It's wet, it's windy, it's cold and it’s AUGUST?!...yes, a truly awful summer is upon us and it has led to afternoons and evenings not spent outside with a glass of Pimm’s breathing in the drool inducing smells of a BBQ, but a summer spent curled up on the sofa watching TV whilst wind and rain batters the windows.
As a nation we have been herded indoors and with almost all of our favourite series having had their finales in June/July and not coming back until at least September, we are left to the mediocre TV listings intended for those unwilling to embrace the expected summer sun. However, amongst the ‘just sit there and stare’ likes of Big Brother (admittedly my guilty pleasure), the X-factor and various soaps, there is a big shining gem of a TV show.
Must Be the Music is a TV musical talent contest, but it is nothing like its closest comparison, the X-Factor. As it says on the website:
“The search is on for Britain & Ireland's best new music act! Real superstar talent, Dizzee Rascal, Jamie Cullum & Sharleen Spiteri judges new music talent”.
For me this show really lives up to what it claims to be, it focuses purely on the music and not the sob stories so common on the X-Factor, it also does not discriminate against anyone who doesn’t fit the typical pop mould dominating the charts recently. It’s a show that allows the artists to be themselves and doesn’t turn its back on someone who isn’t singing a “current” (Mr. Cowell’s favourite buzz word) song. In fact, it actually lets the artists showcase songs they themselves have written...quite frankly I was amazed at the talent just in the very first episode. From harpists to rock bands, from steel drums to acoustic guitars everyone is given the opportunity to shine.
Just a few of the hugely talented acts that have caught my eye include:
· Pepper and Piano – a pianist and singer combo who had never performed in front of anyone before their audition and whose raw talent and passion shone through in their performance and may have even brought a tear to my eye.
· Flow Dem – five hip-hop and rapping teens from Wales who just make me smile.
· The Pictures – another five piece, this time an Indie/Alternative (for want of a better description) band, with a front man whose sound is fresh and a pleasant change from the ‘norm’.
· Emma’s Imagination – one girl and her guitar, a busker from Scotland who I would give all my change to if I saw her performing on the streets of Norwich.
· Missing Andy – a self proclaimed Britpop/rock five piece with meaningful lyrics, bucket loads of passion and who have an air of The Enemy about them.
Admittedly there are the necessary “are they for real?” acts but good dose of them will liven up any show, my personal favourite from the series would be the cringe inducing heavy metal Christian band.
As for the judges? Well, they’re not short of talent either, between the three of them they have accumulated: four platinum albums, nine gold albums, one silver album, ten UK top 10 albums, two UK number 1 albums, fourteen top 10 singles, four number 1 singles, a Mercury music prize and two Brit awards. It puts the X-factor panel to shame really.
Straight talking Dizzee Rascal, jazz extraordinaire Jamie Cullum and Texas front woman Sharleen Spiteri make up a dynamic and diverse musical judging panel perfect for finding the next British music legend. They deliver the critique or compliments without the unnecessary drama and as a panel have brilliant chemistry, bouncing off each other superbly with a real eye for the ‘next big thing’. Something tells me these acts are in good hands.
So, all that’s left for me to say is ignore the downpour that summer 2010 has become and switch on MBTM, you will not be disappointed.
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