The quality of singing is improving with every show. It shows what serious guidance, taken seriously can do to hone any talent. This 'column' began with a view to help evaluate performances for their sur and taal accuracy. While problems remain, the outrageous departures are slowly becoming few and far between.
Mirande is still not 100% okay, but she sang better than many people with voices that are fit. What has happened with her, and with some of the others on this show, is that we have become accustomed to such quality that many things that we would otherwise find acceptable stand out as shortfalls. Yesterday, Mirande's singing lacked her hallmark casual ease. B+
Ishmeet, I will predict, will go out in the next two weeks, just based on performance. His performances are getting weaker. The energy he brings to his smile is lacking in his singing--at least, that is the best I am able to express what it is that I find lacking. Reactions to his singing at the outset centered around the 'sukoon' in his singing, but that cannot settle into insipidity. The smile on his face and the sukoon in his singing should reflect an active, joyful, life-full bliss and not a passive insipidity. That sounds harsh and so I will say, I look forward to the return of Ishmeet-that-could-be. B+
Arshpreet is steadily emerging as one of the very best in a show of very, very good singers. Her voice is not marred by careless singing, her singing is not marred by lack of energy and her energy does not jar because of her voice. I am not a great fan of the song she sang but this is one of the best performances of the song that I have heard. A+
'Ye Dil... Deewana' is a song I first heard on these competition stages, and first, as sung by Vinit. That performance has stayed with me, partly as a result of Subhash Ghai's comments. The song has a slightly self-absorbed quality to it that I think it may be hard for Prantik to simulate; he has struck me as a very gentle person over these weeks at ASVOI. The result was a performance that bordered on the lacklustre. And Prantik is slightly consistent still with sur. B.
Harshit reminds me on some days of Mahendra Kapoor and on others of Talat Mehmood. On the MK days, he produces sound with less modulation that required. On the TM days, his control over his voice seems a little doubtful. He seldom misses sur or taal, although he missed each once yesterday, and he brings an honesty to his performance that makes its own contribution to drawing your attention to him. B++
Abhilasha, like Mirande, was a shadow of herself. She sang very well, but not to the standard we are accustomed to hearing from her. This was not a performance of the standard of 'Aaj ki Raat' or 'Tu Chanda Main Chandni.' It was very nice, though, and I am going to give her an A-.
I have managed to watch small bits of last week's program including the infamous scolding she got. I want to ask: what is it with this girl? She is easily one of the best to hit the competition circuit. She is very well-trained and has got an inordinate amount of ready praise. Why does she so lack confidence (the reverse of another thread on another participant)? She is going to drag herself down for fear of falling. Success takes talent, hard work and the courage to learn and move on. I worry that her worry will lead to the things she worries about.
Abhaas was also not himself. The exuberance was marginally dimmer, but the singing too was far from his best. He missed sur once and taal once. B.
I know there are rules about comparison (that I do flout, sorry) between shows, but I want to say here for the record: I cannot listen to anyone sing 'Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya' after Abhrokanti. Yes, that is a child's changing voice, but to my ears, mind and heart, the layers and rasas he brought to it, singing it flawlessly at a very emotional moment really take it to the top of all recordings and performances I have heard of the song. I am not very skilled at putting links in here, so request someone to make that link for me to illustrate what I hear.
In Abhro's voice that day, the song was a love song, but also a song about his relationship with the stage and the audience. It was a song about longing and about determination. After that, every performance seems superficial and simplistic.
My complaint with Irfan, who like Arshpreet is really impressing me steadily, is usually that he sings like a man in a hurry--I have to catch a train/ find a bathroom, but first I have to sing so let's get it over with. That was NOT his problem yesterday. As I listened to him, the problem was this heartbroken adolescent's voice that insisted on singing along with him, in my mind. I am not going to grade Irfan although I voted for him (and of course, it turns out voting lines are not open on Friday!).
Sonu, Alka and Hariharan are my favourite judges so far, because their comments are accurate, well-articulated and spoken without consideration of the reaction of other judges.What Sonu said about Toshi was a very nice way of pinpointing what I have been trying to articulate: He has enough competence that he cannot manage it or use it judiciously, so that he comes across as showing off. I think that is really the crux of Toshi's problem as a singer. B+
Abhaas sometimes has that 'cannot control myself' problem and Abhro was constantly called on it. But neither of them comes across as un-teachable, and I hope Toshi proves to me and his other detractors that he has it in him to learn.
I commend Priyani for trying to sing 'Barso re'. It was not a flawless performance but it was a spirited one. Having said this, I must say, it underscored her limitations: sur and taal were early rehearsal quality and her voice... Her voice has a harshness that really jarred in a song where Shreya Ghoshal's floats like a piece of cottonwool in a monsoon breeze. It is a high-pitched voice, but not necessarily a sweet one. B (C+ on technicalities, A for effort)
Priyani is really improving but I remain unconvinced that she is a potential winner.
Sumitra was good-better than she has been for a few weeks. This is a marginal departure for her in terms of genre, and I still want to hear her in a more mainstream song (I suppose Vada Raha Sanam was that, but a solo song), and I want to hear sing a ghazal or a light classical song. This girl seldom misses sur and taal, and she is now modulating her voice better. What is missing is the animation of her early performances, and if there is a modulation-animation trade-off to be made, I will take modulation, I guess, up to a point. I am going to give her an A for showing restraint in her performance.
So that's it for this morning. I had raised the issue of clothes and make-up two weeks ago. Clothes were better this week; make-up still looks terrible.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
