Currently Listening to: Keri Hilson "Turn my Swag on" Remix

Cher Lloyd Performs
"Turn my swagger on"

Cher Lloyd is the 17 year old X-Factor hopeful (see left) that brought to the United Kingdoms' -and I'm embarrassed to say that includes mine too- attention the club banger that is Keri Hilsons' remix  of "Turn My Swagger on".

The performance is one of my stand outs from the current series of the X-factor and its partially due to the massive transformation that occurred in Cher within the space of  a few seconds. When she first came out onto the stage she seemed nervous, afraid and overwhelmed by the whole thing but as soon as the music started her whole demeanour changed and suddenly she was a feisty, confident, and commanding performer. Watch the performance below

Below is  the Keri Hilson original and the Cher Loyds performance. What do you think about it?

 

Keri Hilson - Turn my swag on REMIX

Watch the video for Mariah Carey & Patricia Carey - Oh Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus

Mariah Carey and her mother Patricia
Carey perform "Oh Come all ye Faithful"

The video for one of my favourite cuts from Mariah Careys' Merry Christmas ii You album, "Oh come All ye Faithful" has just been released. The video features both Carey and her mother, Patricia, singing the medley in a Christmassy studio environment.

Watch and read the review of Keri Hilson ‘The Way You Love Me (ft. Rick Ross)

>

Kerri Hilson gets practically
nude in the video of "The way
you love me". 

So what do you do when your last album didn't live up to industry expectations. You do what Keri Hilson has done with her new single "The way You love me" off her upcoming second album  and switch to sex to sell your music.

The song:
Don't let the title of the song fool you; this is not a love song or  a ballad. Its an up-tempo track about sex that is neither subtle or poetic about it. In fact I'm surprised they went with such a tame title considering the lyrical content being so crude and the obvious desire to shock with this release.

Warning to anyone listening with kids about: DON'T! This song has repeated swears in the chorus!The whole thing is all just TMI (too much information).

The video:
The video looks like its had a lot of money thrown at it and features a lot of suggestive dancing and semi clothed ladies.To "cleverly" try and disguise it from being being a desperate attempt to sell music using ones body, they've thrown in a thin plot about Kerri and a group of femme fatales-including Faith Evans(?!) - successfully carrying out a heist for a group of  male gangsters who doubted their ability. In fact if you concentrate REAL hard you can see that its not actually a load of smut, but an advert for feminism and female empowerment...(!)

Unfortunately for all there is more to come because the video ends with the joyous line"to be continued.". Yikes

Summary: "The way you Love me" and it's video were undoubtedly chosen to wake the world up to Kerri Hilson again, and it succeeds for the duration of its playtime. However, once you get over the lyrics and the seedy video , the song, at its core, is ultimately bad and forgettable.

Comment as to what you think of the video/song/review/Kerri Hilson/ at the bottom of the post or by clicking here.

Keri Hilson and Rick Ross together in her new video "The Way you Love me"

[Vocal Profile] Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger

Vocal Type: Lyric Soprano
Whistle Register:Yes
Vocal Range: D3-G#6 (3 Octaves 2 Note and a semi tone)
Vocal Pluses: A trained singer, this Diva is comfortable singing in a variety of styles [Jazz: Feeling Good/ Theater: Phantom Of The Opera / Classical: Io Ti Penso Amore ] Along with control and power, Nicole is able to sing complex melisma throughout her range, expertly alter the dynamics of her voice mid-phrase and, thanks to excellent breath control, hold notes effortlessly [all demoed  here].

This Diva's mid-range is versatile and can be manipulated to add character and emotional colouring to a vocal. For instance: Nicole gives her delivery attitude and aggression and an icy, slightly gritty tone in Poison; while softening, aerating and warming her tone in Happily Never After. Whatever choices she takes with her mid-range, the character of Nicole's voice is retained making a song easily attributable.

Present is a flexible and elastic belt that is expertly controlled. The lower half is dark and rich [Right Now] with a suitable volume to it. As it climbs the fifth octave the voice takes on a nasal placement causing it to thin and and take on a metallic timbre. It's due to this shift that Nicole is able to impressively hit, and hold, upper fifth octave notes (even with with a measured vibrato) [Club Banger Nation]. It should be noted that Nicole can add a rock edge to her belts by "pulling up" her chest voice [Run Live].

Nicole's head voice has a dual aspect to it. In a contemporary setting the Diva is able to produce a soft and sweet head-voice that can be harmonized and remains unobtrusive to a song's backing [Heartbeat]. However, it can be made to sound impressively resonant with a theatrical quality to it. In this styling her tone is full, warm and measured, and the Diva is able to add a controlled vibrato, play with volume and crescendo beautifully [Io Ti Penso Amore ].

Vocal Negatives: Belted notes can sometimes sound harsh and more akin to shouting due to improper placement of the voice, especially when it forgoes vibrato.

Watch Nicole Scherzingers' X-factor performance of Poison 2010

 Nicole Scherzinger Poison cover

Nicole Scherzinger on the
X-factor 2010

Tonight it was Nicole Scherzingers' turn to ride the X-Factor publicity train to the top 10 of the UK singles chart, performing her latest single "Poison"on the results show. Nicole admirably managed to make a weak song seem a lot better than it is with an awesome routine, tons of dancers and lots of cool lighting.

But I just don't understand how someone who has had some amazingly catchy songs previously, with the Pussy  Cat Dolls, can't seem to spot a hit from a miss without them.I know she wasn't the mastermind behind the operation, but you'd think some of the magic woulda rubbed off on her!

Do you like Nicoles' solo song or do you think she needs to hook back up with the Pussy Cat Dolls quick sharp? Comment here or below:

Nicki Minaj & Rihanna Perform "Fly" Live

Rihanna has a little cheeky
squeeze of Niki Minaj's butt!

Rihanna and Nick Minaj
on the set of "Fly"

Rihanna was one of Nicki Minaj's guests at her concert to promote the release of her new album Pink Friday. The duo performed a speedy rendition of the track Fly, after which Rihanna gave Nicki's famous ass-et a cheeky squeeze before leaving the stage.

Ke$ha performs "Tick Tock" and "We R Who We R" on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Ke$ha and Jimmy Kimmel

Kesha and Katy Perry

Ke$ha is like Marmite, you either Hate her or Love her. Me, I love the trashy look and the carefree attitude. It's a nice contrast to a lot of artists who take themselves too seriously at the moment.

Below Kesha performs "Tick tock" and "We R Who We R" On Jimmy Kimmel Live. The vocals aren't really worth commenting on, and the performance was uninspired and tired... but I still love her though!

Do you love or Hate K$sha? Let the world know!

Embedding for her performance of We R who we R has been disabled but watch it on Youtube here