Prepare to Cringe: Jazz on SI

Listening, not watching. Stream of consciousness post, as they sing.

Jay: Have you met Miss Jones?
The Bridget Jones song! Sounds nice, vocally spot on. A little studied - the second chorus did not vary much from the first, right down to the phrasing. Seems to be having fun, but the boy can't swing. Dick is a little harsh, I think, although not inaccurate.

Rahimah: Dream a little dream
Hmm, what a weird song to choose for our rocker chick. Sounds breathy, weird phrasing. Song totally not suited for her voice. Not tender enough. Ken is really intent on pigeon-holing her as the angsty rock teenager, ala Avril Lavigne. What kind of artistic growth will she have under his management?? Run, Rahimah, run!

Joakim: You Send Me
Hey, Taylor did this on AI. Bad song choice - if he bombs, people will be saying he was asking for it : "You Send Me ... Home". Vocally, huge improvement over last couple of weeks. Lacks power, dynamically flat but fewer rough spots than I expected. Awww, the boy is so grateful to Florence for her encouragement. Wow, Ken is way overboard with the harsh critique. It was not that bad.

Hady: I've Got You Under My Skin
Oooh, cool song! The ultimate rat-packer song. He's doing a modern, almost R&B-ized version. Interesting phrasing and improv (true to the spirit of the genre). Voice seems a bit rough (sore throat, perhaps?), but very well done overall. Hmm, is Ken playing the constructive criticism card or was he writing Hady off with that comment?

Emilee: Let's Make Whoopee
Ahh, the flirty, sexy song. Wonder what she's wearing? Sounds a little under-energised to me, but the song suits the kind of edge she has in her voice. For once, she sounds less Chinese than she usually does. Ja said something constructive! What is Ken on about? Why should she "understand the jazz genre"? Talk about putting people into boxes. She might have a lounge singer image, but the girl is a R&B singer!

Paul: Moondance
The song that shot Taufik to front-runner status (IMO) last season! Not as smooth and suave as I usually like to hear this song. Again, very strange phrasing, but distinctively Paul, I suppose. No noticeable pitch problems, big improvement from last week. I think this was emo-boy doing jazz, which was a strangely successful experiment. Ooh, Ken gives good advice about using his natural sincerity.

Jonathan: Kissing a Fool
George Michael!?! But cool modern jazz song. Wow, showing unexpected range here. Okay, settling into some of his usual rock edginess. Ahh, high notes quite well controlled, whew! An unexpectedly strong showing from him in a genre that I did not expect him to necessarilt excel at. Wow, Ja just admitted to being biased towards him! Ken is definitely playing the constructive criticism card, despite calling it a disaster.

Jasmine: Almost Being in Love
From Brigadoon. The other Jasmine, J. Trias from AI3 destroyed this a couple of years back. Started okay, sounded quite clear and strong. Ooops, spoke too soon; she's getting a little broad and squally here. Her voice just needs more training. Still, big improvement from last week's complete mess. Ken is being kind to the teenager, but not making much sense. If she didn't choose Sinatra, who should she have chosen? Nobody in the jazz catalogue is going to be a fit for Jasmine. Besides, Sinatra has sung practically all the jazz standards and many of the newer compositions as well.

Nurul: The Way you Look Tonight
Michael Buble's TWYLT? Huh, my dear Nurul, this has been performed by a million people before Buble got his hand on it. Great song, also previously destroyed by Jasmine Trias. Breathiness apparent. Okay, she's singing the Buble arrangement, I suppose, less jazz and more like elevator/lounge music. Don't care for this treatment at all - too much saxophone and not enough bass. Vocally okay, but interesting to me. Judges' comments are also somewhat blah. I think they know she's not long for this competition.

Matilda: Feeling Good
Buble again?? Feeling Good is not a Buble song!! Kids, listen to more jazz by REAL jazz singers, please! Ooh, jazz gets the Mariah divaesque treatment from Matilda. This arrangement is far, far too Vegas / cabaret for my liking, distracting me from her vocals. Wow, this is vocally the most challenging song of the night. She shows she can sing up a storm, and there is some warmth to her voice tonight. But is it too much show-off again? Ja makes really good sense on wanting less drama from her. Ken said practically the same thing, strangely enough.

Oli is on tomorrow night!! Yay! Hope she does jazz, she did a really cool version of Fever last season when they had Classics and Big Band night.