty well, although I do feel like he lost his way around the middle of the song. Surprisingly, Bryan Kennedy, who I expected to choose him doesn't press his button but luckily, Sharon presses hers at the last minute meaning Dan is through even if it is by the skin of his teeth.

Gari Deegan - Sings 'Forget You' by Cee Lo Green

Yes - This is pretty good, it's a tiny bit old fashioned and he goes a little bit out of key at one point but I don't quite know whether he's the best we've seen so far. The judges seem a little bit excited however as Sharon presses her button whilst shuffling to the music in her chair. Bressie is the next to press his button and Bryan Kennedy also decides to vye for being Gari's coach. Ironically, when Bressie is speaking, he mentions manufactured music off a factory assembly line and the camera pans over to Westlife star Kian Egan, some cameraman has a sense of humour or else a death wish. Anyway, Gari struggles with picking who he'd like to be his coach but eventually settles upon Bressie, most likely the best choice for him although I hope he doesn't give him really quirky choices that suck away all his retro funk rock vibe.

Sinead Fox - Sings 'Smile' by Charlie Chaplin/Michael Jackson

Yes - This is possibly my favourite audition of the night, Sinead has an absolutely stunning tone to her voice. It's really soulful but really sweet at the same time and she could be singing the alphabet for all I care, it sounds really sincere and heartfelt. Her falsetto is absolutely flawless, the tone is just superb. Bryan presses his button, I was beginning to think that he had fallen asleep as he barely does anything and Kian is the second and only other coach to press his button although both Bressie and Sharon appear to be tempted, maybe thinking that Kian and Bryan may be better suited to Sinead's style. She gets fantastic comments all round and now comes the important part, does she opt for Bryan or Kian to be her coach? Bressie says she reminds him of the lead in the production of 'Wicked' that he went to see recently, I get what he comes from and she's delighted by the comment as she loves the musical. Bryan is her choice of mentor, I do think he'll probably work really well with her.

Stephen Griffin - Sings 'Everything' by Michael Buble

No - This is a very dull performance, I have nothing against Michael Buble but he's not my favourite singer in the world and this isn't anything spectacular at all, you would see all the same at any pub on a Saturday night or at a wedding, he just has nothing unique about his voice. There are some pitchy moments in the song, I'm quite surprised that Kian eventually chose him, pressing his button at the end as he's the hardest one to please and Sharon reveals that she was tempted to pick him. I do think it's probably a good match for him as the whole swing-pop vibe is what a lot of Westlife's songs were about a few years ago so he's probably the best choice for him, I wouldn't have picked him personally though.

Tara Blaise - Sings 'Living On A Prayer' by Bon Jovi

No - Tara is an established artist who previously had a recording contract from which she released two albums. She does have a very nice voice and reminds me a little bit of Tori Amos vocally but the nerves have clearly got to her as she falters quite a bit on the chorus and the judges appear to be really unsure of whether or not to press their buttons. Both Bryan and Sharon have met her previously and are absolutely gutted when they realize that it's Tara. I do feel extremely sorry for her, especially as I loved her albums back in the mid to late noughties and I know that she can sing. A shame but maybe she'll try next year.

Week 2

Nikita O'Rowe - Sings 'Never Forget You' by The Noisettes

Yes - I might be slightly blinded by the fact that this song is one of my favourite songs but I'm not sure on this as of yet. Shingai Shoniwa is someone who you literally can't better on 'The Noisettes' tracks. Oh wait, as she gets into the chorus, things begin to pick up considerably. I really like her style actually even if she does come across as a little bit of an Amy Winehouse wannabe. Okay, judging hat on, I would turn my chair around for her. Sharon, Bryan and Bressie all turn around, Bressie first, followed by Sharon and finally, Bryan. Kian doesn't turn around again, quelle surprise. I would be picking Bressie if I were her and unsurprisingly, that's exactly what she does. Good pick! I hope she continues the high standard in the latter stages of the competition.

Laura Rice - Sings 'Dynamite' by Taio Cruz

No - I like the way she proclaims herself to change dance and pop songs into stripped back acoustic songs. However, as she begins to perform, it's apparent that this is covering up the fact that she has a pretty weak voice. What frustrates me is that it seems to be down to nerves because I've seen her on YouTube and she's quite good on some of her videos. The vocals were, let's be honest a bit lacking however I do appreciate the fact that she did something unique. It's a pity that she had a dodgy throat because I really liked that she was a bit like artists such as Feist and Laura Marling, maybe she'll get callbacks.

Conor J Ryan - Sings 'At Last' by Etta James

Yes - This is quite a surprise, looking at him, I completely assumed that he would be an indie rocker singing an Oasis or Colplay song but he's actually a jazz singer who teaches drama as a dayjob. I'm not quite sure what to make of him though, I do like his style a lot but he does have a bit of an old fashioned vibe to him. Ooh! All four judges turn around. I really like that he has something quirky about him, he could be commercial but he'd need an awful lot of work especially if he's working alongside Kian and Bryan who are probably the more old-fashioned coaches. I completely agree with Bressie that he can't just go down the boring swing route or he'll end up going a little bit 'Michael Buble' wannabe. It's hard to choose who he should pick but I do think that because Kian is familiar with the old-fashioned style that he might pick him but I would choose Bryan if I were him. Oh, and he must have heard me because he chose Bryan again!

Liam Geddes - Sings 'The First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)' by Roberta Flack

No - Liam reveals that he only became a good singer when his voice broke. He's singing a song that became a lot more popular when Matt Cardle sang it last year on The X Factor. Okay, he's a great singer and he is absolutely smashing this song but for me, he isn't commercial whatsoever, he's just like a young Bryan Kennedy who hasn't been very successful in the charts, he may be well renowned but he's not topping the charts and I don't know about Liam. I personally wouldn't turn around as he isn't my style of singer although he's good. However, he gets three judges interested in him, Bryan, Kian and Sharon with Bressie not choosing to turn around because he felt that he isn't the right person to coach Liam. Liam chooses Kian as his mentor.

Leighann Mitchell - Sings 'Firework' by Katy Perry

No - Leighann used to be in a girlband called 'Bubble G' but after the management team decided to make changes to the band, Leighann was given the boot. She's singing 'Firework' by Katy Perry and she's okay. I like her but she did start off quite badly on the song. As it progresses onto the chorus, she does definitely improve, something Kian disputes as he tells her that she got worse as the song progressed. None of the judges turn around, I actually would have been tempted to turned around as I believe that she needed a bit of vocal training but had the potential to be very good but maybe she could be back at callbacks if they're needed.

We're shown a montage of a few female singers next with none of the hopefuls getting through. Some of them are good singers but aren't stand-out enough to get the coaches to turn around.

Jessica Pritzel - Sings 'Billy Jean' by Michael Jackson

Yes - Wow, this is absolutely stunning, smooth as silk, the vocals are really interesting, I absolutely love her voice. She reminds me a little bit of Norah Jones mixed with Avril Lavigne, a bit acid-rock, a bit jazz. She sold the song really well, it was quite an oddly sensual performance which I really loved. I had a panic attack there when nobody appeared to be turning their chairs around but at the end of the song, Bressie and Sharon both decide to press their buttons with sneaky Bressie only turning round at the very last minute. I would choose Sharon, infact I'm glad Bryan and Kian didn't turn around as they would kill her individuality and style, I don't see either of them really working well with her quirkiness. She chose Bressie probably because he seemed really interested in the performance and said it was sexy. I'm glad that she's through, definitely the best so far.

Richie Hayes - Sings 'I Wish' by Stevie Wonder

No - He reminds me a little bit of Olly Murs, he's a lot older but he has that faux-reggae vibe to him. I'm totally hating this performance, it's very old-fashioned performance with a lot of charisma but a lot of flaws. The main flaw is that he could literally be anybody, he has no individuality and there are so many half-rate cabaret singers who do the same thing as him. Yeah, I don't really like the old style singers, I do like Stevie Wonder, don't get me wrong but it's just a very average one-dimensional performance, he has a voice which is more suited to musical theatre in my opinion. Only Bryan turns around so he gets Bryan as a mentor, I won't lie, I don't see him going far.

Dick Hayes - Sings 'Wind Beneath My Wings' by Bette Midler

No - Dick is Ritchie's father, he was signed to a major UK label in the 60's but was dropped in favour of the iconic 'The Kinks'. I don't like this song very much and whilst it's a perfectly acceptable vocal and Dick is a lovely little old man, I don't see him having any chance of success whatsoever. The charts are focused on youth these days and considering that Bette herself can't get a look in, I doubt Dick would make any impact on the charts so I wouldn't turn my chair around even if he's got a better voice than his son Richie in my opinion. It's sad that nobody chooses him but he did take it incredibly well.

Ailbhe Hession - Sings 'I'll Be There' by The Jackson Five

Yes - My favourite cover of this song was on The X Factor France by the amazing Marina D'Amico and this is every bit as good as that version. Absolutely adorable performance, really loved her vocals throughout the song and I wouldn't hesitate once in choosing her. Surprisingly, only Sharon hits her buzzer which is a little bit disappointing as she sang it pretty much note-perfect. Kian, however, completely disagrees again and makes a sly dig at her saying that she never quite had that wow moment he was waiting for, I won't make reference to Westlife's songs, tempted as I am. I do think that it's for the best that Sharon chose her as she's the perfect artist for her. I'm really looking forward to seeing a lot more of Alba the primary school teacher as long as she doesn't start moaning about her job *cough* Beverly Trotman *cough*.

Dara Molloy - Sings 'I Will Always Love You' by Dolly Parton/Whitney Houston

Yes - The 'What would you do?' game is played again with us as Dara's face is not shown to the camera with Kathryn telling us to 'Decide whether or not we would choose her based purely on vocals alone'. She starts off quite roughly but she hones her vocals in as the song continues and Bressie decides to press his button. Even though I'm not a massive fan of the old-fashioned styled artists, she does what she does incredibly well and I was quite taken by her quirkiness as a performer. Only Bressie picks her and the look of delight on her face is evident, she's very outgoing and I think she could be a big character on the show, let's see what happens.

Neil McGrath - Sings 'Use Somebody' by Kings Of Leon

No - Up next is Neil who has the Damien Rice/Chris Martin underdog look about him, he's what is commonly referred to on talent shows as a WGWG (white guy with guitar), I do like this song and he can definitely sing but he's nothing special, there are plenty of buskers whom I have seen perform equally well in the street. Bryan presses his button and he seems to falter in the song, perhaps because he's relieved and excited that he has a judge turning around however for me, this slightly puts me off him. He's good but he's nothing special and even though he got Bryan to turn around and got through on his team , I don't think I'd have done the same.

Kelly Blaise - Sings 'Fallin' By Alicia Keys

Yes - Like Tara last week, Kelly also has some musical experience having been signed in the US and moving over to America where she released a pop album that didn't quite work out. She looks a bit like Ruth Lorenzo who was on The X Factor and has not dissimilar vocals to her too. Wow, what a fierce vocal she gives, it's full of quirks and little notes that really surprise me. Bressie knows her but surprisingly he doesn't pick her, it's only Sharon who does, which is a shame as she should really have all four judges turning around. This is a lovely performance and I think she is possibly my favourite so far. Loved it!

Brian Doyle - Sings 'Your Song' by Elton John/Ellie Goulding

No - I'm quite interested by this guy, he has a YouTube channel so I will definitely checked out. As for his performance, well he does what Janet Devlin does which is performs the song in a similar manner to Ellie Gouldin. There's nothing really unique about him, Janet carried it off because she had more depth to her performances than Brian does. He looks a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights and his vocals are sadly a little bit on and off. I wouldn't pick him and none of the coaches decide to choose him either. Brian is visibly upset by the rejection but I do think that it was probably due to how nervous he was. A shame as like Tara last week and Leighann earlier, he did show promise.

Siobhan McKenna - Sings 'Listen' by Beyonce

Yes - Oh dear, Siobhan is originally from America and moved over here 10 years ago. The 'oh dear' comes because she briefly mentions having been bullied for being overweight when she was younger. However, it's just about touched on and thankfully we don't see montages of her looking sad nor hear sad music play in the background. This is absolutely flawless, we had Angela sing this song last week and I personally hated her performance of it but Siobhan completely stomps all over Angela's rendition. This is definitely up there with Melanie Amaro and Alexandra Burke's versions of the song. Only Kian and Bryan turn around but Bressie says that he didn't choose her because she was TOO perfect. She cries a little bit then decides to pick Kian. Putting aside my dislike for him, he is the best choice out of him and Bryan. Best vocalist so far and what a way to end the night!

Week 3

Emma-Jane Riley - Sings 'Halo' by Beyonce

No - Emma-Jane works backstage on a television programme so she is used to television but not so much the on-stage area of it. She's singing Halo and to be honest, I'm not sure, it's quite nice but it's a bit too shouty for my liking and she misses most of the notes on one of the verses. Nobody turns their chairs around and it's a shame as she had potential but just wasn't really stand-out for me. The judges all agree that she let her nerves take control of her performance and her vocals didn't work very well. Kian is very overly harsh about her and I think it's completely uncalled for. She handles it really well and you never know, she may be at the callbacks round later on in the competition if they're necessary.

Rory Quinn - Sings 'Man In The Mirror' by Michael Jackson

No - Rory is playing guitar and singing this Michael Jackson classic. Maybe it's because this song is so overused on other talent shows like The X Factor but I struggle to get into the performance. His guitar playing is beautiful and the emotion is good but his vocals are a little bit pitchy for me. I definitely see potential for him however and I'm glad that Bressie did turn around as he has a unique style that I reckon will work well with Bressie as his coach. I look forward to see what he can do later in the competition.

Annie Gribbin - Sings 'The Island' by Paul Brady

No - Annie is a make-up artist for the stars, she has known host Kathryn for years as she has done her make-up in the past for various television shows. Her voice reminds me slightly of Jessica Walter who played Tabitha Wilson on 90210 who sang a few songs on the aforementioned drama and it's a lovely song but although I disagree that she didn't connect with the song and felt that she delivered an emotional performance, I agree with the judges on whether or not to pick her and wouldn't turn my chair around purely because I feel like she has an old-fashioned style which isn't going to sell very many records.

