‘THE VOICE’ DOES IT AGAIN WITH PIANO AS ONE OF THE STARS

Posted on Jun 24, 2011 in News & Events, Piano Blog | 0 comments

Well, NBC’s “The Voice” has done it again this week. This show is doing for piano what “Dancing with the Stars” has done for dance.

Tuesday’s show was one of the best yet as the four teams were narrowed down to two super-strong singers, each on the way to next week’s final. Two of the strongest and most dynamic performers, Nakia and Beverly McClellan, followed Dia Frampton’s lead from last week by including piano work in their numbers. We imagine that these performances by such cool and talented people should be sending both kids and adults by the droves into piano lessons and piano camps at places like Houston Piano Company!

Nakia was the first performer of the evening to tickle the ivories on a cool black Roland, which was prominently featured on camera. As Nakia’s mentor, Cee Lo delivered again with the surprising song choice of Adam Lambert’s “What Do You Want From Me”. You could practically hear Nakia saying in his head, “Dude, you have got to be kidding me!!!”, but he was a good sport and went along for the ride. And, of course, he ended up making it totally his own. You can check out his performance on NBC’s online The Voice website. You can also see it on YouTube!

Beverly tickled the ivories as well on a more traditional mahogany grand piano (the camera never showed us the make) with an entertaining and completely Beverly rendition of B.B. King’s classic, “The Thrill is Gone”. You can see her performance on the NBC website, or on YouTube.

What was really cool about both performances was that Nakia and Beverly did their own versions of Dia’s section of no-playing the piano. Nakia and Beverly have similar vibes in that both of them give the impression that they are totally and completely themselves when they sing. They put it all out on the floor and invite you into their world. And what is really bizarre is that these two people who are about as far as can be imagined from the stereotypical Hollywood celebrity singer mold are totally compelling, totally magnetic and totally radiating crowd appeal.

Nakia, with his slight lisp and less-than-athletic physique, is one of the consistently sexiest performers on the show. Beverly, with her studs, tattoos and bald head that might make her scary-looking in a dark alley, gushes enthusiasm, youthfulness and pure joy that are totally infectious. You get the sense when she sings that it’s like you’re sitting in her living room or in her shower as she’s just belting out music she can’t contain inside herself for one more minute.

Nakia working the crowd after leaving the piano

About a third of the way through his performance, Nakia stood up, kicked his piano bench away so it flew across the stage, stalked across the stage and made the crowd his own. Also about a third of the way through her performance, Beverly stood up, grabbed a mike and started moving across the entire stage in her usual performance of abandon and exuberance. The result of both was irresistible, and it wouldn’t have been at all the same if both of them hadn’t started in such controlled stillness in front of the piano. Their skill and body quietness at the piano provided the contrast to really let them explode onto the stage and into the hearts of the crowd.

Beverly’s exuberant self just after getting up from the piano

And as if two awesome piano-based performances weren’t enough, at the end of the show, Carson Daly acknowledged the show’s musicians, which included a slow pan across the stage showing not one, but two Roland Fantom G8 pianos clearly visible.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the Houston area, you can go check out what it’s like to play a Roland and other pianos at Houston Piano Company.