I wanna show you how much I'm dedicated to you

That’s what happens when by getting rid of the flashbacks you have more time to focus on the characters that matter! Felicity was everything, I did not think I could love her more than that! The girl is able to carry an episode on her own. It was like a day inside the life of Felicity Somak and like... I wanted in! I could work for her! I want to be her!

And Olicity took my breath away! I’m on the verge of crying! The way THEIR SCENES WERE SHOT! THERE WAS ARTISTRY IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! GIMME THE NAME OF THAT DIRECTOR

I can’t review this episode, trying to put thoughts together and whatever! My mind is a mess! I’m not coherent right now!

NAH SERIOUSLY!! THEY DID THAT! #Reversal WOW

THANK YOU!

Wow, that’s so far back!

I don’t ship them but Olivia and Jake have great chemistry! I cannot deny it. Seeing them together is always a reminder of that. They look(ed) good together. I didn’t expect their relationship to take that nonsensical turn. I think that season 5 is where I checked out when it came to them. They no longer get a reaction out of me because I feel like ever since then their scenes are kind of thrown out there to fill in the blanks. It was interesting until it became Shonda-you-do-too-much.

I think that Olivia has a genuine care for Jake. She loves him but not in a way that he wished she would. Jake knows deep down - and from the very beginning - that she will never love him more or even as much as she loves Fitz. He can only hope but even that is running thin. So he takes what he can get from her.

During season 5b, Jake wanted to have the upper hand on that relationship because until then he was pretty much the one who was begging her to be with him. She was in charge. But we saw how that changed in 5b. Olivia chose him. She kept running after him. She wanted him! In a way, that was very satisfying for Jake to see her do the chasing for once.

But none of them was in control during that season. Papa Pope had control over them. I don’t think Olivia wanted him as much as she was desperate to go against her father’s wishes. He was pulling all the strings and for Olivia that was the challenge. It’s always been. Not having Jake meant that her father was winning. Once again, he controlled her life. She could not let that happen.

That season revealed that even though Jake and Olivia could have been good together, they do not complement each other at all. Olivia is pretty much like her father; she likes for things to go her way and Jake lets her. They both have a level of cray-cray that don’t mix well together. Jake can never temper Olivia. She’s become a bit of a monster (not to the point where I am horrified by her, it just makes for good storytelling as long as she gets called out on this) and that monster is growing each day when she’s with him. When he’s with her, Jake is weak; and when she’s with him Olivia becomes a horrible person.

In my opinion, they are both aware of that to a certain extent. In season 5, Shonda wanted to show us that Jake and Olivia had a bond. Something that was beyond physical attraction. I believe that. They’ve both been “raised” or “made” by the man. Shonda tried to give some type of foundation to that relationship. However, their scenes also showed how flawed, weak and desperate that Olake thing is. I started to wonder if Olivia even liked Jake! They don’t bring anything to each other. There’s no value. They don’t learn from each other. There’s no personal growth from being with each other. They’re not better by being with each other. They are just there. Or they’re regressing. It does not make me cringe. They are just whatever. That could work if it was a different show. Scandal is the type of show that if you dare to even blink, you might as well miss the entire episode. Everything goes so fast. There’s always movement. In a sea of a thousand things that are happening and moving at a fast pace you have Olivia and Jake. Still. Bringing nothing more to the table. The point of these two?

To me, it became more evident in 5b that Olivia sees Jake as the sign of her freedom because it was what was forbidden. She wanted that freedom so she chased him. Being with Jake is like her rebellion. It’s her statement to her father, and whoever, that she can do whatever she wants. That’s all it is. Jake is a ploy. He’s a mean to an end.

EDIT: When I talked about the characteristics of Normani’s voice I completely forgot to mention something. I had this in mind but got carried away. The recent performance on TRL reminded me of that point.

Basically, I said that it was more important to focus on the quality of her voice than on the quantity (range). People usually gloss over the tone (in its very first definition) or the volume of a singer’s voice.

Some voices are loud enough to cover a band. Usually you hear their voices above the actual music.

Some other voices blend with the band. You can hear their voices inside the music.

Other voices can be heard as if they were placed under the music. Normani’s voice is in that third category. What does that mean?

