Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Tackles Number Ones

The X Factor served up number ones for this week’s performance show. With every tune reaching the top, song choice shouldn’t have been an issue tonight. But …

Christina Parie reminded me that just because a song hits the top it doesn’t make it worth doing. “Teenage Dirtbag” isn’t a bad song, but it was all wrong for Christina. It didn’t sit in her sweet spot until the end, which was disappointing. She did as much she could, but she didn’t have much to work with here.

Young Men Society were back to their best with Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” The boys smashed it with flawless vocals, brilliant dance moves, and plenty of swagger. I’m so glad to see these guys returning to form.

Declan Sykes toned things down a few notches with Youth Group’s “Forever Young.” I must admit, this song’s never been one of my favourites. I appreciated the treatment and enjoyed seeing him in another mode, but I also thought this was a bit sleepy. I found myself drifting off towards the end, but that could have more to do with my feelings about the song than what Declan did with it.

When Mitchell Callaway started “Can’t Get No Satisfaction,” I was thrilled someone remembered there was great music before this decade. However it didn’t get out of second gear. It was alright, but Jagger he ain’t. For Nat to suggest that Mitchell had no country stuff to play with boggles my mind though. If he wants to stick with his preferred genre, why not some Eagles, Lonestar, or even a bit of Shania Twain?

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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Short Stack at the Movies

The boys from Budgewoi hope to make a real splash with their brand new movie The Story of Short Stack. Before it hits your favourite DVD store, the flick will screen at movie theatres around the country on October 27.

While the film will hit various cinemas around the country, fans at Sydney’s George Street cinema are in for an extra special treat. The band will walk the red carpet, play an acoustic live set, and field questions from fans in a special Q&A session.

Considering how devoted Short Stack’s lovers are, I don’t expect the tickets for the events to stick around for long. They’re available through the CinemaLive website.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Audio Vixen Out of X Factor Race

Tonight’s X Factor elimination saw Johnny Ruffo and Audio Vixen battling it out. After Johnny Ruffo murdered some Meat Loaf, I was happy to see him doing time. However it seems perhaps the judges were on to something when they accused Audio Vixen of being boring.

Johnny Ruffo reinforced everything I thought about him with his performance of “Just the Way You Are.” He’s really pretty, but I don’t feel anything beyond the surface. His vocals were also pretty shaky for the most part. Bruno Mars he ain’t.

Audio Vixen slayed him with Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” It wasn’t perfect, but it was a damn sight better than Johnny’s performance. And at the end of the day, that should be enough.

Clearly though my opinion doesn’t matter. After the judges were deadlocked the public had their say, and young girls will always vote for pretty boys. It’s sad when a talent competition comes down to that.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Does the 90s

I’ve been complaining about all those modern but fairly inconsequential song choices on The X Factor, so I was thrilled to see the show going back into the vault for 90s night. The decade might not be music’s strongest, but there were certainly some gems that I hoped to hear trotted out.

When I spotted on the ad that someone was doing Meat Loaf, I was thrilled. I was also convinced we’d hear the Meat number coming from Andrew Wishart, as my husband and I have been comparing their vocals for weeks now (good Meatloaf, not AFL Grand Final era). But sadly it was Johnny Ruffo that trotted out “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That),” and he made it some weird electro pop number. I hated the treatment. I thought the whole thing made him seem even soulless than last week’s performance. This song should never, ever sound like this.

Mitchell Callaway showed his tender side with REM’s “Everybody Hurts.” He had his reservations, but I think this was the perfect song for him. I’m not sure I saw the brilliance the judges’ seemed to see, but I do think this was miles better than he’s been in recent weeks.

