Happy Birthday Aaliyah

It's been a decade since Über talented Rn b singer and actress Aaliyah tragically died in a plane crash. Today would have marked Aaliyah's 32nd birthday. 

In circumstances when someone dies tragically and at a young age there is always a danger that we can become too caught up in thoughts of "what may have been" but this serves no useful purpose and only distracts from their achievements. Therefore, lets rejoice in the singer and focus on what made, and still till this day makes, Aaliyah such an enduring force in music.

[Vocal Profile] Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Vocal Type: Mezzo soprano
Vocal Range: 3 octaves B2- D6 2 notes
Vocal Pluses: Meticulous control can be heard on every note, no matter how low or high, nor at what volume. Such control implies excellent support, breath control and understanding of her instrument- which may go some way to explain the longevity of her voice [2014 Medley].

Being an actress has given this Diva an emotiveness that is almost unparalleled amongst Divas. An example of this can be heard in the climax of Don't Rain On My Parade, where grunts, growls, swift changes in dynamics and tone are all employed to create a vocal that is as exhilarating as it is perfectly in sync with the narrative of the piece.

Ke$ha "Tick Tock" vs Katy Perry "Calafornia Girls"

Katy and Ke$ha Mash-up

If the photo on the left is anything to go on then super tramp Ke$ha's and kooky Katy Perry are firm friends in real life. So while we wait for the pair to duet in real life we have Dj Dizhe to thank for a virtual collaboration.

Listen below as Ke$ha's Tick Tock vocals are mixed with the audio, and chorus, of Katy Perry's California Girls in this summery Diva Mash-up!

"How musical are you?" questionarrie

The BBC Are currently running an on-line questionnaire that tells you how musical an individual you are. The test marks you on the following Criteria:

• Enthusiasm for music: Your ‘Enthusiasm for Music’ score shows how important music is to you in your daily life. It also indicates how much time and money you devote to music.
• Musical Perception:This is perhaps the most traditional measure of musical skill and indicates how well you understand the qualities of music, such as rhythm, pitch, tuning and genre.
• Emotional connection:This looks at how music affects your moods and feelings.
• Social Creativity: This looks at creating music and sharing in group activities where music is involved.
• Musical curiosity:This assesses how open you are to new musical genres and experiences.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by

Review: Britney "Hold it against me" (LISTEN TO )

Britney Spears' new song, Hold it against me, has just premièred online and I'm sad to say she has returned with a run-of-the-mill, David Guetta-ish, dime-a-dozen, club track.

Hold it against me is effectively a schizophrenic dance song that can't make its mind up what segment of the dance market it wants to appeal to, so decides to target them all.

Its verses are driven by a thumping baseline, that's clearly aimed at the gay scene. Then the sound is softened in the chorus, by a textbook removal of the bass-line, which makes the song appeal to the pop market. The middle 8, which is the best part of the song and ironically features pretty much no Britney vocals, gives the song an edge by exposing the world, excitingly, to the grimy Dubstep sound of South London. But not being content with the stop off in London the song carries on in to an Ibiza rave, thus hopefully appealing to the big European clubs, with some euphoric atmosphere generating synths. Before it finally ends up back at the gay scene where it all started.

Lady gaga: More style than Substance?

It's often said by Lady Gaga detractors that her over the top videos and dress sense is an attempt to distract the public from her lack of musical talent. To those who think this I introduce to you the acoustic version of Paparazzi. Ignore the funny ensemble and simply listen.

Rihanna's Rudeboy vs Usher's OMG

Another random find on Youtube. Three talented teens- credited as Joelle,Sophia and Kris- and a piano manage to seamlessly and cleverly merge Usher's OMG and Rihanna's Rudeboy. The result is something a little special.