News Spam: Joss Stone, Mariah Carey and Madonna

I was a little miffed when during the talks about who would sit on The Voice (UK) judging panel, that there was no mention of one of Britain's best young singers, Joss Stone. Well though there was no mention of her name, it turns out that the singer was in fact asked, and guess what, she turned it down! Her reason:

"The thing is I love music and I love singing with other people and I don't see it as a competition at all. I feel that those things are really good to get exposure but they kind of make it into a competition and that is just sad.

"Other than that it is great because they get to be heard by millions and they never would have been before."

Christina Aguilera Speaks About Mariah Carey and Britney Spears Joining Competing Talent Shows

Christina Aguilera being nice in an interview. OMG! But not just nice, humble too. *PASSES OUT*

I know her fans will say that she's always been nice, but I've watched enough of her interviews to know that this is one shady lady who gives interviews though usually super (artificially) sweet, are more than often dripping with grade-A arsenic.

[New Video] P!nk- "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"

Was P!nk's new video shot on a HD camcorder and edited together on the bundled video software that comes with every Mac? Because it sure looks like something I could have created at my local National Trust manner house, with a budget of ...let's say....50 quid. Realistically most of that'll go on the booze- because this is one director who needs to be liqueured up to create his "art"- but I'm sure I could create something that is a close approximation of the video Dave Meyers' delivered here for Blow Me (One Last Kiss)...well bar the flying machine part at the end. I'd probably need an extra tenner for that!

[New Video] Little Mix: "Wings"

Last year's X-Factor winners, Little Mix, have just released the video for first single, Wings (yes, I am wilfully blocking out their massacre cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball).

Managing to capture the energy of their youthful years, Wings is surprisingly good. I'm not sure it's something I'd be putting on my Ipod- the rhyming of "things" and "listening" literally made me cringe- but it's a lot better than some of the tosh that other winners have released as a first single.

Vocal Profile: Kristin Chenoweth

 Kristin Chenoweth

Vocal Type: Lyric Coloratura Soprano
Vocal Range: E3-F6 3 octaves and a semi-tone
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Extremely individual tone that makes it impossible to mix her voice with others’. A simply stunning technical singer with perfect breath and pitch control, with the voice never sounding pinched or forced because of it. Classically trained as a coloratura soprano.

Her lower register is considerably weaker than the rest of the range, but still maintains a full sound (Over the Rainbow, I’m Not That Girl), reaching a good bit lower than most soprano ranges are able to go (down to E3).

The middle range from around A3-A4 is round, warm, and bright, having a beautiful supported tone that is where the voice finds its most versatile colouring.

The belting range, when used, is well-produced as Chenoweth progressively mixes her belt to produce notes up to E5 [The Girl in 14 G, Thank Goodness, Popular, My New Philosophy]. The tone never loses its warmth, however it does lose most all of the delicacy found in the lower range.


The head voice, spanning all the way to an impressive F6, is perhaps the most defining feature of the voice. It has brightness, clarity, warmth, and an unmistakable tone and easy vibrato that can be removed [Home], but is mostly employed. The upper part of the head voice loses the warmth of the lower range, but still maintains an impressive amount of power and clarity in the uppermost reaches of the voice [Glitter and be Gay , Der Holle Rache]. Impeccable breath control in this top range also makes it possible for her to sustain high head notes without diminishing their quality, displaying the ease that this range presents for her, most noticeably in Glitter and be Gay with several sustained Eb6s.

Vocal Negatives: The voice can sound nasal and unpleasant to some people’s ears. Also, while brilliant for Broadway, light opera, and jazz singing, the voice seems uncomfortable singing pop music, losing some of the ease and warmth found otherwise. The very uppermost reaches of the head voice can sound shrill even with the use of vibrato (starting at D6), though this may change with time.

Big thanks to Marty M for composing this Profile!

[Review] Bat for Lashes- "Laura"

Spooky Diva Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes, has returned to our mortal airwaves with new track Laura. An achingly beautiful song, that is built on the foundation of a sturdy and imposing piano score. One which contains all the calling-card-chords and motifs that fans have come to associate with Bat for Lashes' dramatic musical styling.

The vocal is as affecting as always on Laura, retaining its ghostly, other worldly quality, but there is a subtle change here, and it's noticeably warmer and vulnerable than previous offerings. The result is a song that moved me before I'd even had a chance to comprehend its lyrics.

Mariah Carey Confirms Place On American Idol Judging Panel

Mariah Carey has confirmed her place on the upcoming series of American Idol judging panel via Twitter.Yay!!

Who am I kidding, I really, REALLY didn't want her to take up that seat, but as she's confirmed it, I'll try looking at the bright side of her choice below.

There are a number of good things that could come out of her place on the panel: the biggest being the massive promotion she will receive just by sitting at that table. But more important than the promotional side- because I think her next album would have been a hit without the aid of Idol- is the chance that Mariah Carey has to rework her joke of a public image.