People expect for Normani’s voice to ultimately be in that first category when that will never happen. The closest she’ll get is to a degree of the second category. Having range does not equate having a maximum volume in your voice. The reverse is also true as having volume does not necessarily mean that you have range. Volume and pitch are two separate things. So even though Normani has a soft voice, she is still able to produce sounds to a higher pitch. But just because she has “range” (and remember how we talked about “tessitura”), it does not mean that she has a loud or big voice. Her upper register is there but sounds lower.

With Normani’s type of voice, the production of the song is everything. If you pay attention you’ll notice that her voice sounds clearer and louder when the production is either minimalist, when there are certain instruments (piano, guitar, violin…) or acapella. Her cover of “Don’t Touch My Hair” is proof of that. Also her solos on acoustic versions such as “Brave Honest Beautiful”, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”, the very beginning of “All I want For Chistmas is You” or even her verse on “Work From Home” are always among her best performances. (Okay, unless her runs go away from her during “night shifts” you can never tell me that she does not stand out during those performances. Or you’re just a hater). Their new song “Can You See” is also a great testimony of that. The way she starts out the song and her take on the chorus is flawless! Her voice sounds bigger because the music and the production is not too overwhelming. Moreover it allows her to show the texture and different sides of her voice. It allows for more vocal agility and control. Even her diction is different and better!

When the instruments are played softly, are light and airy, the mixing with Normani’s voice creates a magical atmosphere. Only she can do that. That’s where soft and thin voices shine through. When the production of the song gets too loud (imagine too much bass for example), their voices are eaten by the music. It’s just the way their voices sound. It depends on a number of things such as the shape of the vocal tract. So, they can work on projection (breath control; posture; movements of the tongue, lips, jaw; lowering the larynx…) to get more volume. I also said in my Sauced Up review that every singer had certain vowels they were more comfortable belting than others. Finding her vowels can help her. This is a long and very tedious work even for the best. There’s only so much she can do. That’s also why her microphone has to be louder than the others. The microphone needs to pick up her voice and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s another trick to push your voice forward with no tension or fatigue, and preventing it from being too far in the background or under the music.

Unique voice. Creative. Good range. Decent passagios. Interesting lower register. Falsettos much more stronger and bearable than upper register. Grating high-pitched voice in upper register. Lack of resonance. Too nasally. Runs often misplaced (or not respectful of the melody). Too many singing theatrics (jaw movements…) messing with the actual singing.

D’où est-ce que ça sort? Est-ce que ça vient du final?

Hi,

There’s a lot you can achieve with proper and consistent vocal training.

Ultimately, it depends on what you expect from her range if you take into consideration the characteristics of her voice. As you would with any other singer.

My quick answer to your question would be: while yes, she can achieve great things with more vocal training, I don’t expect her to achieve the things that I think people expect from her.

There are two things to keep in mind

Anyone can hit some notes from A to Z. Some people can sustain all the notes between A to Z with great technique. Some vocal experts - or some purists - consider that this the true definition of the vocal range. When a singer is able to sustain every note between the lower and the higher note they can sing. Singers who can do that are called vocal legends for a reason. It doesn’t mean that a singer who cannot sustain all the notes within a particular range is a lesser singer.

Some others can hit either all of the notes between A to Z OR some of these notes. Hitting a note and sustaining it are two different things. Whether you hit them or sustain them with proper or bad technique is also a different matter. 

For most singers (if not for all of them) there’s

the range we are more comfortable singing within our own vocal range (”tessiture vocale” or “tessitura”)

the range that is achievable with more effort

the range that we can hit or sustain even though we don’t sound as good - or sound horrible in it

the extent/limit of our voice registers

How do you want Normani to “fully show that range” is the true question. I think that people place on her some unrealistic expectations because they don’t take into account the particularities of her voice. Normani has already shown her range. But remember, there’s a range within the range.

I believe that what people think that they’ve yet to hear from Normani is her upper range and maybe more of her head voice/falsetto. They think that because she has an extensive range, that means she’s able to sing all the notes between her two extremes. But there’s a range within her vocal range that she can hit but cannot sustain. People shouldn’t look at the scale to determine her upper range. If you want to talk about notes, then let’s do it. But I think that what notes you can hit on the keyboard does not matter so much as what you can do with your voice. People want Normani to belt E5s, G5s and maybe headvoice some A5s and BB5s and so on… What should be important is what Normani can do with the different registers.

