Malaysian Idol .... 1st spectaculars

The first Malaysian Idol spectaculars kick started tonight, 11 contestants vying for the title sang their hearts out (or at least attempted too) in order to win the votes……

I like the current crop of singers, overall as a group they’re definitely better than last year’s…. And what’s exciting about this is it’s almost anybody’s game, last year Jac was the clear winner from the very first auditions. These contestants are pretty much on equal footing…….

The show started with them singing Fame…. A bit of a cliché or perfectly suited for the occasion, depending on which way you look at it ;-) It was a decent try, it’s their first try so I’m not going to be too harsh…..

Here’s a brief re-cap of how the contestants fared tonight…….

Atilia - This was the one Paul had commented looked like a wedding singer during the workshops (does any one else think the names are a bit weird… workshops & spectaculars, I mean who comes up with this stuff)…. Anyway, I digress….. She sang You Had Me by Joss Stone. It was a very good attempt, she certainly has powerful vocals. She’s a great singer, no doubt. She attempted to give a sassy performance, although I think she meant it to be sassy but it came off a bit “aggressive” or “garang” as per the judges comments. However, overall it did not impress me much…. It did come off one-dimensional…. Joss stone has a bluesy earthy voice, and the song has a bluesy earthy feel… which to me did not suit her style……

Ash - I nearly voted for Ash during the workshops, primarily because I thought he was pretty cute. Yes, I can be shallow. ;-) But the idea was abandoned as once as I heard him sing…. Tonight he attempted “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin Degraw, one of my current favourite songs…… And of course, Bo Bice’s excellent rendition came to mind, will Ash be able to perform up to par…? NO…. His voice was lost in the music, it was out of tune and it was all over the place. I also wrote short notes during the performance in anticipation of writing this blog, and I wrote “rock star wannabe, but tak jadi”… a few seconds later, Roslan says he simply does not have a rock star voice but he’s attempting to sing rock star songs….. Paul said Ash sounded like he bought the book “Rock Star for Dummies”… hey I can be a judge on Idol! ;-) anyway, truthfully this was a man who should have made it to the final rounds. The judges were correct….. His Idol stint will be short lived…..

Azam - Another pretty boy, he’s cute and can sing relatively well…. The only thing is just that found him to be a tad too cocky…. There is a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and he’s just crossed it. He sang Salsabilla, it was pretty good with just an off pitch here and there… The judges were also right in this aspect, he does not seem to have a connection with the audience… And dude, just putting a scarf around your neck but wearing a work shirt & khakis does not a “middle-eastern-vibe” outfit make……..

Trish - I love her, she’s bubbly and funny, she exudes a warmth that just attracts you to her….. Her vocals are good, not fantastic but her personality more than makes up for it…… But tonight singing a woman’s worth, her personality did not shine thru… and thus her vocal limitations stood in stark contrast…….For the record, I liked her outfit……

Adam - I must admit, I love Adam… he has a beautiful voice, I love his tone… the only problem with Adam (aside from not being macho enough) is his tacky moves… we saw it during his Januari performance, and again tonight. He sang Mentera Semerah Padi (wearing a better “middle-eastern-vibe” outfit than Azam), it was good but it wasn’t great….. I expect better things from him next time!

Farah - The woman has the complete package, she’s a hot babe, she’s sweet & nice and a nice voice to boot. The fact that she’s had a single out before is a tad iffy but who am I to argue against pursuing one’s dream…. She sang Cobalah Untuk Setia, another favourite of mine…. Her vocals were good, she has good voice control.. Unbidden comparisons to Marsha of AF came to mind (she did the same song last Saturday). Honestly, Farah has a better voice control than Marsha but the better overall performance would have to be Marsha….. She had more style, she told the story more effectively……

Ejay - Ejay, Ejay, Ejay… We Belong Together… really….? It’s a tough song to sing, for one it’s Mariah Carey but it is also one of her tougher songs…. We attempted it at Karaoke, and we failed miserable… I mean we don’t profess to be of Idol standard but take it from me it was really really tough…….She did mumble her way through it. I have no doubt she can reach the high notes, but that song requires you to have a good tempo, or ‘groove” as Kak Jee put it……

Faizull - I must make another confession, I simply do not hear this pure voice that Faizull has….. I simply don’t think he has a good voice… Perhaps I’m not such a hard core rock person, I don’t know….. But it was a certainly energetic performance, I’ll give him that…….

Daniel - the other pretty boy…. The one that’s supposed to be Vick’s replacement… I liked him during the initial auditions, but I did not really like him in the workshop… He also has the same “mumbling” disease…. He sang True by Ryan Cabrera, perfect for his voice, style and range……… but I thik he has the potential to go far, based on all the girl votes he’s probably getting……..

Xerra - the memorable pink haired girl… She sang Karma by Alicia Keys… She’s a natural onstage, not surprising since she’s already a lounge singer….. Again, her vocals are good, not great but her style more than makes up for it… She lost focus several times during the performance, but it was a good effort.. However, Paul was right best we leave the hip hop to the blacks……..

Nita - Left Outside Alone, the song arrangement left out the high pitched intro that Anastacia did… thus it lacked the big bang intro which is probably the best part of the song…… This song needs powerful vocals, attitude, a bit more sass which did not really come thru Nita tonight…. She’s also a natural on stage, her experience also a contributing factor…..

There you have it, all 1 contestants….. A pretty good effort overall since this is only the first show……. My pick as to who will leave, it’s a toss up between Ejay & Ash based on tonight’s performance but I’d probably say Ejay will be the first to go….. We’ll see if I’m right! ;-)