Three Wishez stepped things up again with “Ghetto Superstar.” This band has really hit its stride; everyone worked together so well, and they were all stellar in their own right. I think we’re finally starting to see their potential, and it’s exciting.
Continue reading “The X Factor Does the 90s” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Melinda Schneider Looks Back with “Life Begins at 40” Double CD

I’ve got to admit, I’m not a fan of getting older. I shed tears when I turned 20 as I was bidding my teenage years goodbye, and I was mortified when I hit 30. However according to Melinda Schneider I shouldn’t stress too much. She’s preparing to release a new retrospective album joyfully titled Life Begins at 40.

The two-disc set celebrates three decades of Melinda’s music captured in the studio and on the road. So many greatest hits collections are a bit of rehash, but this includes some really unique gems like the version of “Santa Call on Me” she recorded at just eight years of age, and duets with Paul Kelly, David Campbell, Olivia Newtown-John, and her mum Mary. And of course there are her biggest hits including “I Wanna Be Married,” “Be Yourself,” and “The Story of My Life.”

Life Begins at 40 hits stores on October 21. To celebrate the release Melinda is playing plenty of shows. You can catch her in her one-woman tribute to Doris Day tribute, her Heartland tour gigs with Graeme Connors, shows with philharmonic orchestras, and a big Life Begins at 40 bash in Tamworth in the coming months.

12 – 16 October 2011 – Regal Theatre, Perth (DORIS, Doris Day – So Much More than the Girl Next Door)
26 October 2011 – Bunbury Entertainment Centre, Bunbury (with Graeme Connors)
27 October 2011 – Cummins Theatre, Merredin (with Graeme Connors)
28 October 2011 – Goldfields Arts Centre, Kalgoorlie (with Graeme Connors)
29 October 2011 – Esperance Civic Centre, Esperance (with Graeme Connors)
30 October 2011 – Albany Entertainment Centre, Albany (with Graeme Connors)
3 –13 November 2011 – Lyric Theatre @ The Star, Sydney (DORIS, Doris Day – So Much More than the Girl Next Door)
15 –27 November 2011 – The Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane (DORIS, Doris Day – So Much More than the Girl Next Door)
27 & 28 December 2011 – Philharmonic Phireworks Concert, Sydney Opera House
30 & 31 December 2011 – Philharmonic Phireworks Concert, State Theatre @ The Arts Centre, Melbourne
27 January 2012 – Life Begins At 40 Concert, West Tamworth League Club, Tamworth

Image source: Premier Artists

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jacqui Newland Leaves X Factor

As I watched The X Factor tonight I was reminded of the benefit of the program’s judges having the final say. There are always those cases where some of the strongest performers find themselves in the bottom two, and it happened tonight when Young Men Society saw themselves standing alongside Jacqui Newland.

YMS didn’t have the strongest night last night, but I was sure their fan base was stronger than this. Let this be a reminder that if you love someone, you’ve got to vote for them.

To be fair, Jacqui Newland didn’t do terribly with No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” But Young Men Society showed they’re definitely in a class above with their take on Eric Clapton’s “Change The World.” It was understated, without the theatrics we’ve seen from them in the past, and that really allowed their vocals to shine.

It would have been easy for the judges to play strategically, but they did the right thing and sent Jacqui packing. I didn’t mind her, but to see the back of YMS at this point would have been a travesty.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Rocks

The X Factor contestants came out ready to rock at this week’s performance show.

Young Men Society kicked things off with their take on the Run DMC and Aerosmith classic “Walk This Way.” These guys have set such a high bar in previous weeks, so I felt a little let down by this. The vocals got patchy in places, which is something we haven’t seen from them before. But they always entertain, so I can forgive them a few pitch problems.

Christina Parie brought things back to the naughties with her take on “Gives You Hell.” She nailed the attitude and the vocals, but I was a bit torn on the song choice. Luke Jacobs raised my expectations when he announced the contestants would be singing “classic rock songs.” This is hardly a classic, and when you consider the history of rock music it’s a pretty dodgy choice. Perhaps such a contemporary song helped Christina relate to it, but I would have loved to see a song with a bit more cred.

