Monday, September 22, 2014

No Solos on the Singing Sensations of "Duets"

It’s been show after show of endless solo performances and critiques of numerous contestants this year, but the Duets show offers a refreshing twist as they perform in duos of harmony.  It’s exciting to hear and watch two people singing together, especially when one of them happens to be a talented seasoned celebrity. The first season of the new ABC singing contest adds more excitement and interaction to the performances, something a little different for a change.


Although this was the first time these contestants had been on the flashy Duets stage, all eight performed decently overall. It’s a hard task to sing in front of a national audience, not to mention how they feel as they perform with some of the biggest names in the industry who are already seasoned. The new talent performed with confidence for the most part, showing off their skills and ability alongside their professional partners, actually giving these contestants a bigger challenge than other singing shows.


Acting as mentors and performers too, the four stars were as spectacular as expected.  However, when it was time for them to judge the Duets peers, that part of the show may be lacking. While Kelly Clarkston has revealed that the Duets show is not about tearing people down but about giving positive honest feedback, the judge’s comments just seem a little too soft for even being honest across the board. If everybody that sings gets a “good job,” “I loved your voice,” or “beautiful,’ then what good does that do for the contestants?


The theme of the new ABC show focuses mostly on being successful at partnering vocally in perfect harmony rather than the voice alone. That’s the reason a very talented singer ended up being the first eliminated.  It wasn’t about the lack of talent, but the fact that she had no chemistry with her partner. It’s just a different kind of singing show and even weighs heavily on song choice for the Duet, which by the way are chosen by the judges themselves.


The night was long for Robin Thicke as he shared the stage with his partner Olivia Chisolm. They performed Beyonce’s Crazy in Love. His idea for doing the number had to do with bringing out her inner diva and building confidence. Unfortunately, he did not accomplish his task as he quickly learned that he didn’t fit well into hip-hop himself, and Olivia did not bring it on the original.  What a mess!


Luckily, the duo came through the night with just enough support and votes from the other judges on the panel to squeak by the elimination this week. However, Robin was not so lucky with his second partner of the night, Alexis Foster, as they hit the stage in an awkward rendition of Killing Me Softly.


Alexis ended up in the bottom two with timid and insecure young Jason Farol. While Jason broke out of his shell more this week to boost his confidence as he sang “Hallalujah,” with seasoned partner Kelly Clarkston, it simply was not enough to avoid his hitting the bottom two again this week.  As Jason and Alexis compete in an a cappella solo of their choice for a duel to the death, Jason won the round as the judges keep him around for another chance to redeem himself for the Duets title next week.



No Solos on the Singing Sensations of "Duets"

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