The Useless Critic 2.0

Hello and BonFuckingJour Wednesday! So my system has been destroyed last night because there was a sale on donuts, so there is more sugar in my blood than blood itself. That’s kind of weird come to think. The surprise s/s champion of sensationalistic stardom is none other than Sarah Brightman. She’s conquered many dimensions of the acting world, but for me the number one role that surpasses the others is her performance as “Christine Daae” in “The Phantom of the Opera.” She performed alongside the great Michael Crawford and even with one of my personal heroes, Davis Gaines. But I have selected this clip, and now youtube sensation, of her singing alongside Mr. Antonio Banderas. Sarah has conquered many more elements of the performing arts. Watch in this video as she takes a folky song and uses it to make “Simon and Garfunkel” look like raw pussies by comparison. Now watch her just shine in this… You know for years I rejected Sarah Brightman’s work because she had t...

I love Davis Gaines in a completely unhealthy yet G-rated way. He has the voice of power, and it is always great when I find new videos of his music on Youtube, especially this song, which comes from his solo album, "Against the Tide." In my first Davis Gaines post, I mentioned that Amazon.com was the only place I could find samples of his solo album. And now voila, This one is for you Marion. I hope you understand with the jazzy touches of this studio-worked piece, you and I could dance all night and drink lots and lots of Green tea with extra honey and a lemon wedge. This one from Davis Gaines would fit perfectly in a scene where we dance slowly in front of unknown spectators. QATFYG: How much tea can Marion Cotillard drink without getting buzzed? PS If you can't listen to this song and imagine yourself dancing alongside Marion Cotillard then your heart is made of ashes.

Yes, I have become the person that is promoting Christmas Carols in the Springtime, and although, there is no chance of Jack Frost nipping at your nose, I have the chance to promote one of my favorite singers yet again. I could not wait until November to write this. And of course there is " Davis Gaines Ol Man River on The Useless Critic ." I really became a fan of Davis Gaines during my 2009 fascination with Broadway music. This video has been on the internet for a few months, but I had only recently discovered it. This is a studio recording, and I will admit that I much rather prefer to listen to Davis Gaines when he is live on stage, but this is still fun. His studio voice and his live voice are quite different. To be honest this sounds nothing like him, but it has a lot of his qualities. QATFYG: Who has the best studio voice?

So this is a window into the existence that is Nader Bouberhan. I hope that it will give some people a closer glimpse into who I am. Also, I hope you like Solo Bass Guitarists. I honestly could not pick a single album for some years, so here is a sloppy and choppy list of things created by Moi. Tie: REM Green and Radio Free Albumuth by Stuart Hamm 1988 Flow my Tears the Policeman Said by Stu Hamm The Offspring 1989 “Jennifer Lost the War.” YES Judas Priest Painkiller 1990 Painkiller Pearl Jam Ten 1991 Black = You could pick any song off of this album. Great Stuff= Iced Earth Night of the Stormrider 1992 Night of the Stormrider Tool Undertow 1993 Piano Cover Sober Running Wild Black Hand Inn 1994 Black Hand Inn Gamma Ray Land of the Free 1995 Rebellion in Dreamland In High School Gamma Ray was my Band. They were mine. Victor Wooten A show of Hands 1996 Me and my Bass Guitar Gamma Ray Somewhere out in Space 1997 Valley of the Kings 1998-1999 I don’t have a favorite. Nevermore De...

Just writing an updawebdate on one of my favorite singers. Davis Gaines has a relatively new video out on the internet now, of him singing the famous “Ol’ Man River” from the musical “Show Boat.” Davis is one of my favorite vocalists and for his Showy genre he has an interesting voice, and an interesting vocal technique. He is most famous for performing the title character in “The Phantom of the Opera,” which he performed over 2,000 times on Broadway and performing different roles in “Sweeney Todd,” which is available on the internet and on DVD. I used to describe him as Josh Groban, but with a more mature voice. But I will confess that he is not as flawless as Groban. Some of his low notes are a little to garglely…not a word, but that’s how I describe it. However, if you're still comparing him to Groban, he has more Clarity when he belts loud notes. And I know it's called tonality in music. But I call it clarity for him because well, the notes sound so clear. When I first hear...

Okay, just spreading the word about one of my favorite vocalists/singers/musicians. If you haven't heard Davis Gaines sing then, you haven't lived. His voice is deep, powerful, sensual, and overbearing with vibrato. The reason I'm posting this is because I can't get his songs out of my head. Plus, according to IMDB he appeared on an episode of Desperate Housewives as an accountant. If anyone has seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway or a concert version of Sweeney Todd, there is a chance you've heard him. (He played the Phantom and Anthony Hope respectively). But in addition to his Broadway career, he has released two solo albums. Which I find not to be as good as his stage singing. Here are links to his solo stuff, but if you really want to hear Davis Gaines find him singing music of the night (which is also on his solo album) in Phantom of the Opera or Johanna in Sweeney Todd. They really show what he can do. http://www.amazon.com/Against-Tide-Davis-Gaines/dp/B000...