Watch Alice Smith's Raw Cover Of "I'm A Fool" @ Black Girls Rock

How the hell did I miss Alice Smith's performance of Fool For You at Black Girls Rock 2014? Wow, this woman has one set of soulful pipes on her! I haven't heard anything else from the Diva, but if this song is any indication of the type of music she is gifting the world, then I think I to get her album - She- ASAP!

Check out Alice rocking the house with her rhythmic rendition of Fool For You, below. Those interested in hearing her range- particularly in her upper reaches- take a listen to the studio version. It contains a fair few head notes in the song's closing.

BTW this is a cover of a Cee lo Green song of the same title.

[Watch] Sevyn Streeter Covers Beyonce's "Drunk In Love"

Anyone else checked out Sevyn Streeter's EP Call Me Crazy? I'm currently loving this collection of songs! It won't be to everyone's taste, but if you're after an Rnb Diva who can write- she's penned for Ariana Grande, Fantasia and Tamar Braxton- with a capable voice and strong productions, then Sevyn might just be for you.

Lucky for any of you interested, you can try before you buy, as the Diva has uploaded all the tracks from the album to her YouTube page, which I've in turn embedded for your ease and pleasure! Shattered and the bouncy Call Me Crazy are definite favorites.

For those of you who don't have time to be listening to material you ain't familiar with, check out Sevyn (and the fan videoing) sing Beyonce's Drunk In Love, and get a flavor of what the Diva is capable of.

[Watch] Ariana Grande Covers Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" @ "Women of Soul" Concert

Perhaps keen to move away from the Mariah Carey comparisons, Ariana Grande has now taken to covering Whitney Houston's material in her setlist. For her part in the Women of Soul concert, held at the White House, the Diva did her best to recreate Whitney's classic, I Have Nothing. But how did she fair? Take a look below!

The cover was good, but Arina's voice doesn't have the weight or gravitas that Whitney's legendary voice had. As such, the voice sounded to be struggling in parts, especially with its dynamics and a consistent tone, with the Diva trying too hard to mimic the original vocal. I was also surprised to hear quite a bit of tension in the voice- which is something I can't say I've noticed in Arina'a voice before.

The vocals improved greatly when it came to singing her own material, which consisted of a stripped back version of Tattooed Heart. However, her part in the closing ensemble- which featured Patti Labelle, Janelle Monáe, Jill Scott, Tessanne Chin and Melissa Etheridge- had the Diva coming in WAY too high, thus sounding like she didn't know the melody!! Either that or I've heard a different version of Proud Mary.

Still, I enjoyed watching this little video- especially since it was for a good cause.

Pink Stuns With "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Performance @ 2014 Oscars

When I heard Pink was performing at the 2014 Oscar Awards, I did wonder why. However, it wasn't any of her own material that the rocker was bringing to the stage. Instead Pink's talented pipes had been called on to cover the iconic Somewhere Over the Rainbow in honor of 75 years since the Wizard of Oz's release.

Needless to say, she SMASHED It. The rendition was perfectly simple- in staging- allowing for the montage honoring the film to be beautifully scored by the performance. I'm sure there will be those who find fault in the harsher tone Pink's vocal brought, especially when compared to Judy Garland's voice, but I really enjoyed hearing her sing it. Her vibrato was a definite revelation!

The ruby dress was a nice touch, too!

Tamar Braxton Pays Homage To Diana Ross @ BET Honors

Tamar Braxton was serving smouldering bugeye for her 2014 BET Honors performance! Not sure what was going on with her, but she had the oddest expression on her face for a lot of the Diana Ross medley (does two songs make a medley? Who cares, I'm using it).

Tamar spent most of the ridiculously short medley rummaging around her lower range and head voice- the latter sounding gorgeous. It was only as she was wrapping it up, while singing Upside Down, that the belt was unleashed. But by then, the performance was over and I was left wanting more!!!

Still, lurve watching Tamar perform.

