Review: Delilah "Inside My Love"

Somebody I'm always excited to hear new music from is Paris-born, London-raised, singer Delilah. When I'd read she had covered Minnie Ripperton's classic Inside My Love, I knew it was going to be a goody.

This is a singer-songwriter with previous form when handling covers- having done a stellar job incorporating Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody, into her song Go [Review]. So I suspected Delilah wasn't going to be doing a simple cut-and-paste job with the Minnie Ripperton original, or using it to show off her range (as I suspect the reason is for many when choosing to cover Minnie).

Review: JoJo "Demonstrate"

With last release, Disaster, being  rock-pop in sound, I had a sneaking suspicion that JoJo was getting ready to change lanes with new album, Jumping Trains, and get into that  already occupied by  Kelly Clarkson and P!nk. Well new single Demonstrate suggests the star isn't ready to ditch her RnB roots just yet. In fact, this is perhaps the 21-year-old singers' most RnB release to date.

Spam Post: Madonna, No Doubt, The XX

I realise that I miss mentioning a lot of videos because I don't have the time to review them. So as of today I'm creating the "Spam post". This will be dedicated to more than one Diva, and will be used to keep you updated on new releases/videos/songs.

Don't let that stop you telling  me what YOU  think about the featured material- I love reading your opinions!

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.