Monday, September 9, 2013

TheVoicePH 3rd Live Show Review

The Voice of the Philippines, 3rd Live Show Review,
September 8, 2013


16 artists remained. 8 of them performed on the 3rd Live Show. 4 were axed. Before I start, let me lift my own chair J. I correctly predicted 3 out of the 4 results in my last blog. My only wrong prediction was Team Sarah. But this should be forgivable J. It was a neck-to-neck competition, with Morisette edging out Maki by merely less than 1% of public votes. J

Now, my review…

1.    Team Sarah

A    Morissette
Great performance. She sounds like a real pro. I like the soft voice on some lines. But then again, she sounds like a Sarah clone. And I don’t want a clone in the industry.



B    Maki
Great show as well. High range and good singing tone. But I think he lacked some emotions. He again sounded very much like Jay Durias. Or maybe he’s the ghost singer of Jay Durias? Hehe.

Sarah gave Morisette a score of 60%, while Maki a mere 40%. This made it almost impossible for Maki to catch up. Public votes were divided almost equally, 49.5% - 50.5%. Such a close fight. Maki was out, unfortunately. But what’s with the 60-40 coach’s score? Is Morissette’s performance that far from Maki’s?


2.    Team Lea
D    
       Darryl
“Ako lang at ang gitara ko” said Darryl before his big show. True enough, I saw that in his performance. He was performing as if he was the only one in the room, feeling every single line of the song with his guitar. The audience felt the genuine feelings of Darryl with every sound that came out of his mouth. RWM must have felt cold with goosebumps here and there.


B     Mitoy
This time, he sang the sad song, PAANO. It wasn’t the typical funny happy Mitoy. He was serious and “emoted” sadness as he sang. But I didn’t feel him. To me, his feelings look too artificial and rehearsed. Of course, he released his signature high birits at the end of the song.



I guess the public felt the same way. The ever popular Mitoy who got 80% votes in his last live show, this time was beaten by the underdog. What happened? One, it looks like a David and Goliath showdown. David looked so meek and humble in his cowboy outfit and he didn’t care whether he wins or loses. All that matters to him is that he sings socially relevant song from his heart. I supposed he was already conditioned by Lea (mentioning twice this line: win or lose, your number is memorable). On the other hand, Goliath the halimaw, who was already showing some arrogance, was singing with technical excellence, hitting every single note, but not hitting the note from the heart (borrowing Patti’s line). Obviously, pinoys prefer underdogs. Much like their favorite teleserye, the meek wins over the proud. Second reason is the audience felt David’s emotions as sincere and genuine, while Goliath’s as manufactured. And so the votes came in a surprising twist, favoring Darryl. Unfortunately, public votes were not enough to reverse the coach’s score. Lea gave a score of 60%-40% in favor of Mitoy. Wow, is that how far Mitoy’s performance from Darryl? A 20% lead? Also, what’s the gaya gaya score among the 3 coaches (Sarah, Lea, Bamboo). Anyway, I respect Lea’s decision, though I disagree that it was a 20% difference.

What happened next is the more interesting part. The public wanted to go to EDSA to protest the result. Twitter and Facebook were exploding!

Lea tweeted: This is what makes TheVoicePH interesting. Bamboo has a lot of it (hate tweets) during the battles. It’s my turn now.

She also twitted: Watching tonight's #TheVoicePHLive at home. No regrets with my selection, but that was tough. Both Mitoy and Darryl touched me in the heart.

Well, if it was a tough call, why was it 60-40%?

“Mitoy” and “Darryl Shy” then trended on twitter, even until Monday. Public was sympathizing with Darryl, and Mitoy was na-Lee Grane na! “Mitoy” trended, with 60% of the tweets from haters, very much in contrast with his 98% approval rating during his past performances. Here are some amusing tweets and FB messages from haters:

Kapitan Tirador @GinoongTirador5 Mitoy sounded like Allan K... Is it just me? #TheVoicePhLive

Lazala Lexter @iamLexter5h Kung gusto nyo ng puro pataasan lng ng boses at puro sigaw itigil na ang laban!! Panaluhin nlng si #Mitoy #TheVoicePHLive walang kwenta !!!


Marielle Joie Isleta @marielle_joie23h Pero promise sobrang nagandahan ako sa performance ni #DarrylShy. If I were to choose tonight, he's got more soul than #Mitoy kanina.

Carlo Buenviaje @HeyVinci21h Hongloki ng ahas ni Zuma. Pakain ko jan c #Mitoy eh charot lng. #TheVoicePHLive

Roan Mae Atienza @itsmaeroan7 Sep I like #Mitoy pero true, medyo may halong yabang xa.. And for him, it's about the "prize".. #VoicePHLive

Donnie Jinx Delaserna sus Pang Perya naman ang boses ng idoL nyo nkakasawa ang boses... panalo sa public votes napaka bias ni Ms.Lea para magbigay ng 60-40 singer sya alam nya kung sino tlga ang Lamang Favoritism Lng tLga.. gusto nyo si mitoy kasi patawa sya pero pakingan nyo ang boses paulit ulit lng marami namang kayang kumanta ng ganun ... pero ang pagiging malikhain sa pagkanta tulad ni daryl bihira lng ang nakakagawa nun...
  
