Later a small woman fully suited in astronaut gear lip-syncs to a funky, deep bass rendition of "Over the Rainbow". It's funny at first but quickly turns forlorn.
In that effort, Mr. Singleton went far beyond the skin-deep renditions of certain kinds of black youth and their troubles in the street.
Her deep, lingering renditions of chestnuts like "Blue Skies" and "Without a Song" are especially impressive for the sense of quiet joy she breathes into them.
She takes these songs down to street level, stripping them of everything inessential in order to find out what they have to say about life or love or, in a deep-blues rendition of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," the oddly distinct pleasure of losing one's mind.
After Cabral sang a deep, rich, vibrant rendition of Alicia Keys' "Brand New Me," the three judges called her voice "beautiful". Jennifer Lopez added that it was the kind of "thick" and "low-toned" vocal they didn't get to hear all the time.
In April, on the program's Kaufman Astoria Studios set in Queens, the 6-foot-tall Mr. Clash and another puppeteer were crouching closely together under a tiny box as they attempted a swift swivel for their seated puppet, a deep-turquoise purple-nosed rendition of Cee Lo Green taking part in the "Sesame Street" parody of NBC's "The Voice".
By turns breezy and bittersweet, he channeled both Mercer and Fred Astaire in his impeccable, understated renditions of "How Deep Is the Ocean," "Cheek to Cheek" and "Let's Face the Music and Dance".
"Mick and I were watching Bob's first set and it sounded good, the band was great, and I said, 'Mick, notice – very little concession to showbusiness,' and Mick went, 'Yeahhh, right.'"The Rolling Stones are far more dependable than Dylan in that regard – every night you get the hits, in a recognisable rendition, with some deeper cuts alternating through the set.
The actress's rendition of Hellman's deep, wheezy vocal register has an Anglian tinge, reminiscent of Tammy Grimes.
Friday night's "Postcard," unlike the earlier rendition that was buried deep into the concert, found itself at the beginning of the program and served as an excellent appetizer of what was to come.
