Unique Performance (Baba Yetu)

[TheHeir23]

the title doesn't promise too much, it's really unique ... uniquely terrible

[Deepsmeg]

33 people keep getting their capital attacked by barbarians

[misterviper1]

Such a bad rendition of the song. The wind instruments are out of tune, and the soloist NEEDS to be a bass.

[EmmeJe]

For you bashing the soloist.

She does a very good job. The tune is just not the original one. It is a bass intro in the original and she sings it as an alto tune.

Problem is the air-instruments.

[Atabeylares]

The choir was impecable; however, they should`ve chosen a male to sing that solo, or maybe they should`ve changed a little the tone of the soloist. I like it!

[hoboangel52]

It is supposed to be sung with a bass intro.........................­........a bit lack luster, the band sure hit a lot of clinkers....The soloist did not have the voice for the job. The audience clapped because it was over.

[apocaRUFF]

Of course they had the only black kid in the group do the solo.

[rissyrisANDjeffy]

the news guy or whatever SUCKED...i'm sorry but please find someone who isn't awkward infront of cameras...

[h0meskill3tt]

lol what's funny about it is that the soloist actually stays in key the whole time.

she's just not hitting the right notes.

lol.

[Jouwl]

@h0meskill3tt

The probably had to change it since she doesn't have a baritone register... ;-)

[punchingjudy]

Seriously? A commercial? I'm not sticking around for the performance. Congratulations.

[omganotherun]

Don't mean to be hatin', but this IS one of the worst versions I've heard. Which is a damn shame really. Looks like they've got a good venue, gear and funding. Need a lot more practice and for God's sake, they can't be serious with their selection of lead vocal. Elementary or middle school might get away with this.

[RDodding]

ERIC <3

[Ryodisis]

dont listen to these other guys, great performance and i bet it took a long time to rehearse, and performing anything on stage would be extremely frightening so good work :D

[McCRAAAZY]

they all look half dead... and i think the other half are... o.o

[duckduck9]

@McCRAAAZY or rather DEAF

[OnlySuzyV]

did anyone else notice the soloist was the only uh... "dark" person there? i'd say black but i know someone would yell at me. anyway, maybe she wasnt actually part of the choir and they had like a guest singer because she spoke the language? just a thought, i dont know about the performance, just speculating cuz the rest of the choir sounded pretty good

[skeez86]

@OnlySuzyV I was thinking the exact same thing... I doubt she was a guest singer because she sang a harmony part as lead. Wasn't that bad. Violins sounded like they were dying at the end though

[codze12]

wow hes flat this sucks im srry but its the truth

[McCRAAAZY]

@codze12 i'm pretty he is a she

[HasphatAntaboIis]

Fail

[daracmaw]

Dear Lord! I sing only drunk with my friends in bar, and that's far better then this!!!

[TheBBEAST08051997]

the french horn and flute were terrible

[seanhamson]

shit sorry just pure crap please put more emotion into it

[567hurricane]

Ok, first question, why in the world did you make the solos an Alto Harmonic?

[Spikecakovec]

thats realy big sh*t

[Loeke77]

Ohh gosh...Nice try- I´m sorry but this sounds terrible.

Change the Lead singer, some of the prchestra..an half of the choir.

There is no feeling in this song..it´s like -ok we play this song and thats it...

[XuDavella]

Man, do I feel sorry for this school.

First the really lame ass ad, then the reporter who looks so nervous he looks like he's struggling to breathe, and then there's the two conductors who have no idea how to direct the flow of music.

I think I'm going to put this on FB now...

[jfr0203]

Oh dear baba.. GET IT? LOL

[rakuencallisto]

worst soloist i've ever heard.

best one so far was video games live in london.

[PowerWordKill]

Dire. That lead is awful.

[igorteam]

@PowerWordKill ..i agree...i dont like it at all

[MidoriPeanut]

XD worst brass section

[Tpiglet]

also what the fuck why would they need special permission to sing a song that was created by tribes of people in Africa?

[Gloomwing]

@Tpiglet No, it wasn't. It was created by an (Asian-) American composer for the computer game Civilization IV.

[Tpiglet]

@Gloomwing

No, the song is the Lord's Prayer translated to Somolian, which is a country in Africa.

[XuDavella]

@Tpiglet

Wrong. The song is in Swahili.

[Tpiglet]

wow what the fuck why is the soloist a girl? It should be a bassist singing the solo.

[Gloomwing]

The choir does a nice job, but the lead singer is horribly bad. What where they thinking?

[Gaprielll]

@Gloomwing yea and not only that. the lead singer does not even sing i the rigth pich + she cheanges the melody, so it sound soo diffrent

[Gloomwing]

@Gaprielll hehe yeah. I bet everyone practiced so hard, put on their best clothes, then BAM some frackin retard who can't sing destroys the whole evening.