Nollaig O'Connor - Sings 'With Or Without You' by U2

Yes - This is absolutely stunning. It's one of my favourite songs and she is absolutely smashing it, I love her vibrato, I love her stage style, I love the little quirks in her voice and she reminds me a little bit of a female Damien Rice. Oh and she gets all four coaches turning round for her, only the second person to manage that so far. It's probably amongst the top performances so far, definitely on par with some of my favourites such as Onya, Kelly and Conor. Kian is really irritating me again tonight, he tries to contradict Bressie and says that she could get boring easily with Bressie biting back and saying that Adele is an example of how you can sing with essentially just one style for example piano or acoustic backing and do incredibly well. Bryan and Sharon seem to talk the most sense and don't bother bickering and it's perhaps why she chose Sharon as her coach. A great pick for her.

Emma Wigglesworth - Sings 'You've Got The Love' by Candi Staton

Yes - We play along for this performance and aren't shown Emma's face. She's got an incredible set of lungs on her and sings the performance probably more in the style of Candi than of Florence Welsh who famously covered the song a few years ago. How nobody has turned their chairs around is beyond me. The audience are not too happy, they're booing the coaches who definitely have made a mistake here. I disagree that she's just another belter as she puts so much more into her performance and I sincerely hope that she gets another shot at callbacks because she was a brilliant singer who deserved to get through.

Lucy O'Byrne - Sings 'Smile' by Michael Jackson

Yes - Lucy has a bit of a sob story. She's a shy girl who is dedicating the performance to her dead grandfather who was her biggest supporter alongside her granny. She reminds me of Janelle Monae vocally actually, she has that vocally rich tone that is quite good, having seen this song being performed by Sinead Fox in Week 1, it doesn't measure up but it's still good enough for her to get through for me. Unfortunately, the coaches don't seem to agree as none of them turn...... wait what? At the very last second, Kian turns around, her family are shellshocked as they had convinced themselves that she wasn't getting through when nobody appeared to be turning around. She's good and I think Kian will work well with her, I'm interested to see what she sings later on.

Mike Bartlett - Sings 'All I Want Is You' by U2

No - He has that rock vibe about him but surprisingly, he chooses a more subdued U2 song when I sort of half expected him to choose a metallic rock song. Bressie knows him having gigged with him in the past but none of the judges turn around. It's not a surprise sadly as although I definitely could see some potential there, the song choice that he chose didn't really show off the true extent of his vocals and felt a bit diluted for my liking. I wouldn't have turned my chair around personally, I just don't feel like he was anything special really.However, maybe he will get a second chance if he is asked back for the Callback Rounds.

Vanessa Whelan - Sings 'Rule The World' by Take That

No - This is a bit of an unusual performance, Vanessa received training in the Royal Irish Academy by Dr. Veronica Dunne so sings Take That song 'Rule The World' in Italian in an operatic style. I actually really like this, it's very unique and different but I, like Bressie wouldn't turn around my chair as despite loving it, I have absolutely no idea how I would work alongside her. Kian says he'd like to go down the Il Divo route with her whereas Sharon says she wouldn't want to change her style as it is. For once, I sort of get what Kian means but he doesn't come across well in his comments. She has Sharon, Kian and Bryan to choose from but she decides to pick Sharon as she feels like she can connect with her because she's a mother much like herself. Vanessa is a very exciting singer.

Lindsay Hamilton - Sings 'Faith' by George Michael

Yes - Ooh this is maybe one of my favourites so far, Linzi is very bizarre, she has a very strong personality and she's very individualistic but I like the way in which she sings the song. Okay, when Bryan chooses to turn his chair around, I kind of go off her as she starts to go a bit mad and becomes too quirky for her own good, maybe because she knows that she's through. Bryan seems to be cringing a tiny bit when she starts to go a bit kooky and when the other judges turn around, she shows her feisty side. Kian once again ends up arguing with a contestant telling her that her performance style was put on. Linzi doesn't really take kindly to what he says about her and gives backs as bad as she gets. Overall, I would have turned around for her but I do worry that she might turn people against her by being a bit overbearing, not dissimilar to acts such as Kitty Brucknell from The X Factor but with a more Amy Winehouse-inspired style.

Lorna Jordan - Sings 'Summerfly' by Cheryl Wheeler/Maura O'Connell

Yes - Lorna is a bit of a traditional artist, she has a guitar and she's singing this Irish take on a Cheryl Wheeler folk classic which was covered in 1993 by Maura O'Connell to much acclaim. She has an excellent voice, very rich and very unique and she's definitely provoking some sort of reaction from the coaches as they're all looking at each other. Sharon is first to spin her chair around and she begins to click her fingers, she's obviously enjoying the passionate performance from Lorna. Kian is the second and only other judge to press his button but he waits until near the end of the performance before opting to turn his chair around. Lorna now faces a tough decision as Sharon appeals to her to choose her to be her coach as she feels very strongly about the performance and tells her that she believes that she has hints of Mary Black in her performance style. However, Lorna opts to go for Kian to be her coach, I'm excited to see what else she can offer the competition.

Sandra-Jane Hyland - Sings 'Imagine' by John Lennon
Yes - Ooh this is really funky and soulful actually, despite being a song that doesn't neccessarily represent the funk genre, I definitely see hints of Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder in Sandra-Jane's voice. She is currently studying theatre and I definitely see the theatrical experience come through in her performance style as she really gets into the deeply rooted meaning of the song and taps into the emotions of this beautiful track. Bressie is the first person to turn around, I could definitely see him working well with Sandra-Jane's individualistic style but then again, I have a feeling that some of the other coaches will be eager to recruit her for their team. As expected, Bressie isn't alone and Kian turns around too. I love the tone to her voice, it's got a fantastic quality to it which will probably allow her to show versatility later in the competition. She chooses Kian as her coach!

Ellie McMahon - Sings 'Black And Gold' by Sam Sparro

Yes - I really like Ellie's style, she reminds me a bit of Pink mixed with Stine from Alphabeat styling wise and her vocals aren't a million miles away from Swedish electro-pop singer. She gets really into the performance and her vocals are really cutesy and cool, I really like her actually. The audience seem to be enjoying it but the judges don't seem to be overly impressed and surprisingly, nobody turns their chair around. I'm utterly shell-shocked, much like Emma earlier on, I thought that she was definitely worth a punt, infact her style was one of the most original so far. Cue all of them kicking themselves and a chorus of boos for the coaches. Bressie, in particular was extremely annoyed at himself for not spotting potential and turning around as he believed that her styling was perfect for the charts. I hope she does get another chance whether it be callbacks or in the next series, next year as I loved her performance! Missed opportunity judges!

Lata McCarthy - Sings 'Nella Fantasia' by Sarah Brightman

No - Lata is from Co. Down and she used to be a television presenter before her three children took over and she's now a full time mother and housewife. She first became interested in music when she first started classical training at the age of 10. She has a fantastic voice and much like Dan who sang this song in Week 1, I can't fault her voice but I once again have no clue what route I could take Lata in as I have very little knowledge of classical music. However, some of the coaches think they can as Bryan turns around being a big fan of classical music. I love her voice, it's absolutely superb but I wouldn't turn around as at the end of the day, I don't think I could do her any justice. Bryan is the perfect coach for her.

Kiera Byrne - Sings 'Ride On' by Christy Moore

Yes - This is absolutely superb, she, like Kellie Blaise from last week reminds me of Ruth Lorenzo from The X Factor. She has a very unique tone to her voice and choosing a song by Christy Moore definitely highlights her originality, this was a genius touch and I would be jumping at the chance to coach her. Bressie is the only coach to turn around but all the other judges have great comments for her with Sharon in particular saying how much she enjoyed her falsetto. Bressie tells her it's the best vocal performance so far for what must be the 100th time now, he really is very fickle. In all seriousness, Bressie and her will work really well together, I can't wait for more.

Week 4

Megan O'Riordan - Sings 'Price Tag/Where Is The Love' by Jessie J/The Black Eyed Peas

No - This was a little bit disappointing, Megan had built herself up as a deep voiced, quirky artist but her voice was totally wrong for the song she was singing. Whilst I admire her for taking a risk and choosing a mash-up to perform instead of just singing one song, she was almost completely out of tune throughout the song, for some reason singing this song isn't working out well for the contestants and although I agree with the judges for not turning around, Kian is a tiny bit overly harsh on her telling her that she isn't being herself, how does he know if she isn't being herself? I don't really think Megan could go very far in this sort of competition unless she has an awful lot of vocal training.

Alan Lawlor - Sings 'Everything' by Michael Buble

No - I'm not exactly blown away by Alan. He can sing in tune but he's not what I'd call exciting whatsoever, it all comes across as a little bit karaoke for my liking. Much like Stephen from Week 1, there's nothing very unique or interesting about him as an artist, only Bressie doesn't turn around which is surprising as I really didn't think he was anything extraordinary. He chooses Sharon, I really hope that she's able to convert me and do something special with Alan in the future rounds because he's someone who really needs a more clear direction or he may come across as being a bit of a generic cabaret performer. I'm slightly intrigued so hopefully he can improve from his average enough audition.

Olivia Luc - Sings 'True Colours' by Cyndi Lauper

No - Olivia arrives to audition alongside her cousin Claire. She's a mother and she's determined to get through the auditions alongside Claire. She's singing this pretty averagely, there isn't really anything unique about her voice, it's all a little bit throwaway for my liking and nothing about the performance makes me feel wowed. Unsurprisingly, none of the judges decide to choose her for their team and Olivia goes back to her family and friends without a place in the Battle Rounds.

Claire O'Loughlin - Sings 'Alone' by Heart

Yes - This is spine-tingling, I adore this song choice and it's almost perfectly fitted for her voice, it starts off very well with a very breathy and haunting style to the chorus. However, it's when she gets into the chorus when she really comes into her stride, that note is just superb, she reminds me of so many artists and she has so much scope. Finally, someone turns around and it's Brian Kennedy who decides to choose her. None of the other judges decide to turn around, I'm a little bit disappointed that only one has turned around as she's easily better than quite a few people who have had more than one or two judges turning around. I'm thoroughly excited to see what Clare can come up with next under the guidance of Brian, I really hope that she can do something special in the future rounds.

Liam McCarthy - Sings 'Forget You' by Cee Lo Green

Yes - This is very unique and interesting, I absolutely love seeing people do something different with a song and not just doing a straight cover thus I adore this performance. However, the judges don't seem to be in agreement as nobody turns around saying they want something unique. Absolute rubbish! This is extremely quirky and it's their loss in not choosing him as Liam is without a doubt one of the best acts in terms of originality and uniqueness and by not choosing him, they're losing out. I really hope they don't miss any other opportunities tonight as so far, they've been making some seriously weird decisions, I much preferred this performance to the earlier performance of Michael Buble's 'Everything'.

Joanne McGrath - Sings 'Killing Me Softly' by Roberta Flack

Yes - This is pretty much vocally flawless, I really like the rocky edge to her voice and I'm definitely pretty sure that she's got the lungs to pull off some unique stage performances. What's going on with the judges tonight? For the second time, I'm really wondering what is up with the judges, again they've seriously missed a chance with Joanne. She had it all, she was likeable, she had the vocals and she had originality too but the judges seem to be wanting people who are very unique which is something they can never hope to achieve as everybody has some sort of similarity to a particular genre or a singer. Another missed opportunity here, that's four people who I would have chose who the judges didn't turn around for now and oddly, it's only in the past two weeks where I've started to disagree with the judges on rejected acts.

Pat Byrne - Sings 'The River' by Bruce Springsteen

No - I like this performance, it is quite good but for me, there's something a little bit too niche about that vocal. I love Bruce Springsteen but by doing an Irish Folk style cover of the song, he severely restricts himself in the direction in which he can be taken and that is why I wouldn't turn around, I don't think I would have the right ideas in mind for him but the judges seem to all be very impressed as he has no sooner started playing the harmonica than a chorus of judges turn their chair around with all four judges expressing interest in quick succession, he isn't sure what to do and would be happy to have any coach mentoring him but he chooses Bressie who is fast becoming my favourite coach on the show. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with as he's a fantastic talent and one of my favourites but he just wouldn't be right for me.

Fauve Chapman - Sings 'Wonderwall' by Oasis/Ryan Adams

Yes - This is really really good. Fauve has already been on a talent show, having taken part in You're A Star previously and coming 6th. Although the whole quirky girl think is getting a bit exhaustive now, it's still a fantastic performance. Although the song is by Oasis, Fauve's arrangement seems to be more in line with the well received Ryan Adams version of the song and I'm excited to see what else she can do in the competition because that was sultry, sexy and quirky and I loved it. Sharon is the only judge who can be persuaded to turn around but she receives unanimous praise from the judges with all of them really enjoying her obscure performance. I can't wait to see what else Fauve manages to do in this competition.

Jim Devine - Sings 'Better' by Tom Baxter/Boyzone

No - Jim is from up near me in Co. Tyrone and he's a farmer. I do think that he has a very nice voice and I can see that the whole pop ballad thing works for him but the problem is that the song choice wasn't a song that allowed him to stand out from the crowd and show what he offers to the competition that other acts do. However, there's no denying that the guy is talented and the judges do seem to like him as Kian turns his chair around him saying that he really loved his emotional delivery of that song, the other judges are complimentary of his performance too but think it was possibly a little bit too mainstream pop and weren't a million percent sure about him as an artist. Let's see what Kian does with him.

Brian Masterson - Sings 'Mustang Sally' by Mack Rice/Wilson Pickett

No - Brian arrives at the Helix with his bandmate Graham. Graham is the lead singer of the band in which Brian plays the drums for and unlike his bandmate, Brian isn't used to singing infront of a crowd infact he never sings. You probably would know that from the performance as although it's excellent for someone who isn't used to getting up and singing infront of a large crowd of people, he has poor stage technique and poor vocal technique, warbling a little too much on some notes and going way off on others. I like his rock voice but I don't think he would have the ability to translate those vocals onto a lot of other songs as well, he lacks experience and possibly also lacks vocal ability. The judges don't turn around but are very complimentary of Brian's bravery at getting up on stage despite being used to playing drums rather than singing. I'd like to see him return next year after getting vocal training perhaps.

