Culturally Preconditioned

Well, that was a pretty decent show. Everyone in this batch can at least sing a tune. On to the show :

Mimie -

I didn’t quite catch the song title (can someone tell me?). Mimie started off this week’s show rather nicely. Her voice was good, but I wished she hadn’t frowned so much while singing. I couldn’t fault Roslan and Paul for telling her she looked like a prim school teacher. Nice effort. A 6 and a half.

Keith - Stand By Me (Ben E King)

People on the message boards have been raving about this guy. I didn’t see what all the fuss is about. He kinda looked like Jien’s twin brother for a moment there. His voice was surprisingly good, better than certain a certain overhyped person from the first batch (you know who I’m talking about). He made the song his own but he lose points because of his excessive jovialness on stage. (Reminds me too much of Matt Rogers during his ‘Amazing’ performance). Good job, Keith. A 6 and a half.

Hana - Mencintaimu (Kris Dayanti)

Oh boy. I think this is the absolutely the worst song choice so far. From the auditions, we know that Hana’s got a decent voice. But man, I think she blew it big time with her performance tonight. I don’t know what the judges were listening to, but she was too all over the place, and I think she totally butchered the melody. Sorry Hana, definitely a bad song choice and definitely not your best performance. A 4 and a half.

Yin - Broken Vow (Lara Fabian)

Surprise, Surprise. We don’t need a reprise. We’ve already heard Andrew sing this song last week. Makes me wonder if the song list given to these contestants are really that short. Anyway, Yin had a really pleasant voice, much to my delight. She had no pitching problems at all and delivered the song beautifully. You don’t think so? Try closing your eyes and just listen to her again this Sunday. Her downfall? Not commercial enough. But she can sing, hell yeah. A 7 and a half.

Eddie - Kasih Berubah (Flybaits)

Again, with the song selection. Can we get a wider song selection from now on, Fremantle/8tv/ThePowersThatBe please? Urghh.. Eddie has a decent voice, but this was not exactly the best song selection. (At least he didn’t totally wreck the song) Too bad, so sad. He’s not going to advance but at least something good came out of this thing for him. He lost his mullet. I give his performance a 5.

Farah - I’ll Never Love This Way Again (Dionne Warwick)

She’s pretty! And her voice was a pleasant surprise too. Her voice is not outrageously good but I like her performance and I like her overall package. A 7.

Jac - Superwoman (Karyn White)

Oh boy. Oh man. Can we just give her the title right now and save the others from embarassment? What can I say. She’s been hyped, but so rightly deserved. She proved it with her brilliant performance tonight. People are complaining that she sounds too much like Fantasia and she has an unfair advantage of already having her own CD out. Well, first of all, if you really listen instead of making physical comparisons, she sounds nothing like Fantasia. It’s like comparing Macy Gray to Lauryn Hill. Two completely different talented singers with their own style IMHO. Second of all, the album that she put together was not from a proper recording studio. She put the album out of her own pocket. I mean, if you’re good enough and you want it bad enough, you’ll stop at nothing. I am blown away by her talent and determination. I hope she goes all the way. If she doesn’t make it to the next round, then we probably know the real reason why, now won’t we? A 9 and a half.

Fahmy - Januari (Glenn Fredly)

Anak Mami looks good without his glasses! Hehe. I think his rendition of Glenn’s song was really good. He squeaked a little in one part but I’m ready to overlook that bit. But there’s something about him that’s lacking and I just can’t put my finger to it. I don’t think he’s Malaysian Idol material, but I think he would be a better Akademi Fantasia contestant (he’ll probably give Zahid a good run for his money) - that’s not a deragative comments to AF though. I feel the two are unique in their own way and some are better suited for the other show (ie. Syima - bad AF contestant, good MI contestant, with Fahmy, it’s the other way round). Good job anyway kiddo. A 7.

Karen - Falling (Alicia Keys)

You’re falling alright. I never liked Karen, she looks kinda fake to me and she tries to overdo every single thing while the cameras are on her. Her rendition of this song was nothing to write home about.. or in my blog for that matter. A
5 and a half.

Zehra - I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)

Another pleasant surprise. I didn’t think anyone could pull this one off, but she did. Bravo! She could improve on her dictions, but she’s got a good voice range. The long note she held almost impressed me as much as Diana’s Broken Wing, and I gotta give credit where credit is due. Nice one. A 7 and a half.

Saiful - Mimpi Laila (Yassin)

Saiful’s got a decent voice but I didn’t think he lived up to the hype. It was just alright for me. I’m not complaining about his performace. I do, however, have to complain about the judges. Am I the only one who noticed that from the ay he constantly ‘backs them up’, Paul has quite a penchant for pretty little boys (remember the horrid tone deaf kid from the auditions)? And Roslan is so pleased with himself when he gets the chance to taunt and tease these little twinks (which is what a person in denial would typically do, just FYI Mr Roslan). Bitches please, just get it out of your systems already. Judge them on their vocal capabilities, not personalities. Merci, au revoir. Oh and I give Saiful’s performance a 6 and a half.

So.. my top three choices and votes will go to :

Jac, Yin, Zehra

Malaysia’s Pick will probably be :

Jac, Keith, Karen

Izad - Out