Could Aretha Franklin Be Joining American Idol?

Don't mess with my awesome Photoshop skills.

With the current line-up of judges on American Idol falling faster than the chances of me magically receiving tickets for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, it looks like an unlikely candidate has stepped up to the mark and stated their desire to claim one of the coveted (now empty) seats. Enter, Aretha Franklin!

Jennifer Hudson Performs Whitney Houston/ Michael Jackson Medley

It's sad that Jennifer Hudson is getting more column inches for her astonishing weight loss than that astonishing voice, of late. But here at Divadevotee, we are still checking for the singer, and found this clip of the star performing at 2012 Taste of Chicago festival.

I'm really glad that this tribute to Whitney Houston was kept light and celebratory, with the inclusion of some of her best up-tempo numbers. Up till now, most of the tributes have been pretty sombre (which is understandable considering it wasn't long ago we lost Whitney), but I've always preferred to celebrate a life lived, than mourn its passing.

Vocal Profile: Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette

Vocal Type: Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range:3 Octaves 2 Notes (B2-D6)
Whistle Register:Yes
Vocal Pluses: Unique and instantly recognizable tone. The lower register carries a dark and weighted tone to it and seems to be where the voice is most comfortable at.

Able to change the texture of the notes from dark and thick to a more husky sound. The true skill in this register can be shown in the ability to perform consecutive phrases, within the lower reaches of the third octave, at quick speeds or for extended periods of time [ Narcissus, Versions Of Violence or In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man].

The middle is marked with a nice full and vibrant sound [ That I Would Be Good and Thank U] and maintains this sound (up til Eb5).

The range, within the head voice, comes effortlessly, as Alanis Morissette spans across the 5th octave, and into the 6th octave with ease, being bright, piercing and marked, with a "siren-esque" character to it, . [Can't Not, Mary Jane and Wake Up]

Vocal Negatives:In the earlier years, vocal placement was a major issue but as the years progressed a healthier technique was established reducing this factor greatly (but not completely). Shows some difficulty mixing live, thus trying to "chest" her way the higher she goes, causing tension within the belts. Belts above Eb5 tend to be thin.

Azealia Banks mixtape 'Fantasea' [Free Music]

Fan of rap music? Fan of free music? If you answered yes to those questions, then today is your lucky day as New York lyricist, Azealia Banks, releases her free mix-tape, Fantasea, for public consumption!

If you are unaware of Ms Banks, Check out singles 212 and house-infused follow-up Liquorice- both taken from her critically acclaimed EP, 1991- to get a flavour of the outrageous 21-year-old. Her raunchy and shocking lyrics won't be to everyone's taste, so dip your (metaphorical) toe first by sampling the singles before hitting that download link, below.

P!nk Sings Acoustic set For Radio Station Z100

With the release of new single Blow Me (One Last Kiss), and her upcoming sixth studio album The Truth About Love (due September),  Pop-Punk princess P!nk is getting herself back out there and letting the world know she's ready to rock (publically), again!

Divas take over "T in The Park" [Watch]

BBC's T in The Park 2012 took place this weekend in Balado, Kinross-Shire, and was choke-full of Divas. So instead of posting separately on each of them, I thought I'd just spam you with all of them in one go, and just pray none of you become too overwhelmed with the glut of aural and visual stimulation.

Honesty time, I haven't had a chance to watch these all myself. I had a busy weekend, which included seeing Katy B at Somerset House yesterday (was amazing!). So I thought I'd post them for you guys now, because by the time I manage to watch and evaluate them it would most likely be time for T In The Park 2013.

Let me know if there was anyone in particular you enjoyed in the comments!

Vocal Profile: Alison Goldfrapp

Alison Goldfrapp

Vocal Type: Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range:3 Octaves 5 Notes F2-E6
Whistle Register:No- high notes sound like head voice.
Vocal Pluses: Vast expansive connected range that is able to go from low to high easily; expanding into the baritone ranges and well beyond the typical soprano ranges.

Lower register is characterized with a light and husky character to it, that though despite her higher vocal type she is able to sing within this area with relative ease due to a healthy and established technique.

Brilliant mixing technique allows the voice to access any note within the belting range with frightening ease, showing no signs of approaching its limit even up to Soprano Eb (Eb6).

However, the voice seems to find its home within the head voice. In which it is able to sustain notes for long periods of time, perform a series of vocal acrobatics, (see Happiness, Voicething, Pilots, Horse Tears, Utopia). The head voice also posses a duality to it, being able to take on an operatic tone (See the intro of Utopia) or a more contemporary likening (see Happiness).

 The voice as a whole posses an instrumental quality to it, and is often utalized in this way to paint the sonic landscape of the songs.

Vocal Negatives: The middle register of the voice lacks character, and most belts (from G4-E5) don't contain the characteristics usually associated with "belting"- for example power and projection. Though this is more of personal preference than actual fault in technique.