Graham Dowling - Sings 'Come Together' by The Beatles

Yes - Graham is up next and having seen his friend not getting through, he is understandably nervous. He has a much richer and more controlled vocal tone than his friend and having seen some dodgy versions of this song before, I'm very pleasently surprised by this performance. It's not perfect, after Kian turns around, he falters and loses track of what he's singing but it's certainly an impressive performance and he is one act who deserves a chance in the next few rounds. I hope we do see something other than the stereotypical rocker coming from him as his voice is definitely fit for just about any type of song thrown at him and Kian definitely could be a great person to coach him through the process, I'm excited to see what Graham is capable of singing later in the competition.

Ryan O'Shaughnessy - Sings 'The Power Of Love' by Huey Lewis

Yes - Ryan has been on television before having acted in 'Fair City' for an incredible 9 years but he left the show to be part of a boyband called 'Mission 4' who never really took off. He's fitted quite a lot into his 19 years and here he is hoping to blow us away with this song. It's not incredible, it's one of the more good but not great auditions but his americanized tone on the song is quite refreshing and for once, I completely disagree with Bressie who says after the performance that he didn't sound like he was having fun. I feel like this is an incredibly light and quirky performance with a more upbeat style and I have to say, that's what I like about it. Brian is the only person to turn around and although he will need help on his breath control during the songs, he should quite easily be able to make some form of progress in the competition.

Kevin Keeley - Sings 'Travelling Soldier' by Bruce Robison/The Dixie Chicks

No - I love this song but there's something about it that just doesn't sit with me in talent shows, I think it's because despite only being penned in the 90's, it has quite an old style to it which ages it considerably. I completely understand hiw beautiful some country music is and artists like Martina McBride and Garth Brooks have incredible talent but for me, I want something very exciting and unique and whilst Kevin does a perfectly nice rendition of this moving song, it's not very distinct or different and it kind of just blends in for me. There's no faulting his vocal ability but I don't really think I would be of much use to him as a coach. Luckily Sharon seems to think that she is up to the job as she turns around quite quickly and Kevin has a place in the next round. Kian nearly turned around but decided against it but says that he thinks Kevin can be a dark horse.

Kate Gilmore - Sings 'Use Somebody' by Kings Of Leon

Yes - We've had an incredibly high number of quirky girls so far, girls with quirky, unique voices in a vein to the likes of Ellie Goulding and Dido and it's the latter who Kate most resembles vocally with her lovely rendition of the Kings Of Leon hit. She has all the hand movements of the likes of Diana Vickers etc. but she has a more rich tone to her voice hence the Dido comparison. This is beautiful, one of the best of the night if not the best tonight. She hits a few bum notes at a point but I'm sure she should be okay as Bressie turns his chair around, being very into that sort of unique, almost choir like voice which really seems to be hitting the big time. The emotion is just perfect for the song and she pours personality and passion into the song, an incredible performance, really excited to see what else Kate is capable of.

American Idol 2012: The Auditions

2012-01-31T05:12:00.000-03:00

Writer's note: Post updated with Galveston auditions

It's finally here! After 8 long months, which included the United States debut of The Voice and the lackluster disaster we politely refer to as "The X-Factor Season 1", Good ol' American Idol is finally back with the returning panel composed of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson. and we begin this year's journey in Savannah, Georgia. I will be updating this post as more audition episodes air so stay tuned. Who will be sent to Hollywood and given a shot at this year's Idol crown? Keep reading! This... is American Idol!

Recap and videos after the JUMP...

Along with American Idol coming back, your *favorite* reviewer is back too. For those of you that don't know me, I'm Charlie. I have previously written articles on MDS for different X-Factors and the MDS Sound of 2012. I'm also part of the spoiler team for TIP (TheIdolPad) and a frequent chatter there, so if you hate my AI reviews, you may harass me there. But above all, I'm an avid listener of music. Always looking for something new and fresh, which leads me here. Assuming I don't lose my internet connection or the battery in my laptop finally croaks, recaps should be posted within a reasonable time. I hope you all enjoy reading my opinion for 4 months because the fun is just starting. Mwahahaha!

Also, I will be skipping the lulzy joke contestants... Sure, you may laugh at these poor people now but in a week's time, they will be forgotten. It's a waste of space and time to write about them. So, onto this year's talent pool...

Savannah

So, the very first audition of the season is that of David Leathers, Jr. He is 17 years old but looks 12. I can already see people going gaga because "he's so adorable!!1". Idol trivia, he beat Scotty McCreery in a local contest in 2009. He sings "Remember the Rain" by Century 21. He has a nice tone and range and he's quite likable. The Judges say he reminds them of a young Michael Jackson and ask him to sing an MJ song. He sings "Never Can Say Goodbye" and nails it. One can only be so good at singing when the voice is undeveloped and not matured yet but this is his thing and he killed it. He is sent to Hollywood with massive approval. R&B's Beiber?

Next is Gabi Carruba (16). She's a champion tap dancer! She enters the audition room and asks to hug Nigel Lythgoe and we get to see Nigel off the set in his producer's chair, where he plots to get another White Guy with Guitar to- err... Finally getting a girl to win! She loves him on SYTYCD. Onto the performance, she sings "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. Her rendition is simple but that's what makes it so beautiful. Her phrasing is very enjoyable. The Judges impressed, send her to Hollywood.

Next is a montage of 4 singers that make it to Hollywood. Brianna Faulk (15) is first in the montage singing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston, her part sounds good but just good. Neco Starr (20) is next and does "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. Honestly, I don't care for the way he sings it at all. Quite annoying, actually. The jazzy Molly Hunt (15) is next singing "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt and sounds really nice! I like it. In these montages, there's always at least one contestant that I wish we got to hear more of. This time, it is soulful and jazzy Elise Testone (28) performing "Get It While You Can" by Janis Joplin. WOW. The first really impressive performance of the season! Love the tone and style of this one. Go girl!

After a few lulzy auditions, the next contestant we see is Shannon Magrane (15). Her dad played baseball for the Cardinals in the World Series. She brings her family in to say hi, Steven says something stupid that you will just have to watch. Most hilarious moment of the night for me. They finally break the awkwardness in the room and Shannon sings "Something's Gotta Hold On Me" by Etta James. She has several good parts and a few more that were obviously straining, especially the last note. All these people in the room remind me of Lauren Alaina's audition. The Judges send her to Hollywood. She's a bit bland overall but with a bit more training and the right songs, this girl could be really good.

Next up is Amy Brumfield (24). Due to hard times, her and her husband are living in a tent in the middle of the woods. We see their humble residence, which is quite amazing to see. "I'd rather be outdoors and happy than indoors and miserable" she says. She sings "Super Woman" by Alicia Keyes. Her vocals are raspy and nice but really nothing special. I wish her voice was better because I really liked her audition but oh well... She is sent to Hollywood. Out of the tent and into Hollywood!

Up next is Stephanie Renae (15), an Idol tard that cannot believe she is finally auditioning. She loves Carrie Underwood. Which is why her audition song is "Inside Your Heaven", she has a rough part before the high note and it's nasally at times but overall, it's pretty good. This probably isn't a good season for people like Stephanie to enter after last year's Country showdown. Randy says no but Jennifer and Steven send her through.

Next, we see two familiar faces from last season: Schyler Dixon (16) and her brother Colton Dixon (19), who was eliminated right before the live rounds. He's not auditioning and Schyler looks forward to branching off on her own this season. Upon walking in, the Judges recognize her and go into a Colton frenzy, they tell her to drag her brother in there. Schyler auditions first with "Breakeven" by The Script, she sounds a lot better this year. They finally get Colton to go next, he does "Permanent" by David Cook. It doesn't bring justice to the original but this is probably the best he has ever sounded on the show. Still Lifehouse-ish but less whiny than last year. The Colton love continues, Schyler seems kinda pissed. Maybe it's just me. They're both sent to Hollywood. Auditioning without a number sticker, is that a first?

Lauren Mink (25) goes next. She's a director for a program involving adults with disabilities. They film her at her workplace... Whenever they travel to film someone at work or home, that's usually a good bet they're going to Hollywood. Is that the Janet Devlin (XFUK) rendition of "Your Song" I hear in the background?? She sings "Country Strong" by Gwyneth Paltrow. She's solid but bleh... Another female Country singer. The judges love her. Off to Hollywood as predicted.

We see Ashlee Altise (28) next. Inventor of the "joy hop", which just might be the next big thing. She comes in dancing like the crazy person she is and shows them the "joy hop". After that is over, she sings "Come Together" by The Beatles. She still sounds out of breath from joy-hopping all over the damn place. They send her to Hollywood, which sends her into another joy-hopping episode. I like the joy hop, it reminds me of the Raptors from Jurassic Park. We then go to a shot of 10+ people doing the joy-hop.... rofl.

W.T Thompson (25) is up next. He quit his job as a prison guard to audition, his wife is 6 months pregnant and stands by him completely.. Oh God, I hope this guy is good. He sings "Boondocks" by Little Big Town. He sounds pretty solid but it's just not interesting. Like Steven said, I hear his voice but I'm not sure it sounds like the next American Idol. W.T. promises to make them proud, the other 2 send him to Hollywood. I'm happy he made it, he deserves to at least get that far.

Auditioning next is NBA dancer Brittany Kerr (24). She sings "Spoiled" by Joss Stone, pretty weak but she's on-key. Jennifer says no, Steven tells her to try and push her voice more and Randy says her voice could develop into something good. Steven and Randy send her to Hollywood. Jennifer predicts she won't last a week in Hollywood because her voice just isn't strong enough and I have to agree.

Last but not least is Phillip Phillips (20), who TPTB have been hyping about for about half the show. Judging by his name, his parents lack quite a bit of creativity. He's definitely got that southern charm and likability about him. He sings "Superstitious" by Stevie Wonder. He lacks quite a bit of range, his voice sounds too forced and he's obviously straining. The Judges just flove it. Randy then tells him to play something on the guitar, which is usually a NO-NO in audition land. Yeah... This guy's going to Hollywood. Why they are pimping this guy I don't get, I expect him to get cut off before the Top 24. Anyway, he plays "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, same vocal result as the previous song. He breaks a guitar string. lol. He is sent to Hollywood! *shock and awe*

Pittsburgh

We start things off in Pittsburgh with Heejun Han (22). He seems nervous and really geeky... but in a good way. After he's done complimenting the Judges and making them laugh, he sings "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Michael Bolton and pulls the surprise of the night, he's a great singer! Raspy yet very smooth. I'm really enjoying this! Wow, an Asian male on American Idol that doesn't suck! He ain't no John Park or Paul Kim. Randy is shocked, Jennifer thinks he's adorable and Steven thinks he can win... They send him to HOLLYWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

Next is Reed Grimm (26), who's been featured in the Idol promos quite a bit. he talks about performing with his family since he was two years old. Instantly, he comes off as very likable. He chooses the Family Matters theme song as his audition song. He has the jazzy feel of Casey Abrams and the beatbox vibe of Blake Lewis, he's pretty entertaining. The Judges all love him and so do I. He's sent to Hollywood.

We see another montage... We see Aaron Marcellus (27) perform a solid version of "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke and Chase Likens (20) sing "Love Don't Live Here" by Lady Antebellum, he's alright, nothing special. Sooooo tired of Country singers. Then we move on to Samantha Novacek (19) who brought her sister Patty the Pittsburgh Planker, who goes on to plank on floors. tables, etc. at the auditions. She planks on the floor while Samantha auditions with "We Never Loved At All" by Faith Hill, she does a pretty good job. I like it, not sure it could win American Idol but I did enjoy it. The Judges like it too and send her to Hollywood.

Up next is Creighton Fraker (28), he couldn't decide on a song to sing so he wrote an original song while riding to Pittsburgh and sings that. It's catchy and it interests the Judges, Steven asks him to sing something with a beginning, middle and end. He sings "Who's Loving You" by Smokey Robinson. I love this guy, he's like a Adam Lambert/ Paul McDonald/ Matt Giraud hybrid. The Judges are completely wowed and intrigued and call him beautiful and genius. I really enjoy Creighton's tone but I'm worried he'll oversing the hell out of everything ala Jacob Lusk last season. He is sent to Hollywood!

We see Eben Franckewitz (15) next. His parents are very supportive. He sings "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, his voice is very theatrical but bland. I'm bored and not interested. Bad name, the Bieber haircut isn't helping me like him either. He's not ready for this but the Judges slightly over-hype him and sent him to Hollywood. He screams fodder to me, but I'd like to see him cover Greyson Chance before his time on Idol ends.

Next is Travis Orlando (17) from last season. Since then, his mom left with another guy, he dropped out of highschool and his family is living in a homeless shelter. He sings "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder, he has a nice voice. Again, not very special though. The Judges think his voice is still lacking something. He sobs about how much this means to him, the sobbing kinda seems fake to me. The Judges put him through. It's depressing to me how he thinks this can fix everything and his voice isn't that great. I hope he seeks more realistic options to deal with his family's troubles.

Wedding singer Erika Van Pelt (25) is up next. I love the way she looks! She sings "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by Carole King. She has a really nice deep alto that is pleasing but also this over-singing that is not so pleasing. The Judges really like her and unanimously put her through to Hollywood. I like her but her chances of surviving Hollywood could be 50/50. If she holds back, she can come off as really bland. However, if she belts like I know she can, she could shake the competition up.

Last for Pittsburgh is Hallie Day (24). At 15, she quit school to join a girl band in New York. After that didn't work out, she went to drugs and eventually attempted to commit suicide. Then she met her future husband, who she says has changed her life and encouraged her to sing again. She auditions with "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and belts it out nicely, although she doesn't seem to have much personality. I agree with Jennifer that she sounds like Debbie Harry. The Judges are very impressed and send her to Hollywood unanimously. J-Lo thinks she is looking at a star. I see potential, can't wait to see how she does in Hollywood.

San Diego

The first good audition of San Diego we see belongs to Ashley Robles (26), she comes to the audition with her five year-old daughter. She sings "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. The lower notes are a little weak but the higher she goes, the more I'm impressed. She nails the chorus, probably straining at points but really powerful. The Judges send her through.

Next we see Jayrah Gibson (26), after seeing a very funny and confusing explanation as to why he only has a Plan A, we get to see him sing "Just Friends" by Musiq Soulchild. He has a solid R&B/ Hip-hop vibe in his voice that could be marketable. The Judges, highly impressed, send him to Hollywood. He is hyper and speechless, which is entertaining.

Aubree Dieckemeyer (20) is next. After accidentally saying she wants to be America's Next Top Model and other cute bloopers, we move on to her audition. Her personality is adorable. She sings "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone. Her tone is so simple and pretty, very natural vibrato and runs. I loved this, very relaxing. Randy does point out that she should work on her upper register but they all love her and send her through.

