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Cape Town - I’ll just say it from the onset. This week the performances just wasn’t what you would expect from a top 3 show. It’s like a winner has already been crowned and they aren’t really putting in as much effort in as they should. Hello! This is still a competition, you haven't won yet!
Apart from gallivanting all over London the top 4 also had to squeeze in some practice time for duet week and the Idols band choice.
The duet round left much to be desired.
First up were Mmatema and Rhema with Ariana Grande and the Weeknd's, Love Me Harder. Mmatema was trying to out sing Rhema with her "powerful voice" (read screamer). But Rhema held his own, he was the stronger more polished singer. In my opinion he made the duet work.
Watch it here:
Siphelele and Karabo took on L’loyd Cele and Loyiso Bala’s hit Thando. I didn’t enjoy this at all. It was sharp, nasal and at times it sounded like they were singing two separate songs.
Watch it here:
After the duets it was over to the elimination. I have to say I was a bit sad to see Siphelele leave especially because he has been such a great performer these past weeks. From being the underdog he managed to make it to top 4. He really made the other contestants work harder.
On to the performances.
Poor Rhema I really felt for him this week. His first song choice, Adorn by Miguel was a bad choice. It had been covered in season 9 by Brendan Praise and season 10 by Vincent Bones. At the time they hit the jackpot with the song it was fresh and current. Now it just feels a bit dated and honestly with that much history it would have been wise to steer clear. He also switched the song up which didn’t do him any favours either. It was a lukewarm performance.
His round two song; I Want You Back was the perfect choice but his big blunder when he stumbled over his words cost him that performance. It started off bad and he didn’t fully recover to give that performance his all. Rhema just knocked himself out of the competition. It would be a miracle if he makes it to top two.
Rating: 1/5
Karabo always looks in pain when he performs. It is really off putting. He shows so little emotion during his performances that it is hard to connect with him as a singer. His rendition of the Al Green classic, Let’s Stay Together was bland, boring and monotonous. Even the shaky key change didn’t switch things up or add any colour to the performance.
Let me be real here. Siphelele is the undisputed king of the competition when it comes to singing local vernacular songs. I totally agree with Somizi’s criticisim here the song just did not suit his voice. He really struggled with the low keys, he was off key and he just looked uncomfortable with the song. With his supporters praying really hard for him he’ll make it to top 2.
Rating: 2/5
When I heard that Mmatema was going to sing the female anthem, I’m Every Woman I cringed inside. It’s a big song to take on, I mean Chaka Khana and Whitney Houston. It was at the risk of being a screamfest. And she didn’t prove me wrong. She was off key and the screaming commenced after the key change. It sounded like she was doing karaoke at a bar after having too many drinks. Yeah, I said it.
For her round two song she thankfully toned down the screaming. She definitely showed some variety with Mafikizolo’s, Happiness. And frankly she focused more on the dancing than the singing. It was an OK performance that will get her into the top 2.
Rating: 2/5
Watch all the performances here.
DISCLAIMER: This is an article written by an independent critic. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Channel24.
(Photos: M-Net)
