KONSERT PERTAMA AF5

Let me start by saying that from where Budiey and I were seated, technically the production was generally good. Even if there were glitches and problems, we certainly didn't spot any. In the hall we had good sound, good lighting and a good flow of the show. Plus, I couldn't really see the monitors in the front so I have no idea what camera angles looked like and how the sound was relayed to the viewers at home. So, I have no issues with the production.

As for the content, now that’s a whole different matter. Let’s start with the students, in order of performance.


AIZAT - Pangeran Cinta (Dewa)

The boy may be popular but he sure can’t move. I felt sorry for him because he did try. And it's not easy being the first to open an entire season. But I just wasn’t convinced by his effort, though his legion of fans didn’t seem to agree. Aizat has a light, whispery voice that stays pretty much in tune most of the time. He is musical. And he has a sweet smile. But the assets end there.

One thing I couldn’t comprehend – why was he dressed as a hip-hopper when he was singing a rock song? And isn't it a general fashion rule of thumb that one never puts a large sized person in shiny clothes?


AFIQ - Janjiku (Sofaz)

So he has a jantan voice that borders on serak basah, despite tuning problems. So he’s tall, has the right hair-cut and can almost pass as a hunk. So I sat back and expected great things. Maybe even a Ricky Martin spin-off at best. But sadly, Afiq just didn’t deliver. It is a bad sign when I start looking forward to the end of the song. His performance can best be described as dreary, colourless and ultimately, forgettable. What a let down.

Please lose those shades and get with the programme, Afiq.


MILA - Bersamamu (Siti Sarah)

This girl is undeniably pretty. Her voice, unfortunately for her, isn’t. It’s just too sweet and dime a dozen. Voices like Mila's one hears at karaoke competitions all the time. As far as I was concerned, she butchered the song with her flat notes. When she wasn’t flat, she was just dull. Mila’s performance reminded me of someone trying to hold a song together in a karaoke joint. I felt quite embarrassed for her.

I hope she does better next week because she really is pretty and deserves a chance.


DAFI - Uptown Girl (Westlife)

Now we’re talking. Though he may not have the best vocals of the lot, Dafi is the most commercial of all the guys. His tone is boyishly light and flutey and judging from his strained high notes, I reckon he has a limited range. He went off pitch several times but he made up for it with his pretty good dance moves and delivery. Of all the students, Dafi connects best with the audience – he uses his facial expressions extremely well, especially the raising of his eye-brows, which I suspect is a habit of his. Dafi's commercial appeal is similar to that of Chris Richardson's in American Idol, and he knows it. I like his confidence and attitude. Now he just needs to develop his singing.

Dafi is fortunate that he is cute and this will guarantee the girls and aunties voting for him. He’ll sail into the finals.


DIYA - Aku Masih Setia (Dia Fadila)

Now this girl has a very lemak tone which I quite liked. She has the height and looks. Unfortunately, pitch was an issue, and she didn’t quite understand the song. The entire performance came across as amateurish, though I wouldn’t have eliminated her just yet. Too bad the voters sent her packing. I would have liked to hear more of that creamy voice.


FARHA - Pemuzik Jalanan (Search)

A Felix wannabe? Big voice, no doubt. But nothing special. This one has personality, a certain presence and sang mostly in tune. Farha’s energy levels were inconsistent, but at least he had good moments that raised the energy levels in the hall, which was getting restless and bored. He used the stage well and can just about dance. Just about. Promising. I’ll be watching Farha closely.

But please NEVER ever wear those awful looking boots ever again.


EBI - Milik Siapakah Gadis Ini (Sudirman)

Can someone please give him a haircut? Nevertheless, I love Ebi’s voice. Seriously. There is a sleepy, almost lazy quality to the voice that lends it an Indonesian sound. Ebi sang in tune throughout, and that impressed me. The only complaint I have of his performance is that he didn’t draw the best out of his rich tone, so much so it began to sound predictably boring towards the end. Syafi seriously needs to teach these kids how to sing loud and soft and in between (dynamics). And when he screwed up his timing, the audience sighed because they too knew they were hearing a unique voice.

With the right grooming and training, and a good haircut, I think we might have a star in the making here. But will he get the votes?


DEKNA - Tanpamu (Farawahida)

This is a commercial voice. Unfortunately, it’s attached to a non-commercial package. Dekna’s pitching was all over the place and the quality of her vocals were inconsistent. She looked uncomfortable and her outfits accentuated the fact.

