Last night was the first elimination round of this year's Anugerah competition. Broadcasted 'live' on suria channel and hosted by the inimitable Adi Rahman and Suhaila Salam, this year's format was pretty much similar to last year's with the exception of the additional Original Song Composition category. HUndreds of contestants in the singing category have been streamlined to 32 and they've been divided into two groups of 18 who will then slog it out such that only 8 shall remain in the final show.
Watching the first group yesterday, I felt that the standards of this year's contestants were definitely lower than those last year. No one seemed able to match the individualistic vocal styles of Nor Azmeen, Azamullah et al or has the vocal power of Eka Mairina. Fortunately, the latter was on hand during the last ten minutes of the show to deliver an uptempo number (from her upcoming album) which demonstrated why exactly she was Anugerah's winner last year. Her stunning vocals, I thought, could rival American divas such as Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson or Beyonce anyday... ;)
As I was saying, I wasnt at all impressed by this year's batch of contestants but a handful did manage to catch my eye at least. I felt that the second contestant, Norfadli Ramli, had some stage presence but his vocals however, was only pleasant at best. Zulyana Aziz and Siti Suhana, performing Aku Hanya Pendatang and Pintaku Yang Terakhir respectively, were two contestants who seemed to have chosen the perfect songs for themselves. Thus, they came across as quite credible and enjoyble. A couple of faces were actually last year's finalists who didnt make it to the top twelve spots; Siti Nurulhuda and Idris Sulaiman not only had an image overhaul, but had apparently been working on their performances too because both of them exuded a certain charisma absent in most of the other contestants. Vocally, both were also a tad better than the rest; the former sounded like the perfect Siti Nurhaliza clone (performing a Siti Nurhaliza number, Sebenar Cinta) while the latter delivered Kris Dayanti's Kusesali with much conviction.
On the whole though, I think only two contestants had the most impact vocally or otherwise; Fourteen year-old Rashidah on Ku Tak Sanggup was spot-on and displayed a commendable showmanship which was jaw-dropping for someone of her tender age. Another Kris Dayanti song, Menghitung Hari was given a fresh lease of life when executed by Dina Ardiana who not only had the vocal chops, but also an indefinite "star" quality. Although I feel that the latter's lower register needs some practice, her smooth vocal tone (in contrast with Eka's rather gruff one) would no doubt take her some distance in this competition.
In the song writing category, all four compositions were, unsurprisingly, ballads. Only two however, escaped elimination to compete in the finals:
Alasan Cintamu
sung by Karim Supnan | Composer/ lyricist: Iskandar Rahmat.
Very good melody and superbly executed by Karim Supnan. In lesser hands (or lesser voice), the song would have been butchered. Seriously, it's such a shame that Karim Supnan have not enjoyed the commercial success or reputation akin to that of Hazrul Nizam's.
Suatu Hari Nanti
sung by Thaqif | Composer/ lyricist: Iman Karisma.
I'm really not sure if the song was any good but Thaqif was undeniably incredible on this one!
Another 18 contestants and four original song compositions will be presented in next week's episode. I hope there'll be someone worthy enough to be EKa Mairina's successor...
