Taylor Swift Can't sing live...

 

Should Taylor Swift be taking vocal lessons from Mary J Blige

Taylor Swift is an odity in todays music market. Despite not having a large presence on the Billboard singles chart, this lady  still manages to shift vast quanities of her album.

Being as big a seller as Taylor is she has attracted a fare share of haters, and what with her being a solid songwriter, critically acclaimed, and easy on the eye, the haters have aimed their vitriol at her apparent inability to sing live. To judge if this assertion is true, I turned super-sleuth and conducted a Youtube search using the words "Mine"-which is Taylor's latest single- and "live". (The video I chose is posted below)

Can she sing live? well judging by this performance the answer is yes. She may have had some dud performances previously, because there's usually no smoke without fire, but this video shows, without a doubt, she does have the ability to perform  and sing  live. Watch the album version and the live version below and judge for yourself.

Do you think agree or do you think Taylor Swift can't sing live?

Celine Dion and her Twin Baby boys grace the cover of Hello Magasine

Celine Dion and her Twin boys on the cover of Hello

Congratulations to Celine Dion who has revealed the two new additions to her family on the cover of the Canadian version of Hello magazine. The non identical twin boys named Nelson- after Nelson Madella- and Eddy-after her lyricist Eddy Marnay- are extra precious to Celine due to the difficulty she experienced conceiving and carrying them:

'We tried five times before I got pregnant. On the sixth try, it worked out. We were blessed twice.

'It's extraordinary to be parents again. Nelson and Eddy are doing well. They're six weeks old.'

She also told how she was originally pregnant with three babies, but lost one during the pregnancy.

'One little baby decided to step back to help the other two survive. The doctors said to me if there's something wrong, natures takes it's course.

'I still think of the one who stepped back. I'm sure every woman has the feeling about the little one that's not there.'

Congratulations again to the singer and her family!

Review and Compeition: Mariah Careys "When Christmas Comes"

Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and B scott in the video for Up out my face.

Review of When Christmas comes:
When Christmas Comes is the new single from Mariah Carey's seasonal offering, Merry Christmas ii You. The song is a mid-tempo, retro affair, that has been refreshingly composed entirely with live instrumentation. All these things, and of course The Voice, make When Christmas comes a rarity in contemporary seasonal songs in that its clearly been created  not to cash in on the holiday season, but to celebrate it.


Competition :
To promote its release, the awesomeness that is B Scott-  who you may remember from the video for Up out my Face earlier this year- has teamed up with Mariah and launched a competition to see which fan can create the best video for the single. The ultimate winner will  receive the unbelievable Prize of being featuring in the actual Mariah Carey video!

Below  B scott gives you guys some inspiration with is an example of a tribute video he created himself. So sit back and watch B Scott do his thing visually while listening to Mariah Carey do hers vocally.

'When Christmas Comes' L+L (Lambs+Love Muffins) Competition Guidelines

• Watch and comment on the B. Scott 'When Christmas Comes' video via Youtube.
• Create your own 'When Christmas Comes' video.
• Subscribe to the official B. Scott Youtube channel: youtube.com/lovebscott
• Post your 'WCC' video as a response to the B. Scott 'When Christmas Comes' video on Youtube.
• Follow Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) / B. Scott (@lovebscott) and tweet them the following: "Please watch my #WCC video! I hope I win! (insert your video link)"
• If selected as a winner, your video will be featured in the official Mariah Carey 'WCC' video, plus you'll receive an 'Extra Festive' signed prize from Mariah Carey and B. Scott.
• Remember that this is your opportunity to express yourself in your own unique way. Your videos can be as simple as holiday snaps shots, animation, home holiday footage, anything that represents how you feel in your heart 'When Christmas Comes'.

More B Scott here

Currently Listening to: Ellie Goulding- Little Dreams

Little Dreams taken from the
 album Bright Lights

Singer Ellie Goulding was chosen as the worthy winner of the BBC's  sound of 2010. For all who are unaware of the accolade, its essentially an annual prediction, made by people in the know, of which artist  is going to be successful in the coming year. Previous winners include Adele in 2008 and Little Boots in 2009.


The public got to judge for themselves if the praise was warranted when Ellie's début album Lights reached the shops in March of 2010. Personally I was suitably impressed and found the album to be an exciting and successful combination of Ellie's Soft, folksy sensibilities and the producer's hard, edgy electro/pop sound. Definitely a worthy winner of the sound of 2010.

The Ellie Goulding song currently under heavy rotation on my MP3 player is Little Dreams and its taken from the aptly named Lights reissue, Bright Lights. I felt an affinity for Little Dreams on the first listen as it reminded me of the majestic Kate Bushs' classic Running up that Hill.  Both songs share a rhythmic, rolling beat at their heart and both conjure up a dream like scene with their melody and lyrics. Whether you agree with the comparison or not,  you have to agree this song is  a winner!

Does Aretha Franklin have cancer?

Though I'm loath to quote the trash that is the Daily Mail below is an article by them claiming that Aretha Franklin's recent unspecified surgery was in fact to  treat aggressive pancreatic cancer. 

Christina Aguilera performs "Lift me up" live at the Hope for Haiti benefit.

Christina Aguilera gave a stand out vocal performance at the Hope for Haiti concert when she sung a stripped down version of ballad Lift me up from her Bionic album.

What I loved most about this performance was that Christina actually stuck to her natural tessitura (range). The result was a sublime performance that cut out the pushed and strained vocals she's has become synonymous with and instead gave us a chance to enjoy and appreicate the colour, texture and beauty of the voice.

Michelle Williams- Vocal Profile/ Range

Michelle Williams

Vocal Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range:3 octaves 7 notes A2- G6
Vocal Pluses: Strong throughout all registers and a nice vibrato to the belted notes.
Vocal Negatives: Voice becomes thinned and nasal as she ascends her chest register.