Leona Lewis Dazzles At The 2011 Royal Variety Show, And Hits Some Of Her Lowest Notes Ever

With an apparent crisis of confidence in the club sound Leona Lewis courted with last single Collide, Leona and her team have decided to take her back to safer territory with the new EP Hurt while they figure out how to retool the upcoming 2012 album.

Consisting of 3 distinctly sombre, mid-tempo songs- which is odd considering the festive time of year- Leona decided to showcase the title track, and Nine Inch Nails (NIN) cover, at this year's Royal Variety show.

Watch Lana Del Rey Perform "Born To Die" In 3D.

Whip out those red and cyan 3D glasses because Lana Del Rey's live rendition of new song Born To Die- which is a gorgeous song, might I add- is available to watch on Youtube in the third dimension!

It's the first time I've seen this feature on the video streaming site, and it is certainly impressive when viewing the video in its highest quality. Don't get too excited though, you won't feel like Lana is quite in your room. It does give the video a depth of field that is not present otherwise and it suitably adds to the magic of the performance.

Janis Joplin Vocal Range/Profile

Janis Joplin

Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 2 note E3-G6
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Strengths: Unique and prominent coarseness to the voice, with a throaty and guttural chest voice. Despite the heavier weight of the voice the belting range could extend high up into the fifth octave by mixing while retained this characterful rasp. The head voice was bright and full, with a smoother, delicate contrasting texture to the lower half of the voice. Her control in this part of the register was surprisingly strong and deft. Though her voice is remembered for its passionate rasp, it was also capable of a softer and smoother timbre, demonstrating the skill and ability she had as a vocalist. Interestingly, the frayed edges of the notes sang with this textured timbre sometimes allowed for harmonic chords to be created as two or more tones were produced by the voice at the same time.
Vocal Weaknesses: The coarsness of the voice could be found abrasive by some.
Recommended Listening: Maybe [demonstrates the softer texture of Joplin's voice, as well as her head voice ], Piece of my heart  [Shows the coarser side of the voice, as well as its passion]

The 2012 Grammy Nominations And Why I'm Not Really Bothered About Them.

I'm not usually a follower of the Grammy awards, bar the performances. Nor do I understand the importance, or prestige that they garner considering the politics and calculated decisions involved in selecting nominees and winners.

For instance, as much as I love Rihanna I can not believe her last album Loud- which was patchy- has received not only a nomination for the coveted "album of the year", but, even more incredulously, its also obtained a nomination in the "best vocal pop album" category. Are they having a laugh?

Lady Gaga performs "Marry The Night" and "You And I" At The 2012 Grammy Nominations Concert

No one could ever call Lady Gaga lazy. Still whizzing around the world and working as hard as ever on the Born This Way promotional trail, the singer stopped off at the 2012 Grammy Nominations Concert to deliver not one, but two knock-out performances.

Florence And The Machine Cover Drake and Rihanna's "Take Care"

Did you ever imagine that Florence Welch would be a Drake fan? I'm not sure I did- not that I'd given it much thought, I must admit- but she vocalised her like of the Canadian star not only directly, calling him one of her favourite artists- along with Rihanna- but also musically, by choosing to cover the title track of his new album Take Care.

Take Care is a dark and atmospheric duet between Drake and Rihanna that musically is based heavily on the Jamie XX remix of a Gil Scott-Heron track I'll take care of you. The Drake remake is also produced by Jamie XX but features some additional production by Noah Shebib. It's a pretty good song, but nonetheless, one I wouldn't have expected Florence And The Machine to cover. But perhaps that was the point.

Minnie Riperton- Vocal Range/ Profile

Minnie Riperton

Vocal Type:Soprano
Vocal Range: 4 Octaves 2 note and a semi-tone D3-F#7
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Strengths: A technical singer, who was operatically trained. Amazing control allowed for effortlessly sustained notes in all parts of the range and brilliant command of dynamics. In combination with this, Minnie possessed a fluidity and a dexterity that made it possible for melisma to be used throughout the registers.

The lowest notes were of medium weight, and of a darker colouring to the rest of the voice. But it was a few notes above this, in her mid-range, that the Diva began to exhibit the mastery that flows throughout the rest of range- being easy, carefree and full of character. Though not often as appreciated as her higher notes, this part was the most emotive and expressive. From sensual and alluring [Inside My Love] to being tinged with Indignance and annoyance [Take A Little Trip], it was here that Minnie sounded most human, unimpeded by the ethereal and unearthly quality her higher range would often impart to the lyric.

The overall lightness of the voice lent itself best to the upper register, with the chest voice being expertly mixed so that a high fifth octave belt displayed none of the usual signs of strain or pull [Reasons]. Notes sung here were elastic and controlled, with the timbre and colouring being changed depending on the ratio of head to chest voice used in the mix.

The head voice itself was bright and resilient and could switch between a lighter, softer pop styling [Young Willing And Able] or a fuller, grander operatic tone [Stay In Love ]. Minnie sounded to be extremely comfortable here, hitting and accessing notes without issue. Like between the chest and head voice, she ascended up into the next register, seemingly without break. This effectively gave the illusion of a seamlessly connected range. [Listen to her climb it in the climax of Can You Feel What I'm Saying]

Her whistle register, which is unfairly what she is most often remembered for, was bright and versatile; allowing for her to enunciate words within it [Back Down Memory Lane], mimic instruments and copy intricate birdsong [Loving You]. The timbre and tone could also be manipulated, being biting and direct in one song [Here We Go] and less obtrusive and soft in another[Inside My Love]. Minnie could access this part of the range swiftly, and repeated did so from different parts of the lower ranger.

Despite it's overarching delicate, feminine and sweet nature, the voice exhibited a power that wasn't attained from volume or brute vocal force, but clever use of skill, range and emotive ability.

Vocal Weaknesses: The bottom extreme of the range wasn't as strong, or versatile as the higher parts.