[hansmoppel]

murdered this song

[Skarlis]

The soloist is the only black person in the choir. Ummm.

[acertm]

@Skarlis HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I nearly pissed myself from this comment. You, sir, are my hero...

[TracyMacToDaRack]

@Skarlis lol , I guess they were trying to stay true to the ethnic roots of the song even if that meant murdering the song a million times over. oh my word, if I sat in the audience I would get up and leave.

[GummygooFilms]

Lol so many removed comments.

[IamTheBrownOne]

Horn at 0:55

Major FAIL!

[IamTheBrownOne]

all that head bobbing by the newscaster must have given him a sprained neck

[tentenor11]

1. The guy in the begining could not be more akward and afraid of the camera.

2. Do you want to find a soloist who sings the orginal part? It sounds like you revised it for an alto! I would be ashamed to perform it at this quality!! I can see why its only licensed to professional groups.

[Micocare]

Jesus' ears probably bled when he heard this...

[InsaneChef]

what the hell were those violinists doing

[nikinocka]

oh dear.. its awfull performance.. :-/ 2 dirigents??? whats it??? and orchestra...??? oh no.. absolutely bad

[nawidmonkey]

the soloist started in the wrong key lol

[Born2killx]

That's actually the alto part of the chorus. Still sucks, though. :P

[PsykomantaBrain]

argh... no wonder they only license this song to PROFESSIONAL orchestras...

and yes, WHY was the soloist singing harmony???

[VastFarFlung]

I guess that's how it sounds when there isn't a single boy in the choir whose voice has cracked.

[ficosaki288]

hmm i think the original civ version is much more better

[campelofep]

lol.

But just a bit, hugh? ;)

I sing better than this in my car...

[jappleseed12]

oh of course. no doubt about it.

[FOIVSI]

I guess it is hard to find a solist in a choir.

[deelee74]

Look again....she's the only one who is black. I guess they figured they needed a black girl to sing swahili.

[nokiabio]

This is terrible! Was that soloist really the best that choir had! WOW! Replacement teacher is needed!!

[Gaprielll]

@nokiabio AHAH i agree. it sounds great ass long as she dont sing :DD

[hoboangel52]

@nokiabio It is supposed to be sung with a bass intro.........................­........a bit lack luster, the band sure hit a lot of clinkers....The soloist did not have the voice for the job. The audience clapped because it was over. The words were NOT even right.....I know I sing this

[Haleyjoy0]

@nokiabio don't hate on the music teacher and soloist. This is a really challenging song. :(

[Kaldhore]

And to be honest the sad advert at the start is shite.

[Kaldhore]

Besides alot of the comments about this being a professional choir......its a shit version of the song baba yetu. its inappropriate and out of sync. the conductor should be sacked and the soloist is rly not for this song at all.

[MissxSharry]

weak.

[dannthr]

Why is the soloist singing harmony?

[k4yl4h4l44s]

GRR. :(

[musicalover4eva110]

Umm... that wasn't really the best thing I've ever seen. Especially the soloist. She was just like "yeah I'm singing, so what?" NO EMOTION! Also, toward the end the band part just made my ears bleed, it was like the people were just blowing into the instruments and not really playing notes. UHHHHH!!! We're actually singing this song in chorus right now. If this chorus sang and the band played with more enthusiasm it'd sound better. Just in my opinion XD!!!!

[swimteamer32]

the soloist is like singing with no emotion and i mean i know the stage is crowded and all but this song calls for swaying? more emotion or the song sounds dead!! this song is amazing and it deserves alot of emotion

[theojhawk]

he messed up on the shaker, thats not even close to the right rythem

[ToekneeDeeZee]

I am 100% sure they know how bad the beginning sounded. Maybe the had to because they had no boys with deep enough voice so they had to alter the way the beginning was done and use a girl instead. still the rest is nice. They should've recruited me =P

[Cecilia1981]

the begining is so crap!

[erric245]

the solo is horribly wrong. she sang the alto part. the rest is pretty good. i wish the french horn player was a little better.

[Froschman80]

I think, you can sing it that way too. It is not exactly like the original, but you different interpretations bring life into music.

And yes- it is a very difficult song, if you want to sing it like the original.

But I am happy, choirs go on and sing it.

[Singingnut93]

I appreciate the effort, but this song is one of those that you have to do just like the origonal. (When I sang it w/ my high school choir at video games live, boston 08 at the wang theatre on 11-21-08, the origonal soloist sang) Still, this is incredible for the age of the singers, I just wish the soloist did the solo the original way. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, this is a difficult song.

[x0xSaviix0x]

Hm i think that she should have sung the bass part and not the alto part, sounds better.

[Achonzay]

to bad you didn't have me to do the real bass part :)

[blessdchicka]

The words she's singing are also wrong- definately not swahili...

