Rock Star - Supernova Review

Carla Lynne Hall is our Featured Rock Star SuperNova Guest Reporter.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

ROCK STAR: SUPERNOVA RECAP 7-18-06

Cant believe Im dropping the dime here, but I saw it on the news tonight: Dave Navarro and Carmen Elektra are separating. Does this mean that we can expect Dave to be snarkier on the stand? Are Daves flirty comments to Brooke going to get racier and racier? And is it me, or did Tommy Lee seem especially frisky tonight? All the innuendos and sexy looks? Yeah, Tommy Lee, your career is officially rejuvenated. Hugh Hefner called with an invite to the Mansion. Oh yeah, bring your buddy, Dave Navarro too. We heard hes single again. Its going to be a hot summer

Seriously, Supernova, as a trio looking for a bandmate, is actually taking shape. There is a cool vibe coming from the judges box with Dave, Tommy, Gilby, and Jason. You have Dave, the host whos also a mentor. He can tell you good or bad. Tommy is the crowd pleaser. He loves the fans, and he loves the ladies. He has a sweet side about him that I didnt expect. I bet his black book could fill an ENCYCLOPEDIA! Gilby is the professional. Hes looking for the front person that can handle arenas, and the pressure, and still rock out. Jason is the Jedi Master Rocker, overflowing with wisdom, and happy to share it. Each of these guys is way cool in his own style, and comfortable in his own skin.

I just want to invite them over for dinner for a pot of my Voodoo Jambalaya and talk about rock and roll. Bring out the guitars and start jammin. Id pass Tommy Lee chopsticks, in case he felt like playing. Ahgood times.

By the way, it is hot as Hades everywhere. Because of an air conditioning issue, I missed Patrice Pikes performance. I feel awful about that, and I hope she did well. But in the meantime, Im typing this wearing only a smile - DEDICATION!!! ;-)

Josh Come As You Are

I liked the acoustic vibe. Josh and the other guitarists in the band did a nice cover of Nirvanas Come As You Are. Josh contained his Stevie Wonder-ness, and you really got to hear his voice, and what else he can do with it. For me, it was his best performance so far.

Dave was complimentary, but quickly reminded Josh that the lead singer of Supernova would be playing Wembley stadium, not a coffeehouse. Ouch. [No matter how amicable this split is, Dave probably cant help taking his issues to his job ;-] Gilby said hes still not sure if weve seen the real you. And Tommy didnt say anything.

By the way, I usually try to watch Tommy Lee to get a sense of what hes thinking about a Rocker. He doesnt hold back on the love when hes feeling it. But if he doesnt even pick up his mic to say anything about you, its probably best if he didnt. Hed probably say something like he was bored.

Storm Large Just What I Needed

Storm was fun to watch tonight. She was working the whole microphone as phallic symbol thing, and it was working for her. Rubbing her hands up and down, and up and down, and up and, where was I? Oh yeah, Storm was working the stage. Shes just a natural performer. Her voice didnt seem as strong as usual, but not sure it mattered. Her energy and presence are just unavoidable.

Dave said that her performance was night and day from last week. Awesome! Gilby commented on how shes always so professional because she takes their comments and puts them into practice. Tommy said I want to less of you!, as in less clothes. Storms response? Six letters: google. I bet she caused a search engine spike with that comment! I love her attitude.

Lukas Lets Spend the Night Together

So Lukas did a Rolling Stones tune, and like Tommy Lee suggested to Ryan last week, Lukas was showing his boat. He just sang and owned the stage. He has an interesting stage style. He works the stage well, but I have a hard time understanding his lyrics clearly. Does it make a difference? The singer Joe Cocker has a career out of singing songs no one can understand, so who knows if Supernova would care?

Dave goes first: Dude, did you know that you come off arrogant on stage? Waits a beat before adding And it was awesome! And then Tommy: Youre raising the bar, and Im pulling up a bar stool. And Gilby completed with If we ever did a Stones tune, thats how wed do it!

They seemed to love him, but personally Im not crazy about his vocal tone. Okay, Im partly a snob because I studied voice in college, but it drives me nuts when I cant understand words clearly. Hed definitely not in the Bottom Three.

Jill Alright Now

Jill is working the straight blonde hairstyle, and its working for her. Her performances are more natural, real, and down to earth. She has that great powerhouse voice, and shes learning which stage persona works best for this kind of crowd. She even kicked down her mic stand. Jason practically jumped out of his seat at that, he was like a proud dad. I feel like Jill hit her groove tonight.

Dave said that she was much better this week. Tommy said Im definitely alright, and Gilby closed with This is the first time youve performed that we could imagine what youd be like if you were onstage with us.

Its too soon to say how Jill will do, but I love her spirit. Shes willing to put it all out there. Thats what we love about underdogs, isnt it? She wont be in the Bottom Three either.

Ryan Star Fortunate Son

Okay, who picked Creedence Clearwater Revival? Not sure about the song choice. Guess it was aiight. Ryan had better energy than last week, but theres something Im not getting from him. Dont know what it is Im missing, but its hard to see him fronting Tommy, Gilby, and Jason.

Tommy asked Ryan if he had duct tape on his shoes. We want to see you rock! Then Gilby asked Are you even having any fun? And just like that, Ryan gives this big toothpaste selling smile, and the heavens opened up.

Dude, I dont know if youll get this gig, but you have a nice smile ;-)

Phil Ritchie White Rabbit

As soon as it was announced that Phil was doing this song, Jason announced that he felt like playing. Now this may or may not have been planned already (Dont look so shocked, Kiddies, this is showbiz after all!), but it was very cool to see Jason borrow the house bands bass guitar so he could play with him.

