Re: Kurt Hummel Spoiler Thread - part 21

[fantastica]

^ what happens in the second act?

[Glorfindel]

'I Believe In a Thing Called Love' is SOOOOOOOOOO   GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!    

Chris keeps up with Adam really well, and Adam's sharp and poignant voice blends so well with Chris slightly softer one (and I say "slightly softer" because Chris really brings the raw rock voice in this).
Oh my........when they sing together on the high parts........       

The music is too loud, unfortunately.


Haven't listened to the rest yet. Too busy flailing over Starkurt, lol.  


Oh, here's the youtube version:

[sheny]

I think this is the last one.

Breakaway (Full Version)

All songs in this episode sound very good, but I Believe in a Thing Called Love is definitely the best.

[MoviesAreLife]

Ahhhh!!!

This is really neat! What does everybody think? I can't believe they did The Stalker Song and managed to make it fit into the Pezberry situation. It almost works, aside from that "You belong to me" line.

In this episode, Santana and Kurt both venture out of their vocal comfort zones and try out different genres. I adore this sort of thing. It's so interesting and exciting!

Chris: I'm pretty sure that is him who does the first "Touching you, touching me, touching you---God, you're touching me!" line at 24 seconds into the song. I hope they don't edit this line out of the episode version of the song...I found it impressive! It reminds me of how impressed I was when he added grit into his vocals in 4 Minutes and Black or White. This is so not his genre and it must've been so hard for him to keep up this sort of sound for a whole song, not just for a few lines. I hope Chris didn't have a sore throat afterwards. I feel that they made Adam Lambert do most of the heavy lifting of this song because this is, after all, his genre. That being said, Chris held his own and kept up well with him. Not bad for his first venture into this sort of music. I wonder how Lea will pull off Barracuda?

Naya: She has a lovely voice, but not for this song. The vocal acting seems stilted and awkward to me, and the vocals lack the energy of Lea's version. I hate how they rearranged the song to match her voice....it reminds me how they lowered the key of the songs "Out Tonight" and "Another Day" just so that Mel B (from the Spice Girls) could perform as Mimi in RENT on Broadway when she was stunt-casted into the role....it sucked all of the life and energy out of those songs. Then again, maybe they are trying to get audience to see Fanny in a different way? It sounds like the Velma Kelly version. The thing is, I could've sworn she could go higher than this....remember when she sang the high harmony in "River Deep, Mountain High"? I wonder if they arranged the song like this on purpose? I thought she did far better in her other Broadway numbers like "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" and "America".

[opals]

'I Believe In a Thing Called Love' is SOOOOOOOOOO   GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!    

Chris keeps up with Adam really well, and Adam's sharp and poignant voice blends so well with Chris slightly softer one (and I say "slightly softer" because Chris really brings the raw rock voice in this).
Oh my........when they sing together on the high parts........       

The music is too loud, unfortunately.


Haven't listened to the rest yet. Too busy flailing over Starkurt, lol.  


Oh, here's the youtube version:

This may be the best thing Glee has done in a very, VERY long time. Maybe ever.   

[brisallie]

I believe in a thing called love puts an smile on my face. I simply love it, and though at some parts I listened to Adam's voice stronger than Chris, still this song proves me that Chris can sing in an edgy voice. For me he keeps up with Adam.

[Glorfindel]

Chris: I'm pretty sure that is him who does the first "Touching you, touching me, touching you---God, you're touching me!" line at 24 seconds into the song. I hope they don't edit this line out of the episode version of the song...I found it impressive! It reminds me of how impressed I was when he added grit into his vocals in 4 Minutes and Black or White. This is so not his genre and it must've been so hard for him to keep up this sort of sound for a whole song, not just for a  few lines. I hope Chris didn't have a sore throat afterwards. I feel that they made Adam Lambert do most of the heavy lifting of this song because this is, after all, his genre. That being said, Chris held his own and kept up well with him. Not bad for his first venture into this sort of music. I wonder how Lea will pull off Barracuda?

Yes, that's Chris.  
As for the grit in his voice: I can hear he's not harming his voice when he's singing like that. It's not purposely overshouting with a rasp in it (which could damage the voice), but the raw voice is still very firmly based in and supported with singing techniques.
And that, my fellow Kurtsies, is how truly controlling your voice is done.       