Up next is Alexis Shields (19), who was on the Ellen DeGeneres show (wearing the exact same thing) and got sent to the American Music Awards to interview celebrities. She's slightly crazy and lulzy. We see her rap and sing "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae. She's a decent singer and not bad at rapping. She is sent to Hollywood.

Next is frat boy Kyle Crews (19), he sings "Angel of Mine" by Monica. He has a surprisingly pleasant R&B tone with nice runs and vibrato. I like him but the Judges go absolutely batshit over him, and compliment him to the point of him getting emotional. Steven says it's the best male voice he's heard so far. Off to Hollywood, as expected.

Next is the most odd audition yet, Jim Carrey's daughter Jane Carrey (24). Who is out to make a name for herself. She sings "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. She has a really nice singing voice, not anything special but I do see potential. The Judges give her some nice constructive criticism and send her to Hollywood.

Last for San Diego is Jason "Wolf" Hamlin (24). He sings "Midnight Special" by CCR, I'm not really a fan of this. It's pretty boring and doesn't go anywhere. The Judges ask him to sing something else... with his guitar. He sings "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, it's better than the first time. The only part I really like is the part with the upper register, which was surprisingly strong, maybe a little shouty but whatever. The Judges send him though, I'm not sure what to think of all of the rule breaking going on this season.

Aspen

First is Jenni Schick (24), who is very energetic and hyper, she works as a music teacher for Kindergarten through Sixth Grade. How fitting! Looks like this is going to be a bad audition, she sings "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar. It's surprisingly not terrible, she can sing but doesn't have Idol potential. The Judges like her and send her to Hollywood.

Next we see is Curtis Grey (28), who plays in a 5-piece band, singing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men. He's a nice singer but really boring. The Judges, however, love the hell out of him and unanimously send him to Hollywood. Next is a montage of a few more singers that make Hollywood. First Richie Law (19), who is basically another Scotty McCreery, only more boring. Then Devan Jones (26) singing "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script, really nice voice and excellent falsetto. Kinda makes me think he's like a Javier Colon- lite but I really like him. Then Mathenne Trego (25) singing "Hey Jude", he looks like a joke contestant but actually sings pretty nicely, especially the high parts. Unfortunately, his look is annoying.

Up next is Haley Smith (18), her personality and 1970's look is cute but again I think this is a joke contestant. She's a vegetarian working in a meat factory. She sings "Tell Me Something Good" by Chaka Kahn. Her voice is amazing, lovely falsetto and phrasing and a really interesting spin on Chaka Kahn. This is one of my favorite auditions of the entire season, Steven recognizes her talent, saying she's right out of his era and he is honored to be there listening to her. The Judges quickly give her a golden ticket.

Now we see Shelby Tweten (17), she has bipolar disorder and has struggled with depression since 4th Grade (wtf). Lulzy quote of the season: "American Idol has given me a reason to stay on my meds." Okay... Wow. Singing makes her symptoms go away. She sings "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood, she has a nice voice and can definitely sing but it's nothing incredibly special. The Judges rave and approve her to Hollywood.

Next is Jairon Jackson (19), who is taking a risk and auditioning with an original song called "So Hard". "I have a lot of faith in this song" he says. The song is really nice for being an original, he has a great R&B sound and reminds me a bit of Chris Brown. The Judges give applause for his song. They love him and his song and send him to Hollywood. On the way out, he breaks the light above the door. rofl

Last is Angie Zeiderman (25), who is a strange cross between Lady Gaga and vintage musicals. "It's time for a vintage glitter queen on Idol" she says. She sings "If You've Got It Flaunt It" from The Producers, I will never understand why she thought this was a good choice for an audition song. She sounds nice but again, she's singing Show Tunes. Randy does not like it, J-Lo does and asks her to perform a second song. She sings "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt, it's a lot better and she makes a complete turnaround. Randy changes his mind, they all love her now and she is quickly sent to Hollywood.

Galveston

The first good audition of the episode is Skylar Laine (17), who is a bit of a backwoods tomboy. Flooring ATVs through mud and shooting deer. Her family runs a restaurant in Jackson and has done so for 71 years but the recession gave the store a rough year in 2010. She sings "Hell On Heels" by Pistol Annies. I am all countried out from last year... or so I think. This is really good! Obviously, some may want to compare her to Lauren but Skylar is a lot more confident and mature as an artist and as a person for this game. Skylar has a strong voice, while it has it's country roots, I can see her being surprisingly versatile. The Judges send her to Hollywood.

Next is Baylie Brown (21) from season 6 and ended up being a casualty in group round. She comes back after 5 years with a lot more maturity and she's definitely improved her voice, she's definitely ready this time around. She sings "Bed of Roses" by Bon Jovi. Again, I think I'm countried out from last year but I like this quite a bit. What is wrong with me? She has a great voice, the high notes are strong and the performance is just entrancing in general. She's definitely advancing.

Now we see Kristine Osorio (28), who put her singing career on hold to raise a family. She is now a newly-single mother of 3. She took out a loan that was supposed to be for the divorce lawyer but instead bought a plane ticket to audition (omg). She sings "One and Only" her high notes are a bit shrill and raspy but I really like it, she seriously reminds me of Pink. She could use some work but definitely deserves a ticket, which they give her.

After seeing 3 singers J-Lo really likes get axed, Linda Williams (24) is next to enter the audition room and sings "Falling in Love" by Alicia Keys. This starts off really bad, get's pretty good in the middle and then falls apart again toward the end. The runs are very sloppy and not even in key but I do like the middle part, which showed the potential. J-Lo hates her, the other 3 overrule her and send her to Hollywood.

Next is Cortez Shaw (20), he grew up in a single-parent household and he was homeless for 2 years. He chooses to sing "Someone Like You" by Adele, he starts uptempo and fast like the dance remix. My first thought is why the bloody hell would you sing this version of this song? I unfortunately recall Melanie Amaro's clusterfuck version of SLY and think this is going to be really bad. Thank God I'm wrong, this is great! His voice is awesome, pitch is good and he makes "Someone Like You" work in his favor. They unanimously send him to Hollywood.

Last of the day is Ramiro Garcia (28), who, of course, has a sad story. He was born without years and the doctors told his parents that he was not going to be able to hear or speak but after several surgeries, he has beaten the odds. He sings "Amazing Grace", he's a good singer, there is no doubt about that. But it's uninteresting and not really what Idol is looking for. His vibrato sounds a little strained and forced. Obviously, the Judges are not going to turn down this one. He gets the Hollywood stamp of approval.

Next stop: Portland, Oregon!

The Voice of Holland Season 2: The Final!

2012-01-31T00:11:00.000-03:00

This is it! The final is finally here! Chris Hordijk, Paul Turner, Erwin Nyhoff and Iris Kroes are the last remaining contestants and tonight, one of them will be walking away with the big prize. A car and a record deal, but most importantly, The Voice title! Who'll be the winner? ... This is The Voice!

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Chris Hordijk

"The A Team" - 9/10 - This was without a doubt, his best performance to date but it was just last week when he sang it, so reprising it isn't that clever. I loved the first one, I'm just liking this one. It's not as impressive this time and I can't see any improvement on him. It actually sounds just as the last time he sang it. - VIDEO

"It's Only Love" with Lisa Lois - 9,5/10 - Chris is singing with his sister, who is no other than Lisa Lois!! Who would have thought that? I can't belive I didn't make the connection sooner, after all, Lisa's real name is Lisa Hordijk. And for those wondering who she is, she's the XF Netherlands 2009 winner. Outstanding vocals from both, after all, they are siblings so it's obvious their voices are gonna blend so well! - VIDEO

"Time After Time" - 10/10 - Utter great! If this is any indication of what he's going to do after the show, all sings point to success. It's right in the James Morrison vibe and it shows exactly what kind of artist he is. I loved his soft tone and all the vibe of the performance. - VIDEO

Erwin Nyhoff

"The River"- 9,5/10 - Harmonica + guitar? Epic win! I'm really digging this. His voice sounds stronger than it usually does and he definitely has some musician chops. I don't know if this was his best performance but it's up there. - VIDEO

"In Love with a Girl" with Gavin DeGraw - 8/10 - Oh, this is due to be amazing! This two sound quite fantastic together though Erwin is doing some weird faces while standing next to Gavin, who's playing piano. Why didn't they gave Erwin an instrument too? Seriously, almost creepy man! Intense performance still. - VIDEO

"Nights in White Satin" - 9/10 - Fitting song choice for his winner's single. It's quite folky and it works perfectly with his imperfect tone. It's even emotional at times. I'd buy this and I'd also buy his record. This is really interesting! - VIDEO

Paul Turner

"Thunder In My Heart" - 5/10 - Horrible song choice. Paul shouldn't be doing this old songs, he needs to do what he does best, which is making a contemporary song really weird and creepy at times, which is what I like about him. This isn't doing it for me. - VIDEO

"Dynamite" with Taio Cruz - 2/10 - Awful. Just awful. Taio Cruz can't sing live and this performance proved that. He can only sing with heavy auto-tuning. That first notes were painful. And well, Paul was even worse. He wasn't singing, just shouting like a teenager in the shower ... So one point for each, makes two ... - VIDEO

"Don't Stop Me Now" - 6/10 - Definitely an improvement over his two other performances. His vocals at least were tolerable. Still, horrible pick as a winner's single. What were they thinking? Probably they were on pot ... - VIDEO

Iris Kroes

"Someone Like You" - 10/10 - Her audition was one of the high points of the season, so I'm really glad that she's repraising it, plus the harp is here, so that's always good. I'm quite sick of this song but I can always stand her version. It's soothing and really hypnotic, I love Iris, she's my pick.- VIDEO

"Skinny love" with Birdy - 10/10 - Another outstanding performance from her. This is actually the performance of the season. Birdy is a new fave of mine and her "Skinny love" cover gives me chills, we add Iris to that equation and we get a heart-stopping interpretation. That took my breath away! - VIDEO

"I Can't Make You Love Me" - 9,5/10 - Not as incredible as her past two performances but still awesome singing from her. Her performances are emotional all the times, well, with the exception of "When Love Takes Over", and she really brings her feelings to her interpretations. She's definitely the most deserving contestant in this competition. I'd buy her album in a heartbeat! - VIDEO

RESULTS

Click the image for the results!

The Voice of Holland Season 2: Top 8 Perform!

2012-01-29T00:22:00.002-03:00

Only 2 contestants remain in each team but only one of them will make it to next week's big final. Will it be Charly or Chris? Iris or Sharon? Erwin or Neils? Paul or Wouter? The finalists are two performances behind knowing their fate. Who will triumph tonight? ... This is The Voice!

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Charly Luske

"Nobody's Wife"- 8/10 - I think I've never heard a guy singing this song. That said, Charly reminded me why he's the frontrunner. Last week I said he sounded old fashioned but tonight, I could definitely see him on the charts. Will he be the last Nick and Simon team member? - VIDEO

Chris Hordijk

"Poker Face" - 9/10 - This song? Really? Not expecting this at all and I was shcoked. In a good way though! He killed that song (also in a good way) and the arrengment was fantastic. I thought I was looking at a train wreck but it actually got safe to the station. Really great! - VIDEO

Duet

"Viva la Vida" - Covers of this song usually don't go well but in this case, it does work. Charly's and Chris's voices blend really well and given their similar tones, the performance isn't too messy. I actually think Charly did a much better job than Chris in this one, Chris seemed kinda lost. - VIDEO

Niels Geusebroek

"Titanium"- 4/10 - Finally! Niels is singing a current song and he's not being the most boring contestant ever! Well, he's trying to at least. This song is one of my faves and despite that, I really didn't like this. He lacked Sia's power and it wasn't as exciting as hers, it was really bland and he looked dead. Way to kill a great song Niels! - VIDEO

Erwin Nyhoff

"Rumour Has It"- 9,5/10 - I really like this song so he better not destroy it. What I like about Erwin is that his voice is not the best and he always sounds a bit weak on his performances but the feeling he puts on them is what makes them so great. This is exactly the case here, I loved every single bit of it, even if he sounded awful at parts. - VIDEO

Duet

"This ain't a love song" - For once, Niels didn't sound as if he was sleepwalking and that's really a surprise. Erwin sounded as good as always, definitely the best one in that performance. Was this the best duet of the night? No, but definitely not the worst. - VIDEO

Sharon Doorson

"We Found Love" - 8/10 - She tried Whitney, she tried Beyonce, so why not also trying Rihanna? Which do you prefer? I think I'm keeping the latest. It's definitely the most current one and if Sharon takes this route after the show, I could see her succeeding. I also liked the arrengment on that one! - VIDEO

Iris Kroes

"Nothing Else Matters" - 10/10 - The harp is back!!! Glad she took my advice of going back to what she does best. The stage looks really great, very ethereal. Not the song I would've picked but I must admit that this performance is very beautiful, much superior than her team's partner at least. - VIDEO

Duet

"Crazy" - Just exceptional! Iris and Sharon make perfect duet partners, they gave us an interesting and vocally wonderful performance. Plus I love this song so that's always a plus. Can we keep both of them and cut Roel's team?- VIDEO

Wouter Vink

"The Reason" - 4/10 - He's lying on the floor. And that's how exciting this performance is. Should I keep going? Well, he should be going home after this ... - VIDEO

Paul Turner

"Reach Out, I'll Be There" - 5/10 - I enjoyed his "Somebody That I Used to Know" last week. I can't say the same thing about this. Old fashioned and annoying. He wants to be this uber weird guy but it's just creepy sometimes, this is one of the creppy performances. - VIDEO

Duet

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - Who thought Paul could actually sing? I certainly didn't. Why can't he do that on his actual performances? Wouter sounded quite nice to but I was surprised by Paul, who looked like a normal person for once. Nice duet. - VIDEO

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Charly Luske

Niels Geusebroek

Sharon Doorson

Wouter Vink

Wow! Shocking results tonight! Was anyone expecting to see Charly leaving tonight? I definitely wasn't. To be fair, Chris delivered a great performance and though Charly was also great, Chris was giving him a run for his money. Niels, Wouter and Sharon were expected. Thier competition was much stronger than them and their performances were luckluster. So that leaves us with Iris, Paul, Erwin and Chris in the final! Btw, who crazy was Iris reaction?! Haha.

