Review of You Can Sing

Introduction

You`ve done it in the car...You`ve done it in the shower...You`ve even done it in front of a crowd down the local pub. Yes it`s singing of course! We`ve all tried it, wether it be Karaoke or just a personal rendition of a current chart hit in private. But unless you get some practical and professional advice that`s likely to be where it stays.

This DVD from Carlton gives the viewer and any budding Gareth Gates a seven step guide on learning how to sing. Carrie and David Grant of Fame Academy, erm, Fame are our guides on how to better project our voices using two of their current pupils. They also bravely claim that anyone can knock out a decent tune by following these basic lessons, be it a rendition of happy birthday you don`t feel embarrassed about or a full blown Top of the Pops type performance.

Now this is a hard DVD to rate as it`s basically just a tuition guide. It doesn`t need fancy 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound or a pin sharp picture, all this DVD needs to do is help you sing better. I`ve been known to be a bit of a Karaoke diva at times so I wondered, would this give me a guide to better techniques? Would it do what it says on the tin?

Video

Like I said this DVD doesn`t need a pin sharp picture but it does get very close to it. The 4:3 framed image is pretty solid with good strong blacks and sharp whites. Only a small amount of macro blocking is evident on large areas of solid colour. Edge enhancement is more obvious but none of these minor faults distract. The only thing that does distract is the sight of Carrie Grant`s red pixie hairdo in all it`s digital glory!

Audio

A simple 2.0 Dolby Digital mix is adequate for this material. The sound is clear and sharp with just the right amount of matrixed bass to give a richness to the musical moments.

Features

Three Karaoke type tracks with various options for listening to music only or backing vocal versions of each track are the best of the extras bunch. You also get a biog on David and Carrie and how they have shaped the careers of Melanie C, Lemar and Will Young.

The worst of the bunch is a bloopers reel in which Carrie and David plus special guests such as, would you believe it, Mel C, Lemar and Will Young all fluff lines and corpse. This just isn`t funny at all!

Conclusion

This DVD does it`s job and the presenter, though irritating at times, do a good turn and give great insight into improving your standard of singing. There are terms here I`ve never heard of before like "front placement" and "shifting" but once you master the breathing techniques and these new methods you should see a vast improvement. As to whether we all can sing is debatable but budding Fame Academy or Pop Idol wannabees should grab this disc now because it does exactly what it says on the tin!