[kickpunt89]

ok this is horrible for one it is a guy solo in the beginning not a girl and the choir doesnt seem to blend at all and i dont give a shit if they are 15-16 our choir did it and we all were around that age so dont give me that shit....it was the worst version i have seen

[sirmolio]

Again, listen to this video with the "auditorium" environment enabled on your sound card software. Also, listen to Britney Spears audio feedback without ambience enhancement. This girls voice sounds like shit in this video, but awesome if you add the ambience (env). Oh and like I suggested, not just true for her but everyone including any professional singer, need env effects to sound good (ever go to a live concert of a singer you liked? even with live enhancements they still typically suck.)

[xMorphinexXxCallingx]

Okay, first off, you're being sexist.

It doesn't matter if a boy or a girl does the solo, as long as they sound good doing it.

Secondly, do not bash them because of their blend, if they're 15-16, they're still learning.

Thirdly, GROW THE FUCK UP.

No one on here CARES if you did it, we aren't LISTENING to YOU, we're listening to this choir.

And a final statement:

Good job to the choir and their director, you did a great job considering the acoustics ^^

[sirmolio]

holy crap guys.. this is a choir of 10-15 year olds. I can't believe you are judging them as if they are professional choir people. I've heard umpteen versions of this song, including a host of renditions by MALES singing the solo who sound horrible. Nobody but Ron Reagan sounds "appropriate" singing the mainstream. Listen to the brass at 3:17. This performance is obviously amateur you idiots, hence the YOUTH in the orchestra name. Cut them slack and fix your perspective you idiot commenters.

[Zamtrack]

Umm Sirmolio...obviously you don't know crap of the the competitive choral world, and that is terrible for any self respecting highschool or middleschool choir. I did Baba Yetu in honor choir in 6th grade. So maybe you should have a perspective before you tell me to get one. Thats really bad and they must go to an intercity school

[sirmolio]

Oh, congrats. And was your 6th grade performance really a level above this? Or did your supportive mommy and daddy (and teachers) instill in you that you did "great honey", and that has given you the memory that your own performance was levels above this one. Hey if you got a video of your own performance I'd happily give a fair comparison, I'm not out to git ya ;)

[sirmolio]

btw I just listened to this video with Auditorium env enabled in my sound card software. I suggest you do the same, given the video's description. The girl's voice actually sounds angelic. The brass still sucks though. Oh and also, why don't you youtube search for Britney spears audio feed and see how shitty see sounds. Again, fix your perspective before commenting.

[tedfreeway]

Lol the competitive choral world? Oh please.

[Itxx]

It DEFINITELY is. Especially if you go to my school. Only the best people are allowed.

[bradster102]

u guys are great dont listion to all the other people who told you suck u guys are the best you guys rock

[saxo2222]

Do you guys actually no how to sing?!?!?!? Darn this is awfull I never seen an orchestra ruining a song like that! Seriously need some skills and practicing! She's not even in the tone! OMG!!!!

[superbex92]

This is a disgrace. I'm actually offended at how bad this was. Not only did you murder it, you danced over it's grave and set it on fire. This is my all time favourite song, I feel as if you killed my pet dog. Tragically bad. BOOOO!!!!!!!

[Yutxz]

Wow, bad. Almost as bad as the last video I saw.

[EcoGlo]

The band and the vocalists weren't in sync.

[Valpo2004]

I agree with comp here, they need a man for the soloist. It just comes off wrong and loses its beauty with a female soloist.

[CompSarge]

I'm sorry, but I just can't listen to the soloist, for two reasons. First, the Baba Yetu solo was written for tenor voice, and while I usually am pretty open to women singing men's solos, the resonance and power of a man's voice is what makes the solo what it is, and the monotony of the solo the girl sings is boring. Secondly, the girl is obviously either nervous or disinterested, and the resulting sound is grating and painful to listen to. I'm sorry, but 2 stars.

[faustdaigratu]

IN addition, she's singing in a key that does not work well with the res of the piece..Baba Yetu is supposed to be in C major... I think she's singing it in A minor or something...

[NYRcallahan24]

yah. She's defiantly not singing the correct notes. We're doing this song in my chorus and Christopher Tin is a genius!

[Gredran]

its the alto line, DOES NOT FIT the song

[NYRcallahan24]

the alto part fits, if you sing it right

[Gredran]

i guess ur right, this DOES suck either way

[Kristanni20X6]

I wish we sang this at our school

[waveatatteredflag]

Yeah we did this song with my school as well.

We did it well. Unfortunately its not on youtube.

[TravisEdward]

I am singing this song in a choir I'm in right now, so I was curious and decided to search youtube for videos of other choirs that sang it, maybe get some good performance ideas....but, heh, sad to say, I haven't found any choirs (other than video games live) that DON'T SLAUGHTER IT. No offense to this choir in particular; apparently no choir on youtube can sing this well.

