R&B songstress Monica took front stage centre during the NCAA Final Four game tonight, performing a stirring rendition of the US National Anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner’.
How did Ms. Brown fare? Find out after the jump…
Stunning showing!
Beyond its National significance, the song has become renown for both the great and shambolic renditions offered over the years. And while most folk tend to skew towards the latter, Monica -with her skillful, yet powerful delivery-served up greatness on that mic. Truly stellar performance!
Monica’s latest LP ‘New Life’ arrives in stores on April 10th.
Your thoughts?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-szebCKBac
Pure greatness!!!!!!!! New Life.
She’s no Beyonce, but she can definitely sing well. Thumbs up Monica! I can’t wait to check out New Life in a couple of weeks! #ItAllBelongsToMe
You can definitely hear the Whitney in her. Monica is very talented and has a lovely voice. I really hope that her upcoming album New Life does WELL! On a side note, I can’t wait for her girl Brandy’s Two Eleven album, due in June!!!!!!!!!!!
I wasn’t really feeling it man…
Monica did her thing again! Proving time after time why she is still in the game. Great job! A true talent!
@MiguelClark— why Beyonce? Beyonce’s version was recorded not live! Beyonce aint no Whitney either! Which by the way her rendition of the song is still unmatched thanks!
She’s no Beyonce indeed @ Miguel that’s the voice of a caring mother who doesn’t feel the need oversing. Well done Monica. Well done.
lol @ quan better say that!!! im sorry but beyonce ain’t the standard for everybody. i like her but don’t love her. what i did love was Monica rendition of the Natl anthem. it was really her own!! ppl was goin off in my TL about her killing it. brave mo. NO luvs u girl
Its was better than her last time
YES MONICA! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! SHE DID THAT!
Talented, Beautiful and i love her signature sound, this is
true r&b to me.
GREAT JOB MO!
MONICA is a precious RNB gem and if WE dont support acts like her and the other RNB SANGERS we have left then the genre will be over.. #NEW LIFE (APRIL 10TH) … I LOVE MONICA!!!
@QUAN, Little known fact: Whitney’s version was prerecorded also. Most Superbowl renditions are prerecorded, even Jennifer Hudson, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce AND Whitney, and we all know that all four are great live vocalists. The superbowl trend seems to be changing though, since Christina and Kelky Clarkson were live.
mOnica did that!!!! Get it Mon!
I live in Atlanta, GA and anyone on here who has something negative to say to me, it can be done face to face. My info/pic is there, so you know where to find me.
In other news, Monica’s performance was nice and good, however she definitely so no Beyonce, point blank. Nevertheless I am looking forward to buying Monica’s upcoming album, New Life soon. Go Monica!
CHILE NOBODY BROUGHT BEYONCE WHACK WEAVE FAKE PREGNANCY HAVING ASS IN THIS POST!!! Have a seat!
LOVED IT
Very soulful. I had to watch 3x
yasssssssssssss, gurl!
F*** a damn Beyonce. That b**** is on a well needed break to raise her child, finally.
Get it MO!
Yessss Monica…this girl the Truth!!!! Raw and Powerful vocals…R&B at its finest and im looking forward to her New Life album 4/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She felt it. For that, she gets all props. I liked her looking to the sky and all- Monica was emulating the signifigance of the lyrics. Beyonce and others just sing it. The soul in this rendition is what I prefer as well
@Miguel Clark, how old are you that you can’t distinguish internet beef from real life drama? do you really think somebody’s going to try and get at you personally over some mess you posted on a message board? I swear, if Beyonce knew how stupid/dumb/wack her stans really were, she wouldn’t even claim yall. And for the record, anybody who knows anything about soul and R&B will tell you, Monica has a better voice than Bey. Sorry but its true. I can admit that and I stan for Brandy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cz3tG8L88o
I mean its common knowledge Brandy and Monica are streets ahead of Beyonce when it comes to r n b and vocals. Two things they put in r nb songs are emotion and soul. Beyonce don’t, she just sing loud and thts that. I love me some bey when she does pop not r n b(i cand stand it), and her vids and live perfomances r excellent. Sorry but its true
By the way its April fools day and the child who brought bey’s name was just being a fool.
YAAAAS!!!!!!!
SHE CANT STAND A CHANCE WITH QUEEN RIHANNA RIHANNA CAN SING GO TO HER LIVE SHOWS
@2/11 songscribe
Emotion and soul (in the aesthetic sense) are relative. If u dont get emotion from Beyonce’s vocals, it’s prolly cus u just dont like Bey n thats fine but dont act like its a national concensus. Ppl always try to use that against Bey, cus she’s the finest technical vocalist we have?
If all she does is sing loud, why have these never been brought up in critical reviews? Her live shows get rave reviews, her albums have weak points but never have i read a review that Bey lacks emotion and i dont expect to. All i have to do is watch ger live dvd and see the reaction of the audience, bawling and all, u dont get more emotive than that
Emotion and soul (in the aesthetic sense) are relative. If u dont get emotion from Beyonce’s vocals, it’s prolly cus u just dont like Bey n thats fine but dont act like its a national concensus. Ppl always try to use that against Bey, cus she’s the finest technical vocalist we have?