Marcus Collins: "Seven Nation Army" First Listen

2012-01-28T19:06:00.002-03:00

Runner up of 2011's edition of the X Factor UK, which was ultimately won by Little Mix, soulful Marcus always struggled to show who he wanted to be as an artist during the show but hopefully, it seems he's found his way now. His debut single, which will be released on March 4, 2012, is a cover of The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" and his album will aparently be released on March 12. Honestly, the song sounds like an unimaginative copy of Ben l'Oncle Soul's version but well, at least his voice sounds good. I always criticised Marcus for his karaoke performances during the show and guess what? They still are!

Listen after the JUMP ...

Pre-order his debut album HERE

The Voice of Holland Season 2: Top 12 Perform!

2012-01-28T14:51:00.004-03:00

Last week, frontrunners Marieke and Guy shockingly left the competition and now, with only 3 acts left per team, the competition will be brutal. By the end of tonight, not one but four contestants will be eliminated leaving us with our semifinalists. Who has what it takes to take the ultimate prize? ... This is The Voice!

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Marloes van Ommen

"Umbrella"- 7,5/10 - After last week's trainwreck, a miracle must happen for her to stay in the competition. This is not bad indeed. It's got a nice reggae-ish vibe and she's actually not sounding bad. This is what she needed to do in the first place, not what she did in her past performances. Finally an improvement from her! Still, I doubt that she'll outlast Chris and Charly. - VIDEO

Charly Luske

"Signed, Sealed & Delivered"- 8/10 - I like Charly, a lot, but lately, his performances seem boring and old fashioned to me. He's got an amazing voice, very rock driven, but I picture his record as an 80s album, and that's not something good. He seems to be winning by now, I just hope he doesn't. - VIDEO

Chris Hordijk

"The A Team" - 9/10 - I love this song and Chris did an amazing job with it. His voice sounded great and his interpretation was kinda emotional. I really dig his soft tone and what he did with this. He could easily outlast fave Charly after this cause Chris is much more current than him. - VIDEO

Laura Estévez

"R U kiddin' me" - 6/10 - What happened to her hair? Looks really weird. Haha. Back to the performance, I really like Laura's voice. It's got a fabulous rasp and her tone is incredible but this song isn't working at all. It was too fast at parts and despite that, it wasn't exciting at all. - VIDEO

Niels Geusebroek

"Old and Wise"- 6/10 - This may be a really emotional song for him but I'm just bored. If I shed a tear, it was because I was yawning. Very lazy performance. I'm not saying he's a bad singer but he needs to do something exciting cause if not, people will start muting him. - VIDEO

Erwin Nyhoff

"No Mercy"- 9/10 - Well, this is just great! I love this Racoon song but Erwin made me love it even more with his unique voice. It's got a folky vibe and this is maybe one of his best performance. It was addictive to listen to! - VIDEO

Bart Brandjes

"September" - 3/10 - What a horrible song! When the first note is awful, you know the whole performance wil also be awful. And Bart's first not was horrible. He's too old fashioned and his voice isn't good at all. He had some good performances in the past but this is probably the worst I've seen tonight. Not even the scat could save it. - VIDEO

Sharon Doorson

"I have nothing" - 7,5/10 - She was this Beyonce wannabe since the start so becoming a diva was always gonna follow. She became everything I hate in this competitions. Big voice, pitch perfect, lots of power but nothing else. Yeah, she was kinda emotional but if she does this again, I'll stop caring about her. - VIDEO

Iris Kroes

"When Love Takes Over" - 8/10 - Not sure what she was trying to prove with this performance. What I know is that it definitely wasn't the Iris we know. She's the harp girl and now tonight she was this club wannabe. I guess she wanted to show some diversity, well, enough of that! Get back to what you know best. - VIDEO

Wouter Vink

"Rain Down On Me" - 6/10 - Lazy song choice. He needs to surprise me cause I've not been impressed by him since the show started. He's voice is too bland and nothing special. It's even kinda boring and with a song like this, he can't do much. - VIDEO

Michelle Flemming

"Sober" - 7/10 - Just like Sharon went from Beyonce to diva, Michelle went from diva to Beyonce, well, kinda. Her voice isn't as strong as Sharon's but she still got the chops. I'm not sure I like her take on this song, she works better with the jazzy material. This looked forced and her voice left a lot to be desired. - VIDEO

Paul Turner

"Somebody that I used to know" - 8,5/10 - This song became one of my latest faves so I'm gonna like this unless he destroys it. He's a very weird guy but he did a quite good job with it, at least he didn't murder it. He sounded quite interesting actually, much more exciting than many of the others and that's why he's still in this competition. - VIDEO

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Marloes van Ommen

Laura Estévez

Bart Brandjes

Michelle Flemming

Well, this was coming their way eventually. Despite I would have enjoyed one more week of Laura and Michelle, none of them was giving thier all and their team members were usually better than them. Same case with Bart and Marloes, their performances were not exciting enough.

The Voice of Germany Season 1: Top 12 Perform!

2012-01-28T01:33:00.000-03:00

The Top 12 will perform tongith and the expectations are beyond everything, will they live it up or will they fall short? They can't play it safe at this point of the competition. Be ready to be awed and be prepared to unavoidable twists. This is it. Who'll leave us tonight?

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Rino Galiano

"All Night Long" - 7/10 - Why this song? Why now? I don't get it at all, he needs more than miracle to be in the Top 8. The singing was good but beside that it was a nightmare, the outfit was atrocious and the dancing was distracting, you know better than this dude.

Max Giesinger

"Vom Selben Stern" - 8.5/10 - Great job Max, another solid performance. I'm not sure if it was the perfect song for him, it sounded a little bit lazy and lacked some excitement for me. That said he was so relaxed on stage and still charming as ever.

Mic Donet

"I Believe I Can Fly" - 9/10 - Awesome! It was beautiful and inspiring. His voice is pure and he can sell a lot of records with it for sure. There was a weird pause in the middle, maybe part of the arrangements but overall it was a near perfect performance, keep it up Mic.

Ole Feddersen

"Weinst Du" - 8/10 - It was a good performance. The song is beautiful and sad, that's definetely a good change from him after singing fun songs in the last two liveshows. He didn't make it believable enough, as I expected. Try harder if you get through to Top 8.

Ivy Quainoo

"Dream A Little Dream Of Me" - 8.5/10 - Wow I'm totally digging this. What a perfect song for her! It was jazzy and soulful, the best that I've ever seen from her. Confidence and charisma are still her weak points but I saw respectable improvement this week.

Ramona Nerra

"Domino" - 8.5/10 - Another strong performance from her. It was fun and exciting, her voice sounded a little bit hoarse and made her sound out of breath. Her stage productions are always spectacular and she's always giving her best on stage.

Behnam Moghaddam

"Eleanor Rigby" - 7/10 - Amazing arrangement, they totally gave their all to support him. It was surprising that I enjoyed his performance for the first time, though his singing was still discouraging like always. Now I can hardly accept his existence on the show, he's interesting.

Kim Sanders

"Empire State Of Mind" - 8.5/10 - Thought it was filmed in Berlin, well at least she said thank you Berlin in the end. Her performances are not memorable, that's my problem with her. It was a good performance and her singing was good, that's all about it.

Sharron Levy

"Somebody That I Used To Know" - 9/10 - She has arrived. That was really good and unexpected from her. The stage setting was inspired by Walk Off The Earth and it gave her a fully support. It's really exciting to see that they are trying to bring something new and interesting in each performance.

Percival Duke

"Beautiful" - 8.5/10 - Finally we see a different side of him. I love this song and always wanted to hear a male version of it, his version was really something. He's a true performer, he can manage to make his performance different but we still can relate to it.

Michael Schulte

"Video Games" - 9/10 - Lana Del Rey's song! Best timing to come back and he secured his place with this performance. I never counted him as a real contender but this week he proved that he's the one to watch. It's interesting to see what he will do next.

Jasmin Graf

"Hungriges Herz" - 10/10 - She was amazing, I'm speechless really. She wasn't oversinging it and I gave her some points because of that. The song is catchy and she delivered it in a playful way. The stage production was perfect too, I loved the balloons and everything.

Other Performances

Taio Cruz and Top 12 Finalists

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Rino Galiano
Ramona Nerra
Behnam Moghaddam

Percival Duke

We can't have all the good things in the world, that's why Ramona was cut I guess. Well we have a perfect Top 8 now! Check my Top 24 (part 1 and part 2) and Top 16 (part 1 and part 2) posts, I readded most of the videos. See you next week, TVOG rocks!

X Factor Denmark 2012: Judges Houses!

2012-01-27T19:59:00.000-03:00

I'M LOOKING FOR A DANISH TRANSLATOR, IF INTRESETED, EMAIL ME

Bootcamp proved that Ida is the one to beat and with only 8 acts remaining per category, the competition is tougher than ever. Tonight, the contestants will be sent to the judges houses, where they'll be whittled down to just 3 per category. ... It's time to face the music!

Recap after the JUMP ...

Day 1

Overs

* The Overs are at Holckenhavn Slot, Fyn, which is basically a castle. Another reallly nice location, proving that it's not necesary to go to a fany location overseas for this stage of the competition. Cutfather will be joined by DJ Kato, whose single "Turn the Lights On" is quite popular and was once covered by XF Norway contestant Pernille.

*The contestants are performing in their rooms? Weird. Haha. After that weird moment, the contestants will record their performance with Kato.

*Katrine - Her nerves get the best of her. She forgets the lyrics and it's a very awkward situation. When she finally gets to the singing it's quite good, her voice is very distinctive, I wonder what she can do without forgetting the lyrics. Her recorded part, much better.

*Ronni - His voice isn't that good for me, it's got a slightly country twang, he could develop on that and be much better. Not much interesting for me though.

*Sidsel - She was almost cut last round, thankfully she wasn't. She's definitely my fave Over left. She kinda reminds me to Patricia. Her tone is wonderful and she's got a slightly seductive style, which I love.

*Birger - And we are now listening to the worst Over. I don't really get why he's still here. His voice is too affected from smoking. Cutfather can't contain his laugh and that's because this old man is singing sans teeth. Yeah, that's right. He took them away. It's pretty horrible.

*Jason - He's got an annoying tone, Justin Timberlake like, I wouldn't pick him to advance.

*Sveinur - Why aren't they showing him more? He was one of the best during the auditions, that bit sounded good, I need to see more though.

*Rene - I've not seen much too judge him but I guess he sounded ok? He's definitely fodder and will be cut for sure.

*Mulila - First time I've seen her sing well. It's an Adele song though and I'm qutie tired of them by now. She did a good job though, much better than some of the Overs I've seen before her. We see some photos of Africa next, was she raised there?

Groups

*Blachman's category is sent to Langelinie, København, a place mainly known for The Little Mermaid statue. Singer Dicte will help Blachman pick his acts.

*SimBel - They are definitely one of the stand outs among the Groups. This song choice isn't good at all, they sound quite boring but at least they are on tune and their harmonies are cute. What's up with the brunette? She looks horrified.

*Johnnie og Julie (Name: Green Romance) - Both of them were part of the show last year. They sing the same song as SimBel. Blachman takes his guitar away. Johnnie keeps forgetting the lyrics and screwing up. When he gives Johnnie the guitar back, they sound much better, really better. I quite liked that! But the guitar thing may be a problem.

*The Girls Dormitory - They were three if I remember right. Now they are four. Mmm. Wow, one of the singers goes totally out of tune. It's quite painful. When they all sing together it's not working either. They are definitely going home tonight.

*Christian og Tharek - Christian's got a great voice but together with Tharek, it's all a bit boring. They added a nice touch to that song but I'm not quite sure that was enough. They sound a little old fashioned to me.

*Double Trouble - Just awful. I really can't stand them anymore. They can't continue advancing on the strength of her voice. He needs to be good also, and he's not.

*Nicoline og Jean Michel - They were formed after being cut as solo artists. Honestly, they are the best so far. Jean made it to this same stage last year but was cut, I really liked him back then. They both sound together and it's quite beautiful.

*Rasmus og Phuong (Name: Rare Phonetics) - Another good duo, still, they don't sound as good as the previous one. Rasmus goes completely out of tune on the last notes. His voice is too thin and overpowers Phuong's, which is qutie great. They sing another song and they don't hit the notes again. I still see potential in them.

Unders

* The Unders are sent to a country style looking hotel in Brundby, Samsø. Cute place, I'd stay there. Pernille will be assisted by Mathias Kolstrup from rock band Dúné.

*Morten - He's singing "Cannonball" and forgetting the lyrics and it's a shame cause he's probably, along with Ida, the best in this category. He only sings three notes. Then stops. He goes running with Mathias? WTF? He starts again, much better this time! Well, this is the highlight of the night for sure. His voice is beautiful, I'd be shocked if he's cut.

*Jonas - Same song as Morten, Jonas also got a really interesting tone. I've not seen it before but he indeed has an unique tone. I like it. I actually like all the Unders, anyone can make it and I wouldn't care.

*Mathias - He does his thing with the song and also nails it, beautiful vocals from this kid. Again, the three guys have fantastic tones. A fantasting casting among them.

*Laura - She was a standout duing the auditions despite only been showing a bit. She's got a great voice but she's not sounding as good tonight.

*Rosa - Never heard her before. Her voice is quite nasal, she's got a nice tone but what I saw in those few moments weren't enough for me. She didn't impress me much. I hope she had.

*Ida - She sings a danish song I've never heard before. I like her voice a lot, she's definitely one of, if not the, best contestant in this competition but that performance didn't do anything for me. I hope she had sang in English, but I bet this was enough for Pernille. They ain't cutting her!

*Line - She's got a good voice but it's a bit generic for me. I can't judge enough on this short clips but Line got really emotional with it. I wish I had seen more cause I bet I would've liked it.

*Kristel - She's playing piano. Her first audition was kinda a mess but this is pretty great. She's got a nice rasp to her voice and her jazzy vibe could be great for the show. She's not the best but she can develop into one of them.

Results

*Before the results are announced, some predictions! For the Overs, I'd say: Katrine, Sidsel, Sveinur, Mulila and Ronni. Groups: SimBel, Green Romance, Christian og Tharek, Nicoline og Jean Michel and Rasmus og Phuong. Unders: Ida, Morten, Mathias, Kristel and Line. Let's see what these judges do, let's hope they don't make a big mistake.