Miriam Mari Moran Diaz Kaloka eh pang baranggay lang si Mitoy! Dinadaan lang sa birit at sigaw! Malakas lang siya sa Resort's World, pero sa labas ng venue iba ang sigaw ng tao!

Chylen Cutezty maganda lang pakingan ang boses ni mitoy pagbumirit na peru si Darryl Shy kahit hindi bumibirit oh bibirit eh sarap sa tenga... watch his video "alone" by darryl...

Jun Xix  I disagree (that Mitoy can sing any song). Pakantahin nyo kay Mitoy yun kinanta ni Darryl. I'm sure it's gonna be the worst performance for the night. Birit lang kaya nya gawin. Nothing more! His vocal tone doesn't stand any chance.

 I’m happy with the result, even if my least like artist Mitoy won. His victory made people aware of what I have been talking about in my review last week. Singing excellence is not always about birits; vocal tone plays an even more important part. Netizens, why were you so quiet before? Why weren’t you speaking up during Mitoy’s reign? I’m saying this again, Mitoy may have the range of James Ingram, but his vocal tone is far from Ingram’s (maybe he’s right, it’s Allan K). I even suggested that Mitoy sing a song that Darryl sang. If he did, I’m sure he would turn out to be the worst performer. Well guess what, he actually performed that One Republic song the night before, and as I had expected, he didn’t stand out at all. He was the weakest among the boy performers. Now, pinoys somehow kinda appreaciate quality tone over birits. It’s just too bad that it takes a Darryl to make pinoys realize this.

So, Mitoy had 80% votes last week, and Darryl > Mitoy. Mitoy’s magical myth has been busted. This should make this halimaw well grounded again. I respect Lea’s decision though. Her background is theater. And theater needs Mitoy. He has a place there. As for pop and radio, I don’t know?


3.    Team Bamboo

A    Lee Grane

I predicted Lee will be out this time. Why? I heard all her SoundCloud.com music (to know her music). And, I only like her Arms of Angel and Make You Love Me. The others are boring honestly. I even played them one time to combat insomnia. Anyway, she already sang her two signature songs in her past numbers. She’s got no more aces in her cards. As for Paolo, he still has a number of interesting covers in his amateur Youtube videos.

This time, Lee sang a more upbeat song, Losing My Religion. Well, it was boring. I hate her version. Worse, it’s got a strong LSS effect. The next time I hear it, I’ll mute the volume right away. Again, I’m no Lee hater. I like her 2 ace songs very much, but that’s just it. She should stay within that genre. But it could just be me; her song is still on iTunes top 20. Nice production though, with those backup dancers. 




B    Paolo

      I have been a fan of Paolo’s voice since he performed Panalangin. His performance last week was a revelation, earning him hundreds or perhaps thousands of additional fans. Everyone was surprised that he has a unique tone that is so pleasant to the ears. This boy just keeps on improving each week. I remember during the blinds, this boy is a only one of those forgettable singers. Only Bamboo turned his chair, in a record 6 seconds. Nobody else did. I thought, oops bamboo, wrong decision, he is not hitting those high notes toward the end of the song. Lesson learned for ya, never turn your chair too early. But Bamboo indeed has an ear. Last Sunday, Paolo went further out of his comfort zone and performed Skyfall, which he humbly admitted as outside his range. I feared for this guy - I though he could not hit the notes of Adelle, and give Lee a charity win. But he made it through. There was one note after that falsetto that seemed flat, but upon replay, it was OK. The rendition was beautiful. His Skyfall exceeded his solid performance last week. And his Studio version on iTunes, WOW, just amazing. You won't believe it's from a 19-yr boy. Lea even tweeted "@OnesaPaolo You sound AMAZING on Skyfall! Just downloaded it from iTunes. Grabe, ang ganda!!!" 

      Bamboo likes this guy so much, more than his allegedly favorite Lee. And I can see why. His voice is so special and he remains humble. With the recent twitter brouhaha on Mitoy, Paolo could slightly gain new followers this week because Pinoys are slowly learning to appreciate good tones over birits a bit more (just a bit, they still like the black belters).





      Result: Bamboo voted for Paolo, giving him 60% (again, why 60?). Public gave Paolo a whopping 81% votes, matching Mitoys percentage last week, and leaving Lee a mere 19% public votes. It was a landslide victory. Why is this so?

      First, Paolo has gained more followers since his surprising performance last week. Second, Lee has an enormous number of haters. They hate her so much that even if they are non-Paolo fans, they voted for Paolo to ensure they kick Lee out (they already expected Bamboo to vote Lee). Poor poor Lee. When Toni announced the winner, netizens celebrated like it’s the end of the world. Twitter and FB exploded! Lee Grane even trended WORLDWIDE, too bad it’s mostly with hate tweets. Here are some funny harsh hate tweets and FB messages for Lee.