Janelle Monae Tributes The Jackson 5 @ BET Honors

Honoring the Jackson 5 at the 2014 BET Honors was everyone's favorite Electric Lady: Janelle Monae!

The monochromatic-loving Diva managed to nicely capture the essence of the young Jacko's voice while covering Want You Back and ABC. But she wasn't just content singing! Janelle also rocked the choreography, putting on an energetic and exuberant show for the distinguished crowd.

Side note: has anyone seen Janelle Monae and Bruno Mars together at the same time. The more I see of the pair, the more I'm convinced they're the same person. Anyone who disagrees is clearly in on the ruse- so don't even try it!

J Hud Honors Aretha Franklin (AGAIN) @ 2014 BET Honors

I feel like I've seen Jeniffer Hudson perform more of Aretha Franklin's material than I have her own. Still, she's one of a few Divas who has the requisite pipes to do the material justice.

The BET Honors saw the Diva cover a medley of Aretha's hits. Obvious inclusions were Rock Steady, Think and Respect, but there were some lessor known songs like Sparkle's Look Into Your Heart, too. (And that's where the video kept breaking for me, so I can't really add any more!)

Though the Diva struggled on some of the lower notes (from what I saw), there were no such problems at the top of the range- girl was WAILING!

This was another fitting tribute to the Queen of Soul. And that's lucky too, because Aretha ain't afraid of shading anyone!

[Watch] Miley Cyrus Countryfies OutKast's "Hey Ya"

Amidst the shock visuals, protruding tongue and awful choice in leotards, Miley Cyrus occasionally likes to remind those too caught up in the image that she actually has an interesting set of pipes on her.

Anyone who has listened to Miley's music, ignoring the controversy (which let's be real, she courts), knows that this lady can sing- we're all agreed on that, right? But she once again demonstrated this, and some artistry (if we are to believe she had a hand in this reworking), by covering OutKast's Hey Ya during her 2014 Bangerz tour.

Take a listen! You may be surprised....

A Young Christina Aguilera Covers Swv's "Weak"

Taken from Christina Aguilera's time at the Mickey Mouse Club-which would make her around thirteen/fourteen, I think- this video was sent to me via email (hooray for emails!). I wasn't even aware that Christina was singing during her stint on the show, but according to Wiki it was part of the gig. The more you know, eh?

Oddly (to me), the songs chosen, by whoever was working behind the scene, were grown-ass tracks! There are other videos of the Genie In A Bottle singer covering hits from Toni Braxton (Another Sad Love Song), CeCe Peniston (I'm Not Over You) and Mary J. Blige (Real Love), however I thought I'd go with the SWV cover of Weak because I also enjoyed the other singers (Rhona Bennett and Nita Booth ) who joined the young Diva on stage.

Watching these videos it's apparent that Christina's singing style hasn't changed all that much since she was a teenager- no shade intended. Artificially lowered timbre, vocal slides, and contrasting (oft poorly supported) upper belts are all things that have followed the Diva through into her adult years. However, age, and experience, has brought the Diva's mature singing style a believability that her youth didn't convey very well.

Was it any wonder she was called "the little girl with the big voice"!

[Watch] MKS Cover Lorde's "Royal" During Accoustic Set @ Reload Sessions

While they're busy (I assume) retooling their first album in over ten years, Mutya Keisha Siobhan are continuing to maintain their public profile via various appearances here, there and everywhere- just not anything mainstream, mind. Their latest showing was an acoustic set filmed for the Reload sessions.

The three songs chosen for the stripped-back extravaganza were a cover of Lorde's Royals (which I admit I'm still not "getting", despite it blowing up over in the States), a Sugababes classic, In The Middle, and a new track titled No Regrets. Needless to say, the trio were on point as soloists and when combining their powers, continuing to demonstrate why they are one of the best vocal harmony groups to come out of the UK.

