The head-to-head duels portion of Rising Star has finally come to an end. Tonight (July 27), Rising Star wrapped up its second portion of the competition with four head-to-head performances in the most music-heavy episode of the show to date.
Of course, the true focus on music above the superstar musical judges and the expensive, multi-ton wall was more of a result of timing issues instead of a production adjustment. This week, the producers had to fit in four duels instead of three, like in previous episodes, so host Josh Groban had to keep things steadily moving on.
But, it worked. This is the first episode that felt fast-paced and really, truly focused on the performers instead of the glitz.
That's not to say that the struggle to remember any of these performers from their auditions has been discontinued. The only one that was even vaguely familiar to me as both a reviewer and continual watcher of Rising Star was boy band Unselfish, and that's because the Atlanta foursome was just one of a small handful of groups to audition in the first place.
But, these kids did have a bit more of a chance to shine, Kesha's cat cult aside... So, how did they stack up?
Among the forgotten faces, bodies and voices there were eight musical acts. The first of which was Megan Higgins, who performed the Lady Gaga smash "Edge of Glory." This girl had established herself as the best singer in her high school's theatre program, but in 99 percent of cases, that fails to culminate into real world success, including tonight on Rising Star. She just sounded really unseasoned and young. Lacking any power, punch or pure passion in her voice, she gave a straightforward performance and was quickly eclipsed by her duels nemesis,Maneepay Molloy.
Similar to Megan, Maneepay is a young, talented high school student, but her youthful voice comes with a far more unique, slightly deeper tone. While her take on the Sara Bareilles single "Gravity" had a disturbing cheesy '90s keyboard karaoke backing track, she was clearly more comfortable and natural on stage, giving an emotionally charged performance and beating Megan's 45 percent with a solid 66.
If the first duel was the "battle of the teens," the second one was the "battle of people who probably shouldn't be here but made it to the next round from technicalities."
Not as catchy of a title...
Shameia Crawford, a backing singer, performed a song called "Cry Me A River," which was not the Justin Timberlake song, but a torchy ballad that was originally a 1950s hit for Julie London (and a hit again in an upbeat rock version by Joe Cocker in 1970). Despite the dull song choice (a theme of the night, and in a way, of Rising Star season one), her low register, soulful voice shone and she got a steady 70 percent.
Then, there was the previously mentioned Unselfish, who made it through somehow because there was an odd number of duels contestants and Shameia needed someone to sing against. This Atlanta four-piece boy band reeked of an urban, less talented Beach Boys and performed Maroon 5's "Payphone." Starting off with a cheesy falsetto, these guys tried to harmonize and just sounded really, truly lame. Like, lamer than a barbershop quartet. Nobody was feeling it, just like the first time around (except Kesha), and they failed miserably with just a third of viewers voting yes.
Battle three was Dana Williams, the soulful folkster, versus Audrey Kate Gallagher, the pretty powerhouse.
Dana and her papa's legendary guitar performed the girl group classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." Despite her impressive stringed instrument, she had the same hokey keyboard backing as Maneepay, and it made the whole performance really lame. Her voice is naturally really pretty and does manage to work together folk and soul in a way that shouldn't be a thing but is.
However, she had zero stage presence and the dorky music overshadowed any vocal prowess, so she got only 67 percent. Audrey Kate soon slayed her away, with a take on the Adele modern classic "Make You Feel My Love."
Though similar in tempo and general vibes of much of the episode's music, Audrey Kate's performance was a sparkling diamond in the rough. Starting off a cappella, the brunette beauty gave a simple, elegant approach to the song, letting her voice shine above any of the other nonsense and, eventually, the wall. Audrey Kate got the night's highest percent of the vote, with an impressive 88 showing.
Rising Star has no real sense of how to queue up its performances, so after a stunning showing from Audrey Kate, the program went back to two totally mediocre singers for the final duel of season one.
Mother to a disabled daughter, this year's total sob story contestant Karen Hornsby translated her inner strength to a performance of "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman." Though she may win mother of the year, and rightly so, Karen's take on this classic track was mediocre at best. The real punch of "Natural Woman" comes from the belted, high register "YOU MAKE ME FEEL" in the chorus, which Karen simply could not pull off... she took it down a half step or two, killing the entire performance and making it simply OK. She got 67 percent, however.
But that was just not close enough to win. Joshua Peavy, at the recommendation of Ludacris, performed the Alex Clare single/Internet Explorer 8 anthem "Too Close," giving a solid amount of rasp and emotion and power along the way. Did it blow me away? Nah. But it was technically more proficient, which the audience reflected by giving Joshua 75 percent of the vote, enough to advance him to the next round.
Which is what, you may ask? After weeks of being semi-vague, tonight it was revealed what Rising Star episode seven may look like... an American Idol style singing competition. 13 singers will enter the arena, only eight will move on to the next round in continued solo performances.
Sounds promising, and perhaps the smaller grouping of singers will allow a few more to stand out and rise to star level. Or, at least rise above all that wall technology and Kesha's blue hair...
[Photo Courtesy of: Twitter @RisingStarABC]
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