But I’ll be watching Dekna closely too. She may not be a classic beauty with the best voice in the house but there’s something unique about her.


SYAWAL - Harapan (Fazly Zainal)

Poor thing. He sang very badly, was totally out of tune in places and had a very tough time trying to perform. You could see the strain on his face and the performance was almost painful and unbearable to watch and hear.

Nevertheless, Syawal has the best and most commercial tone and sound of all the guys. He wins hands down in that department. Despite him being sick with a sore throat. Coupled with his height and built and stage presence, Syawal will make it into the finals. I'm looking forward to hearing this voice in fine form.


CANDY - Ka-ching! (Shania Twain)

In tune, in time and in style. Candy obviously wants to win. She certainly hasn’t got the best voice amongst the girls but as Hattan rightly said, her voice has character. Give her time and she’ll bloom fairly quickly. She gave a good show and almost outdid Dafi, except she lost out when it came to pronunciation.

Candy can sing, can move, has potential and I hope Sabah votes for her. I want to see her in the finals.


RIZAL - Menanti Sebuah Jawaban (Padi)

Another karaoke style singing that went badly out of tune in places. Forgettable voice that’s pretty common. Pity, Rizal has the potential to look good and he does have stage presence, though he comes across as awkwardly stiff at times. But he’s just not much of an exciting singer.

But Sarawak will vote for him.


NONI - Tak Ada Logika (Agnes Monica)

Cute, pretty, sweet. Noni can dance, can just about sing and though her big voice is nothing much to shout about, she does have a certain style that attracts. But her delivery of the song was awful. I tried not to cringe when she hit the high notes.

I hope she gets a good song next week to show off her skills, because Noni has a certain charisma and potential.


HELIZA - Kau Pergi Jua (Adam Ahmad)

Thank God for Heliza. Astro saved the best for last. This girl is smart and you know she wants to win. Honestly, Heliza is an average singer at best, but because all the other girls were pretty below average, she stood out. I give her the best vocals award of the night. She has a pleasing tone, and is obviously musically gifted. And good looking. Heliza's in the running for the finals.

But do we really want another Datuk Siti Nurhaliza?


FATIN - Angkat Kaki (Sheeda)

Despite not having been in classes and training, Fatin sang better than most! She actually held the song together quite well, though I thought she could have gone to town a bit more on the moves and the outfit. Alas, her voice is best suited to dangdut, and therein lies the danger.

How will she ever sing a Celine Dion number?


MENUJU PUNCAK

A disappointingly lame and weak attempt by the students. There simply was no energy or zest to the entire performance. The boys fared only slightly better than the girls vocally and dance-wise. The execution of the choreography seemed haphazard and the music arrangement was quite unexpected. No one really stood out except Dafi who seemed to be the only student who translated rhythm into moves convincingly and held the audience's attention.

OVERALL

We defintely have the best looking set of students out of all the seasons. However, their performances came across as amateurish and it almost seemed like a very expensive production of a high school concert. Most of the kids seemed and sounded genuinely ill-prepared mentally and vocally, and I sincerely felt sorry for them. This is the first week, so let's hope it gets better.

But I suspect the students' lack of inspiration and energy could also be partially due to the music arrangements which they had to sing along to. I am surprised that the arrangements sounded sparse and lacked colour, given the big production that has always been associated with AF. The song selection was also perhaps an issue - there were some hits and a few misses, though I thought the keys chosen for each student were just nice.

The stage was a fresh change from the loud colours that used to invade our senses. I told SultanMuzaffar that I liked the simplicity and clean lines and neo-retro feel, though Juan Danza disagreed and said it reminded him of baju Salima masa nyanyi Because Of You.

In the fashion department, we saw an improvement from the previous seasons. Though there were some minor inconsistencies. I thought the fashion parade at the beginning was pretty much contrived and unnecessary, though. KlubbKidd, who was sitting a few seats in front of me, found it hilarious. But generally, we are seeing an improvement.

The jury were spot on every time. Fauziah Latiff was cool and kind, Hattan was precise and firm and Kak Ogy single-handedly saved the show.

On the whole, the concert lacked that 'wow' factor, despite being quite polished technically. Nobody was jumping out of their seats at any point during the concert, except for some noisy fans up in the gallery. Heliza managed to get the loudest applause but I think the audience just needed to cheer for someone out of sheer frustration and she was the best (and last) they had.

If I had to describe the show in one word, it would be 'FORGETTABLE'. But knowing Astro, they've figured that out already and are well on their way to fixing it.