[Listen] Charice Pempengco Covers Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away" and Sia's "Titanium" On "Chapter 10"

Did anyone else know that Charice Pempengco had released an album of cover tracks? Chapter 10 contains some of the Diva's favourite songs, re-imagined by herself and includes golden-oldies like Toni Braxton's How Could An Angel Break My Heart and Bryan Adams' (Everything I Do) I Do it For You.

Apparently the album is for the Philippine market, with her next international set of original material to be recorded some time soon. But one has to ask why this wasn't released further afield, it's just the kind of music her Glee fans would eat up. [Scratch that, just found it on Itunes....whoops.]

Some of the arrangements on Chapter 10 are a little too "Karaoke" in their production for me- think synthetic strings and drum machines- but there are gems to be found, especially when it's just Charice and a piano. My particular favourites are her take on Katy Perry's The One That Got Away and David Guetta and Sia's Titanium- which I've rather helpfully tacked on to the post!

Enjoy

[Cover] Florence Welch Works Her Magic With Icona Pop's "I Love It" @ HRC Benefit

Here's something I wasn't expecting to see, EVER: Florence Welch covering Icona Pop's thumping dance track I Love It.

With the original version housing a rebellious and petulant vocal courtesy of Charli XCX, I couldn't even fathom how someone with as contrasting a voice as the Welchster would bend the song to her musical will. The answer, was of course, for Florence to strip the track back, slow it down and give her wavering voice the room to substitute a more melodic line for Charli's punchy delivery. Initially it sounded out of tune to me, but the magic built as the song progressed and I was suitably charmed and impressed by the end.

An effect of the change of pace and Florence's emotive ways, was that the song's lyrics- which originally sounded as shallow as a dried up puddle- got a better chance to be heard and appreciated. Where there was once just defiant empowerment, there's now a sense of sorrow and loss mixed in with this sentiment. Effectively Florence managed to give the song a depth which wasn't present before.

[Listen] Emeli Sande Gives Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" A 1920's Makeover For Gatsby Soundtrack

Beyonce didn't even try to capture the 1920's spirit of The Great Gatsby with her cover of Amy Winehouse's Back To Black. But thankfully Emeli Sande and the Bryan Ferry Orchestra were a little more sensitive when reworking Bey's own Crazy In Love. (Check out executive producer of the soundtrack, Jay-Z, making sure his wife (and himself) get another paycheck from writing credits off of the album! Nepotism at its finest!) 

Now I know a lot of you guys aren't exactly enamoured with Emeli- well, if the comments on her vocal profile are to be believed- but I have to give her, and The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, props for at least trying to deliver an authentic 20's sound. With it's muted trumpets and jaunty rhythm, the song practically paints a picture of bob-haired flappers getting down in trendy, smoke-filled jazz bars.

Take a listen to the song, lifted, of course, from The Great Gatsby soundtrack, below.

[New Music ] Lana Del Rey "Summer Wine"

Lana Del Rey keeps on doing her own thing, putting out music randomly. But let's get real, ain't no one complainin' about that!

Her newest release is a cover of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's Summer Wine, which comes hot on the heels of last month's Chelsea Hotel No. 2. It's another vintage slice of musical pie from our lovely Lana, and should keep those of us who are dying for new (original) music ticking over until we can get our greedy hands on The Great Gatsby soundtrack! On a selfish note, it's also the perfect accompaniment to this beautiful spring day!

*Runs back outside to enjoy*

[Review] American Idol Does Divas (Plus Theme: "Year They Were Born")

Season 12 of American Idol has officially become a sausage free zone, with the remaining five contestants all being of the female persuasion - it's almost enough to make me watch! This being the case, or not (I don't know how far in advance they pick these themes), yesterday's episode was Divas night! In honour of that, each singer was asked to pick a song by a famous female to perform in front of the judges. But how many were heroic enough to pick a Mariah Carey or Nicki Minaj song? Find out below- along with my two pennies on each performance!