Speaking of songs with cred, Andrew Wishart brought us the Cheap Trick hit “The Flame.” But this was about more than simply choosing a great song. For the first, and hopefully not the last, time in the competition I really felt it. It’s one thing for him to feel connected to a song, but it’s another very special thing for him to make us feel that connection. That was incredible.

And then we had Johnny Ruffo. In a way I felt a bit sorry for him taking the stage after Andrew. It only exposed just how lacking in emotional heart his version of “Here Without You” was. It was pitchy, but to me that lack of conviction was much more disappointing. I didn’t believe he was longing for anyone.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gotye Stays on Top of Singles Charts

Gotye has now achieved a massive eight consecutive weeks on top of the Aussie singles charts with his monster song “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The track, which features Kimbra on guest vocals, is now an impressive four times platinum. It’s also the only Aussie song to sit inside the top ten, or even the top twenty. I’m not sure what’s helped Gotye cut through in this chart which is generally dominated by international acts, but I’m impressed.

His album Making Mirrors has fallen a few spots to sit at number four, but with impressive debuts from Blink 192 and Tony Bennett, not to mention the staying power of the seemingly invincible Adele, this is still a fair effort. All that new chart action has also seen The Jezabels slip from number two to nine with their debut Prisoner.

Click below for all the action in this week’s ARIA top ten.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tyla Out After Most Drawn Out X Factor Elimination

Well the votes are in, and Australia ruled that Jacqui Newland and Tyla Bertolli didn’t party hard enough on this week’s X Factor performance show.

And that sentence above is as much as I wrote before getting the shits with Channel Seven and their drawn out coverage of The X Factor eliminations. By all means have your international guests, but when 8:30 rolls around and the bottom two contestants haven’t even sung off, let alone one eliminated, then there’s a problem.

I’m longing for the good old days of Australian Idol, when they managed to get those eliminations done in half an hour. An hour is really a stretch for these kinds of things, but more than an hour is ridiculous.

I’ve only got so many slots on my PVR, and there are Spicks and Specks and Glee both reliably starting on time. And so I decided I wasn’t going to sacrifice one of those because Seven couldn’t get his finger out. I planned to rise bright and early and just watch it on that Plus7 thing they’re always banging on about. Surprise surprise, there was no “sing for your life” performances on there. I’m not sure whether they were cut from the telecast or just the catch-up, but either way I have no clue what happened. With this week’s X Factor elimination being so drawn out I can’t say that I care. I was well and truly over it.

At the end of the day, Tyla was sent packing after only Ronan voted to keep her around. I can’t blame him; she’s quite the looker. I’d still err on that side as I remember the potential Jacqui showed us early on, but I’m really hoping she gets those nerves under control. She can’t keep singing this badly and hope to progress far.

Image source: Ernesto Ferreyra @ Stock.xchng

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Parties On

Given my cold, I’m not planning on partying any time soon. Thank goodness for The X Factor who brought a party to my lounge room tonight. And I didn’t even need to change out of my pyjamas!

Audio Vixen kicked off proceedings with The Zutons’ “Valerie.” I liked it but I didn’t love it. The retro styling was great, and I was thrilled that the band upped the performance factor, but there wasn’t enough harmonising for my tastes. That’s where this band really excels; when those voices came together it was amazing, but I was left wanting more. Perhaps that’s a smart move though. Could it bring them back next week?

Declan Sykes upped the ante with Panic at the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” I am really enjoying Declan because he’s not predictable. I love his theatricality, and while the vocals weren’t always the strongest his unique delivery to me is much more interesting than hitting all the notes just right. Talk about making a song your own.

Mitchell Callaway was up next with Kid Rock’s ”All Summer Along.” I must admit, as a musical purist I’ve always hated this mash-up of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Werewolves of London,” but Mitchell didn’t go close to redeeming the song for me. He looked a bit scared up there, perhaps because of all those scantily clad ladies?
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