Following
what was one of the most exciting talent show launches last week, to celebrate
the 2nd week we are promoting young talented singers right here in
the UK!
The Voice UK had the much anticipated launch show last night and the
coaches and contestants wowed the nation as social media, facebook and twitter
comments gushed about the show. Tom
Jones, Jessie J, Will.i.am and Danny O'Donoghue started kicked off the show by
showing the hopefuls how it’s done with the collaborative rendition of Black
Eyed Peas’ “I’ve got a feeling”. I believe the TV license money was well spent.
(c) Copyright BBC
The
Celebrity judges perform on The Voice UK (Tom Jones, Will.i.am (Black Eyed
Peas), Jessie J, Danny
O'Donoghue (The Script)
In my opinion the Voice has blown out of the water all the other singing shows
because the blind audition concept allows us to focus on the natural talent and
singing voice of the contestants without all the frills.
(c) Copyright BBC
(c) Copyright BBC
You can put your violins away as the sob stories and “journeys”
will not be the focus of the Voice. There will be the obvious heartwarming
stories but very personal to the contestant and relevant to them as a
performer, like Toni Warne, a 35 year old woman with alopecia who hopes to regain
her shattered confidence.
The selection process during the blind auditions is
simple. The celebrity coaches have red swivel chairs and a buzzer that rotates
the chair, if they like a contestant they press the buzzer and the chair turns
around. If none of the coaches turn around then the contestant is immediately
out. If one coach turns around, she or he then mentors the contestant. If more
than one coach turns around then the contestant is in a good position and can
select whichever coach they feel suits them better and they advance to the next
stage.
The first contestant, 17 year old Jessica Hammond had a
coach in mind as she came on stage as she chose to sing an acoustic version of Jessie
J’s global hit ‘Price Tag’. She had all the four coaches already fighting for
her but she stayed loyal to Jessie J.
Sean Conlan (c) BBC
Sean Conland with boyband 5ive
My heart sank though when no coach turned around for
former 5ive boyband member Sean Conlon. The coaches liked his voice but were
unsure on how to mentor him. He was dissappointed but took the rejection like a
trooper.
I was underwhelmed by 22 year old Ben Kelly who
apparently is already an internet sensation who sang in my opinion a tribute
act version of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”. I am surprised that all judges turned
around for him. I am sure this will make me unpopular but I did not get him!
I was getting worried for Will.i.am whom I believe should
have talked himself up more as a producer and songwriter than enter the name
drop battle with the legend that is Tom Jones. I loved Tom Jone’s humour
especially the story about Elvis going to buy him guitars. I would watch the
Voice every week just for those nostalgic stories.
Will.i.am eventually gets the last contestant J Marie
Cooper who chose him for being the first judge to turn around.
(c) BBC
The final tally for the coaches was I would have predicted - four for Team Tom,
three for Team Jessie, and Will.i.am and Danny have one each.
It was a fantastic launch show for the Voice and I believe it outclassed
Britain’s Got Talent and a better competition than Xfactor in my opinion.
However I still think it is a matter of “apples” and oranges” between the Voice
UK and Britain’s Got Talent, as one show is purely vocal talent and the other
is old fashioned British variety.
Known for her powerful voice and curly hair, Chaka Khan first exploded
on to the music scene in the 1970s. While active in the black power movement,
she changed her name. While with the band Rufus, she wrote their 1975 number
one hit, "Sweet Thing." Although she continued to make music during
the 80s, her popularity declined. She moved to London in the 90s and continues
to put out music and act.
27th Grammy Awards I feel for you by Chaka Khan and Grand Master Mel Mel
Singer, songwriter. Born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953, in
Chicago, Illinois. Known for her powerful voice, her great volume of curly
hair, and her charismatic stage presence, Chaka Khan first exploded on to the
music scene in the 1970s. She formed her first group, the Crystalettes, with
her sister Yvonne when she was only 11 years old. Some of Khan's early musical
heroines included Billie
Holiday and Gladys
Knight. The sisters later became involved in the Affro-Arts
Theater and started another musical group known as The Shades of Black.
In 1969, Khan became active in the black power movement, joining the
Black Panther Party and working on the organization's free breakfast program
for children. Around this time, she took on a new name: Chaka Adunne Aduffe
Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi. She also said good-bye to her formal education, dropping
out from high school.
In the early 1970s, after performing with a few other groups, Khan
joined the band Rufus, which had a strong R&B and funk sound. The world got
its first taste of Khan’s powerhouse vocals when the group released its first
self-titled album in 1973, which spawned such modest hits as "Whoever's
Thrilling You" and "Feel Good." The follow-up album, Rags to
Rufus (1974), was a smash commercially and critically. Stevie
Wonder penned the hit
single, "Tell Me Something Good," for them, which sold more than a
million copies. The group also scored a Grammy Award for best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for the song in 1974.
Rufus, which was renamed Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and then Rufus &
Chaka, continued to have a number of successes over the coming years. Khan
helped write their number one hit, "Sweet Thing," climbed to the top
of the charts in 1975. Later hits included "Do You Love What You
Feel" and "Ain’t Nobody."
While she recorded with Rufus until the early 1980s, Chaka made an
impressive debut as a solo artist in the late 1970s. In 1978, she released Chaka,
which featured the hit "I’m Every Woman," which was written by
Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. In an odd twist of synchronicity, she won
two Grammy Awards as a solo artist and one as a member of Rufus in 1983.
The next year, however, Chaka the solo artist reigned supreme. Covering
a Prince song, she reached the top of the R&B, hip-hop, and dance charts
with "I Feel for You." Featuring one of the most famous rap cameos of
all time by Mel Melle, the infectious track incorporated elements of rap,
R&B, and electronic dance music. It also won her another Grammy Award in
1984. Other hits from the album included "This Is My Night" and
"Through the Fire."
Although she continued to make music, Khan saw her popularity decline in
the late 1980s and 1990s. Her albums may not have been selling as much as they
had previously, she was still
producing critically acclaimed music. She won a Grammy Award in 1990 for her
duet with the legendary Ray Charles on "I’ll
Be Good to You" and another one in 1992 for "The Woman I am”.
In the early 1990s, she left the United States for London to have a
better environment to raise her two children. Her daughter Milini was born in
1973 and her son Damien was born in 1979. While there, she branched out into
acting, appearing as Sister Carrie in the musical Mama, I Want to Sing.
Near the end of the decade, she established the Chaka Khan Foundation, which
provides education programs to at-risk children and helps low-income families
with autistic children.
In 2002, Chaka Khan scored her eighth Grammy Award—this time for her
cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's
Going On" with the Funk Brothers. The next year, she shared her life story
with the world in her autobiography, Chaka! Through the Fire. In it, she
detailed her career as well as her years of substance abuse. Chaka described
the loneliness she felt while touring. She was often away from her two
children, which only compounded her sadness and guilt. Chaka told JET
magazine that "I think a big part of my drug thing was escaping from those
feelings." She also revealed that she had a history of bad luck when it
came to relationships.
With her life on track, Khan experimented with different musical styles.
She did an album of standards with the London Symphony Orchestra entitled ClassiKhan
in 2004. That same year, Khan faced a personal tragedy. Her son Damien was
arrested and charged with murder. He and a friend had been fighting in her home
when Damien accidentally shot him. Rallying her family together, Khan attended
the trial and testified on her son's behalf. He was found not guilty in 2006.
