Konsert Akademi Fantasia - Minggu Ketiga (Part 2)

So sorry guys I didn't post my review up earlier.

Aku sebenarnya keletihan abih, dan walaopon da sparuh jalan nak posting entry jer, tak tahan da, gi lelap jap. Budget nak sambung shortly, tapi terjaga jerk da petang. Merasalah KO katanya.

Ok... anyway, honestly thought yesterday's concert was a step up yet again and there was a marked progression in the performance of the kids. Tumpang bangga la most of them have brought their efforts of the past week out, and delivered the results.

First nak bermula ngan meroyan sikit pasal Earth Hour. Ada yang mengkritik kenapa Konsert Akademi Fantasia didn't do more to participate in the symbolic movement.

Tuk aku, yang tengah makan kat luar kat area production tuh, tepat jam 8.30pm all the lights went off. Merasalah makan dalam gelap. Entah apa aku suap dalam molot aku pun tatau. Heh... something tasted a bit crunchier than usual, tapi anggap tu la ayam goreng je.

Anyway, my point was - a lot of people don't seem to understand what Earth Hour is all about. It's about switching off NON-ESSENTIAL lighs and household appliances in a symbolic move to raise awareness and encouraging action on climate change.

It doesn't mean total blackout of the TV station ke apa. That would affect revenue-generating airtime - which is much needed especially time nak gawat nih. Lain la kalao stesen TV yang memang tak banyak iklan ke apa pon.

So the concert going on was not an issue. But some people think it was... stupidity. The opening yang gelap, balcked out abih tuh kira symbolic support of the movement ok lar tuh. Plus the reason they did it acapela was so it would be minus any of the electric instuments. But I supposed some people don't understand symbolism. It's amazing how much hate is directed towards Akademi Fantasi, simply because it's still the reigning reality (and probably the only, because the others are only SMS based programs) show.

Hah... ni dia abang bersemangat kat konsert semalam sebagai gambar perhiasan


For those haters, whatever la. Keep the hate going, cause you only inspire more love for fans of the show. And ultimately, it's the love for the show... that keeps it going. What you will never understand it, the success of Akademi Fantasia is down to the fans. The real fans who keep it going. Year after year. So keep hating... cause it gives fans that extra push to keep loving it. Which is something you'll never get your way. And by the way, don't you feel a little ashamed to politicise a cause like Earth Hour just to get your way. Sodih tol orang camni. Heh...

Kak Ziana yang berbaju biru matching segala pun has no love for haters ok


Apapon.. I loved the acapela intro for Menuju Puncak. Congrats to Cikgu Syafie and Cikgu Siti Hajar kerana berjaya dalam tempoh tiga hari or so to get the kids to dish out what they did. And the kids themselves too for the effort they put in of course.

Among the people responsible for the show... the faculty


The kids who did great for the opening



It set the tone for the show for sure. And I think is one of the most unique and beautiful renditions of the song which really paid tribute pada lagu nih yang berhantu abih. Best! A five star effort no less. Now on to the performances.




Yazid
Pawana
Rating : ***
No matter what is said, based on performance, I think Yazid has show massive improvement dari the previous two weeks, and I think if he keeps it up, he may come off better in time to come.
He was a lot more comfortable on stage and he didn't seem to be too off his element. Soal confidence banyak improve, though some parts dia masih nampak kekok a little bit.
Vocally it was an 180 degrees turn from previous weeks and I think Yazid should be commended for his significant improvement.




Aril
Andainya Aku Pergi Dulu
Rating : ****
I knew the arrangement by Acis was more mellow and in a way even more melancholic and I hoped Aril would be able to pull it off.
And he did. Like Yazid, nampak improvement abih, and I think he was actually overall the most improved in this concert.
He had a little glitch here and there with the lower notes, plus I agreed with Adlin, at some points the song became a little monotonous because he didn't exploit and versatility of the tune to provide a little more climax in terms of dynamics of his vocals. But that's a minor issue in comparison to the leaps and bounds dia da memperbaiki persembahan berbanding yang lepas.




Claudia
Lama Tak Jumpa
Rating : ** 1/2
She did well, but not well enough as I expected.
For me, vocally she was shaky in some parts, and she didn't seem to have much improvement compared to before this in addressing some pitch problems as well as the rather stiff movements which could have used more fluidity.
And Adlin was right in terms of the performance being slightly flat as she didn't infuse her own mojo into the bouncy tune. Still, not too bad, but in a week where improvements were the mainstay of performances, she was just average for me.




Rini
Seloka Cinta Remaja
Rating : ** 1/2
A little more zest and gusto and her performance might have been a whole lot better. She did ok, but like Claudia, she didn't up her performance from last week.
Given much aid, I expect the kids to improve by leaps and bound, no matter what the limitations to bring on the competition.
Overall, Rini performed decent and I think it was a shame she was eliminated this week since her performance was a lot better than a couple of others.




Qhaud
Pilihlah Aku
Rating : * 1/2
While I did not agree to pemilihan dia last week sebagai pelajar cemerlang as I didn't really see any improvement, I think this week, there were bits and pieces here and there where I heard the real voice of Qhaud somewhere in the mix.
And he did have something to offer vocally. Tapi masaalah tuk Qhaud nih in looking for his own style. There were little moments where you could hear it, but they were far and few.
Undoubtedly the potential is there, but I think it he needs a whole lot more push towards unearthing his true potential. At this stage of competition, he needs a lot more out there to prove he's on par with the best.
At this moment, like the critics pointed out, too many sharps, flats and numerous pitching problems along with little of his real self into the song - he needs to buck up big time.




