MBADC American Idol
Armchair Quarterback 2007
American Idol from
the perspective of someone who's booked artists at the national-level: who we like in the
competition, what works, what doesn't work, what contestants can do to improve
their chances of success, and advice you can apply to your own performances.
Season 6: Idol Gives Back / The Top
6 Perform
Songs That Inspire
Air date: Tuesday,
April 24, 2007
Chris Richardson Eric Clapton's "If I Could Change the World" was an
excellent song choice for Chris Richardson, and he made it his own, current
song. But he rushed the tempo a bit on the vocal, and he didn't enunciate.
All in all, though, it was a great performance and he could definitely
record this arrangement of it. (And unlike most of the other performances
from last night, it wasn't Telethon!) Tips for success: When you're
singing a song that inspires, it's especially important to pronounce the
words; you want to get that message across!
Melinda Doolittle Faith Hill's "There Will Come a Day" wasn't our
favorite as a song, but Melinda's vocal and performance were
fabulous. Wardrobe-wise, the cut of her dress wasn't as becoming as some of
her other dresses in the past (cap sleeves aren't elegant and can make
people look shorter and hunched over). Most of all, it's time for Melinda to
stop dressing like a corporate secretary and look more like the star she has
the ability to be. Tips for success: When you have an amazing voice
and sing classic, timeless, elegant songs, your level of clothing must be as
classic and elegant. Dressing like a star isn't about looking like "you"
as you see yourself every day. But it's not about looking like someone
else either. The goal is to look like you at your very best--only
with better clothes, makeup and hair.
Blake Lewis John Lennon's "Imagine" wasn't the best song choice for a
talent competition, because it's one of the "untouchables": it's so
well-known and loved there's no way to ever really begin make it your own,
let alone live up to it. And that makes it really hard to judge the
performer on their own merit. That said, as for Blake Lewis, John Lennon's
lyric was more powerful than the performance. Blake wasn't bad at all, but
he wasn't fabulous, and it didn't make us say "Wow." We didn't
hate it, it just wasn't as powerful as Blake has the ability to make it.
Tips for success: If you have the cajones to take on this song, you have
to leave the audience spellbound. You can't just do it "well".
LaKisha Jones: "I Believe" by Fantasia wasn't the best song selection
for LaKisha Jones. Musically it's too "run-ny" for her vocal style, and it's
Fantasia's signature song. LaKisha's amazing, but this didn't highlight her
best vocal attributes, and she was a little pitchy on it. On the up side,
her wardrobe and imaging looked great! Tips for success: If you have
a reputation for having an amazing voice, break it down and figure out
exactly what's great about it. Are you a great belter? Are you best at runs?
Is range your thing? Zone in on it, and focus on song selections that
highlight what you do best. (BTW--if you're saying, "But I'm good at all of
it," you haven't tried hard enough to figure it out. Every singer is
best at something. If necessary, enlist a third party to help you figure it
out.)
Phil Stacey: Phil Stacey's version of Garth Brooks' "The Change" had a
really Telethon arrangement (and equal performance by the Bland Band).
Phil's vocal was really good...But it was a little boring compared to last
week's performance, and we agree with Simon that Phil's voice sounds better
when he sings with more Country technique. When he does that, he really
shines. Tips for success: See above "Tips for Success", under La
Kisha. The same advice applies to Phil. Figure out what makes you shine, and
go for it!
Jordin Sparks: Jordin Sparks' version of the classic "You'll Never Walk
Alone" (best known versions: Elvis Presley) had good control but was
slightly pitchy in places, and she shouted a bit. We didn't think it was as
fabulous as the judges did...But, it wasn't bad at all, and she took huge
risks and accomplished them. (Musically it was just a little too Telethon
for our taste.) But enough nitpicking: More than any other competitor, we
can see that Jordin works hard to improve from week to week in all aspects,
and it's paying off. Tips for success: If you always work hard to
keep improving the whole package-- voice, song selection, stage presence and
movements, wardrobe, hair, and makeup--you'll never go wrong.
We voted for:
This was a tough one: Melinda Doolittle had the best vocal, but she didn't
have her wardrobe together (at this stage, it should be a total package).
Chris Richardson came closer to the total package, but didn't have as good a
vocal as Melinda. What to do? We voted for both.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night:
None...which was appropriate for this show. But seeing Ryan try to balance
that huge basket of bananas on his head--and his look of horror when it
started to slip--was a funny moment in what could have been a dreary (but
important) episode.
American Idol
Armchair Quarterback
The MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback is intended as commentary and
is not affiliated with Fox Television, American Idol, or its producers or
judges in any way. Tips should be taken as a suggestion only and are not
intended as a substitute for qualified vocal coaching or artist management.
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