[TheMLGRiptide]

and...after that everyone kinda lost their will to sing for the new director (one miss beaver bitch in black that you seen with the flowing charcoal black mullet...yea...her in front waving her arms around like a lunatic.) it got pretty bad but pretty much everyone dropped out of that choir after that..

[TheMLGRiptide]

hehe....i use to sing with that choir.......i didnt show to that concert because i knew it was going to be an utter fail with that girl at the lead......yea...it wasnt pretty lol....but, it was also her last day in america so they kinda just gave it to her...and...the band has always sucked, there are times where i think it gets worse every year....really..its that horrible lol.....but, it isnt all on them, the original choir director (one miss carol nichols) was diagnosed with sclueroderma

[musicmage4114]

There's probably a reason, then why they typically only license this to professional orchestras.

1. The alto solo doesn't come even close to the melody, so it sounds strange. The soloist wasn't that great, either.

2. The orchestra faltered toward the end.

3. The choir was completely unbalanced.

4. The descant sounded like someone was screaming for help.

[thecarrotdude]

the solo is a shit singer, you have ruined the song. 1/4 of a fucking star for this shit

[btnheazy03]

The lead sounds sounds lethargic and uninspired, the song deserves much more than his poor performance.

1/5 starfs

[papajack8]

they killed it.....HARD

[nannerzisonfire]

soloist is horribleeee.

[luvlibelinda]

Im sorry but, i think they need a bit more work. where's the energy? and personally i think that soloist needed to wake up.

[marronsugre]

this is not unique..this was bad

[bluebabe45]

the guy in the black instructing the insterments is my music teacher O.o

[Gredran]

wow bad move substituting the tenor solo for the alto solo. alto lines don't get me wrong are great to be in, but alone they sound so bland and dry. you know what i mean? cause sometimes, like here they are only meant for completing the chord

[Varlin2]

MEDIOCRE. If I were Mr. Tin I would be charging these guys with murder in 1st degree..

[angelacarrillo41]

i know!!! we're singing this song in my choir... omg not to be mean but on the reals, but man they suck, sunset h.s. plus the solo should be a guy!

[angelacarrillo41]

i go to sunset i forgot to write that!! oops!!

[gimpysd]

hey is that the sunset high school in washington? because if it is then that is awesome!!

[Fists777]

... are you sure it's not an elementary school or something? Cause that's how they're playing... I'm not even in music and I can spot the errors in the instruments playing. I totally agree with Gredran too, bad move replacing the tenor with the alto...

[gimpysd]

oh sorry I wasn't talking about the performance. I was refering to the girl that posted before me, angelacarrillo41. that wasn't a very nice comment though. at least they tried, I thought they did fine, no one is perfect.

[kreuelt]

"Normally only licensed to professional orchestras"? What are you talking about, this music is incredibly easy to find. It's part of the "Video Games Live" suite for college and high-level high school bands, and in fact my high school's band is currently playing it. Also, I understand that the singer is young and probably cannot get his voice as low as the part is written, but if he knew that, why try to sing the written part? Why not just go an octave higher? Whatever, all I can say is bad!

[Gredran]

it was a girl i believe and it was the alto line

[Micevukeace]

I have yet to find a good one this included sorry but alot of it needs major work

[sexycjvana]

That was tremendous....ly bad!!!

If this is such a 'special' piece, then why alter the solo? This is a YOUTH choir right? So not one pre-pubescent boy could hit those notes??? Come on.

[littledude7644]

totaly off notes and sounds like crap lol

[Gredran]

agreed the tenor solo was so beautiful and they fucked it up :(

[decitos]

Backgroung - nice.

Solo - wroooooong........

[whitewolf1142]

Tenor solo should stay the way it was supposed to be. At our school we are fighting over who gets to do solo. Best part of the song.

[BrendhanNaude]

wow, this sucked. the original is way better.

[Kerrandrius]

The solo... doesn't work. Sorry.

[Lobonbon]

This would have been very good without the orchastra and with a stronger voice supporting the solo.

[pajamagirl123]

uhmm it's called youth orchestra for a reason. his voice may not be up to the standards of seasoned pros but it's good for what it is. but you're right, i could go w/o the instruments.

[SlayMyOwnDragons]

Wow is that the alto part as the solo? It sounds odd. But good job guys.

[TheCarlez]

why have they changed the solo melody? not at all as good as the original one.

[bballchamp31392]

still awesome but woulda been better with the original lower voice as the mine part in the beginning

[bigeblount]

were singing this in our acapella group in school..its gonna be dope as fuck!

[thandekilebhala]

i sang the solo...wow that is a great song i miss cadillac

[jhoevers]

Very Nice...FYI it is also the Lord's Prayer.

[hello777hello777]

Personally, I think the Orchestra should have played better. We did alright though...