Here are your weekly iTunes reviews, with You Tube links for easy sampling! My favorites this week: “Saved” by Crystal Bowersox and “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” by Casey James. Aaron Kelly and Andrew Garcia’s recorded performances are surprisingly good.
What are your favorite iTunes performances?
- Crystal Bowersox – “Saved” – Blusey, rollicking and assured. Crystal takes us to church. Good stuff. – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Andrew Garcia – “Hound Dog” – The recording is way better than the live performance. The corn factory is ramped way down. Maybe because I’m not looking at him. But also, the vocal is way better. The recorded performance is less Vegas and more R&B – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Tim Urban – “Can’t Help Falling in Love” – Dude has zero ability to phrase a song. His vocal performance is devoid of shading or nuance. Nevertheless, he manages to sound sincere, which will endear him to the tweens – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Lee Dewyze – “A Little Less Conversation” – It’s a good vocal, but I’m not digging this song sung like a grunge dirge. The performance could really do with a lighter touch and some playfulness. – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Aaron Kelly – “Blue Suede Shoes” – Wow oh wow! The vocal here is really good. Aaron makes it work here, while his live performance looked silly. But I think that’s the problem–the live performance sounded better than it looked. – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Siobhan Magnus – “Suspicious Minds” – A very pretty, controlled performance. But I’m not getting the heartache, desperation and sadness the lyrics evoke. It perks up near the end–she does a great job with the big notes. – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Mike Lynche – “In The Ghetto” – Big Mike displays his impressive vocal chops without going over-the-top. Very nice. – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Katie Stevens – “Baby What You Want Me To Do” – A strong vocal, bluesy, full of emotion. She pulls it off. Too bad Katie hit her stride too late. – Audio – Video – YouTube
- Casey James – “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” – OK, I’m digging this. We’ve got some soulful, gritty rock right here. Casey’s vocals are more dynamic than his performance style, which tends to be rigid. – Audio – Video – YouTube
