Belated Reflections, August 25, 2007

I did catch Saturday's episode but am only just getting to post and will do it very briefly.

The highlight for me was Priyani's Bichchhooa. I still don't like her voice, and suspect this is because the song is so great and she got tremendous vocal support, BUT I will give credit when it is due. This was her best performance so far. If she is going to work like this, then I will not begrudge her advance through this competition. What worked most for her rendition was that she sang a notch lower than usual. It saved is from the battle-axe edge of her voice in the higher reaches and it kept her in tune. Good work, Priyani and good work, Alka!

The other comment I want to make is that someone at ASVOI is definitely reading IF. We just discusssed folk songs and there they were!

Priyani's was the simplest song on the floor.... it had repetitions of notes throughout....

if u practice one line in mukhada and one in antara... u can sing whole song.... just need to remember lyrics.... plus she got great vocal support which added to enjoyment of song.... 😕

Originally posted by: Jaadoogar

That was not simple song at all, every old song which looks simple is actually lot tough.. This song does not have lot music, all words were clear, apart from that it is so popular song, people know each and every notes and its weight in mind... It is always diffcicult to sing such kind of popular song and that is live, and I was really surprised she did full justice. It has more that mukhra and antra... you will always see old songs simpler because there is more use of words than music, but I hardly seen anybody doing justice with those old songs...

Agree - Bichhuya was actually a very difficult song.. That song has a lot of vocal emotions and modulations.. and that is what perhaps makes any folk song beautiful and Priyani did very well with that.. Yes, she hit the bull eye with singing the song a nite lower than Lata'ji..... That way her high pitch shrillness also got controlled... Rock on Priyani...

I will post my thoughts on the entire episode shortly.. I was waiting for Vanaja's reflection thread 😊

Saturday episode was one of the best I have seen in VOI so far... After a very average Friday and a terrible elimination, I had all my apprehensions for the Saturday episode... But, it just proved me wrong....

Personally, I did not like Mirande's version of 'Nimbooda'... She slipped in a place or 2, but more importantly, I thought she did not emote well... She is capable of doing a lot more... and I think this is one of her weaker performances... Also, Nimbooda is not the best of folk songs to sing... Probably, even the song selection mattered for her...

Ishmeet's was surely the weakest performance of the show... I am not sure why the guest judges commented that the song had a lot of energy... I thought thats what the song lacked the most! Ishmeet will have to really work hard to stay longer in the contest... unless he has hardcore homeground support!

I never thought Harshit will do well in a folk song, but I think he surprised me to the core... 'Ghanana Ghanana' was certainly his best performance till date (better than Ek Haseena Thi)... He did just slip in one place, but then we have to remember that its a song sung by multiple singers with very less breathing space in between and he managed it beautifully... The best part was that he tried to sing in his original voice... Great going Harshit

Irfaan has this something about him that I like a lot... 'Rind Posh Maal' is a fav song of mine.. and he started the song absolutely wonderfully.. He dipped a little as the song progressed.. But I think, he still did quite well... He probably has a weaker vote base, but he should not be leaving after giving this performance... For sure!

Oh, how much I missed Saptaparna as Sumitra performed on 'Jiya Jale.'.. I thought Sumitra just had no spark in the song and today she was definitely the weakest among girls and probably just a shade better than Ishmeet... It could be due to her throat problem, but knowing her performances so far, I dont think that song was anyway her cup of tea

Abhilasha definitely sounded more confident than last week... well done Alka for being there for her and providing her the mental support.. But whats it with the song choices for this girl? There are so many folk songs where someone of her calibre would have excelled but 'Mungda' was not one of them.... As things stand now, sad but I dont see Abhilasha going very far in this contest... Blame it on her confidence and song selections!

The wonderchild in Abhaas always comes up with something wonderful... 'Nain lad jaihe' is quite a tough song, and this kid is so confident to take on anything.. he is extremely stage free and never lets his performance affect an iota of his singing.... I will be the happiest if he finally goes on to win the title...

Priyani gives her best performance till date in 'Bichhuya'.. and probably one of the most memorable performances in the show as well... She is probably the only contestant who has improved by leaps and bounds and if she maintains this consistency, I can see her going very far in the contest... Well done Priyani

Toshi selected a beautiful song... He was better than many of his previous performances, but did not match the standards set by Abhaas, Priyani and Harshit in this particular episode...

Overall - a great episode with terrific singing! Probably shows but a good theme can do to the show... Lets try to have more of these themes, and we will have a musical feast....

Great work Abhaas, Priyani, Harshit !!
Buck up Abhilasha, Mirande... We dont want to lose you soon

Jaya and others, thanks for the refresher.

Now my even more belated thoughts:

Mirande again was not at her best and I agree with Jaya: I actually don't like this song at all. If it was supposed to pass for a Gujarati folk song, it was a bad idea and here are some better alternatives from the same film: Manmohini, Doli Taro, Kai Poche. When is this girl going to recover?

Ishmeet was better the previous day.

I had forgotten about Harshit (this is what happens with him, unfortunately). He was very good. Of course, it did not sound like the original because the original is sung by many excellent singers, but it was a very difficult song to attempt and he did a pretty good job. Again, like Jaya, I was pleasantly surprised!

I agree also that Irfan started very well, then Irfan-in-a-hurry took over and he started some lines earlier than the taal cycle. I also like him. I think like Harshit, he impresses with his earnest desire to do well.

Sumitra's song choice was a surprise. I don't think it is necessarily a wrong choice, but I do think that like Priyani she should have sung a little lower than the original. Unlike Jadoogar, I actually think this girl can sing. Why she is not pushing the envelope and showing off what she can do, I do not understand.

Mungda is a catchy song, but there are better lavnis out there. That said, I thought Abhilasha sang well enough, showing pieces of spunk that I thought we would not see again. Maybe she will recover... I am more optimistic about her performances than Jaya, but also wonder if anyone good will survive the Priyani-Toshi judges' juggernaut.

Abhaas leaves us nothing to say except 'touch wood' or 'nazar na lage.'

Can't remember what Toshi sang, before that snatch of Maand.

Yes, this was a good episode. I am glad I did not miss it.

I just wanted to say that I enjoy reading all of your views immensely. So thank you all for your wonderful input 😛 ~

Cheers,
Sana~

Btw, isnt Rind Posh Maal's ending sort of difficult to sing? I remember that Shankar M sang this song based on an earlier song "Breathless" ..Without taking a breath, he's one of the few singers who can sing for minutes or so.. So the fact that Irfan tried this song and was almost okay with it speaks volume about him. The only other person whom I have heard to have done justice to this song was "Karunya" in the II2 finale.

Just my 2 cents 😛 ~

Sana~

harshit and abhaas stood out yday ... irfan was close behind ...
for some reason i continue to dislike priyani, probably bcos i really love the song she sung and to me she did not do enuff justice to it and i really really wished that abhilasha had sung this song instead
wud've exchanged their choice of songs anyday ... i think priyani mite've done more justice to mungda ...
anyways ... priyani continues to get the best songs among the girls ...

sumitra was bad ... i guess cos of her bad throat ... and yes i too was missing saptaparna ...
ishmeet was better than her i thot ... bad enuff though ...
mirande too was not so good lots of slips with sur ... i am worried for her now ...

i also wish someone had sung 'o main to bhool chali babul ka des piya ka ghar pyara lage'
wud've been a great addition to a great epi ...
missed arshpreet too 😭