The Third Season of talent reality show - Project Fame West Africa - has finally gotten to the tough stage and it’s quite gratifying to see that mere theatrics and riding on the popularity of songs typically performed by contestants is gradually taking the backstage to real singing talent. From all indication, the competition has become a little more serious than screen tests.
Prior to this time I have often wondered for how much longer contestants would get away with going murderously off-key, judges making the wrong calls and joining the audience in applauding atrocious performances and most especially not knowing their music (Lionel Richie didn’t write Three Times A Lady and I Wanna Know What Love Is isn’t a Mariah Carey song. She only covered it long after the song had been made a hit twice over by the group, Foreign and Lucky Dube, and just about right after like a hundred people had put it in their album).
Tiny little seemingly immaterial errors such as those makes the show appear overly pretentious, the goofing personnel a tad incompetent and pisses off music lovers like myself who just wants to be entertained and see genuine talent and excellence rewarded along the way.
For all those annoying little hitches I’d say the 7ht Sunday Show of the current went so well it almost covered up for all the shortcomings of the earlier ones. Probably because the pool of contestants is getting tighter the judges could afford to make better assessments. I’d say the presence of TuFace Idibia as a guest judge also had a huge impact. He was objective. He was frank; never minced words when he was unimpressed despite the dancing judges and the howling crowd behind egging on their favourite contestants. The travelling circus had a heavy counterbalance and it came up short. For the first time since the show began I had my two thumbs up.
Kesse: The Genuine Article?
Ghana’s Kesse continues to be by far the best performer night after night and deservedly getting the best accolades. His strength lies in his ability to modulate his voice to strike the right emotional and artistic balance. For this reason, rarely ever goes off key and achieves an unusual sync that connect with audiences especially those watching on TV, even though he travels less kilometres around the studio floor than ALL other contestants who seem to take delight in endless wanderings. It is obvious that he keeps his focus first on the songs and from there unravels the rest of his performance. I’d say we’re yet to see the best of this Ghanaian born superstar in the making but let’s keep our fingers crossed and see how he deals with the sudden exit of his compatriot with whom he seems so emotionally attached. I have no doubt in my mind he is going to make it big.
Chidimma: A Diva Comes to Play
I had previously called this competition for Kesse but since her 5th Sunday Show performance of I Wanna What Love Is Chidimma has shown she capable of winning this competition. She’s shown she can be a real diva and in another clime her powerful vocals would have had the best songwriters queuing at her doorsteps to make hits of their songs. Make no mistake Miss Petit means business. With the right song on a perfect night Chidimma would blow Kesse away as she clearly did on today’s elimination show when she performed Boy2Men and Mariah Carey’s One Sweet Day with Kesse and Eyo. I never thought it possible that I’d see a performance I’d genuinely want to compare with the original but there is it- One Sweet Day by Kesse, Uvwede and Chidimma. Great, faultless performance by all three plus outstanding, world class vocal power by Chidimma.
Christian: One with the Rock Star Swagg
He’s lean. His vocal is mean and his theatrics, meaner. He’s got a rock star’s swagger but don’t be fooled, this guy could sing. Sad to say he’s gone now due to a yet to be fully explained health issue. Christian was easily and consistently one of the better performers in Project Fame West Africa academy this season, especially when singing the soft rock genre where is onstage presence is apt and fitting. I’ve come across a few ladies who have said, “Em... er... he acts someway I don’t like,” but none questions his singing abilities. Hard to see him in an elimination fight but we’d never know for sure now. Still I’d have tipped him for a third place finish.
Eyo: Hmmm...
Well, he good. Not just that good. Good old lady luck and good choice of songs have worked in his favour thus far. It’s hard to see them carry him all the way. I do not see him finishing fourth even with Christian gone. I’d put my money on Tolu and Ochuko upping their games to beat him to that spot as the competition nears the homestretch. Bro, you totally killed that Gerald Lervert song but there aren’t that many R&B oldies that fit that perfectly for anyone. Hold firmly to that day job of yours. The curtains are about to fall on this one.
Tolu: What A Way to Come Crashing!
Before Tuface burst his bubble, Tolu could have gotten away with murder in the academy. He randomly goes off key and no one seems to notice. He carries the audience along better than most and the judges and faculty seem to forget. He is loved by all and for good reason too. He’s got a killer tenor and stretches and bends even rock songs into R&B with it in a way that is distinctly his. Whenever he gets it right, that is which is not always as was the case tonight when he led the trio of Debola, Ochuko and Yetunde on a decidedly less than average performance of Show Me The Meaning (Of Being Lonely). He went off key again, severally and his handling of the crescendo had the feel of a thousand pins in the ear. Facing elimination, Tolu showed a clear lack of mental strength. He failed to give it a fight and never regained composure sufficiently till the end as the audience cheered him on to encourage him. His being saved by the faculty is obviously due to his record of past performances and a knowledge of what a good he is singer which is not entirely fair Debola who did better than him and Yetunde, who was saved by contestants not on probation, on the night. Kwame was spot in his assessment that Tolu’s spirit seems to have left the competition and needs to do something urgent to bring it back. Personally, I think Tolu need to close his eyes to the studio audience and focus more on his art and he’d do just fine. There are millions more watching at home and they’re the ones deciding. He needs to be able to take a hit still remain on his feet. Criticisms are part of arts. There’s only one way to handle them. Be strong.
Ochuko: Second Time on the Outs Looking In
The big man’s first time on probation was nerve wracking as it was painful. He did well to escape the first time out. This second time, he did better than well and so-so. He gave the hardest fight of the night and I dare say, if he’d been around, Tuface would have given him two thumbs up. Ochuko is talent and can sing but like Tolu, he needs to wander the stage less, look less to the studio crowd for support and more importantly focus more on the songs he’s singing. If a serenade subject does not help you focus your emotions dispense with it. It’s distractive when you have someone on stage with nothing better to do than just strut around. Believe me, the question on viewers’ minds is usually, “What’s she doing there?” Yes, there had been times when he didn’t know the lyrics of the song and had barged his way through with pure hubris, bravura and awesome stage presence. The Shina Peters and Lagbaja’s Konkobelow impressions come readily to mind. At this level of the competition, however, hubris will more like keep you on the outs.
Yetunde: Someone Start the Countdown!
Another show favourite, Yetunde, popularly called Omo Ibadan has done well to build a fan base both within and outside the studio. This will surely help her launch an active solo career once she’s out of the academy. This lady’s got a good voice but I wonder she’s chosen to be far more expressive of her stage persona than her singing talent. Already she’s had more trips to probation land than any of the remaining contestants. This should signal to her to change her approach but having struck a seemingly working formula, it’s hard to see her altering course successfully unless she can pull off a truly awesome vocal performance. She’ll most likely crash and burn faster maybe by one week trying to change now. In any case, she’s doomed if she does and she’s doomed if she doesn’t. It was good while it lasted. We enjoyed every bit of you. Now, somebody start the countdown.
Debola: Veteran of the Elimination Contest Finally Takes a Bow
Given a good night and a good song that fit, she could make angels go green but on a regular night, this lady’s nerves makes more music than her vocal chords which probably accounts for why she’s the most travelled contestant on the probation lane. Her losing out on tonight’s elimination fight should be viewed in the light of not just her performance tonight but in the light of her performance all through the competition so far. Indeed, she gave the second best performance of the night but overall, the decision to by the faculty to retain Tolu who did worst on the night is the right decision. She did give a gracious exit interview and announced her intention to make an album. She has a listenable song in Colour, the title of her self-written song to start with. She can build from there. Good night and God bless sister.
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