(I've also posted each of their second performances of the night, which were supposedly chosen from their year of birth. Might help those of us who don't watch the show get a better grasp on the contestants.)

[Cover] Lana Del Rey Attempts A Leonard Cohen Song! *GASP*

I did not wake up today thinking I'd be hearing new music from Lana Del Rey, but that's just what's happened!! Sharing with us a little bit of her own musical tastes, Lana has just released a cover of Leonard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel No. 2. For what purpose (New album? For fun? Because she was bored?), Lana hasn't revealed yet; but new music is new music and I'm receiving it with open arms and fawning gratitude!

There's none of the sweeping production that has become almost synonomous with Lana's music, rather the backing mimics the original in it's simplicity, with just a guitar to accompany the vocal. It takes a brave individual to cover a Leonard Cohen song so faithfully- as the comparisons (and thus criticisms) are so much easier to draw- but I think Lana Del Rey might actually surprise a few people with this sensitive and expressive rendition.

[Watch] Glee Cover Mariah Carey And Nicki Minaj...Badly.

After watching a clip of what television show Glee did to Mariah Carey's I Still Believe and Nicki Minaj's Super Bass, I have no option but to conclude this was a joke that I, having not watched the entire episode, wasn't in on. Just listen to the arrangement on the Mariah song, if that wasn't hilarious enough they've thrown in Darren Criss' dancing to guarantee laughs aplenty. I mean, what other rational conclusion can a person come to after watching this? That it was supposed to be taken serious? Don't be silly!

[New Music] Joanna Newsom Covers "The North Star Grassman and the Ravens"

You do not know how much I need another Joanna Newsom record in my life right now. Almost as if to tease me, the quirky songstress has released a cover of The North Star Grassman and the Ravens , by Sandy Denny to help promote something or other [Read more about what here]. Yeah, I admit I hadn't heard of the original before this, but  I'll definitely be looking out for more from Sandy Denny as a result.

Simply Joanna and her harp, this cover transports me back to when I first heard this magical artist. Initially her "unique" voice took a little getting used to- it's a cross between a witch and a young child(!)- but the whole process was made a lot smoother and speedier by the immediate beauty of her harp playing. Since then, I can't get enough of the wonderful Ms. Newton.

[New Music] Original Sugababes (AKA MKS) Return With "Swimming Pools"

I'm still convinced that the original, reformed line-up of the Sugababes- now calling themselves Mutya Keisha Siobhan- are going to implode in an cloud of ferocious cooties before their highly anticipated second album ever sees the light of day (prove me wrong girls). But if that does happen, at least we've got this new recording to show us that the magic that was present on One Touch wasn't a fluke occurrence back in 2000, but is still there today.

Released on producer Blood Orange's Soundcloud, the new track, Swimming Pools, finds the trio reworking the Kendrick Lamar song (of the same name). Thankfully their ability to harmonise hasn't suffered from their time apart, remaining as tight and fresh as ever. But what really stands out is how the girls have clearly developed and grown as solo singers.

And to think, this was only the Divas supposedly "having a bit of fun" after their "last (recording) session"! If this was produced while having "fun", I can't even fathom how amazing the material they've actually invested real time and effort in creating will end up being! *Gets a bucket for the drool*

Please, please, pleeeeeeeeease let this truce between the ladies hold- at the very least until the album drops! My life will never be complete without it.

[Watch] Demi Lovato Covers Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas"

"All I Want For Christmas" is a Mariah Carey song, and thus, despite her making it sound as easy to sing as it is for me to overindulge during the festive season, it's actually not. Case in point, Ms Demi Lovato and her rendition of the song at the 31st Annual "Christmas In Washington" concert.

Having heard Demi sing live a number of times, I was actually looking forward to her take on this Holiday classic. She doesn't have the subtlest voice, being prone to, lets just say, "over projecting" at times, but I honestly thought this was a song she would handle well. However,I think Demi's nerves, and the resulting lack of control over her voice, got the better of her.