Phil sounded great. He has the perfect voice and tone for this song, and his stage presence was miles ahead. Having Jason onstage was great, because you got to see Phil do his thing, while Jason is also running around onstage and interacting with him. Jason playfully bumped Phil a couple of times, and Phil kept going. Not bad at all!

Dave said that we finally got to see your intensity, and Tommy told him to keep cranking it up, as in his performance. Id say that without that slipping, sliding stage thing, Phil Ritchie is starting to come out of his cocoon.

Dana Its My Life

Before the song started, she looked ready to pounce on anyone whod say she wasnt tough. I have to catch up on the backstage drama at Rockstar.msn.com, but Im wondering if shes getting a lot of flack for being the Southern Belle of the group.

I still find her stage presence needing more certitude ($10 word!). She can sing her butt off, thats not a question. But can she bring it? is. She walked up to a guitarist at one point during the song, but tentatively, and from behind. Her assertiveness is missing, although the longer she stays, the more shell pick it up from others in the group. I felt like she was working really hard tonight. Im not saying that thats good or bad. I just felt that she was doing her best out there. Singer to singer, I wont knock that. But what does Supernova say?

Tommy: You are so damn hot, and you can sing, but I want to see you just rock it. My translation Ill take you to bed, but you aint fronting my band. Gilby said, I still dont see it. I dont think Jason said anything. But Dana is young, and can still parlay the show into another opportunity, so time will tell.

Toby Runaway Train

Im not sure if it was the sound on the stage, or if its the Rockers, but the lead vocal mic on Toby sounded a bit muted at first. Toby is a great singer, and he also showcased his intensity tonight. But I thought he sounded a bit tired. Dave still wants to see more of what Toby can do, and Tommy wants someone to scare me, whod fall off the stage.

Interesting. He was encore material last week. This week hes not scary enough. He aint in the Bottom Three though.

Magni Plush

Okay, whats up with those sunglasses? Magni, of the Pale Bald Head, wore dark sunglasses for the entire song. And it was very interesting to watch someone sing without being able to see his eyes. I realized how much emotion and intensity are communicated through the eyes alone, because I really missed it when Magni hid behind his sunglasses.

It seemed like even the cameras refused to stay on his face too, showing longer shots of him on the stage. This sounds weird, but his performing in sunglasses was disturbing to me, and it was hard to focus on the song or his singing. This is probably my favorite Stone Temple Pilot song, and Magnis voice was in top form, but I was just too distracted to take him seriously.

Tommy: Magni-ficent! Gilby added that Magnis been killing it since his second week. I dont know about that. My issue with Magni is that hes not really self-aware. I dont think that he understands how hes coming across, but as hes told us, hes one of the top ten most recognizable people in Iceland. What I want to say to him is: Dude, you are NOT Bono from U2. Lose the sunglasses, and find a new look. Please. Thank you ;-)

Zayra Everybody Hurts

Ty Taylor from last years Rock Star: INXS got this same song, when he was at a low moment. It was suggested that Zayra chose it this year because she was also feeling misunderstood. So does this make Everybody Hurts the Rock Star underdog song?

For the verses, she started out contained, sounding like a little girl almost. Better breath support under her notes would have made the lyrics pop out more. I feel like she didnt get my attention until the end, but she was wearing a lovely floor length dress that was see through. Nice! She also had some Bjork flavored vocal stylings that I hadnt caught before. Zayra is the versatile one!

Dave told her that he thought that they should have sent you home instead last week You proved me wrong! Is that a compliment? Gilby added that the song choice was risky, but we stand corrected. Tommy Lee just said, Nice! It was a mellow song, but after her performance no one flirted with Zayra. What that means is anyones guess.

Jenny Drive

I still love the color of her voice (for you vocalists out there, the word is timbre), but her stage presence needs to come up, in my opinion. She played acoustic guitar on this pop-rock type song, and she looked a little too cutesy for me. Not sure how long shell be hanging on the show.

Dave told Jenny that her song choices are getting safer and safer. This song is a step in the wrong direction. Gilby then added that the song was more Lilith Fair than OzzFest. I had to agree on that one.

Dilana Zombie

First of all, I LOVED her corset dress. That must have been a time to put the thing on, but it looks great. Can I tell you Dilana knows how to take a song and make it her own. Shes a powerhouse, what else can we say? Dave had jumped to his feet at one point during her performance. Dilana was her usual energetic self, and then still grabbed a tambourine to play.

Dilana connects with the audience so well. One of the high points of her performance for me was actually the end. She made a point of turning to the house band, and sending them love in a form of a kiss and bow in their direction. She just finished another mind-blowing performance, and she instinctively gave the band the well-deserved thank you for supporting that gorgeous performance.

Dave: I just cant believe that I saw this on TV, it was that good! Tommy just said, I wanna, and threw his mic down on the table. Gilby said, Im not gonna tell you what you already know. Enjoy your moment.

And it was a beautiful moment. Im getting a little misty-eyed now just thinking about it. Do not let the tattoos and piercings fool you. Dilana is a classy dame through and through. I thought about how her childhood in South Africa was very difficult. You can tell that shes had a hard life, but tonight I caught a glimpse of her happiness and humility in the moments after she sang. Tonight was a very special night for Dilana. She had an inner glow radiating, and it was simply lovely.

And the Bottom Three results as of the end of the show:

Jenny
Dana
Ryan

My list was this as well, but as weve learned, this could change tomorrow. Get some sleep Rockers, and Ill see you tomorrow!

Check out Carla's Website and her Music
http://www.carlalynnehall.com/

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