Overs - Cutfather

Mulila
Sveinur
Sidsel
Katrine
Jason

Unders - Pernille

Kristel

Line

Ida

Jonas

Morten

Groups - Blachman

Johnnie & Julie

Jean Michel & Nicoline

Simone Rasmus & Phoung

Double Trouble

SimBel

Day 2

Join me next Friday when the top 9 will be selected!

The Voice of Holland 2012: Top 16 - Part 2 - Perform!

2012-01-26T14:34:00.000-03:00

Well, here we are with Part 2 of the Top 16 as promised. While these performances are not so fun to find on the internet, it certainly does feel good and make up for it when one good performance is found. Part 1 showed us that the competition is fierce and just one okay-ish performance isn't going to make the cut. Part 1 also showed us how awesome Charly and Erwin are, can anyone top them? Read all about it here ...

Recap and videos after the JUMP...

Bart Brandjes

"Superstition" - 3/10 - I did not expect that voice to come out of this guy. The arrangement is cool, pretty similar to the original... This vocal performance just falls very short for me, very weak and uninteresting. Not much else to say. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to say "Bleh"... - VIDEO

Marieke Dollekamp

"Tell Me 'bout It" - 4/10 - Not much to say here. While this is an energetic performance, it's pretty bland and uninteresting. Marieke's voice isn't anything I haven't heard before and I don't find the song choice to be very good at all. If she does have a good voice, she isn't showing it well. - VIDEO

Iris Kroes

"Listen to Your Heart"- 6/10 - This girl has cool name and a solid voice. I totally get a feeling she could be like Holland's Adele for some reason. I didn't care for the tempo, I think this song works much better slowed down and perhaps only accompanied by a piano but it definitely had some solid parts with Iris' voice. It could have been better but I did enjoy it. - VIDEO

Sharon Doorson

"Crazy in Love"- 6/10 - I seriously never have to hear this song ever again. I'll end my rant on this song right there. Sharon actually does a really good job and I like the arrangement. It's nice to see someone trying to compete for the diva spot in Holland. Considering the song, she really did well. Is it my cup of tea? Not really. - VIDEO

Guy Barzily

"Rock with You" - 6/10 - The first thing I saw of this season's TVOH was this guy's audition a while back. I really liked it and thought he was a potential chosen one/ frontrunner. I wasn't sure what to think of this at first but this is actually a really fitting song for him and he does pretty well at singing Michael. Maybe a bit sleepy at parts. - VIDEO

Paul Turner

"Born this Way"- 6.5/10 - What the hell is this guy thinking. He's dressed like Richard Simmons and kinda looks like Jim Carrey, this makes me lulz on the inside. He is a bit of a novelty act from what I can tell, several notes are off but that's because the dancers accidentally knocked his earphones out. He runs out of breath at one point but I do like his tone. Unfortunately thus far has not been a very good episode and you know how I am, lulzy entertainment triumphs over bland singers. Paul is best of the night so far. - VIDEO

Michelle Flemming

"Wonderful World" - 7/10 - I love it when people reinvent this song. Of course, I can't tell what anyone is saying but I'm pretty sure she is singing "Wonderful World" to an instrumental of "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. at points. Combine this with her unique voice and Michael Jackson falsetto, I think this performance is brilliant. Maybe a bit sleepy and a dash too jazzy at parts but overall, I thought this was great. Thank goodness someone topped Paul. - VIDEO

Wouter Vink

"Heaven"- 7/10 - So, we end this episode the same way we ended the last one. With a Bryan Adams song. Wouter does a fantastic job here, he reminds me a lot of Edwin McCain. I don't really know what else to say about this performance. His voice isn't particularly amazing but he definitely propelled past tonight's snoozefest with Michelle by his side and followed closely by Paul. He could go far if thing remain this bland. - VIDEO

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Marieke Dollecamp
Guy Barzily

Marieke's elimination doesn't surprise me but Guy's elimination does just because I considered him a frontrunner in this. On the other hand, they both got the first spots of the night (which is never good for anyone) and didn't give a memorable performance on top of it. At least my favorites survived. We got 12 left, I wonder where this will go now.

The Voice of Holland Season 2: Top 16 - Part 1 - Perform!

2012-01-26T14:29:00.000-03:00

After the successful first season that kick-started The Voice going international, The Voice of Holland is back for a season 2. And with judges Roel van Velzen, Nick & Simon, Angela Groothuizen and Marco Borsato, it is sure to be a good one. Join Charlie (me) on this glorious adventure as I hunt down the performances on foreign Wikipedia and give you, the dear reader, an epic read experience. In this entry, the first half of the Top 16 will duke it out for a Spot in the coveted Top 12. Who has what it takes?

Recap and videos after the JUMP...

Marloes van Ommen

"Since U Been Gone"- 5/10 - When this song is chosen in televised singing competitions, it is usually not performed well. Marloes didn't fair much better. The first half isn't very good at all. The key change annoys me. The high part before the last chorus was very good, the rest is annoying and not good. - VIDEO

Danjil Tuhemena

"Chariot" - 5/10 - This guy's look doesn't match the song choice at all. I find the song choice to be odd. He gets off to a good start but his voice is weak and bordering on all-over-the-place in a few parts. I wish his guitar playing was as good as his singing. I hope he advances, just so we can see what else he can do. - VIDEO

Chris Hordijk

"When I Get You Alone" - 6/10 - This was nice, funky and fresh. His voice is kinda simple and generic but he did a good job here. He sings it very well and keeps the stage lively and entertaining. It kind of goes nowhere in the middle but the ending of the song is very good. Chris has a nice smile and charm about him. I wouldn't be surprised if he went a lot farther in this competition. - VIDEO

Charly Luske

"Run to You"- 8.5/10 - AWESOME song choice, I'm seriously loving this. Nice to see someone do an '80s song and do a great job. Charly has a fantastic voice that I can definitely hear on the radio. I'm so glad this was the last performance of the night, it was a very pleasing surprise and put an energetic and awesome feeling end to this episode. I've replayed this performance several times just writing this, need I say more? Fantastic. - VIDEO

Rodney Elzer

"Everlasting Love" - 4/10 - Rodney's got a smooth tone. But if you're going to compete in a nationwide singing contest, you want to pick songs that are entertaining and keep the audience interested. If you also include the cheesy stage setup, this did not do him any favors. As much as I like his voice, this was a very sleepy choice and probably not a good move. - VIDEO

Laura Estévez

"Trouble" - 6.5/10 - I must say, considering this is the first time I've watched any live shows concerning this season of TVOH, this is a pretty good start. She is entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. I really like the raspiness in her voice, kinda reminds me of Janis Joplin. She has a nice stage presence too, I hope she advances. - VIDEO

Niels Geusebroek

"Save the World"- 6.5/10 - This guy fascinates me a bit, I get Coldplay/ R.E.M vibes off him. At least that's the artist I think he wants to be. This song has a good start but sort of became borderline sleepy for me. He went for a moment, he just didn't pull it off as well as Erwin. This was still good, the way he ends the song is just beautiful. - VIDEO

Erwin Nyhoff

"Always On My Mind"- 8/10 - Unlike Rodney, Erwin took advantage of the opportunity and created a captivating moment. This is fantastic, the acoustic guitar let's his voice be showcased very well in the first half. I could have gone without the instruments in the second half but this was still very good. Holland's WGWG! Lookout y'all! - VIDEO

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Rodney Elzer
Danjil Tuhumena

Expecting a SHOCKING result?? Well, this isn't shocking at all. Rodney and Danjil both put on performances that were lukewarm and not incredibly enjoyable. At this level of competition, you gotta bring your A-game every time. They sadly failed to do that but oh well.. Someone's gotta go home, right?

Voice - Danmarks største stemme Season 1: The Battles

2012-01-24T19:40:00.000-03:00

The Voice has become a really popular franchise so it's no surprise that Denmark has developed their own version. Judged by Aqua member Lene Nystrøm, Sort Sol member Steen Jørgensen, The Raveonettes member Sharin Foo and rapper L.O.C and hosted by Morten Resen, the show's already proved to be a success during the blind auditions, let's see if the show keeps being one when it starts competing against the X Factor.

Recap after the JUMP ...

Mette Uhrnfeldt vs Ida Lohmann

"Fighter" (Christina Aguilera)
VIDEO

Ida took part in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix back in 2000, in which she placed 4th. She was almost cut during the blind auditions with only Lene hitting her button at the last second. Mette had a much better audition, and was still only picked by Lene, so I guess both are in the same condition. None actually sounds great, there are many off moments in both of them. I kinda prefer Mette, her voice is stronger and has an edgier tone. Ida's more of a pop singer and seems to be struggling with it. The battle is still quite interesting tough Mette should have won this one.

Winner:

Ida Lohmann

Thomas Solnæs vs Jesper Skovhus

"Animal" (Neon Trees)
VIDEO

Well, I guess we can't have a show full of good duets. This is awful. Jesper's a horrible singer and you'd think he'd be powerful but he's got a very weak voice. Thomas sounds decent at least, well, when he's not hitting a horrible note, but he didn't impress me at all. Can they both go home? I won't miss any of them. Well, at least whoever wins this battle will be a fodder coming the liveshows.

Winner:

Thomas Solnæs

Henrik Heiden vs Henrik Bruhn vs Janus Soliånd

"When Love Comes to Town" (U2)
VIDEO

Triple battle! This should be fun! None of this people impressed me the first time, maybe Janus a little, the other too are a blur for me, I don't even remember them. Haha. Out of the three, Henrik B is the one sounding the best, he's got a great rock voice, very powerful. Henrik H has a similar voice but it sounds too sharp and it's a bit unpleasant. Janus was a little lost in this battle, I blinked and I missed him. My winner, totally Henrik Bruhn.

Winner:

Henrik Bruhn

Henriette Andersen vs Mathias Rønne Pachler

"Set the Fire to the Third Bar" (Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright)
VIDEO

Henriette was part of The Fireflies, or still is, and she compited in the XF back in 2010 where they reached the 4th place. I'd love her as a soloist back then, so I'm totally backing Henriette in this battle. I admit that Mathias has a nice voice but it's nothing I've not heard before. Henriette's got a more unique tone and though some people may think it's annoying, I just love it. Wow, Lene is all emotional. Admittedly, this is a beautiful song and a fantastic battle.

Winner:

Mathias Rønne Pachler

Rosa Skotte vs Christina Ross

"I Kissed a Girl" (Katy Perry)
VIDEO

Rosa is Liv's daughter but their voices doesn't sound alike. If Liv is folk, Rosa is pure pop. Not the best battle, probably one of the worst. The song choice is horrible and none of them is doing a good job with the vocals. Christina is struggling more than Rosa though, so I'd go for the latest, despite none deserved it. Oh look, lesbian kiss at the end! Suitable I guess!

Winner:

Rosa Skotte

Martin Preisler vs Marc Grabowski

"Get the Fuck Out of My Mind" (Tim Christensen)
VIDEO

Really weird song choice, considering it doesn't fit any of the contestants. That said, both sound quite decent with it, nothing amazing tough but it's all the song's fault. That's too much rock for me. I really don't know who should win this battle, either Martin or Marc. Martin does sound a little better cause his voice is more suitable for this while Marc's is a little more soft. I don't care who L.O.C picks ....

Winner:

Martin Preisler

Rebecca Melodee Ndigaye vs Clara Aagaard

"Bright Lights Bigger City" (Cee-Lo Green)
VIDEO

This is a bit bland. None has a strong voice but they indeed have interesting tones. Clara is sounding off in many, many notes, while Rebecca is at least sounding on tune. I'm not impressed though, I expected much more from them and none was up to the challenge. Can we cut both of them? If I'm forced to pick one, it's Rebecca.

Winner:

Rebecca Melodee Ndigaye

Pernille Leeloo vs Kim Wagner

"Teardrop" (Massive Attack)
VIDEO

This is a really unfortunate pairing cause both have a lot of potential as finalists. I was confident both were making it, now, I'm rooting for Pernille just cause I liked his audition more than his. Kim starts and he's got a great smooth tone, really impressive. Pernille's voice doesn't go too well with this song, while it's much more suitable for Kim's. I don't really know, it could go either way, though I suspect L.O.C is picking Kim.

Winner:

Kim Wagner

Ida Korsgaard Josefsen vs Noa Sophie Stoustrup

"Nobody's Man" (Tina Dickow)
VIDEO

I love Ida's sound. Her voice is incrediblly unique I'm amazed. Noa also has a beautiful sound, it kinda reminds me to Dolores O'Riordan's. Their solos were great but the chorus was weird, they both sounded off tune. But besides that, it was a great battle. I don't really care who wins, both are cool.

Winner:

Noa Sophie Stoustrup

Joakim Tranberg vs Pernille Helweg Larsen

"No Air" (Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown)
VIDEO

If this was the original duet, Pernille would be Chris and Joakim would be Jordin. And in this case, being Jordin is the good one. Pernille's voice is overpowered by Joakim's and I almost cannot hear her, her solo parts are nice but not as good as Joakim's, which, despite not being great, are clearly better than hers. None impressed me much though, and whoever loses this battle should definitely come back cause both have potential.

Winner:

Joakim Tranberg

Nesma Houmani vs Stella Danielsen

"Soon We'll Be Found" (Sia)
VIDEO

A great pairing here, plus a suitable song for them. Both have a really interesting tone which makes this a fantastic performance. Based on this both should make it but I think I prefer Stella to Nesma cause she sounds much more unique while Nesma sounds a little nasal. And by the way, how similar is Stella's voice to Sia's?

Winner:

Stella Danielsen

Simone Madsen vs Frederik Meyer-Zeuthen

"Someone New" (Eskobar and Heather Nova)

VIDEO

I didn't like Frederik at all during his audition, I loved Simone's though I knew she wasn't the best. Tonight, Frederik is actually really impressing me! He's got a fantastic tone and is nailing this performance, burying poor Simone, who is sounding well, but not as good as him. In a different battle, Simone would have probably won cause she's got a really commercial tone but here, Frederik is the best singer, so he's my winner ...

Winner:

Frederik Meyer-Zeuthen

Freja Kirk vs Louise Nyrup Jensen

"Cold War" (Janelle Monáe)
VIDEO

One of my favourite auditions was Freja's and I don't even remember Louise, so it's obvious who I'm rooting for. Louise's voice is very soulish, me likes it. Freja isn't sounding as good as I expected her too, Louise is sounding much better than her. Not the right song for Freja, if this was about the voice, Louise would win but we know that's not the case.

