Review: Delilah brings effortless cool on debut single "Go"

You know no one can come for Chaka Khan vocally, so the only way to cover her music and survive is to attack it from a totally different angle to the way Chaka did -well unless you're Whitney Houston that is. It's a stratagem British talent Deliah opted for on her debut single Go.

The lyrics and the melody are taken from Chaka Khan's classic, Ain't Nobody but they are painted onto a contemporary backing that screams 21st century UK. The production is simplistic, ambient and ultimately cold but Delilah brings human warmth to it with her soft, sweet voice resulting in a hypnotic groove.

So contrasted are the two versions that it took my brain- though it's not really a healthy specimen- a couple of minutes to dredge up the Chaka sample on the track. Chaka Khan herself is said to have called the track "Genius" and I agree!

Rating: 8/10

Diva Devotee Halloween Playlist:

It's that time of year again when the freaks come out demanding chocolate and pennies, the boundary between spirit world and the real world is at its weakest and Lady Gaga fans put on regular clothes so as to not feel accepted by society. Yes, its HALLOWEEN! So while everyone else out there is having a spooky day getting dressed up and ready to party I'm sitting at my computer compiling  a play list of Diva songs- let me just tell you it isn't an easy feat- that I think would go down quite well at any Halloween party! 

If you have any of your own suggestions please feel free to comment at the bottom!

Leona Lewis turns cover star at the 2011Doha Tribeca Film Festival

Though not the most exciting pop star about, British X-Factor winner Leona Lewis has something that most pop Diva's don't have and would kill for: a great voice. Its with this gift that Leona took to the stage at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival to deliver a great selection of cover songs.

The songs chosen all shared the common factor of being originally sung by male singers. Featured were Grenade by Bruno Mars, Apologise by OneRepublic and my personal favourite out of the the songs that were chosen, Kiss From a Rose by Seal.

Karen Clark-Sheard- Vocal Range/ Profile

Karen Clark Sheard

Vocal Type: Soprano
Vocal Range: 2 Octaves  5 Notes and a semitone F3-Eb6
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Voice that is rooted in the emotive Gospel music. Incredibly agile voice that allows for complex melisma up and down the different parts of the range, as well as the ability to manipulate it into healthy sounding grunts and growls. Mixes her head and chest voice ably to create sustainable, and masterful upper fifth octave belting.
Vocal Negatives: Higher head notes sound shrill.

Top Five Criminally Ignored Diva Albums of 2010:

This list has been a long time coming- yes I'm aware its practically 2012- but it's only now that I've found the time to finish this post. So FINALLY I present to you a list of my 5 most unappreciated Diva albums of 2010!

Honourable mention: 

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas II You: Mariah Carey just scraped into the list with the December release of her second Christmas album Merry II Christmas. This album heralded, for me, the true return of "The Voice", the same voice that the Emancipation album promised but only kind of delivered.

Glorious voice, a return of the vibrato, stunning live instrumentation, the birth of new Christmas classics in the form of When Christmas Comes and Christmas Time is in the Air, and to top it all off a duet with Mariah's opera singing mother, Patricia Carey meant that this album deserved an honourable mention on the list! Please God, let the next Mariah Carey secular album use this one as a reference point vocally.

Faith Evans-Vocal Range/Profile

Faith Evans

Vocal Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: 2 Octaves 5 notes and a semitone C#3-B5
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Comfortable in her heavy, low range as well as adept in her light, agile chest register that she mixes well to achieve great sounding upper chest belts or keeps throaty to give a soulful rasp to.  The voice has a smooth tone and a smoky quality that lends itself well to harmonising well with others, as well as layering well over itself. The voice is dexterous enough to complete complex melisma through the registers.
Vocal Negatives: Her head voice isn't as characterful, or exciting as the rest of the voice.

Review: Coldplay Featuring Rihanna "Princess of China" (Listen below)

What  a strange pairing this is. Indie bores Coldplay have roped in edgy singer Rihanna to duet with them on a new song from their upcoming album Mylo Xyloto called Princess Of China. Though the lead singer, Chris Martin, claimed Rihanna was chosen because of a love of her voice, I'm thinking this is more of a madonna style increase your relevancy /fanbase/ street cred by association. Cynical,much? Whatever the case, the pairing works.