WATCH | Pretty Fil-Am wows ‘The Voice’ judges with audition

Her father used to be in a Grateful Dead cover band while her mother comes from a political family in Cebu.

So it was just a matter of time before 26-year old Amy Vachal would embrace the spotlight herself. Last Monday, October 5 (Tuesday, Manila time), she did just that at the popular reality talent show “The Voice” when she passed the blind auditions and moved on to the Battle Rounds phase of the competition.

Vachal is a granddaughter of Cebu political kingpin Pablo Garcia and niece of ex-governor and Cebu 3rd District representative Gwendolyn Garcia. The pretty Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter breezed through the Blind Auditions of “The Voice” with a breathtaking rendition of the 1930s classic standard “Dream A Little Dream of Me.”

Her reading of the song, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar, was obviously influenced by the 1968 version of The Mamas & The Papas featuring the late Mama Cass Elliott on vocals.

“There was an effortless beauty to Amy’s audition — in the way she made little tweaks to the classic melody, through her starry-eyed connection to the lyrics, by virtue of her decision to avoid the reality-competition trap of making everything (or anything) about pure bombast,” wrote Michaeal Slezak of TVLine.com in his review of the show.

All four judges were just as mesmerized as three of them turned around for her while a fourth judge expressed regret for not pressing his buzzer.

Adam Levine sounded apologetic for not turning around but pointed out that his team was already full.

“Not only am I sad that I didn’t get to turn for you, but you could win this whole thing,” the Maroon 5 frontman boldly declared.

Gwen Stefani was next to comment and said, “First of all, I don’t have a beautiful Pocahontas, fairy princess, angel-like singer on my team. You’re creative with the way that you’ve performed and you seemed like a real honest artist…“I can really help you on this journey, because I did this already. I feel like we could have such a connection.”

Pharell then asked Amy what she wanted to do and what genre she wished to specialize in. When she replied that she wanted to “blur lines,” citing crooners like Ella (Fitzgerald), Billie (Holliday), Frank (Sinatra) and Sam Cooke, he pitched, “I would be unbelievably appreciative to have the opportunity to aid you in that journey…Let me be the guy that can help you explore that side.”

And finally, there was Blake Shelton who seemed to be the judge who wanted Amy the most and was already exclaiming, “Please, Lord! Please pick me!” even while she was singing.

Comparing Amy to Norah Jones and Colbie Caillat, the country superstar said, “I’m already sad right now, just thinking that I don’t probably seem like the right guy for you. But let me say this, I know that I’m looking at a superstar…I’m so impressed, please pick me”.

In the end, Amy picked Pharell but Shelton was happy she made it on the show and looked forward to the prospect of stealing her in a future episode.

Here in the Philippines, “The Voice” airs every Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:50PM.

Watch Amy Vachal’s sensational blind audition performance in “The Voice” here:

source: interaksyon.com

She’s got the voice, now Christina Aguilera looks for hits

LOS ANGELES – Christina Aguilera has the vocal chops, the look, the strut and millions of new fans thanks to her stint as a judge on TV singing contest “The Voice.”

But can she still sell records?

The singer, who had global hits with “Genie in a Bottle” and the female empowerment ballad “Beautiful” more than 10 years ago, bids to reclaim her status as one of the world’s biggest pop stars with her new album, “Lotus,” released on Tuesday.

Aguilera, 31, says the title and the mixture of dance-pop, ballads and rock-tinged tracks reflect the hopes and disappointments of recent years that saw her 2010 tour for album “Bionic” canceled, a divorce and the box-office flop of her debut feature film, the musical “Burlesque.”

“Lotus represents the unbreakable flower that stands the test of time. No matter the roughest of weather conditions, it remains strong and continues to thrive. (The album) is a nod to my fans who have been here with me the whole journey, and a nod to myself,” she said.

“It is a record of freedom and embracing that…It is very artistic at times, it is very fun at times, it is very free. I think that’s how music and life should be, away from all the negativity,” the four-time Grammy winner said in an appearance at a Billboard Film and TV Music conference in Los Angeles last month.

Aguilera will perform one of the tracks – “Make the World Move” – with her fellow judge Cee Lo Green live on “The Voice” this week for the show’s more than 10 million viewers.

But music industry experts say Aguilera’s popularity on “The Voice” – where her powerhouse performances leave aspiring pop stars in the dust – may not guarantee huge album sales and won’t give the singer a No. 1 hit.

This week also sees new releases from British boy band One Direction and singer Susan Boyle as well as the new “Twilight” film soundtrack.

“I think ‘Lotus’ will certainly debut in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart. But we don’t see it as being a blockbuster out of the gate,” said Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts at Billboard.

“It is a long road to rebuilding Christina as a brand and as a musician, after the last album didn’t so very well,” said Caulfield. “But it’s not always about first week sales.”

