A couple of year’s ago plastic lovebirds Peter Andre and Katie “Jordan” Price figured it’d be a good idea to record “A Whole New World.” It was utterly terrible. Peter never had the greatest voice in the world, but singing alongside Jordan makes him sound as smooth as Michael Bublé.
So it’s a bit scary to read the husband and wife team are planning to record an album together. A whole album? Oh god no.
“Some people out there might say ‘don’t’ but we’re going to do an extra long album,” Peter told a UK talk show.
An extra long album? Yes Peter, I’m one of those people saying don’t. Please don’t.
If you don’t remember how torturous it was last time, here’s a live performance of the song without all the studio wizardry. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Michael Johns was back wearing his rock pants last night on American Idol. He took on the Aerosmith anthem “Dream On” and seemed to have the entire audience in the palm of his hands.
The judges seemed a little underwhelmed though. I understand what they’re saying, and agree last week’s performance was better. I just love him singing soul. But I appreciate him showing some diversity, and I think this was probably his best rock number.
Will it be enough to keep in the comp. I hope so, but at this stage it’s just so hard to predict. There are definitely people who deserve the boot before Michael, so I’m crossing my fingers.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I’ve just watched Michael Johns’ performance from tonight’s episode of American Idol and I’m thrilled to say the boy is back to his best.
Who thought he’d come out with his best performance on Dolly Parton week? His rendition of “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” is so sexy and soulful and bluesy, he’s definitely guaranteed his place in the top 8. I’ve been saying for weeks he needed to step things up a notch and I am so glad I did. Go Michael!
Well here’s an unexpected comeback. Does anyone out there remember Melissa Tkautz?
This busty blonde was hot stuff in 1991 thanks to her starring role on E-Street and chart-topping singles “Read My Lips” and “Sexy is the Word.”
Apparently she’s back with a cover of one of my favourite 80s pop songs, Transvision Vamp’s “I Want Your Love.” I’ve got to say she probably should have left this one alone, but with Nick Skitz at the helm it’s bound to be big in the clubs. At least she still looks hot!
If you love the new song, or you just want to get close to this 90s pop icon, you can catch Melissa playing in Sydney and Brisbane clubs. Check her MySpace page for the dates. After that Melissa plans to head to Europe to work with German dance whiz D.O.N.S.
Melissa’s also giving acting another whirl. She’s currently shooting Couriers, a comedy series from the Fat Pizza team.
This week the American Idols tackled songs recorded in the years of their births. I love these very open-ended themes because they really allow the contestants to shine. Michael Johns did just that this week, pulling out not one, but two, Queen classics. “We Will Rock You” got the crowd warmed up, while “We Are the Champions” allowed him to soar. Awesome stuff.
As a bonus I thought I’d also post a video from one of the other contestants, David Archuleta. This little Anthony Callea in training put his spin on John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice.” I know this song was released in the US, but I certainly didn’t expect to hear him cover it!
It seems the folks at American Idol are having trouble coming up with themes. Last week we had the Lennon and McCartney songbook. This week we’ve got the songs of The Beatles. At least this way we can bring out some George Harrison gems I suppose.
I thought Michael sounded great this week (although Simon disagreed with me!) and he delivered “A Day in the Life” with real conviction. But I think the biggest problem for him was trying to compress this opus into a minute and forty. It just sounded really choppy and I think that made it hard for him to really build it.
But the crowd seemed to love it, and they’re the ones voting right? His popularity alone should see him survive another week in the comp.
Isn’t it funny? In recent weeks the American Idol judges have been so excited about Michael Johns’ mediocre performances. This week I thought he was back to his best, but the reception from the judges was less than enthusiastic.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what they said. Our Aussie boy is through to the top 11. I just hope he keeps delivering more performances like this, with killer vocals and plenty of genuine conviction. With that combination he can’t go wrong.
If there’s one thing Aussies do well, it’s write a mean rock song. But what’s the best of the best? Well, according to an online poll of Herald Sun readers, it’s “You’re the Voice” by John Farnham.
Farnsy’s rock anthem beat out classics like Cold Chisel’s “Khe Sahn,” and AC/DC’s “Jail Break.”
Rock guru Glenn A. Baker said he was surprised by the result considering that “Friday on my Mind” by The Easybeats was voted best song of all time by industry experts three years ago.
“But it just goes to show you that the people want to hear differs quite vastly from what the industry thinks,” he told the Herald Sun.
“It’s a song that really is an anthem about empowering yourself and I think people really relate to that.”
Personally I think “Khe Sahn” is a more worthy winner, but there’s no denying that “You’re the Voice” is an awesome song. Play it loud and see what you think: is it the best rock song of all time?
Australia’s American Idol hopeful Michael Johns was at it again this week with a cool rendition of “Don’t You Forget About Me.” I’m fairly biased about this song, but I thought this was a lot better than the other stuff we’ve seen him pull out in recent weeks. I enjoyed it and had to watch it a second time to hear him sing rather than myself!
However I’m still not sure he’s hitting the highs he did in the early rounds of the competition. Simon may be on to something when he says he should go back to a more soulful sound.
And no, I can’t believe Randy Jackson thought this was an INXS song either.
Here in the music channel we’ve been talking about the songs we’re digging right now. Some of them are new, some of them aren’t, but these are the Aussie tunes that have really impressed me lately. I’ll do a roundup of the other blogs lists later on today, which should give you all plenty of cool music to check out.
“I’ll Forget You” is a beautiful collaboration between Lior and Sia. This song is sweetness and joy in musical form, and I just love the shadow puppet film clip.
One good collaboration deserves another, don’t you think? This time we’ve got Paul Mac and Bertie Blackman teaming up for “The Only One,” a totally fun track from the new Aussie movie Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger.
“This Heart Attack” by Faker has been around for a little while now, but it just won’t quit. The film clip freaks me out a little, but this song is just so incredibly catchy.
Josh Pyke’s “Forever Song” was also released a while ago, but for some reason it didn’t seem to get the attention it deserved. Such simplicity, such beauty, Josh Pyke’s just awesome.
Gabriella Cilmi’s sassy ditty “Sweet About Me” is just delicious. I can’t believe this kid’s only 16 years old! She reminds me of a much more together Amy Winehouse.
“Rush” by Claire Clarke is perfect pop with a sexy rock edge. Claire’s another one of the new breed of Aussie artists at just 18 years old. I think the future of Aussie music is safe with such awesome young talent!
“Used to Get High” is the latest mellow groovefest by one of Australia’s coolest bands The John Butler Trio. It’s great to hear these guys playing with a more electric sound.
“Untouched” by The Veronicas is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine at the moment. It’s a perfect slice of pop that I just can’t help singing along to.
Powderfinger’s latest offering “Nobody Sees” is a little bit mellower than what we’re used to hearing from the Brisbane lads, and I think that’s why I like it so much. The stripped back feel really allows the tender lyrics and Bernard’s voice to shine.
My sister introduced me to the music of Angus and Julia Stone as it reminded her of one of our favourite childhood singers, Melanie Safka. That probably won’t mean much to my younger readers, but hopefully they’ll enjoy their new single “Wasted” anyway.
