Sunday, January 25, 2015

The Voice Philippines 2: Top 24 Live Show Part 1

Welcome to The Voice Philippines Season 2's first live performance show and just like last season, this is the point where I start writing about the show. I find the Blind Auditions too long that I honestly couldn't care less, and the format of this show is pretty screwed up. So yeah.

How was the talent? I was a bit underwhelmed as there were a good numbers of contestants who really flopped, but I guess, that's to be expected. The ones that were clearly ready for the spotlight gave some great performances.
So, without further ado, let’s rank the performances!

TEAM LEA

03. Abbey Pineda
Sana'y Maghintay Ang Walang Hanggan
This was, simply put, a terrible song choice. No, she didn't hit a bad note, but I can't ignore how sleepy it made me feel. It's unassuming, unimpressive, and unacceptable. There's no way I'm going to remember this tune when I do my laundry tomorrow. I don't do my laundry, but you get my point. Ha.

02. Nino Alejandro
Nakapagtataka
Nino's take on Nakapagtataka was a standard singing competition fare. The arrangement was subtle - maybe until the raucous second half that ruined everything - but not different enough to be a true game changer. This was just straight down the middle for me. 5

01. Leah Patricio
Queen Of The Night
Wow, what a weird song choice. I can appreciate the decision to pick a 90s song, but her performance was a classic case of someone overcompensating. She just did way too much. Yes, the wailing at the beginning was brilliant and some of her vocals choices after that were good, but by the time she decided to switch to her head voice towards the end of the song, she just created quite a mess. Of course, it was overshadowed by the stronger parts of her performance, but still. 6.5

TEAM APL

03. Suy Galvez
I Won't Give Up
Ugh. I did not like this at all. Her lower register was never supported during the quick bridge and it made that the part of the song sound messy and rushed, there's way too much intensity in her delivery, but a hollow emotional connection to the song. It actually felt like this was all about her trying to impress instead of displaying the real intent and interpretation of the song. Show off? 3

02. Fern Tosco
It's A Heartache
There's something about her voice, regardless if it's perfect from a note to note perspective, that spoke to me. The soulfulness was there, albeit subdued, and there was an edge and grit to her vocals that conveyed a sense of pleading. Solid, if a bit safe. 5.5

01. Daryl Ong
Let's Stay Together
Daryl worked the stage in this upbeat jaunt to a degree I wasn't expecting. It was certainly a different side for him, and while vocally, he had a couple of moments where he went overboard with all the runs, this was still probably a smart move. This allowed him to be a well-rounded artist. I would still have preferred him to find a way to switch songs around and not just deliver a straightforward cover. Perhaps next time? 7.5

TEAM BAMBOO

03. Karlo Mojica
Footloose
There was a bit of a nice show of dynamics and his voice was very much on point, but it somehow felt like he was trying so hard to make this performance work and that made me a little uncomfortable. I'll probably go to hell for saying this, but I'm just having a hard time finding a reason to root for him other than the obvious. Just not my cup of tea. 5

02. Kai Honasan
Blank Space
The song choice had all the makings of a great moment for Kai - the first few bars were actually lovely and playing this tune on piano was a great choice and I was loving the sound of it, and then she left the piano!! I said this so many times in my other reviews, but it bears repeating: don't leave the piano. Ever. No performance in any reality singing competition  has ever been made better by making the incredibly unmotivated decision to leave the keys to go work the stage. Just sit there and tell your story. 5

01. Rita Martinez
Smells Like Teen Spirit
She did a fantastic slowed down version of this song and I was hooked by it. It wasn't perfect by any means - and by not perfect, I mean, those unnecessary backup dancers - but I appreciated the effort to do something different with the song and not just deliver it as a glorified karaoke version. She should work on some of the lower placement of her notes and the lazy diction, but other than that, this was pretty decent. 6

TEAM SARAH

03. Poppert Bernadas
I Feel Good
Who cares? No, really, who cares about this performance? Even if this song was a smart song choice, which wasn't, it added nothing to Poppert as a performer and came across as an incredibly professional karaoke cover. 5

02. Jason Fernandez
Hanggang
While this wasn't creative enough - especially for Jason's caliber - the vocal were strong enough for him to survive another round. His voice was vulnerable and passionate, and the strength of it was compelling. Well sung and well presented. 7

01. Monique Lualhati
Maging Sino Ka Man
This was, without a doubt, the highlight of the evening. Maging Sino Ka Man is a hard song to sing, but she made it look easy. Her vocals really soared to new and interesting heights. The slow build, the escalations, the pullbacks, the dynamic shifts. Everything. This was just delivered with great finesse and it's wonderful. 8



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