Can I say this? "See! I told you so!" For the first time in all the years of watching AF, somehow that sentence doesnt give me any satisfaction. I've predicted weeks back already about Mawi running with it all and with tonights final concert, I rest my case. To be honest, I'm not so eager to write a review about it but for the sake of my faithful visitors, I will be posting it sometime tommorow afternoon. So stay tuned peeps and sorry for the delay.
UPDATED 07/08/05 1725hrs.
So its all over and done with. The total domination by Mawi is very much predicted. All that talk by Aznil that theres shocking changes in position were justlies to encourage more people to vote. I mean di you guys see the final voting %? It was something like Mawi 58%, Felix 30%, Amylea 6% & Marsha 4%. Ok I'm not sure about Amyleas' %, so do correct me if I'm wrong. But my point is, how is that talk about "shocking changes" possible with that kind of %? Astro seems not content with already that play of hiding the % after concert 9 last week. Anyways, here goes my final AF3 concert review....
Critics; Kudsia Kahar, Adlin Aman Ramlie & Syafinaz. Quite expected really.
Felix - I dont know what to say about his outfit. So I'll just skip it. I'm not liking his first song. His vocals are just all over. At times out of tempo. As usual it was an effortless performance but all those screaming aint really working and smooth. This song is just not one for the final. Totally silly arrangement IMHO. Its like that Sham person is showing-off or something. Does nothing to really showcase Felixs' talent. Entertaining, yes, but if one was to be critical about his vocals, it aint pretty. Kudsia liked it. Adlin highlighted his tempo and lack of attitude. Syafinaz said he is full of energy, needs to control his breathing and not to overshoot his top notes. 3/5.
Amylea - Her dress fits her image. Singing her specially composed song - Ku Berserah - with the cool touch of a flowery swing. The lil drama with Felix is nice too. She started of well. Her voice sounded rich and her potrayed mood demands attention. She just blends in beautifully to the musical arrangement. A truly final-worthy performance. Its not perfect, but for a first time singing a "foreign" song, its really good. Miss Consistency did it again. And those who doubt her about singing a new song, eat your heart out! Kudsia said she should get the most dedicated student award. Ditto. Adlin said she is the best student amongst all. Syafinaz said she is beautiful. She said her 1st few notes were flat but pointed out clearly that Amylea made the effort to do well and it was a very commendable performance. 4.45/5.
Marsha - Marsha looks so lovely, as usual. Her 60s look is just spot on. Her vocals are a bit tenggelam. But her facial expression and play with the audience probably compensates that fact. She is definately enjoying herself. Her vocals slided a bit only but otherwise it was an entertaining performance. Kudsia said its not her best performance but she not. Adlin said she is naughty on stage and it made her act alive. Pose maut. He obviously like Marsha and that VT of his mum giving him some tips is just hillarious! Syafinaz said her best assets is her kemanjaan which is a plus for the guys. She commented a lot, mostly about her not being confident and the lil glitches here and there. 4/5.
Mawi - This time around the kampung boys backing vocals are replaced by the national choir. Astro trying to redeem themselves I think. Finally he stepped up to the plate. To me, its his best performance in this AF3. But I feel its just a little too late. If he had shown this kind of quality in his performance, no one would have questioned his popularity. I guess he is a slow learner? Anyways, Kudsia likes his expression and it was a good performance. Adlin said AF is a malay dominated program and that is probably why he is most liked, because people see a hero in him. He labelled his act as the best directed performance. Syafinaz said she can finally see his talent and so far for tonight, it is the most stable performance. 4.6/5.
Round 1 done. My ranking: Mawi, Amylea, Marsha & Felix. Round 2 commence....
Felix - That SIPUT poster is cool! I want one! He started out just fine but at the end of the verse of the chorus, we can definately hear everything crumbling down. Its not an easy verse and I'm sure some professional singers would have trouble with it too. So its forgiveable. I doubt it if he will spared about it by Syafinaz though. We know Felix was so unhappy when he got this song, so that doesnt help his performance tonight, I think that bit when Akma walked on stage at the end of his song, that totally was just sweet. Kudsia said everyone knows how difficult the song is but he shouldnt have forgotten the lyrics. Adlin asked Felix if he thinks both of his performance was good. Felix said no. Adlin said if he was to impress everyone, Felix should put some more feel into it. Syafinaz said the choice of key is important (do you think the students get to decided this? Hello?) so she was disappointed to him not performing well as she thought he is the best contender for the title tonight. 4/5.
Amylea - Kinda dull at first. Lacked the oommpph! But as I expected she managed to pumped up the energy of her performance. Simply captivating on stage and that lil girl add more excitement. Kudsia said she makes her proud to be in the show. Standing ovation by all the audience, except maybe fans of Mawi. Kudia said Amylea definately didnt disappoint her fans. Adlin said finally he feels like being in a concert and forgives her little mistakes as she was really entertaining. Syafinaz said she rocked! Good communications with the crowd and overall it was a really good show. It must've sounded great in the stadium. 4.75/5.
Marsha - Another lovely outfit for Marsha. Tipah Tipah is finally revealed... it is Adlin! Obviously they are just playing around. She started quite nicely but a few verses later, obviously she forgot the lyrics. Some intentsity to the song is certainly lost there. She recovered a bit when the chorus came. Her voice is just soothing and definately challenged. Her expressions were beautiful too. She cried, obviously disappointed with herself. Kudsia said she doesnt need to cry because overall she sounded better than her first song. Adlin went all flirty with his comments, I couldnt even be bothered to listen to it. Syafinaz kenakan Adlin about being too nice for his review. Syafinaz said she was a lil all over the place, probably because of the pressure tonight. 4.15/5.
Mawi - The clip of his audition was really hillarious. He REALLY needs to learn to dance better. I guess the 10 weeks so far is not enough yet. Another good performance by Mawi despite some unstable low notes. We can see both of the composer of the song approving his way of penyampaian. I dont think I need to say more as we can see how hysterical the crowd went when he finished the song. Kudsia said he has improved his dancing skills and told him not to stop learning the vocal technique. Adlin said certain parts of the song, he couldnt imagine M Nasir singing it. Now what qualifies him to say those things challenging the Sifu's capabilities?! Silly. Anyways, Adlin said Mawi shouldnt stop learning. Syafinaz showed her the proper way to open his mouth and told him that he has a lot more to learn. 4.65/5.
And that was it. The final four has shown their worth. My ranking for was round 2; Amylea, Mawi, Marsha & Felix.
After the break, the winner of AF2, Zahid performed Wo! hit song. Then an exclusive new song from Vince backed by Zahid. It was entertaining and really nice to see both of them mixing it up. And as their performance ends, the voting is officially closed. Menuju Puncak was next and all 14 students were on stage for the very last time for AF3. Its nice to see everyone back in there.
And as for the results....
Best Vocals: MAWI. (Suprise! suprise!)
Best Performance: MAWI. (Oh really!? Its soooo unexpected!)
4th place: MARSHA.
3rd place: AMYLEA.
2nd place: FELIX.
1st place: MAWI. (*roll eyes*)
Again, a very much anticipated result that makes AF3 even more the most boring one since AF started. My choice would have been: Amylea, Mawi, Marsha & Felix. Best vocals would go for Idayu and best performance to Marsha for Destiny. Anyways, lets just let it be and congratulate them all.
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Oh take a look at this AF3 Final Concert DVD cover, check out the pics of Felix & Marsha. See it? Woahahahahahaa its the one that I made! And thanks to them I'm getting free publicity for this blog! Thanks Kadai Komunis - thats what us Bruneian affectionately call that shop. *hehe*
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