There has been a whole host of live events that I haven't managed to cover on the blog- most notably Black Girls Rock and the European Music Awards. I did consider just letting the events float by, undocumented, but decided you guys deserve more! So here goes!
Black Girls Rock:
I thought about uploading each performance separately in the post, but since the BET player doesn't seem to like waiting around for a person to actually press play before starting, I thought it would be kinder on your ears to have only one video autoplay when you opened the post- oppose to six! (The rest of the videos are accessible via the scroll bar at the bottom of the player.)
Below is a short recap of my thoughts on each performance:
Jennifer Hudson- I loved this performance, mainly because it embodied the spirit of the show brilliantly. The stage was full of black women of different hues, sizes and ages just having a good time (and all without any twerking)! It was also great to see an all female band in the back.
Janelle Monáe: always brings it, but dare I say, she's starting to seem like she's playing it safe with her performances of Electric Lady. Still, it was pretty perfect.
Ledisi- this Diva is a chameleon. She looks like a different person every time I see her! However, what doesn't change is the voice. This is a confident Diva who knows her voice, so it's little wonder the vocal was on point during this rendition of I Blame You.
Amber Riley - The most startling thing- to me- about this Amber Riley performance of I Am Woman was how mature her voice sounds now. When I used to watch Glee- admittedly that was during series one- her voice had a youthful sound to it. It's still there, but nowhere near as prevalent as it once was. She also demonstrated how she's grown as a vocalist, utilising a variety of different tones and textures throughout the performance.
Kelly Rowland ft. Sevyn Streeter and Eve- Wow, Kelly's voice sounded great, and her confidence was palpable. It's just a shame the song- Gone - is a little meh. Sevyn Streeter was also a surprise to me, her voice sounded effortless.
Patti Labelle - The Diva was missing some of her usual gusto. Even still, her voice was something to behold! It was an emotional performance of You Are My Friend from the Diva, and was dedicated to her publicist Patti Webster who died in September. The Misy Copland introduction was also a beautiful touch, bringing a little diversity to the show.
X-Factor:
Celine Dion is out promoting, and the latest stop on the trail was X-Factor UK! The Diva gave an effortless rendition of title track Loved Me Back To Life, but though vocally accomplished, everything else was slightly stilted. A little bit of her zany personality/crazy mannerisms would have remedied that.
I haven't paid much attention to Little Mix since...well ever. I didn't even recall that they won the X-Factor last year until I watched the booming intro for this performance. However, their new single, Move, I actually quite like! It's got a great beat, fresh feel, interesting melody and lush vocals, which they did a great job recreating live on stage two weeks back.
EMAs:
Miley Cyrus's opened the 2013 EMAs this year singing We Can't Stop. I haven't been here/there/wherever for any performance of the song so far- they all just make me feel icky- and this one was no different.
What I was here for though, was her second performance of the night where she gave a stunning rendition of Wrecking Ball. I even had someone comparing it to the moment they heard Adele sing Someone Like You at the 2011 Brit Awards. I personally wouldn't go that far, but it clearly moved people- and that's what music is about.
Katy Perry was also at the EMAs this year, where she served up a pitchy slice of next single Unconditionally. I would like to have attributed the unsteady vocals to the heights she ascends to during the performance, but unforunately the problems were there right from the outset.
Thoughts?