Winner:

Freja Kirk

Bjarne Langhoff vs John Olsen

"Don't Get Me Wrong" (The Pretenders)
VIDEO

I wasn't sure what to expect from this duo and being honest, I expected a failure, but they actually managed to deliver a pretty good performance. Their voices aren't much interesting but they can definitely sing. Bjarne's probably got a more interesting tone than John, he's voice is more interesting at least. But since this is Sharin who's been making the worst decisions among all the judges, we can't expect anything.

Winner:

Bjarne Langhoff

Anne Louise Krogh vs Amie Jones

"True Colors" (Cyndi Lauper)
VIDEO

Amie made it to the Judges Houses on the XF last season as a solo act and she also made it to the same stage in 2010 as part as a duo with her sister, so the girl knows something about this competitions. We never get to see her much back then, so I can't comment much. Amie's voice is very cute, I wonder why she never made it in XF. Anne Louise's is also beautiful, I like her more than Amie, her tone is quite interesting. I really don't know what else to say, both sounded really impressive so it's a toss up for me. I'd like to see both make it actually. Any chance of a wildcard?

Winner:

Amie Jones

Nadia Bach vs Trine Dusine

"Zombie" (The Cranberries)
VIDEO

I'm not sure about this duet. The girls are not that similar and I think Steen should have paired them with other contestants. This still makes for a great battle cause this is a great song and both have strong voices. Nadia's got this powerful rasp, while Trine's much more soft. Nadia's sounding better tough, cause the song is more fitting for her voice, Trine did a quite great job tough.

Winner:

Nadia Bach

Nanna Kaad vs Daniel Holm

"First We Take Manhattan" (Leonard Cohen)
VIDEO

Naana was my fave during the auditions! I loved his unique style and his "Use Somebody" was kinda magical. I honestly don't remember Daniel, guess he was really forgettable. This is an awful song for both of them. Naana is sounding nice though, I still love her tone, reminds me a lot to Patricia from XF. Daniel sounds weird too me but not bad. My pick is Naana though, she's one of my faves.

Winner:

Nanna Kaad

Dea Romme Larsen vs Isabel Uweis

"1 Thing" (Amerie)
VIDEO

Both girls have really nice voices. I love both their tones, thin and unique. I wouldn't mind any of them winning cause both sound quite good on this. Isabel's voice is thinner while Dea's is much deeper. If it was up to me, I'd go with Isabel cause I like her tone a little more but I'm totally fine with Dea too, she sounds quite interesting.

Winner:

Dea Romme Larsen

Thomas Pedersen vs Bjarke Rasmussen

"Get It On" (T. Rex)
VIDEO

This is exactly the type of act I was expecting Steen to pick. I'm hating this. It's just awful country singing. Thomas sounds horrible to me and so does Bjarke. Thomas is too intense and Bjarke is too lightweight. If I was pointed with a gun and forced to pick, I'd probably be dead. Haha ...

Winner:

Thomas Pedersen

Louise Wæhrens vs Liv Skotte

"Set Fire to the Rain" (Adele)
VIDEO

Liv's audition was probably one of the greatest, I'm totally looking forward to what she does tonight. Probably not the song I would have picked for them but I don't doubt it'll be a great duet. Liv's voice is amazing, it may sound a little annoying at times but with the right songs, she'll deliver a great album. Louise's got a less powerful voice, more stereotypical and isn't as good as Liv but she could still shine as a soloist. But here, I'd definitely pick Liv.

Winner:

Liv Skotte

The Voice of Germany Season 1: Top 16 - Part 2 - Perform!

2012-01-23T20:47:00.000-03:00

Last week was phenomenal and this week is going to be a bloodbath! The mentors are giving their all to support the contestants but can they handle the pressure? The stakes are higher than ever, the prize means the winner will have a bright future in the music industry and they will get a worthy recording contract to make that happen. The Top 16 will be fighting for survival and a chance of winning, who'll be the stand-out tonight?

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Behnam Moghaddam

"Hurt" - 6/10 - He was flying! That was the best part of it sadly. The singing was hard to hear, it would've been better if he was singing it standing up but yeah no more words from me to describe it.

Yasmina Hunzinger

"Baby Love" - 7/10 - Heavy ballad again, bad song choice. Her voice was strong and the performance was good. The connection with the audience was the one that needed more attention but she was too busy belting the song here and there instead.

Sharron Levy

"Burning Down The House" - 8.5/10 - Hot hot hot! Amazing, the guitar was hot too. Her voice is too generic for me, though the rock genre helps her and gives it some edge. I'm not sure if she has what it takes but this performance showed that she still has the chance to prove it.

Kim Sanders

"Killing Me Softly" - 8.5/10 - She can sing, I have no doubt about it. The singing was great and the performance was classy but it's a little bit staged and appeared to be fake to me. It would be great to see her singing naturally with simple arrangements and all.

Benny Fiedler

"Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären" - 7/10 - This song is beautiful and somehow sad. I didn't feel anything from him, he clearly needed to try harder. It was a sloppy job, the singing was mediocre and the stage or the production needed to be more attractive.

Michael Schulte

"Human" - 8/10 - He was more confident than last week, good for him. The performance was good and the singing was good too. He's getting better but he still in the middle of the pack, so if he wants to win there are still lots work to do.

Percival

"Seven Nation Army" - 8/10 - He is a real entertainer, it's always thrilling to see him perform. He has his own charms and moves. He maybe not the best singer, but he owned the stage and connected with the audience so don't ever underestimate him.

Jasmin Graf

"Stark" - 9/10 - I'm amazed! That was so good, inspiring and memorable. The staging was perfect, gave her the moment that reality show's contestants need. I want her to sing in english so badly, don't make me wait too long please.

Other Performances

Second Part of Top 16 Contestants

The BossHoss

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Yasmina Hunzinger

Benny Fiedler

Predictable results, I must say. I don't see any reason why Behnam is still there but that's maybe because the public see him somewhat likeable. Next week is the scary part, Top 12! I will be recapping the shows, so don't miss it.

X Factor Denmark 2012: Bootcamp!

2012-01-23T19:09:00.000-03:00

I'M LOOKING FOR A DANISH TRANSLATOR, IF INTRESETED, EMAIL ME

After three weeks, the auditions have come to an end, and now it's time for the remaining cntestants to face the bootcamp stage, where the contestants will be whittled down to just 8 contestants per category which will advance to the Judges Houses. Who'll be tonight's standout? ... It's time to face the music!

Recap after the JUMP ...

Mulila - She still doesn't impress me much, I wish she could show more feeling and power. She forgets the lyrics, or that's what I thought it happened, then goes crazy. She still comes through as an incrediblly nice person. Still, this is a case were the personality is bigger than the voice.

SM - This is the female duo from the last audition episode. They sounded great there but they don't sound as impressive tonight, still, there are better than some of the groups I've seen here.

Sidsel - Even better than the first time we saw her. Her tone is wonderful, I wish we could see more from her, probably one of the best Overs this season.

Jean Michelle - Oh, look who's back! He auditioned for the show last season but was cut during the JH stages. I really liked him back then, he's not sounding as good this time. The song didn't help and he sounded a bit shaky.

Jonas - I still can't find this kid interesting. He sounds a bit boring and weak, I don't expect him to make it to the liveshows. There are better contestants.

Sabrina - She auditioned for the show cause her mother wanted her to. She doesn't have a strong voice and it sounds even weaker this time than during her first audition. She's definitely not strong enough for this competition. She needs a lot of work.

Mathias - His first audition wasn't convincing for me though I kinda liked his folky tone. Now, he sounds awful and on top on that, he's taking on "What are Words" from Chris Medina, another awful song. I think the problem is he performed without his guitar, so he felt unprotected and crumbled. He can do much better though.

Birger - He still sounds awful to me, I don't know what they see in him. I wouldn't have put him through in the first place, he's not a great singer and not interesting enough to me. But they seem to love it for some odd reason.

Double Trouble - The guy keeps sounding awful to me and this time, she's also sounding bad, well that until she sings "Son of A Preacherman", one of the almost 10 songs they sing. Why are they singing so many times? Cause none of the songs is a good pick. They need to work on their song choices cause they are horrible.

Ida - Finally a good performance! She sings "Black and Gold", a song Ellie Goulding made me love, and totally wows the judges, probably the only stand-out tonight. Blachman loves her cause he's giving her the same face he had while Patricia was performing. My fave, they'd be stupid not to put her in the liveshows.

Results

From left to right: (Front) 1NEZZ, SimBel, Blachman, Johnnie and Julie (from last season, don't know their group name) (Back) Double Trouble, Christian og Tharek. Apart from this groups, 3? more groups will be formed from eliminated contestants, like in previous years.

From left to right: (Front) Birger, Cutfather, Jason, Mulila. (Back) Sidsel, Ronni, Katrine, Rene, Sveinur.

From left to right: (Front) Ida, Line, Pernille, Rosa. (Back) Kristel, Laura, Morten, Mathias, Jonas.

X Factor Denmark 2012: The Auditions

2012-01-23T16:54:00.000-03:00

I'M LOOKING FOR A DANISH TRANSLATOR, IF INTRESETED, EMAIL ME

Another season is starting and along with it, I'm coming back to recap it! Unfortunately, bong has decided not to come back this year, so we need a new translator! Pernille Rosendahl, Thomas Blachman and Cutfather are all back and also is Lise Rønne. Sarah is our latest winner and has enjoyed lots of success since her win. Who'll be our next champion? ... It's time to face the music!

Recap after the JUMP ...

I'm only featuring the contestants that made it through, not all of them. By the way, please correct me if I've any name wrong, which I know I will, cause for some reason they don't put the names of the contestants on the screen.

Week 1

Kristel (Under 25) - They introduce her with "Sexy and I Know It". Thomas has his sex face on when she enters the stage. Haha. She's singing "At Last" and while it's not an excellent rendition, the girl's got some qualities. Plus the guys seem to love her, so this is a definite yes.

Zabrina (Under 25) - Taking on Rihanna is not a very clever idea. The girl is all over the place with this one hitting some terrible notes. Blachman can't help putting a nice face. Zabrina's got some nice moments tough, and I guess that's the reason that she was put through, cause there were some serious bad moments.

Mathias (Under 25) - His voice is a little annoying at first but he's still much better than past teens we've seen, and yes, I'm thinking of Babou and Sarah, both mediocre at best, tough I kinda warmed to them at the end. Mathias at least has this folky acoustic sound which I found really appealing so I could see him really growing on me.

Double Trouble (Groups) - Girl-guy duo. He sounds awful, she sounds great. This is one of the cases that need an on-stage-split. Unfortunately, the judges don't do that and decide to put them through as a duo. Very bad decision, don't expect them to get far.

Quick montage next. Katrina, who sings "Walking in Memphis" and sounds fantastic, tough she looks a little lost on stage, bet it's nerves. A girl who's name I didn't hear but who had a fantastic soulish voice also makes it through. Pernille says her she could see her in the liveshows. And Rasmus, who's got a really femenine sound and is something quite weird, cause it's not what I was expecting to come from him, interesting still.

Ida (Under 25) - Just amazing! She's singing "Lost" by Anouk and it's just great they saved the best for last. This girl is a rough diamond! Great voice and great presence, plus she also looks really cute with her braces. I think Denmark has found their own Jenny (Idol Norge winner). Love her folky sound, I see myself rooting for her and I also think I've found my fave already! The judges are all emotional and I'm myself a little too, that was gorgeous! UPDATE: "Lost" is #1 on the danish charts!

Week 2

Patrick (Under 25) - The guy likes jumping, a lot. I bet he loves parkour. Ha. Then he started singing. I was expecting a lot more edge but the "edgy" guy decided to take on "I Belive I Can Fly", much to the surprise of Blachman. His voice clearly reminded me a lot to Justin Timberlake, who we all know isn't a great singer and is notable for his thin voice. The judges put him through, I definitely wasn't expecting that, he was average at best but at least his voice was somehow interesting.

Line (Under 25) - She looks like Tine Midtgaard Madsen, from season 3, I wonder what happened to her. Her voice isn't the strongest and she's sounding quite off on several notes but I think it's the song's fault. "You and I" isn't a good decision. But she's got some moments, I'd like to see more, I liked her jazzy tone.

We get our montage of girls! Silvia, whose voice is really thin and sounds a little off but pulls the song great. Sasja, who's much better than Line but still is only showed 5 seconds. Really impressed with this one! Want to see much more from her! A girl with a case of awful hair, her voice is really deep, I'm not sure I like it. And Laura, who sings "Use Somebody" and sounds beautiful, if only the judges didn't speak over her.

Mulila (Over 25) - Most of the Overs bore me to death, of course, that's with the exception of Patricia and Annelouise. Mulila sounds kinda interesting, very jazzy feeling but not a jazzy sound. Her voice lacks power, still the judges put her through. I wasn't impressed, though she looked real nice!

Sveinur (Over 25) - He's got the looks but does he have the voice too? There's definitely something there. He's got a good rocky sound, which reminds me to Thomas though a lot more sharp. I'm not sure his voice was at it's best tonight but he's got tons of potential. Looking forward to him, he's definitely a possible finalist.

Gokke (Over 25) - The man likes speaking, a lot. He talks, talks, talks. Poor Lise. Haha. He's wearing some kind of uniform, not sure that's the appropiate outfit for a show like this. They've been dragging this audition all the show and he keeps talking when he enters the stage. I don't care how old he is, he's annoying. Haha. Very old fashioned sound, not my style. He's kinda sweet though, the judges put him through but don't expect to see him in the liveshows.

Peter (Over 25) - He's wheelchair-bound, no idea what happened to him. He's singing "Apologize" and playing the guitar. Not the best voice but good enough. It's got a slightly country tone, I don't like his falsetto much but the rest is quite nice.

Week 3

Romance (Groups) - This duo looks like a total joke audition, surprisingly, they aren't one. I don't really like their voices, they sound just ok and have some awful moments. They are charming though. The judges put them through, shockingly.

Morten Benjamin Hansen (Under 25) - He's singing "Room With a View" and his voice is definitely not what I was expecting. He's got an incrediblly unique tone, really interesting and captivating, reminds me of Hans Bollandsås (XF Norway winner), but I like Morten much more. Definitely one of my faves so far. This is one to watch!