You have no idea how proud and thrilled I am hearing Chris use his voice like this. It's as impressive as his long low notes in 'Being Alive', as singing a Whitney Houston song in her own key, and inventing and perfectly controlling his Colfertenor for 'girl' songs like AIWNSG. There are not enough heart smilies to express how I am feeling right now. 
                                    

   Naya: She has a lovely voice, but not for this song. The vocal acting seems stilted and awkward to me, and the vocals lack the energy of Lea's version. I hate how they rearranged the song to match her voice....it reminds me how they lowered the key of the songs "Out Tonight" and "Another Day" just so that Mel B (from the Spice Girls) could perform as Mimi in RENT on Broadway when she was stunt-casted into the role....it sucked all of the life and energy out of those songs. Then again, maybe they are trying to get audience to see Fanny in a different way? It sounds like the Velma Kelly version. The thing is, I could've sworn she could go higher than this....remember when she sang the high harmony in "River Deep, Mountain High"? I wonder if they arranged the song like this on purpose? I thought she did far better in her other Broadway numbers like "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" and "America".

^This.
I think Naya did a good job with the song, but without the heavily tweeking and twisting of the arrangement she would have fallen flat on her face. This is in no way a dig at Naya, because I think her voice is awesome, but classic Broadway is simply not her style.

And to keep this 'realistic': they lowered the key for Naya (3 semitones). If 'Funny Girl' was a real production they would never hire an understudy (who has to be able to jump in at the last minute) who needs to sing her songs in another key than the main actress. It would simply not be practical.  



-ETA-
Since I mentioned key changes: they lowered the key of 'I Believe In a Thing Called Love' too, with 4 semitones. Don't know if it's for Chris or Adam, or for both.
My suspicion is they did that more to enhance the overall gritty/powerful sound of the song (so the chest voice parts) than because the singers couldn't reach the high falsetto notes ('cause duh: at least Chris can, and Adam probably too).

[valkeakuulas]

Is it true that Adam doesn't currently have a record contract with any company? Shame on them!

Excellent job for Chris keeping up with him. I do wish we could hear both of them better, but let's see how it sounds in the show.

And I just realised it's almost 10 pm here and I let that song go to the loudspeakers full steam...the neighbouring grannies will have noticed the sounds.   

[brisallie]

@Marie, as regards the grit on Chris's voice, I don't know if is a fair comparison, but the first thing that came to my mind was 'Pink Houses', and how far has come this boy? When he sang that song I truly was afraid he could damage his voice, but not this time, as you said he's more in control of his voice.

[Glorfindel]

@Marie, as regards the grit on Chris's voice, I don't know if is a fair comparison, but the first thing that came to my mind was 'Pink Roses', and how far has come this boy? When he sang that song I truly was afraid he could damage his voice, but not this time, as you said he's more in control of his voice.

Exactly.  

'Pink Houses' was painful to listen to because you could hear Chris rasping to get that effect (and if he had done that repeatedly he would have damaged his voice).
But IBIATCL is flawless when it comes to the 'true grit' (lol, pun intended) in his voice. This time it's his voice like it was in '4Minutes', but all grown up now and backed up perfectly with his breathing (and breathing is everything when it comes to singing).

Did I mention already how proud and in awe I am of Chris keeping his own while singing with Adam Lambert?                                                                  

[Glorfindel]

My thoughts on the other songs:



Brave (Santana+Rachel) :
Great, very good cover. Nice harmonies, Lea and Naya sound very good together. Very true to the original, but without it sounding karaoke-ish cloned.
 
Every Breath You Take (Santana+Rachel) :
The arrangement ruins this song for me: the tempo/beat is too fast, I don’t like the needless repetitions nor some of the ‘poppy’ harmonies. It’s like they Katy Perry-fied a classic pop song. I was looking forward to this song, but now I don’t like it.
Lea and Naya are singing fine, though: I think I prefer Naya on this song over Lea.
 
Whenever I Call You Friend (Artie+Tina) :
Almost perfect. And I say “almost perfect” only because I think that the music and backup vocals are too loud. Kevin and Jenna are fab.
 
My Lovin’ (Artie+Tina) :
Not as good as ‘Whenever I Call You Friend’. Kevin is very good, but Jenna is not imo: she is reaching for the high notes and she doesn’t ‘get’ the style.
 
