[Review] Diva's Halloween Costume Extravaganza

Yesterday was that special time of year where one could go out dressed like whatever the F***k one wanted, and not get committed or sectioned for their efforts. Yes people, yesterday was Halloween! How spooky!

Now if you're a misery guts like me (see the gifs below to get  a sense of where I'm coming from) you would have done zilch to mark the occasion. Well that's not strictly true, I sat in watching Adams Family and Polyester (Don't ask). I was planning on changing the banner of the site to somehow mark the day, but even that proved too much for my lazy behind.

But our Divas are a more exuberant and festive bunch than yours truly, and they didn't let us down; getting into the unholy spirit in the way only rich people with too much free time on their hands can. So let's check out what our lovely ladies were serving up on the catwalk of Halloween 2012!

Top Ten Biggest Selling Diva Singles (Ever) Of The UK

The OfficialCharts.com have released their list of the top ten biggest selling female singles of the United Kingdom. Having compiled the official UK Charts for just under 60 years, no one else is better placed to give us a reliable run down, figures included, of the impressive accolade.

Take a look at the list below:

[Review] Chris Mann Featuring Christina Aguilera "The Blower's Daughter"

Fourth runner-up (loser?) of series 2 of The Voice (USA), Chris Mann, has once again teamed up with his mentor from the show, Christina Aguilera. Having already delivered a beautiful cover of The Prayer, the duo have now taken on Damien Rice's heavenly ballad The Blower's Daughter. But does it live up to the standard set by their last duet?

[Vocal Profile] Marina Diamandis (AKA Marina and the Diamonds )

Marina  Diamandis

Vocal Type: Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 3 Notes (A2-D6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: The voice is brilliantly connected, meaning it's possible for Marina  Diamandis to switch effortlessly, and quickly, between parts of the voice. She also has excellent control so she is a singer that can recreate her studio renditions perfectly in a live setting.

Heavy, weighty, dark midrange that has an almost androgynous quality to it [Are You Satisfied]. It's a styling that the voice isn't limited to, meaning it is possible for Marina to lighten the sound considerably; lending to exceptionally unique harmonies being created by layering the two timbres [intro of Hermit The Frog].

The belting voice, much like the midrange, is full of attitude and individuality. It's more than often used in the lower extremes (the fourth octave) and carries through the weight and rounded quality of the bottom half of the range. As the voice hits the fifth octave Marina creates a tone that is very much head-voice dominant. This creates a sweeter, warmer sound, and one which is lighter by comparison. It's also possible for her to pull these characteristics down into the top half of the fourth octave. [Intro, Primadonna]. 

The head voice possesses the duality of the midrange so Marina can either produce a tone and timbre that is thick and controlled, or one that is akin to a falsetto, being breathy warm and light.

Vocal Negatives:Though her individual style is a plus in this world of copycat singers, it would be nice to hear Marina embellish that style occasionally with some more "Diva-ish" vocal skills- such as melisma, belted and sustained notes. We like our Divas to show off once in a while.

[Review] Kelly Clarkson "Catch My Breath"

Kelly Clarkson is giving me 80's goodness with her new single Catch My Breath. This is just what I needed from Ms Clarskson. After a string of high-octane, Pop-Rock tracks (Stronger, Darkside, Mr Know It All) I needed something a little more varied from the American Idol Winner to stop me getting Clarkson fatigue.

No need to worry though, it's not a total change of style for the singer. The voice is still a clear and present danger,  and the lyrics are far from generic: being a reflective take on her own musical journey so far. The singer-Songwriter explained the meaning of Catch My Breath on its release;

[New Music Video] Alicia Keys "Girl On Fire"

Alicia Keys needs to leave her husband at home when she hits the studio, because every new song I've heard from herself and Swizz Beatz contains the same aggressive beat, and the same aggressive vocal. Just check out the her new single, Girl On Fire, and tell me it doesn't have you reaching for the Paracetamol.

[Discuss] Cheryl Caught Miming During Performance of "Call My Name" @ Stand Up To Cancer

[UPDATE: I am so PEEVED. This post was removed from my blogger account, without any warning. Not only was it deleted- thank God I managed to find a cached version of the site to copy the content again- but there wasn't even a reason given. I am just going to assume it was removed because of the video, and SOMEONE not liking it being out there, so I shall remove that part of the post. If this gets deleted again, then I can only take that as an infringement of my right to free speech because there is no copyright issues going on here, just discussion. I really need to move away from Blogger]

Can someone please explain to me what happened to Cheryl's voice during her performance of Call My Name at the Stand Up To Cancer telethon.

It's my (completely uninformed) understanding that if you mime/lip-sync to a backing, the vocals and the music are mixed into the same audio track. I mean, what would be the point of recording the vocals separately and having a sound engineer/mixer be responsible for starting both tracks separately. It seems like a recipe for disaster.