[Watch] Mariah Carey HEAVILY dubs "All I Want For Christmas" Performance @ National Tree Lighting in Washington, DC

Thanks to a link provided over at Mariahjournal I found out about this performance of All I Want For Christmas, filmed at the National Tree Lighting in Washington, DC. And just like  Mariah Carey's last showing at the Rockefeller Center [here], the Diva delivered again on the night with an almost perfect rendition of the holiday classic.

Witnessing two solid performances in a row was almost enough to make me think a Christmas miracle had occurred, and that the vocalist's weathered pipes had been restored! Watch for yourself [here]- Mariah comes on at about the 57 minute mark to sing. Anyone wanting to not deal with the reality of the situation, please stop reading at this point.

[Vocal Profile] Chaka Khan

 Chaka Khan

Vocal Type: Spinto Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: F2-B5 (3 octaves and a diminished fifth) (B2-E6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Chaka is a unique singer, with her own style of inflection and timbre. Her voice has some similarities to other singers of her generation, but always retains a sound distinctly her own. Though her timbre is bright, she has an unusual amount of power behind her notes.

The low range is quite impressive, spanning down into the second octave. Her lows can either be smoky and whispery or more solid and defined, and though never achieving the same volume as her high range, her low notes retain her tone and style The lower range stays mostly homogeneous to the rest of the range.

Her middle range, starting around G3, has many timbres and textures that it can assume, and transitions absolutely seamlessly from the lower middle range to the top of her voice. The middle range has a peculiar ‘forward’ sound that gives the impression of the tone used in the belted range, aiding the sound of seamless transition.

The belted range is technically incredible, and the defining aspect of her voice. Going all the way up to a thrilling B5, the belted notes are brassy, bright, and full in sound – they are always mixed perfectly, and flow easily, though time has stripped Chaka of the top belts. Thanks to her mixing, she goes to the absolute top of her viable range, but belts far beyond ‘typical’ highs for any voice type.

Her head voice (whenever it is heard) is light, bright, and somewhat breathy.

Vocal Negatives: Her head voice on its own is rarely heard and sounds quite weak compared to her powerful, brassy belts. Because of her unique singing style, it may take time to adapt to her sound on the whole. She has a tendency to waver in pitch on the low notes, and the low range on the whole seems a little variable as to whether it will be solid or weak on a given day.

Credit goes to Marty M for this profile!

[Video] Beyonce Confuses With "Grown Woman" Visuals

I have exactly zero clue as to what this Grown Woman promo is for, or where it came from.

It doesn't feature the entire track, so it can't be the actual music video. But that doesn't mean it can't be a teaser for something longer. It may even be a video played on the jumbo screens while Beyonce performs the buzz track/album cut/single/Lord-knows-what on tour. However, it's not something I recall seeing when she sang it at Chime For Change. Could it be that she's updated the visuals since then?

Please, one of you guys, help a confused individual out and tell me just what the heck I'm looking at here!

[Discuss] The Grammy Awards Continue To Be Irrelevant With 2014 Nomination List

By now you guys should know how many f***s I give about the Grammy nominations and who goes on to win what on the night. The fact that I love the performances that intersect the show is pretty much the only reason I indulge the annual event.

I'm  just not here for any panel- especially one as shady as the Grammys- telling me what constitutes award winning music. The fact that Roar by Katy Perry made the list for Song and PERFORMANCE of the year, while someone like Janelle Monáe didn't even get a mention, only affirms their irrelevance to me.

But whatever, this list was asked for so I posted it. If your opinion about the importance of the awards is different from mine, that's totally cool. Feel free to discuss your thoughts on the nominations in the comments. I'd love to still read them.

The FULL list can be found here. I've mostly omitted the Classical stuff, but you can reference the missing numbers to see exactly what I excluded.

[Discussion] Lana Del Rey's "Tropico": A Work of Genius or Pretentious Pap?

Lana Del Rey's music and visuals have always been cinematic and dramatic in scope. And she's always worn her obsession for the Golden Age of Hollywood and Americana prominently on her sleeve. So is it any wonder that the singer-songwriter would take these passions a step further and release something more substantial than a four minute promo? Let me help you out: no it is not!  Everyone say "hello" to the Coney Island Queen's short film, Tropico.

But hold up! Before you take that leap into Lana's world, take a read of this Question and Answer session the director of Tropico, Anthony Mandler, had with Time. It should help prepare you for what you're going to see. Below is an extract from it explaining the process of collaborating with Lana and how the film is, at its heart, a love story (as if we couldn't figure that out ourselves!) :

TIME: There’s a lot going on in Tropico. How did Lana first explain the concept to you?
Anthony Mandler: Generally, when we work together, I get these long, written-out character breakdowns and story breakdowns. Some of it is very well-thought out, some of it is kind of stream-of-conscious. So my role has been to come in and shake the tree and realign things and make it do-able. Lana has these really wide, vast landscapes that she lays out, but she definitely has a very strong vision about the world she wants to fill out. It is a very collaborative process, especially on the front end.

Ultimately it’s a love story though, right?

Yes, I think it’s a love story between two people and a love story about loving yourself. It is that classic idea about breaking trust or breaking something sacred and how you find it again. Okay, so they are abolished from the Garden of Eden: now what? How do we push that forward through the modern lens? [We're looking] at this sort of modern hell on earth that people live in: working in a convenience store, stripping for money, not doing much of anything. There’s that moment — and I love it that [Shaun's character] Adam does it — where he goes, “It’s not always going to be this way.” The third act is about moving back to paradise and finding another Eden that’s not on Earth.

Source: Time.com

[Watch] Mariah Carey Brings "The Voice" To 2013 Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting

Mariah Carey must have known she couldn't mess about with tricks and backing tracks when performing at the 81st Annual Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting in New York City. After all, she was on the bill with Leona Lewis, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson and Mary J Blige- all singers who have cited her as their own inspiration. Even still, I wasn't expecting this level of vocal health from the songbird!

It was evident from watching Joy To The World- which was a brave choice to sing, fully live, considering how full on it is- that the Diva's stamina is in better shape than it has been in a long while. It was because of this improvement that Mariah was sustaining belts and switching registers like the glory days.(Okay, a tiny bit hyperbolic, but it was still impressive to watch).

In addition to that, it was refreshing to watch Mariah not try to recreate the studio versions of the songs. Instead she switched up the arrangements for Joy To The World and All I want For Christmas on the fly. Something a person (me), who has watched too many live performances of these songs, really appreciated. Hopefully we'll see more of this approach from now on.

Is this a positive sign for the next chapter in the book of Mariah Carey's ever evolving voice? Only time will tell. But I sure am pumped for her next live showing!

[Watch] Kelly Clarkson Rocks 2013 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony @ Rockefeller Center

Kelly Clarkson brought a change of pace to the proceedings to the 2013 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Rockefeller Center.

Wrapped up all in red, like a pregnant present, the singer gave a belting performance of Run Run Rudolph. It was an energetic rendition that was exhilarating to watch. Of course Kelly's vocals were on point, but something about this performance was even more impressive than usual- that closing riff was something! This was the best vocal of the night for me.

From Rock to Blues, Kelly was serving variety with song number two- and Elvis cover- Blue Christmas. Though changes were heard in the tempo and style, the vocal remained unflinchingly gorgeous, with both songs benefiting from her (slightly) raspy delivery.

I tell you what, Wrapped in Red's lead single Underneath The Tree didn't exactly light up my world. However, these two performances have done what that failed to do and has convinced  me to pick up Kelly's Christmas album, post haste.