———————————————————————————–
Well said, I was thinking the exact same thing! Some people are determined to make it seem as if Bey is failing in the RnB genre. The same “statements”(which folks insisted were factual) were made about Whitney and a few other icons at one time. Some people just need to leave their personal opinion of Bey out of things once in a while.
http://www.thepagewithroyalkev.com
Personal opinion ASIDE, Beyonce does lack soul. While she was singing “listen” in dreamgirls it was such a non-event. She thought that was gonna be her oscar moment SIKE. People don’t respect Bey as a vocalist like they respect Adele or Whitney, that’s a fact. And of course her fans will bawl and cheer as she sings in front of them lol they’re her fans.
Thats when you know Monica has true beauty.
This woman went and sung the national anthem with no make-up and still looked great.
Simple, strong and powerful, with the right ingredients to suit the event she’s singing at.
Monica could’ve gone harder but less was more on this occasion.
Great
Monica smashed this performance her voice is unmatched she’s a real singer and dead at these Brandy fans please stfd and gtfoh ya’ll can’t wait for her album lol i don’t know why it’s gonna go wood just like her last one.
LOL @ Coffee
You damn right!
Monica gave power holding note with such ease but we know she can SANG already.
Sweet and delcious like the strawberry cheesecake im eating right now.
Well Done Mo’
#NewLife April 9th in UK.
Time has flown teammonica & teammusic
This woman looking like she just woke up, brushed her teeth, wash her body, ate breakfast, flung on some jeans, boots, top and a fashonista fitted jacket, wrapped her hair in a quick ponytail and then got her facial cleanse,then proceeded to the game to lay down some hot Anthem vocals.
Mother mode!
Love Monica. She kept anthem simple but strong with the Monica trademark vocals.
@royalkev
Exactly thanks. When ur winning ppl will use anything flimsy against u. At least wasnt havin none of that. She snapped right back
@Ugh
How can u say persnal opinion aside then ” Beyonce does lack soul” that is totall y your opinion unless there’s an instrument that measures “soul” again whatever that means. What people exactly dont respect Bey for her vocal abilities? Its not the industry cus her peers n critics beg to differ n these include legends and let’s not even go into grammys in vocals categories. Maybe Adele n Whitney’s “soul” is more talked about cuz they’re not as versatile as Beyonce, they cant go from a crazy in love type full out routine performance to a dangeously in love ballad performance. They’ll slow it down or leave dancing to dancers
“she thought was gonna have her oscar moment” … Ok now u just talking out of ur ass do u haveit on record anywhere where Beyonce hinted towards an Oscar for listen? No stop reaching. Everyone knows AITYING is the signature song of dreamgirls
No its beyond cheering, im talkin tearing up like babies, thats why u need to go look up clips on utube infact there’s a recent article on Ebony mag by a journalist who said Bey reduced her to tears at Roseland. I’ll send u a link if u cant find it yourself. Bey touches people’s hearts n thats the whole point, harping on about “soul” wont change that my friend.
And u say they’re crying just because they are her fans. That makes no sense u plan to go to a concert nobody plans to bawl. Thats the show catering to ur sensibilities. If its a norm like u make it sound. Why havent other pop n rnb stars of today recorded such effects on their fans and that includes both Mo n Bran?
And the pro-journalist who was attendin her 1st Bey concert ever on an official platform too? Thats not a typical fan that was a casual person moved by Beyonce, Beyonce’s musicianship.
@Grammy Dammy Sammy
So Adele and Whitney’s soul is more talked about because they are less versatile than Bey? LMAO No Bey’s soul isn’t talked about because it’s LACKING. And she won all those accolades because of her TECHNIQUE, which I never said I had a problem with. Nobody listens to Bey when they want to be moved. She could never create an album like 21 or have a signature song like IWALY because she’s not that skilled in those areas. She’s more Tina Turner/Diana Ross.
And Bey’s own mama said that Dreamgirls was her ROLE. You could tell she was banking on that film to win an award, that’s why she was crying at the Golden Globes when Jhud won.
@UGH
U’ll have to define soul for me. Beyonce is not a soul singer (and neither is Adele, if we’re keeping it real), my stance is she’s emotive and connects with her audience thru her music and that’s all she has to do. Beyonce’s sound is different from Adele. Beyonce’ s “soul” is not talked about cus she’s not a soul/ neo-soul/ AC singer. see now you’re lingering towards genre which is not what u said in your first comment. if it’s about genre Monica isnt a soul singer either, she’s RnB. she could not have a song like IWALY? lol Whitney was in her 30s when that hit came about. i’ll never say never if i were you. anyways whateve future classics she has it depends on the genre, it doesnt have to be a Whitney type number, she’s Beyonce, it’ll be her own way, genre/ tempo all that dont matter the point is Bey emotes.
yea of course she wants it to get awards, what actor doesnt want that for their film? and u mentioned listen, stop saying “that’s why ….” leave out the fabrications. the dreamgirls thing is irrelevant here, she wanted to win for acting, that’s nothing to do with emoting, and if the song won, it would be good not great cus she’s already know for singing and winning accolades on that front. she wanted to prove herself as an actress. Nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself
@Grammy Dammy Sammy
Alright my final comment. Since we are keeping it real, neither Adele or Whitney were soul singers. Whitney was pop from jump and Adele is AC, but both have soul to me. Adam Levine has soul, Chris Daughtry has soul, just to let you know i’m not being genre specific. Bey’s “sound” is not the issue. It’s just like you said, she EMOTES, she doesn’t live it. If a record on par with IWALY was given to her it would not be as great.
And my point about Dreamgirls is that if she sung listen like Jhud sung AIATY, she would’ve won an award lol (considering that’s the only reason Jennifer won).