Breakaway (Artie+Tina+Blaine) :
Nice song, but a bit tame, imo. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing more than a constant current of music and vocals. The original is already quite repetitive, so there's that, but the original has more character than the Glee version imo.

[Ranwing]

Marie, I'm getting the impression that you enjoyed IBIATCL.   

This is one of the first times when I've enjoyed most of the songs (at least those or the NY storyline). There's not much that I can say about IBIATCL that hasn't already been said. A great pairing between two great singers. I liked that they didn't do the song in the original key - not because Adam and Chris aren't capable of singing in that key, but this really allowed us to get the hard rock vibe without the... I'll say the distraction of the higher key. Chris is certainly proving that he's capable of singing a much wider variety of genres than he'd previously been allowed to try. And Adam is a fantastic duet partner, working with his partner to make both of them sound good. And I liked how the song was staged, with Adam starting things of and then pulling Chris in. It will work well with how the song is going to be framed in the storyline.

I actually liked Naya's take on DROMP. It is very different than how Lea sings it (who does it along the same lines as Streisand does) and she gives it a very different flavor. Now there is no way that Santana should be cast as Rachel's understudy for all the reasons cited (the change in key among others) but if Santana were competing with Rachel for the part, I think she would make a credible play for the part.

Brave was good, though I prefer the original version of the song and EBYT sounds good but it's a clunky fit for the storyline. Will see how it plays out.

So... where do we sign the petition for more Starkurt duets?

[awesomenessthatischriscol]

Can I just check to see if Glorfindel is proud of Chris keeping up with Adam?

It wasn't quite clear in her other responses.

       


I love IBIATCL sooooooo much.

[brisallie]

@Marie, you know I was trying to remember in which another song Chris has had this 'grit' on his voice, and yeah he did it on 4 minutes, but again I say I'm glad how much this boy has improved.

And I'm listening to Naya's version of DROMP, and though comparison will be inevitable, I'm glad this version is more jazz style as it fits better with her voice imo, and not only a copycat. However, if we talk about the play itself, still I don't see her singing this song, unless they decide to make some changes, a very renew version of Fanny Girl with a modern twist.

[Glorfindel]

Marie, I'm getting the impression that you enjoyed IBIATCL.  

Can I just check to see if Glorfindel is proud of Chris keeping up with Adam?

It wasn't quite clear in her other responses.

      

Whatever gave you gals the idea I like Chris on IBIATCL?

                                 

[YaoiChick]

I can't wait to see them singing IBIATCL, I really liked it and it looks like Adam and Chris had fun (plus Chris on a stripper pole    )

[MoviesAreLife]

@Marie, as regards the grit on Chris's voice, I don't know if is a fair comparison, but the first thing that came to my mind was 'Pink Roses', and how far has come this boy? When he sang that song I truly was afraid he could damage his voice, but not this time, as you said he's more in control of his voice.

Exactly.  

'Pink Houses' was painful to listen to because you could hear Chris rasping to get that effect (and if he had done that repeatedly he would have damaged his voice).
But IBIATCL is flawless when it comes to the 'true grit' (lol, pun intended) in his voice. This time it's his voice like it was in '4Minutes', but all grown up now and backed up perfectly with his breathing (and breathing is everything when it comes to singing).

Did I mention already how proud and in awe I am of Chris keeping his own while singing with Adam Lambert?                                                                  

I actually loved Pink Houses.....   

[Glorfindel]

I actually loved Pink Houses.....   

Oh, so did I, as a fangirl. The way he modulated his voice for 'Pink Houses' was impressive and fun, and quite surprising at the time.
But on a vocal technical level compared to what he's capable of now.....   

[MoviesAreLife]

I think Naya did a good job with the song, but without the heavily tweeking and twisting of the arrangement she would have fallen flat on her face. This is in no way a dig at Naya, because I think her voice is awesome, but classic Broadway is simply not her style.

And to keep this 'realistic': they lowered the key for Naya (3 semitones). If 'Funny Girl' was a real production they would never hire an understudy (who has to be able to jump in at the last minute) who needs to sing her songs in another key than the main actress. It would simply not be practical.  

I'm actually a little shocked by how drastic the change was. Naya does have an upper range, so why didn't they explore that more for this song? I know her voice is very different from Lea's, but aren't they both mezzo-sopranos? How truly different can two mezzo-soprano singing voices be if they are, technically, the same range? (Even if Lea is on the high end and Naya is on the low end of the range). Forgive me if I sound ignorant.

