[Wailing wall] C5 Showdown!

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The Power Of Patti Heals K. Michelle & Tamar Braxton Rift @ 2015 BET Awards

K. Michelle isn't a Diva I'm that familiar with (I feel like I've said that before). What I do know about her is that she and  Tamar Braxton have had some kind of spat recently. But being the grown woman that they are, they've buried the hatchet -just as publicly as they fought- under the watchful eye of Dame Diva Patti Labelle at this year's BET Awards.

Who says these showbiz types aren't like us regular folks!

[Quiz] Which Diva "Whistled" What?

The highest part of the voice- AKA the "whistle" register- is often thought of as nothing more than a freakish extension of a person's range. So devoid of character and individuality that it adds precious little to a vocal, bar a chance for showboating. Blasphemy, I say!!

We here at DivaDevotee are a (mostly) proud bunch of flageolet lovers (hehehe), who I'm sure think can attribute a whistle tone to a particular singer with relative ease. (Me included!) But let's find out if this is true, with the 9 question quiz below!

Simply listen to each example, check the Diva's name and submit your answer to find out if you were correct or not. It would be cool if you could tot up your score and post it, along with any other whistle-related discussion, in the comments.

So watcha waiting for. Give your ears a workout.

[Music Video] Tamar Braxton - "Let Me Know"

Tamar Braxton is gearing up for album number three, and if its lead single is anything to go by, this Diva isn't playing with her sound or changing lanes on it. Brave woman!

Still unabashedly Rnb, Let Me Know is a smooth and warming love song built around a questionably used Aaliyah sample. Really, I'm not even sure why they included it since it's sped up to an unrecognisable pitch that effectively strips the sample of all character. It would have made more sense for them to have had Tamar sing a similar sentence, and then played with that. Still, the writers of the sample (The Isley Brothers) aren't credited on the song (according to Wiki), so perhaps the size and manipulation of it was done to avoid splitting royalties.

Tamar Braxton Pays Homage To Diana Ross @ BET Honors

Tamar Braxton was serving smouldering bugeye for her 2014 BET Honors performance! Not sure what was going on with her, but she had the oddest expression on her face for a lot of the Diana Ross medley (does two songs make a medley? Who cares, I'm using it).

Tamar spent most of the ridiculously short medley rummaging around her lower range and head voice- the latter sounding gorgeous. It was only as she was wrapping it up, while singing Upside Down, that the belt was unleashed. But by then, the performance was over and I was left wanting more!!!

Still, lurve watching Tamar perform.

[Watch] Tamar Braxton Takes "All The Way Home" To The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Looks like Tamar Braxton is getting back her vocal mojo! Praise Jebus! Taking All The Way Home to the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Diva gave a striking rendition of the knockout ballad lifted from last year's Love And War LP.

Tamar Braxton Performs "Silent Night" @ The Queen Latifah Show

If you're familiar with the Christmas carol Silent Night, I implore you to do yourself a favour, and forget its melody before you watch the video below- maybe try hitting your head against the wall. Why? Well, Tamar Braxton's rendition, recorded for the The Queen Latifah Show, plays so fast and loose with the melody that you'd be hard pressed to have guessed what she was singing if not for the lyric.

Aside from that, the performance, backed solely by a Spanish guitar (fifty thousand million billion internet points to anyone who gets that reference), did show that Tamar's voice is defintetly on the mend; with most parts of it- aside from the low notes- sounding strong. Contrast to the lower end, she seemed to have no problems entering the head-voice, so I would have loved to have heard her explore that part of the range a bit more. Also, did anyone else think she sounded like Beyonce at around 1.05?

This was a somewhat experimental/ freestyle version of Silent night, and I can't  knock Tamar for it. After all, so many Divas have recorded versions of the classic- who could forget the "Duelling Divas" post dedicated to that fact- that the only way she wasn't going to draw comparisons to others was by trying something totally different. She did look nervous as hell doing it, though!

[Watch] Tamar Braxton Delivers A Rough Around The Edges Medley @ Soul Train 2013

Tamar Braxton has been suffering from a few vocal problems recently, and her medley at the 2013 Soul Train Awards left me feeling that things still aren't quite right when it comes to her instrument. On the plus side, the Diva wasn't having problems reaching the notes (as has been the case previously) during her medley of Love And War, All the Way Home and The One. It was more the tone that was exhibiting a change, sounding "brassy" throughout the range.

More distracting than the slightly off vocal was the performance itself, which was all kinds of messy. From the awkward choreography to the moments Tamar was visibly out of breath, the whole thing was lacking polish and finesse. And I'm not even going to comment on the outfit choice!

