Sunday, February 1, 2015

The Voice Philippines 2: Top 24 Live Show Part 2

Well, this week's program was a vast improvement from last week. The contestants performed better, the song choices weren't as old as my grandparents - when they were still alive, of course - and the overall show looked a lot more put together than last week. That said, I have a feeling the results will be as predictable as last week.

Let’s rank the contestants!

TEAM LEA

03. Miro Valera
Wake Me Up
Miro sang a decent version of Wake Me Up that was passable, but probably didn't inspire too many people to vote for him. The energy somehow never seemed to fully arrive and pretty soon it was over. No character, no spark of excitement, just a nice voice that can traverse the correct notes without failure. 5

02. Timmy Pavino
Hanggang Sa Dulo Ng Walang Hanggan
This song was such a safe choice for a balladeer and had a very lazy approach to his vocal choices. We've heard it a million times before and there's just not much that can be done to make it new. The dynamics rarely changed and we were left with a solid vocal performance, but nothing to make any sort of a lasting impression. 5

01. Casper Blancaflor
Chandelier
Possibly the most polarizing voice in the competition this season. It's almost cartoonish, but with a clarity and energy that grows on you and by the end of a song you're almost firmly in her corner. Her vocals on Chandelier wasn't perfect - in fact, her key change sounded weird and she hit a couple of wobbly notes - but her affected voice worked well with the style of music she plays. I think, however, that she's going to have difficulty branching out and showing diversity needed in the long run. 6

TEAM APL

03. Mackie Cao
Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
So, what did she prove here? Mackie Cao can belt a note. That was it. I don't know. She screamed the half part of the song and proved that there was great power in her voice. Unfortunately, there wasn't much subtlety. She needed to tell a story, but it looked like she just wanted to show off. 5.5

02. Alisah Bonaobra
Bituing Walang Ningning
Alisah has a huge problem: she's a vanilla singer surrounded by a mosh pit of gritty, soulful and experienced contestants. There was not one ounce of spice in her performance. Yes, she has a good voice, but there's nothing else. I'm left feeling cold, lifeless, and empty. 5.5

01. Bradley Holmes
You Give Love A Bad Name
There was something just so inherently cool about this performance and I found myself really getting into the whole vibe that was radiating from the incredibly comfortable Bradley Holmes. Sure, it was a straight up cover of the song, but there was intensity behind his voice and everything was just completely natural and organic. He was one of a few who didn't show any trace of nerves. Good job. 8

TEAM BAMBOO

03. Rence Rapanot
Malayo Pa Ang Umaga
I forgot Rence was still here. Haha. Look, this one was simple. He is a very pleasant singer, but he has zero charisma on stage. There's absolutely no spark between him and the audience, and the way he performed was so distant and hesitant and lacked any real boldness. To me, this was an unnecessary performance. 4.5

02. Arnee Hidalgo
Crazy In Love
Not sure if the band decided to come in on a completely different beat than the singer, but the timing sounded off at the beginning. The drama was there and she's obviously a great performer, but the song was way too big for her. She sounded reedy and strained with a couple of pitch issues when she went all crazy towards the end. I understood what she was trying to do, but her execution just fell short. 5.5

01. Tanya Diaz
Natural Woman
Interesting. I'm used to Tanya singing with a lot of texture in her vocals, so to hear her with something as clear and straightforward as this was a pleasant surprise. This would have been a pretty bland performance if handled by a less compelling singer, but there's attitude and sass to her delivery, and her vocals was just very strong. 7.5

TEAM SARAH

03. Douglas Dagal
Home
I hated the arrangement. I think his voice is sweet and has a warm to it, but the singing just felt sloppy with little diction. Plus, I just don't see how he's a marketable performer. 5.5

02. Kokoi Baldo
Love and Devotion
Kokoi is a savvy contestant who knows exactly what to sing and when to sing it. He seems to have  a great grasp on what he needs to accomplish and sets his goals accordingly. My only worry is that he's slowly becoming a little one dimensional and I want to see what other tricks he has up his sleeves other than what we've already heard from him. This was a decent performance, but it just didn't really go anywhere. 6.5

01. Jason Dy
Thinking Out Loud
Let me say this: I love this guy's restraint. Jason has the vocal chops to oversing the hell out of this song and yet he chose to hold back. The vocals were strong, honest, and it was fantastic to see a relatively stripped down performance as opposed to a lot of bells and whistles. I just can't help but smile when I listen to him sing. 8

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