Normani’s true upper register is clearly not what people expect from her because it is lower on the scale. Yet, that is her upper register! It does not make her a lesser singer. Her upper register is sometimes tangent unless she uses good technique and is able to keep her tone. It’s the part of her voice that she should focus on working and I have no doubt that she will obtain great results. She needs better projection, support, resonance and all of it while maintaining the timbre of her voice; especially when she’s on the edge of that upper range. I still love that part of her voice because I hear progress and promise and it just shows how hard she already works. It’s getting stronger and should be more consistent just like her falsettos.

If people want her to belt notes that are higher on the keyboard, she already has. But those are the notes that are part of the range she just cannot achieve beautifully. It’s curious how people want her to sing higher when she’s “only” working on improving her upper range. This is already a lot for her; even though the fans think that she “has it” because of the two extremes she’s able to hit. If people would take the time to actually listen to her, they’ll realize that it doesn’t work like that.

Most singers have that one part of their voice where they know they don’t sound as good (Heck, I know that my head voice is WEAK!). Not all female singers can belt the same. That’s completely okay. You can even turn it around and make a stylistic choice. Singing is tricky like that. I think that you should work on being consistent and getting stronger in the things you can already do. Some unexpected things may happen in the process and with time.

“Fifth Harmony” by Fifth Harmony, composed and co-written by Fifth Harmony is their most cohesive and entertaining album to date. This record not only proves that Lauren, Ally, Normani and Dinah are a force to be reckoned with as a four-piece group; but also that they are young artists in the making. The girls bounce back after years of being overlooked as singers and performers. With this new sense of confidence and their new found freedom, they are willing to show their undeniable musicality, artistry and chemistry.

Long gone are the days where they had to hit the studio to make a bunch of chasing-trends songs with poor solo distribution. “Fifth Harmony” is a true body of work, produced by four young women who were involved in the creative process this time around. The girls were willing to depart from their previous albums and the generic sound of mainstream music. They took some risks when they came up with new ideas, melodies and lyrics for this project.

In this album, it almost sounds like the girls are paying homage to the best artists from different eras such as The Supremes, Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child. Although the album remains pop, it is also heavily influenced by urban music, some throwback soul/R&B sounds, Afro and Carribean beats and even a little bit of country music. Most of these tracks remain radio-friendly. They stay true to what they’re most known for, which is their catchy and more upbeat songs (“Down”, “He Like That”, “Sauced Up”, “Make You Mad”). But some other tracks are darker (“Angel”) and slower (“Messy”). Fifth Harmony show that they know how to mix the dramatic old with the soft new (as in “He Like That”, “Deliver” and “Lonely Night”) through the vintage and the pop sound. It could become one of their signature styles. They get emotional on “Don’t Say You Love Me”; and show awareness and love for society with the song “Bridges”. All in all they’ve produced some stellar, timeless, brilliant and unique masterpieces.

I’d say this album was worth the risk.

The girls worked as a unit to make this album. You can hear it. They are trying new things vocally. They let each other shine and when they get together they sound incredible. The harmonies are tight, creative and intricate. The way they deliver the lyrics is new because this time around they mean something to them. They sound like they’re all on the same page; they’re telling the same stories. Their voices are more pushed forward; they hold onto each other so no one is left out. There’s a unity and a solidarity that were never there before. They sound happy and free.

“Fifth Harmony” was a joy to listen to. In my opinion, it is their best album and my favorite one. This is the type of albums that brings out my carefree side and makes me want to have fun. It makes me feel like I deserve a good night out with my girls. For once, I don’t have to force myself into liking their music by comparing them with songs that I know are playing on the radio. I can finally enjoy their songs because they are more of my style of music.    

I’m also ecstatic about the fact that if it’s their first attempt at doing what they want to do, then their next album will be groundbreaking. They did not cut any corners here and they did a remarkable job! I know where I want them to go, whether it’s vocally and musically. I have a good feeling about where they want to go. But I will not talk about it here because I want the focus to be on this album. They broke free, they did not give up and they’re happy. This is what I want to celebrate. Their freedom and their new artistry.

Below are the different links to the quite detailed songs’ reviews. They are based on personal preferences so proceed with caution

My note: 8,55/10

1. Down (6,5/10)

2. He Like That (9/10)

3. Sauced Up (8/10)

4. Make You Mad (6/10)

5. Deliver (10/10)

6. Lonely Night (9/10)

7. Don’t Say You Love Me (10/10)

8. Angel (9/10)

9. Messy (8/10)