[fantastica]

Marie: perhaps he's been reading your posts that analyzed his singing and used you as a secret vocal coach and now he's improved greatly. no wonder you are proud. actually we are all proud. i really wish he can sing more.

[MoviesAreLife]

I have so many rock songs that I can just imagine Kurt/Chris singing now....  

[Ranwing]

I think Naya did a good job with the song, but without the heavily tweeking and twisting of the arrangement she would have fallen flat on her face. This is in no way a dig at Naya, because I think her voice is awesome, but classic Broadway is simply not her style.

And to keep this 'realistic': they lowered the key for Naya (3 semitones). If 'Funny Girl' was a real production they would never hire an understudy (who has to be able to jump in at the last minute) who needs to sing her songs in another key than the main actress. It would simply not be practical.  

I'm actually a little shocked by how drastic the change was. Naya does have an upper range, so why didn't they explore that more for this song? I know her voice is very different from Lea's, but aren't they both mezzo-sopranos? How truly different can two mezzo-soprano singing voices be if they are, technically, the same range? (Even if Lea is on the high end and Naya is on the low end of the range). Forgive me if I sound ignorant.

I think that they were looking to explore a real difference between performance styles. Lea performs it in the way that we expect to hear DROMP sung. Almost exactly the same style and tone as we heard from Barbra. Naya's version is quite different and unique with a bit of Spanish flare. I don't think that I can say that Naya's version is quite as good as Lea's but I think that it does stand on its own as a very good an interesting rendition.

This is going to be so controversial because DROMP is pretty much Rachel's theme song and Santana performing it is likely going to be as much an issue for Rachel on its own as Santana being cast in Rachel's show. Rachel does act as if she owns the right to perform certain songs, and Santana is taking that away from her. The explosion should be interesting.

[Glorfindel]

I'm actually a little shocked by how drastic the change was. Naya does have an upper range, so why didn't they explore that more for this song? I know her voice is very different from Lea's, but aren't they both mezzo-sopranos? How truly different can two mezzo-soprano singing voices be if they are, technically, the same range? (Even if Lea is on the high end and Naya is on the low end of the range). Forgive me if I sound ignorant.

Lea is a high mezzo-soprano and Naya a low mezzo-soprano. That alone makes a slight difference in range but more importantly in timbre (the 'feel' and 'color' of a voice).
Naya technically can sing high enough to sing DROMP in the original key, but she still wouldn't sound anywhere the same as Lea. Their timbres are not comparable.
Each voice has a part of its range that is the strongest, a part that has the most power and individual character. Besides the slight differences in range (which can be overcome on a song like DROMP: it's not that high after all) there is also a difference in which part of the singers' range is the strongest. Naya needed that lower key to sound as strong as she can, both voice-wise as emotion-wise on a powerhouse ballad as DROMP.
And still imo her voice lacks enough drama and 'thickness' to give a good Broadway rendition of DROMP. She has vibrato, but it's not a vibrato that gives her voice power and volume, just more character. She has a powerful voice, but it's still thin and not bundled enough to be able to fill up a theatre.

In itself Naya's DROMP is an impressive song with good vocals. But when you really take it to the technical level and styles it simply is not a musical theatre song, and as it's Glee who forces us to make the comparison and to believe that Santana's voice would fit Fanny..... it's just simply not true. Naya would not be casted as Fanny in a classic Broadway production.

Marie: perhaps he's been reading your posts that analyzed his singing and used you as a secret vocal coach and now he's improved greatly. no wonder you are proud. actually we are all proud. i really wish he can sing more.

Ha, if only.  

But yeah, we're all proud.    I'm so glad he seems to be so much more confident when it comes to his singing, trying out new things and singing out of the box so many people wanted to keep him in.

[Buenos]

Glorfindel , I can't quite tell, dd you like Chris singing?   

StarKurt, oh my!

  

[YaoiChick]

Marie: perhaps he's been reading your posts that analyzed his singing and used you as a secret vocal coach and now he's improved greatly. no wonder you are proud. actually we are all proud. i really wish he can sing more.

Ha, if only.  

But yeah, we're all proud.    I'm so glad he seems to be so much more confident when it comes to his singing, trying out new things and singing out of the box so many people wanted to keep him in.

Agreed. Chris is the only actor I have felt proud of and love watching him grow   

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