                  Genevieve @whitewave8751m
Whoa! Looks like Bamboo's afraid from the rants of madlang pipol ha that's why he chose Paolo. Hahaha! Good choice btw! #TheVoicePHLive

Yung eksenang bakit natanggal si Lee Grane? Bakit? Bakit? Bakit??? Bakit ngayon lang??? #TheVoicePHLive

nganga ka ngayon lee grane. bwahahahaha #TheVoicePHLive

Calvin Yusop bye lee grane busog kana kakaain ng lyrics sorrry teh slang ang boses mo

Eliza Contreras nakakatuwa lang na ang dami comments dito 99-1% ..
1% lang ang Good comment. 99% ang bad ..wooooo tignan kolang kung sya pa manalo susme .. PAOLO na yan!

Rex Campos Gildo soft voice pero parang na LBM ang expression.

Tolitz Ngongo n nga boring pa hay!!

Judd Felipe Parang sa PWET lumalabas yung boses.. Some say its nasal i think its anal..

Richard Estiller Ayuson Uwi na lee grane dapat nun pa!

Uychua Rich Ang daming nasayang na talent dahil kay lee hahahaha

Canfel G. Odasco Naiirita ako sa knya.... ew.. sana si junjie nalang ang anjan pa kaysa kanya...

More.... (click on the image to enlarge)





4.    Team Apl

A   Penelope
      As expected, she nailed her song. It was perfect and beautiful. It’s just amazing how different her not-so-pleasant speaking voice with her classy singing voice.

B   Thor
      Faced with tough competition, he prepared hard. It was also technically perfect. He sang LATELY. I like almost all LATELY performances of contestants from American Idol. It’s a beautiful song and you can hardly mess up with it. But for some reason, I don’t like Thor’s version. Perhaps it’s because of his unnecessary kulot and ad-libs, making it again sound like Eric Santos’ telenovela songs. Please Thor, you have all the right elements of a good singer, high range (to compete with Mitoy), and nice tone (to compete with Paolo). You got the best of both worlds. Use it to your advantage. No need to overstyle and oversing a song. We just want to hear your plain voice. Learn from Paolo, and you might snatch some of his paolo-wers.


      Result: Apl and the public voted for Thor. At least Apl gave Penelope 45 and Thor 55, instead of the usual 60-40 of the other 3 coaches.



ITUNES DOWNLOAD

Toni announced that viewers can now download the full studio versions of the songs of TheVoicePH artists. This is quite interesting. It could be another barometer on the popularity and public’s acceptance on an artist. An hour after the show, look who were topping the iTunes downloads.


Why is this interesting to me? In my blog last week, I have been basing my vote on an artist’s voice quality rather than belting ability. And one of my measure for this is my interest to buy and listen to an artist’s song. With the incorporation of iTunes download on TheVoicePH, we don’t need to wait long before we can see how much the public wants a certain artist.

Interestingly, the top 2 artists on iTunes right after the show were Darryl Shy and Paolo, beating the “popular” heavy belters Mitoy, Morissette, and Thor. Wow, it seems like pinoys are really appreciating tone than birit now. But this may not necessarily reflect in the votes.

Now (Tuesday), Paolo is No. 1 in iTunes PH, and No. 5 in iTunes SG daw. Darryl is No. 2. Still these 2 great tones have edged out the belters. 


Some guys on FB/twitter said:

Based on the performance tonight, Paolo and Lee Grane are the weakest. . . Sila nalang tanggalin please. #TheVoicePHLive

Ako Si Jay Yang team ni bamboo walang walang panama sa team ng tatlo pang judge....


I disagree. KampKawayan's Paolo in No. 1, and even the most hated Lee remain in Top 10.  There’s must be something wrong, huh? Let me repeat what I mentioned in my blog last week. Other teams are full of heavy belters that easily please pinoys. But KampKawayan is different. Bamboo chose his team for its originality, voice quality, musicality and soulfulness. These may not be winnable traits for a singing contest, but are certainly what we look for in an artist to listen to. I also said I hope Team Bamboo artists collaborate and release an album. It’s gonna be a sure hit. Can we expect a hit album from a compilation of high pitch songs from Mitoy, Junji, Janice and Radha? Maybe... Well, iTunes top 20 is again an early sign that I might be right on this. Why are there more downloads for singers with good vocal quality over those that do good birits? Could it be that their fans are just impressed with their high notes, but would also rather listen to the chillax music of the likes of Darryl, Paolo and Lee in their ipods?


FEARLESS FORECAST NEXT WEEK:

I think the result will be predictable on Sunday. These will remain:

Team Apl: Janice
Team Sarah: Klarisse
Team Lea: Radha
Team Bamboo: Myk



This is all for now… playing Skyfall and Balita on my iPod. 

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