Paloma Faith's Lethal Verdicts on Your Song: A Risky Celebrity Move
Alan Carr was taking one heck of a risk when he selected Paloma Faith as his first 'murder' victim on The Celebrity Traitors. Initially, it seemed like an easy choice, but anyone who has witnessed the lisping blonde chanteuse in action as a judge on Your Song would think twice before crossing her. She proves to be absolutely lethal in her critiques.
Scathing Critiques in Liverpool
During the first episode of the series, filmed in Liverpool, Paloma Faith dealt out compliments dipped in poison to every singer who failed to impress her. For instance, when a woman named Rachael performed an operatic version of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's festive number one, The Power Of Love, Paloma carped: 'Even though this isn't the kind of singing that I would necessarily gravitate towards, she's making the song her own.' This was clearly a veiled way of saying, 'I hate it.'
Similarly, as cabaret-style crooner Ollie performed his original song, Lilypads, she remarked, 'His voice isn't, like, remarkable, but it's uplifting.' This was positively kind compared to her verdict on 22-year-old Georgia, who delivered Sam Fender's Seventeen Going Under in her rich Scouse accent. Paloma stated, 'I wouldn't say her voice blew me away,' leaving poor Georgia needing a thick skin just to sing in the bath again.
Flawed Format and Presentation
The entire format of Your Song is unlikely to leave many people feeling better, neither the performers nor the viewers. Modelled on Channel 4's surprise success The Piano, it invites ordinary people to share heartstring-jerking stories before belting out a tune. In place of Claudia Winkleman as presenter, Your Song is hosted by Alison Hammond, whose role is simply to greet each singer and send them on stage with a few words of encouragement.
However, unlike The Piano, where the instrument is placed in a railway station or shopping mall for spontaneity, Your Song cannot pretend at such authenticity. Most songs are performed with a full backing band, requiring hours of rehearsal that remain unseen by the audience.
Disruptive Editing and Its Impact
Worse still, viewers do not get to hear a full performance or anything close to it. Every few bars, the camera cuts to Paloma and fellow judge Sam Ryder nattering away, or Alison Hammond gossiping in the audience, or the artists themselves explaining why the song means so much to them. This editing technique works with The Piano, particularly for instrumentals, but it is disastrous for vocal pieces.
Songs are meant to tell stories, with emotion building from an introduction to a climax and resolution. Dipping in and out, and focusing only on the big notes, renders them meaningless. This format implies it is not worth listening to the whole thing, which is a disservice to talented singers like winner Chantelle, who had a stunning voice.
If Your Song aims to showcase musical talent, it ought to do viewers the courtesy of letting them hear the entire performance, even if that means less time for sob stories.
