Review: Lady Gaga 2011 European Music Awards (EMA) Performance of "Marry The Night"

Having seen the pictures released of Lady Gaga's performance of Marry The Night at the 2011 European Music Awards yesterday, and it being one of my favourite songs from Born This Way, I was itching all night to see the actual performance. Well, today I got my chance as a video of it made it's way on toYoutube!

Sitting astride a gigantic half moon, that looked as if it had just crash landed straight into the Belfast stage, a gigantic hat wearing Gaga started the performance pretty much static, and left her fantastic voice to impress without distraction .

Review: Florence And The Machine visit Later With Jools Holland and the X-Factor

Florence and the Machine are back and on the promotional trail with second album Ceremonials. Their first port of call was with Jools Holland on his Later With music program, where Florence and her musical Machine delivered an accomplished and tight set.

Rocking a more serious and sophisticated Art-Deco look than Lung's hippy, avant-garde getup, the flame haired singer radiated a ghostly confidence with her measured renditions of new songs No Light No Light, What The Water Gave Me and Breaking Down.

Watch the performance's and read my thoughts on them below.

Review- Amy Winehouse featuring Nas "Like Smoke"

With Amy Winehouse's passing, it was only a matter of time that unreleased material would be quickly scraped together and rushed out for sale via a posthumous release. Confirmation of this fact happened a few weeks ago and Winehouse's new album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, has been confirmed for a December, aka Christmas, release. Ching ching ching!

A new song from the album featuring American rapper Nas, who apparently Amy Winehouse's song Me and Mr Jones was about, entitled Like Smoke has made it's way to the internet, no doubt to increase public anticipation for the upcoming album. I'm not going to mince my words, and will just say outright that it's not great. By Amy standards anyway.

Jewel- Vocal range/ Profile

 Jewel

Vocal Type: Lyric-Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves   (E3-E6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Strengths: A versatile instrument that be smoky and light or sold and clear depending on what the song calls for. The voice is strongest and healthiest in it's midrange and it includes where she belts best. This is the characterful part of the voice where it finds its consistency, weight and power. Her fifth octave chest register isn't as strong as the midrange but its still capable of producing bright, clear notes with deft mixing of registers. Her head voice is a beautiful addition and harmonises brilliantly, providing textural depth to the vocal depending on how she chooses to implement it: airy and light, or fuller and rounder with an operatic-like tone to it.Though not keen to show it off, Jewel is capable of complex melisma and her excellent breath control means she is capable of holding long sustained notes.
Vocal Weaknesses: Her lower range can sound unhealthy, and pushed.
Must Hear: Amen

Review: Rebecca Ferguson "Nothing Real But Love"

The stand-out singer of last years X-Factor was Liverpudlian born, reminds me a lot of Sade, Rebecca Ferguson. A year after taking second place- that's the same as losing, right?- on the "talent" show she has returned to the delightful world of  music with her own album, Heaven, and the video for her debut single Nothing Real But Love.

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!