A unique voice

[Uncle Al]

Surprising talent from an extraordinary 14 year old in the U.K.
Get ready to tap your toes
Jacob - Putin On The Ritz

Uncle Al

[Uncle Al]

Unfortunately, Jacob was 'out-gunned' in the 2nd round.
I still feel he will further his career by his appearance on
The Voice Kids UK.

I loved his rendition of "Puttin' On The Ritz"

Uncle Al

[FranTastic444]

A while back a young girl who lived just down the road from me had her 15 mins of fame after a video of her singing in a church in Rugby went vial (somehow picked up by the San Fransisco Times).

I refuse to watch the talent contest shows (especially those featuring Simon Cowell) because I think there is (or was) a really nasty element of mocking the afflicted. Although there were some people on there who were rubbish, but who went on tv fully knowledgeable of this fact, there were also people on there who were rubbish who thought they were good and didn't have the social awareness to understand this fact.

[Uncle Al]

Jacob is NOT 'rubbish', as you call it. His voice is close
to Tony Bennett's but a bit lower. This at 14 years old
is remarkable.

Yes, Simon Cowell can be a real 'PAIN' but he has
mellowed quite a bit.

Uncle Al

[FranTastic444]

Hi Al

Apologies for any confusion - I wasn't for a moment suggesting that Jacob is rubbish (or in any way afflicted for that matter), far from it. And sorry if this has ended up as a bit of a thread hijack (unintended).

My comment was in relation to those early round auditions where, amongst all the talent, are some people with a glaring misapprehension about their singing talents. It's pretty clear to me that they are not fully socially aware and I think the shows shamelessly use (and therefore abuse) these people and poke fun at them.

One famous case, that totally bucks the trend, isthe first appearance of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent (but I'll include it here anyhow as it still illustrates my main point). You can see and feel the preconceptions from the audience and judges on the show as she stood on the stage for the first time. But for the fact that she has this amazing voice, I think she would have been ripped apart by the judges / audience. After losing the final she spent time recovering in a private hospital and in later years she was diagnosed with Asperger's.

British comedian, Jo Brand (a former mental health nurse), has this to say on the matter.