Akim
Anak Gembala
Rating : ***
Akim perform elok lagi minggu ni dari minggu lepas. Seperti Yazid dan Aril, aku nampak dan mendengar perubahan yang ketara dari persembahan dia.
Issues ngan his opening note, which is a recurring problem, tapi performance dia memang menghiburkan, walaopon masih ada ruang lagi dia nak perkembangkan kemampuan dia dari segi penghayatan.
Secara keseluruhan, dia banyak kena belajar lagi dari segi memasukkan jiwa dia sendiri ke dalam sesebuah lagu.
Not too impossible, and Akim is really starting to shape up as a real competitor.




Rubisa
Angan-Angan
Rating : ****
Rubisa melakukan sesuatu yang memang merupakan masaalah utama dia. Everyone knows she has a range, and the point being hammered home was that she could not hold it in and use it the right way.
The problem this time was that she held it a little too much in, dan persembahan dia was a little too withdrawn in comparison to become too simple.
She did well overall, tapi like some of the others, she was good, but lacked the zest to have put the punch into the delivery of the song.
Still, as a singer, she definitely is pushing herself further and I hope she can find a balance in her delivery.




Zizi
Ini Rindu
Rating : ***
Aku suka gila lagu nih dari dulu and I think this was a decent performance. Bagus gak, tapi aku rasa lom sampai tahap kemampuan dia yang sebenar.
Her show was a notch up in terms of embodiment of the tune in comparison to the other competition, and I think Zizi did well.
Cuma aku tak sabar minggu-minggu akan datang nak tengok apa kemampuan dia dari sudut lagu-lagu tugasan yang akan datang.
A serious competitor for sure.




Sidi
Hanya Di Radio
Rating : *
Mmmm.... banyak sangat kelemahan dia yang belum diatasi sejak minggu pertama. I think he needs to really pick up the pace. Based on performance alone, Sidi is in trouble to remain in the Akademi, and he needs to brush up on every single aspect of his performance.
Disjointed and rather painful, Sidi perlu perbaiki vocal nya overall as well as persembahannya yang terlalu biasa.
Not impossible, but at this point, looking highly improbable. Nak masuk konsert keempat, ini bukan persembahan yang aku inginkan daripada memana pon pelajar.




Obri
Abang Beca
Rating : **
Kalau student lain, majoritinya soal character tak kuar dalam lagu, I think Obri's problem became that because it was overwhelming. He didn't do as bad.
Suaranya dia memang light and nipis dan perlu lagu-lagu yang sesuai to actually fit him.
His attempts nampak la application apa yang dipelajari, but I think he lost a lot of the actual essense of the education he was given.
I think less stress should be on the theatrical approach towards their songs, because like this performance proved, it was a little too contrived and made it not so much of a vocal performance, but almost a visual trainwreck.
Obri could have done better in weeks to come, tapi sayang rezeki dia takde.




Aishah
Mata
Rating : ** 1/2
A lot of people noticed Aishah was a little stifled by the whole production of the choreography and all. Not that it was bad, but memang tak perlu bagi someone like her, who is able to carry things on her own.
I think kalao diberikan masa, Aishah just needs to find a way to communicate what she needs and wants without others overcompensating for her performance.
Vocally minor glitches, and pretty much still srious competition despite a rather weaker performance in comparison ngan yang lepas lepas.




Isma
Rambu Ramba
Rating : ****
I think they saved the best for last.. and second last. Ngan Isma dan Hafiz dok sebagai antara persembahan yang paling ujung, it was definitely a wise choice.
She didn't fail to deliver and Isma berjaya nak bawa lagu Rambu Ramba yang bagi kita semua joget in our seats. She was able to ooze the confidence of a professional dan aku rasa she definitely is on the right path.
Again, her only problem for me is her own identity and her own stamp though her vocals and performance.
Taking the lead for the female students this week, Isma mampu menghiburkan the way all the kids should.




Hafiz
Mat Disko
Rating : ****
Who would have guessed. Bangga Hafiz da mula tunjukkan character dia yang sebenar. I mean he has always been able to bring it onstage, tapi kali ni aku rasa kali ni, I saw snatches of him here and there, which he is also bringing to his real life character.
Definitely the only one to really progress among all the kids, and I think he should be the example of how a student of Akademi Fantasia should be dalam mencari bukan sahaja dari segi mencari ilmu dalam Akademi, tapi juga mencari diri, dan identiti tersendiri dalam lagu dan persembahan.
Can't wait for his future performances. Wasn't keen on him getting this tune, but I think he did WAY better than I forecast.

So there you have it. Meletop gak la minggu ni. And what a way to end the concert by having Anggun come on and belt Jadi Milikmu (Crazy). Need I say anything more? Nangis sapa tak dapat tengok live cause the vibe was totally awesome in the dewan itself.




It was sad to see a double elimination at this stage as it's only understandable that a fewweeks is never going to be enough to equip anyone to be at a level where they can be polished to deliver what takes years to accomplish. But nak wat camna. Tuh la namanya competition and I only hope the kids hold on to what they learnt and make the best of whatever situation.

It was a moving moment to see Obri and Rini go (walaupon aku takde la nitis airmata pon.. heartless sangat). And I feel the sadness of the pelajar yang masih kat dalam.

Obri was the slightly quiet but fun comic in the Akademi. So things will bea little quieter without him now. And Rini being quite a character too pun will be felt for her absence in the Akademi.






Kedudukan AFUNDI skang gila sikit. Korang tengok je kedudukan time tutup undian. What do you guys think? Setuju tak? Kalao tak setuju cepat AFUNDI sekarang!



Things are heating up, and it's only a matter of one or two concerts before things work up into a massive frenzy. Tengok je la apa halatuju kedudukan bebudak dari skang. Hoping it's not the wrong ones eliminated from now...