Lana Del Rey- "Video Games" Heaven in song form!

Video Games by Lana Del Rey has got to be one of, if not the, most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Don't let the title fool you, this isn't a loud, electronic cacophony celebrating the joys of playing on a gaming console. What it is, is a beautifully, luscious, bitter-sweet love song that somehow manages to sound effortlessly timeless and classic despite just being released.

Adele covers Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't make you Love Me" at the Itunes Festivel 2011

Adele performed a beautifully understated rendition of the Bonnie Raitt's classic I Can't make you Love Me at the Itunes festival yesterday. Despite just having recovered from vocal problems the singer performed a stunning set that demonstrated that although still not a hundred percent back to form, Adele's voice is still light years ahead of anyone else on the charts at the moment.

Watch and listen to the performance, and the Bonnie Raitt original, below.

Dev: Love or Hate her?

Finding worldwide recognition when the Far East Project sampled her song Booty Bounce on their hit Like a G6, the robotic sounding Dev has now embarked on fortifying her own solo career with a number of stylistically savvy releases.

Lady Gaga/ Britney Spears mashup: "Hold It Against Me" Vs "Scheiße"

The first Divadevotee produced mash-up created entirely on the free software, Audacity. There are problems with the sound quality, volume, the pitch and speed of parts, and it has an overall unpolished smear about it, but I don't think it's too shabby for a first attempt!

Amber Riley - Vocal Profile/ Range

Amber Riley

Vocal Type: Light Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: 2 Octaves 3 notes and a semitone F3-C6
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Amber Riley has great breath control which allows her to hold notes for notable periods of time without issue. Her ability to support her voice with great technique means that these notes are sustained with no pitch deviation or lose of dynamic. She can also sing melisma and has the use of a quick vibrato.

Amber's main vocal strengths comes from her extensive belting range. It has power and great dynamics, combined with a light and bright quality. She appears to have great technique when mixing her voice on the higher notes and this avoids undue strain on the vocal chords, and produces a consistent sound throughout the belting range. This allows her the impressive feat of being able to ascend to a soprano high C (C6) in what sounds like the chest register alone, when in fact it is a deft mix with her head voice.

Vocal Negatives: Voice lacks agility, so complex vocal runs can sound clumsy and a little laboured. The voice also struggles with the lower notes and has an immature, childlike colouring to it at times.

2003 Summer Classic: Beyonce, Missy Elliot, Mc Lyte and Free "Fighting Temptation"

Hot, uncomfortable and sticky nights are here, meaning only one thing- no the heating isn't on the fritz- the arrival of summer! So what better time to roll out some sympathetic music to enjoy the season by.   

Fighting Temptation is a song that totally epitomises the season for me- a feat no doubt helped tremendously by it featuring not one, not two but four sizzling Divas, in the form of Beyonce, Mc Lyte, Free and Missy Elliot, on the one track!

Beyonce's warming timbre is given the task of handling the melodious vocals of the chorus, while the verses are left to the remaining rappers to run amoc over, with their usual brand of creative and stylistically individual flow.

With the songs laid back beat, old school horns, and hazy loved up feel, Fighting Temptation's summery atmosphere is incredibly potent. So much so, I guarantee* it can make it feel like summer no matter the time of year, or the weather outside. Try it next time it's minus 50 degrees outside and your marrow is beginning to freeze in your very bones! Take a listen after the jump.

Duelling Divas: "Star Spangled Banner" Sing off!!

Today is the fourth of July, a federal holiday in America that commemorates the singing and adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and thus the creation of the United States of America.(Don't say you never learn anything!)

Our American friends should be out celebrating and enjoying themselves, but we'll mark the day here at DivaDevotee with a tribute to the American National anthem, the Star Spangled Banner- an anthem that is renowned for its difficulty due to the octave and half range it calls for but that's something that shouldn't be no problem for our Divas! Below is a compilation of various Divas putting their own twist on every patriot's favourite song. If you manage to get through them all please vote below as to which was your favourite rendition! Happy Fourth of July!

psst, if you know of any other holiday/s a country celebrates coming up, and can think of a good way for me to honour it via a Diva related post, please email me at divadevotee@gmail.com!