Sidsel (Over 25) - Another interesting voice, I kinda love her tone. She doesn't stand out but her voice certainly does, she looks really humble, which adds some points to her, plus she's really likeable. I liked her!

Jonas (Under 25) - He sings "The A Team", not the best voice, nor the most interesting one but he's got a pleasant tone, which could earn him some fans. With a little development, he could be good.

Phuong - She sang a danish song and it was quite impressive. Nice audition, I'd like to see more from her, she's also really cute. So, whoever knows her name, tell me ...

Biver Karl Hans Kaspersen (Over 25) - The judges seem to be enjoying this, I don't like it at all. He sounds old and that's because he's old. It's like one of those folky americana songs, where the singers voice is very limited due to his age. There were some nice qualities but I don't see how he could do well in this competition.

SimBel (Groups) - Simone and Isabella - Probably the first good group that has been featured on the show this season. Both girls have decent voices and a quite dark vibe, though the first song doesn't fit them much. Blachman asks for another song, and Simone brings her guitar and they sound much better than the first time. With a little coaching, this girls could be really good, they've got potential.

A montage of groups next. SM, a female duo, do a really great job with "Set Fire to the Rain", specially the blonde one, who nails the vocal part. Christian og Tarik who take on "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word", the white guy has a fantastic tone, I want him to go solo. 1NEZZ, three grils who take on "Do It Like a Dude" and show a lot of sass, would have picked a diff song though.

Ulla (Over 25) - Not the most contemporary voice but her take on "Summertime" sounded really nice. She's an old fashioned performer but the judges all seem to like her, so she's sent through to bootcamp, and with that, the auditions come to an end!

Who was your fave contestant? Anyone you think should make it to the liveshows?

Interview: Maria Mohn

2012-01-23T15:21:00.001-03:00

One of the most beautiful voices on the latest season of Idol Norge, Maria Mohn was initally positioned as one of the frontrunners but somehow, she starting fading away and was ultimately eliminated in the 6th place. Known for her unique arrengments of popular tunes, Maria was one of my favourites of the season and she left a lasting impression on me with her hearfelt performances. There's no doubt the girl has a lot of talent and with the right songs, she can be a hit in Norway. Below, you'll find an interview we did over a month ago and I thought it was about time I posted it! ... Enjoy!

Interview after the JUMP ...

*Who is Maria by Maria?
Hmm, I guess I would describe myself as a passionate, creative, emotional and loving person.

*How would you define yourself as an artist?
Much like the answer above! I focus on the lyrics and on creating a melody one will remember, I want to speak to the hearts of the audience through my music.

*How did you get started with music?
I've been singing since I was 3 years old. It has always been a part of me.

*What is the best advice someone has ever given to you?
Hmm... Don't waste your time being nervous, Alexander With, Idol-winner (2004, I think) told me that. I didn't manage to take the advice, but it was a good one.

*What made you audition for Idol in the first place?
I realised that I had to do something drastic if I could be able to sing for a living.

*What can you tell us about your first audition and the song you sang?
I wanted to sing a song "everyone" knows and make it even more beautiful. I hope I managed to do that!

*Was it hard to remain true to yourself as an artist during the show?
Well, it was REALLY hard to do my best under those conditions... I got really nervous and scared... I'm looking forward to sing again where I can relax and talk to the audience between the songs, I like to tell stories and get to know the audience during a concert, that kind of communication is unique.

*Why did you pick "Flashdance" as your semifinal performance?
Pretty much the same reason as my first audition And the lyrics was perfect for that performance, I think . "Take your passion and make it happen".

*Were you happy with your rendition of "Take On Me"? Why did you pick that song?
Again - I was not satisfied with my performance, but I really liked the arrangement, the lyrics got a new meaning; "So needless to say, I'm odds and ends. But that's me, I'm stumbling away, and I'm slowly learning that life is OK. Say after me: It's no better to be safe than sorry" I really felt that it described some of the feelings I had during the competition.

*Your performance of "Viva la vida" got a lot of critiques from the judges, do you regret that performance? Why did you initally picked it?
I remember the good critiques! Hank said I had the best voice It's just stupid to regret choices I made, that's just a waste of time and energy. But if I got to do it all over again, I'd probably choose different song for each friday.

*Your final performance was "Gabriellas Sång", what does that song mean to you? Were you expecting your elimination that night?
In a way, I did. I guess Idols viewers are too young for an artist like me. And since I never managed to do my best, I guess I did expect it. The song is very important to me, the lyrics described so much my Idol-experience!

*You were known for your unique arrengments, where did the ideas for it came from?
From deep within, I guess..!

*How would you describe the overall experience?
Emotional. Scary. Fantastic.

*Do you think that being a woman was a disadvantage in the competition?
Hmm... Maybe. If I was a 16 year old cute boy everything would be different But I would rather be me.

*To finish with Idol questions, who do you think will take the title?
Jenny (this would've been my answer weeks ago I'm really glad she won.)

*Before entering Idol, you released an album, "Bli Med Meg", what's the title meaning?
I think It's a nice title, welcoming the listener into my world Come with me to the garden of serenity - that was the english title .

*What can you tell me about "Et bedre sted"?
It's a song about everyone, we could all contribute to making the world a better place by looking at ourselves differently, kinda my version of Michael Jacksons "Man in the mirror".

*You also appeared on the show "Beat for Beat", how did that happen? How different was it from Idol?
We asked to appear on it several times and got a yes after a while It was a fantastic experience. It's different from Idol because there aren't any judges and no risk of having to leave the show before it's over. It's not live and that makes you relax even more. It's JUST fun, not scary at all. I loved it.

*Are you already working on new material?
Yes! Looking forward to show everyone.

*Are you planning on touring Norway now? Releasing a single? A new album?
Yes, yes and yes.

*Has Idol opened any doors for you? Are you expecting to get a record deal?
I hope so. First I need to write a lot of good songs.

*What are your plans from now on?
Write, write, write. Then a single, an album, a summer-tour, a Christmas-album and a Christmas-tour Ambitious? Yes

The Voice of Germany Season 1: Top 16 - Part 1 - Perform!

2012-01-16T20:55:00.000-03:00

Recap and videos after the JUMP ...

Rino Galiano

"Über Sieben Brücken Musst Du Gehen" - 8.5/10 - Wow this song is so inspiring and motivating. He did it justice. At first listen, I'm not sure what he was singing, well don't blame me because his wardrobe was so distracting. This, however, was his best performance so far.

Katja Friedenberg

"Flugzeuge Im Bauch" - 9/10 - This was a heartbreaking performance. Her "Turning Tables" is still fresh on my mind, and indeed, her voice is capable to touch people's hearts with it's mellow sense. It's time for her to sing happier songs, well if it's not too late.

Mic Donet

"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" - 9/10 - Where did all these moves come from? I'm shocked in a good way. His voice is solid and he knows how to use it as well. He's not afraid to show us what he is about as an artist, it was an exciting performance from him.

Max Giesinger

"I'll Be Waiting" - 9/10 - He was in the zone and owned the stage like always. He has a rockstar quality and his voice production is so unique. I'm not usually a fan of the frontrunners but I'm totally his. You can do it Max!

Bennie McMillan

"Fast Car" - 7.5/10 - Another good performance from him and I still think that he can do better. He needs more charisma and luck to stay around. His stage setting was awesome, gave him the full control of the stage without being so empty.

Ivy Quainoo

"Oh Happy Day" - 8/10 - She was overthinking it. I really like her and her voice, though I'm not so sure how far she can go with these slow improvements, plus she seems kinda lost. I hope she will let her inner star persona out, she can be great.

Ole Feddersen

"Cello" - 8.5/10 - What a fun song, it was funny and romantic at the same time. He's an experienced singer and that is shown in all his performances. The cello was amazing, I think it's time for him to pick more serious songs.

Ramona Nerra

"One" - 9/10 - She did it! A much better song than last week. Her voice keeps getting stronger, she just needs to learn to control it more because I heard a couple of shaky notes. The fireworks, which were the leftovers from last week, supported her perfectly.

Other Performances

The BossHoss and Team

James Morisson and Team Xavier

RESULTS

Eliminated Contestants:

Katja Friedenberg

Bennie McMillan

Don't leave Katja! That was just sad but I can't complaint because they all deserved to be there. Check my Top 24 (Part 1 and Part 2) posts incase you missed them and feel free to leave a comment. Can't wait for the second part of Top 16 next week.

MDS Sound of 2012: Zowie

2012-01-14T20:28:00.002-03:00

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Signed with Sony and formerly known as Bionic Pixie, Zowie released her bubbly debut single "Broken Machine" in 2010 and went gold in her native New Zealand. Not long after that, she released her second single "Bite Back" to New Zealand and Australia. After being named one of the top 5 acts to watch in 2011 by blogger Perez Hilton, the electropop singer-songwriter Kiwi opened for Katy Perry's Australian California Gurls tour in the summer of 2011. I can best describe her sound as The Ting Tings plus new wave/synthpop. She has since gone on to release two more singles, "Love or Hate" and "Smash It" and plans to release her long-awaited debut album in 2012.

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy her music HERE (AU), HERE (UK) or HERE (US)

MDS Sound of 2012: Yasmin

2012-01-14T20:26:00.001-03:00

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She made her big breakout when she apperaed on Devlin's single "Runaway" in October 2010 and since then, this raising disco goddess hasn't stopped. Signed by Levels Entertainment, an imprint of Ministry of Sound, her debut single, "On My Own," was released on 30 January 2011 and instantly became a club anthem charting at #39, with the following single, "Finish Line" charting at #13. But her biggest bet is with "Light Up (The World)", which features Shy FX and Ms. Dynamite, and is set for release on January 15, 2012. It's a catchy tune and Yasmin's vocals sound great on it plus Ms Dynamite brings it a nice edge. Will this be the hit single Yasmin's been waiting for? Likely ...

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy her music HERE (UK) or HERE (US)

MDS Sound of 2012: Willy Moon

2012-01-14T20:26:00.000-03:00

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Perhaps the most intriguing artist on the rise is 21 year old Willy Moon from New Zealand, who might have been sent here from the past to save today's music. At the age of 17, in order to avoid a life of drug-dealing, Moon purchased a one-way ticket to London and never looked back. After making music in Berlin for a few, he went back to London with a new vision: to be an iconic pop star. Moon released his first single "I Wanna Be Your Man" in November 2o11, His music and style is basically '50s rock-n-roll with a modern twist. An interesting combination, the 21st century world has never heard anything quite like this. One would think that resurrecting music from a long gone era would be quite the risk but Moon makes it so throwback, it's relevant. While he is probably the strangest act out of the 56 nominated in the MDS Sound of 2012, he might be the one with the most potential to make a long-lasting impression in the coming year. Moon is currently writing songs for his debut album, one that I will highly anticipate and watch for.

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy "I Wanna Be Your Man" HERE (UK)

MDS Sound of 2012: To Kill A King

2012-01-14T20:21:00.002-03:00

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This guys definitely got something unique going on. Though sometimes it may sound a little weird, their sound is really distinctive and their music stands out from their genre, which I'd say it's folk, but this sounds much more contemporary, maybe electrofolk? But still more folk than electro. To Kill A King was only formed in 2009 by frontman Ralph Pelleymounter,Ian Dudfield and Josh Platman, to which they later added Ben Jackson. Based in London, the band is signed to Communion Records, same label as Michael Kiwanuka, and with a great EP already under the sleeve, "My Crooked Saint", the band is set to release their debut in the next few months, and that's somthing I'm eagerly expecting!

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy "My Crooked Saint" HERE (UK)

MDS Sound of 2012: Tigertown

2012-01-14T20:21:00.001-03:00

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Playing with your siblings isn't always a great idea, cause in many cases, the rivalries make the bands break up, Oasis anyone? Well, this isn't the case with Tigertown. The Sydney based indie folk band is formed of married couple Chris, who's the guitarist, and Charlie, the lead singer and each of them brought two siblings to the band, Chris brought Elodie (bass) and Alexi (keys) and Charlie brought Crystal (mandolin and vocals) and Kurt (drums), making it a big happy musical family! Their popularity began when a popular Australian radio, triple j, played their eponymous EP, which they recorded themselves. With a sound reminiscent of Angus and Julia Stone's, it's no wonder why they are so popular and if they play their cards right, they could be as big as them.

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy "Tigertown" HERE (AU), HERE (UK) or HERE (US)

MDS Sound of 2012: The Trouble With Templeton

2012-01-14T20:21:00.000-03:00

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You know something is good when you are amazed with only just one listen and that's exactly what happened to me with Thomas Calder, aka The Trouble With Templeton, a Brisbane raising indie musician. He first came into my spotlight with his first single "Bleeders", a haunting slow burner that builds amazingly and is accompanied by an eerie music video, which makes the listening experience even more wonderful. "Bleeders" is the title track of his debut album, which was released on November 4. It's certainly one of the best debuts I've heard in a while and I was left wanting more as soon as the final track ended. To sum up, he's one of my faves from this list, is he yours too?

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy "Bleeders" HERE

MDS Sound of 2012: The Staves

2012-01-14T20:20:00.003-03:00

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This trio was first discovered by producers Glyn and Ethan Johns (The Rolling Stones, Ray LaMontagne, Kings of Leon, Laura Marlin) but their talent began developing long before. That's because the girls are sisters and as such, they've been playing music together since they can remember. And that shows in their music. Their single "Mexico" attracted lots of fans which were pleasantly surprised by their beautiful harmonies, their sweet folky sound and it's dusky melody. With an album expected for release on early 2012, this trio is definitely gonna win some hearts.

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy "Mexico" HERE (UK) or HERE (US)

MDS Sound of 2012: The Paper Kites

2012-01-14T20:20:00.002-03:00

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This independent Aussie folk quintet (Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, Dave Powys, Sam Rasmussen and Josh Bentley) made quite a stirr down under with their debut, "Woodland", a perfectly executed 6 track EP, which includes the fabulous "Featherstone" and "Bloom", two guitar driven tunes with an incrediblly soft vocal, making beautiful tracks, as all the songs in the album. Certainly one of the Australian revelations of 2011, will they take over the world now?

Videos after the JUMP ...

Buy "Woodland" HERE (AU), HERE (UK) or HERE (US)