Much like Jennifer Lopez on “American Idol,” Aguilera has seen her star rocket in her 18 months on “The Voice.” Just a few months before the TV show made its debut in spring 2011, Aguilera was arrested for being drunk in public in West Hollywood, and her 2010 album “Bionic” had sold a disappointing 312,000 copies.

“‘The Voice’ has reinvigorated her entire career. A lot of people think she is the star of ‘The Voice’ – the judge you tune in for,” said Lyndsey Parker, managing editor at Yahoo! Music.

Yet the first single – “Your Body” – from the new album failed to make a big impact when it was released in September. It peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and never really caught fire on radio.

“It came and went, which surprised me because I think it is a very strong song. And pretty much everything I have heard on this album is strong. I think it’s a real return to form,” said Parker.

“There are very few people in pop who can sing like her. I do think there is a renewed appreciation for great singing that can be done live and that isn’t just about flash. And Christina is coming back to prove that. I think some people are looking at her to take back her crown,” Parker added.

“Lotus” includes duets with both Green and Aguilera’s fellow “Voice” judge, country singer Blake Shelton. It also features the piano-driven ballad “Blank Page,” which is reminiscent of her 2002 hit “Beautiful” and rock-tinged tracks like “Army of Me.”

Aguilera says she hopes to inspire a new generation of singers who were not around in 1999 for her first big hit “Genie in a Bottle.”

“It’s so exciting for me to show them what I do as an artist,” she said. “I’ve been through a lot over the past few years, going through ‘Burlesque,’ a divorce…having a few setbacks….Stuff happens! This is the business. It’s not going to be all cute and pretty and tied up in a bow.

“All of that combined is in ‘Lotus.’ It embraces the woman that I’ve become, and embracing myself coming full circle as a pop star,” she said.

source: interaksyon.com

Maroon 5, Adam Levine get ‘Overexposed’ on new album

LOS ANGELES – Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine may have charmed TV viewers as a judge on NBC’s hit singing competition “The Voice”, but music critics have given mixed reviews to the band’s latest album “Overexposed”, out on Tuesday.

The album is the fourth studio effort from the Los Angeles quintet led by Levine, who shot to fame in 2002 with singles “This Love” and “She Will Be Loved”, from their debut album “Songs About Jane.”

“Overexposed” sees the band moving away from the alternative rock that influenced their previous records, and embracing pop music wholeheartedly.

The set has already spawned a hit with the angst-driven lead single “Payphone” featuring rapper Wiz Khalifa, and the band is following up with reggae-infused second single “One More Night.”

“Payphone” has had 2.7 million digital song sales in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But reviews for “Overexposed” are mixed, with the album earning a score of 51 out of 100 on review aggregator site Metacritic.com.

Entertainment Weekly’s Adam Markovitz criticized the album’s lyrics, saying “verses alternate between horndog rhapsodies … and bratty put-downs of some Everygirl who always disappoints.” He said the “strongest wordcraft” was in the album title.

Levine, who co-wrote each track on the album, stuck to the themes that Maroon 5 is best known for — love and heartache, with playful innuendos.

The singer also conjures up the troublesome femme fatale throughout the album in tracks such as “Lucky Strike” and “Tickets”, where Levine sings of his female subject being “perfect on the outside, but nothing at the core.”

In “Ladykiller,” Levine pays a subtle homage to the late Michael Jackson with his falsetto in the chorus singing “she’s in it just to win it, don’t trust her for a minute.”

The band revive ’80s disco sounds in tracks such as “Tickets” and “Doin Dirt”, and club-friendly beats in “Lucky Strike” and “Love Somebody”, — the two tracks on which One Republic’s hit-maker Ryan Tedder makes his mark on lyrics and production.

The move towards pop comes after the band scored its biggest hit with the single “Moves Like Jagger,” featuring Christina Aguilera, which has sold 5.2 million copies in the U.S. since June 2011 according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The song’s success was fueled by Levine and Aguilera’s roles as judges on “The Voice”, which has seen their popularity soar in the last year.

But Maroon 5 also makes sure on the new album to feature its acoustic roots from 10 years ago, showcasing Levine’s voice against a guitar-driven melody on “Beautiful Goodbye,” and in the anthemic “Daylight.” Levine gives his rawest performance in “Sad,” a piano ballad of heartbreak and personal anguish.

Rob Sheffield at Rolling Stone called “Overexposed” the band’s “best yet,” giving it three and a half stars out of five and praising Levine, who “cops to the slick Hollywood sex-panther role he’s perfected on TV, wheedling and pitching woo to every lady within earshot.”

Caroline Sullivan at British newspaper The Guardian said the album’s “hooklines and characteristic high-shine production are there,” but didn’t replicate the “blue-sky charm” of “Moves Like Jagger,” giving the record three out of five stars.

article source: interaksyon.com