Tamar Braxton has the potential to be something spectacular, it's just a shame she doesn't seem to want it enough to put in the work.

[New Music] Toni and Tamar Braxton Return With New Music. One good, the other not so much.

Another release from Tamar Braxton's September-due album Love and War has been uploaded to SoundCloud- say hello to All the Way. This grown up slice of Rnb was written by the legendary Diane Warren (and Tamar, I should add) and it's a slow burner that improves with every listen. The vocals aren't as showy as we've come to expect from the youngest Braxton, but that doesn't mean they're any less impressive.

Unfortunately the more I hear from this album, the more I think it will probably flop- not that I'm wanting that. But Rnb isn't selling right now and that's what Tamar is delivering. However, I'll be the first to pony up my pounds if it's full of quality like this and the album's title track. So Tamar you can sleep easy knowing you should have at least one guaranteed sale come the release date...

[New Music] Tamar Braxton - "The One"

Up the duff, Tamar Braxton is readying single number two, The One. Speaking of the song to RapUpTV, the Braxton Family Values member revealed the video has already been shot, being filmed at the Santa Monica Pier- because she loves amusement parks, no less. Other notable things gleaned from the interview include: Tamar is trying to make the word "Funners" happen, and that her unborn baby is as "ratchet" as she is! This woman is nuts, but I love her.

Getting to the song, I was a bit like "Ergh, not this sample again" when I hit play. As far as I'm concerned, Mtume's Juicy Fruit has been done to DEATH! But by the chorus I was being swayed by the track's summery groove- check me out and my weak will. There's still something lazy about the application of the sample, but the melody and Tamar's voice was doing enough that I was distracted enough to appreicate the song as a whole, concluding that it's worthy of one of these.

[Watch] Divas Feel The Holy Spirit @ BET 2013 Celebration of Gospel

We all love a little bit of Gospel music, irrespective of whether saint or sinner, Christian or heathen. Holding their Celebration of the genre, BET gathered some of the best and brightest in the industry to praise and rejoice live on camera! Hallelujah!!

Divas performing included Anita Baker, Yolanda Adams, Tamela Mann,Shirley Caesar and the Clark Sisters. But the stand out performance came from a pregnant Tamar Braxton, who not only earned a standing ovation for her rendition of Be Grateful but had many at home proclaiming "I didn't know she could sing like that".

Check out how our Divas did, below!

Note: I can't get the videos to not auto-play, so be prepared for a wave of Gospel goodness to hit as soon as they come alive. It is not God trying to send you a message via this blog (!)

[Music Video] Tamar Braxton's Weave Steals The Show In Video For "Love And War"

I think Tamar Braxton has realised that Love And War isn't going to happen at this point. It's a realisation that might explain the fiscally considerate, black and white video that has been served to accompany the delicious Rnb groove- which let's not forget managed to hit #1 on the Itunes chart for all of about 24 hours.

"Truth be told", Tamar's weave was the thing that held my eyes captive throughout the entirety of the video. The way she worked it so artistically and with such flair had me convinced it was a metaphor for the tumultuous relationship of the lyrics. I just can't figure out how at this point. What I am sure of, is that a large portion of the budget went on its maintenance- so consistently luxurious and life-giving it was.

[Watch] Tamar Braxton Sings "Love And War" Live On Wendy Williams

The music world, and music buyers, responded unexpectedly positively to the release of Tamar Braxton's RnB ballad Love And War, earlier this week. Clearly hoping to capitalise on the buzz of said song, the Braxton Family Values star took it to The Wendy Williams Show for a bit of live promo.

But how did the baby of the Braxton clan manage such a tricky song in a live setting? Watch below and find out!

[Review] Tamar Braxton "Love And War"

Most people will be more familiar with her famous sister Toni, but younger sibling Tamar Braxton is readying herself for solo stardom with the release of new song, Love and War.

Tamar is no stranger to the music world: having enjoyed moderate success as part of The Braxtons, and then less so as a solo star with first album Tamar. But that was over a decade ago and Father time's ceaseless march seems to have finally put some fire under the 35-year-old and got her back into the recording studio. Well that and her colossal ego that is convinced she should be as big a star as Lady Gaga!

[Vocal Profile] Tamar Braxton

Vocal Type:Coloratura Soprano
Vocal Range:Four Octaves and One Note (C3-D7)
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Tamar Braxton finds her strength in her head voice and higher chest register. Her lower range is not as strong but is still well supported. Due to Tamar's expert mixing of her head and chest voice, her belting range extends all the way to a Bb5; having a very bright, light quality to it.

Her head voice is smooth and airy, and is well connected to the rest of the voice.
She is also able of singing notes in the whistle register, producing a tone that is not piercing but instead very smooth.