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: Top 10 Sing No
Doubt and Gwen Stefani Songs, and Songs By Artists Who Influenced Gwen
Stefani
Air date: Tuesday,
March 27, 2007
Guest: Gwen Stefani
LaKisha Jones: LaKisha Jones’ version of Donna Summer’s “Last
Dance” was pitchy on the low notes, especially on the chorus, and it wasn’t
our favorite performance of hers. But, that said, there were some really
nice vocal variations in there that were different from the original, and a
bad day for LaKisha is still an excellent vocal and miles ahead of 8 of the
other competitors. Image-wise, she looked great. The burgundy highlights (or
burgundy lighting) in her hair looked cool, too. Tips for success: 1.
No matter how good a singer you are, you have weak spots in your vocals.
Know what they are, and work to eliminate them. 2. If you’re a young
artist, dress young. In other shows LaKisha had looked matronly; don’t make
that same mistake! No one wants to look 55 when they’re 20-something.
Chris Sligh: Chris Sligh’s version of the Police’s “Every Little
Thing (She Does is Magic)” wasn’t bad, but we weren’t wow’ed by it, either.
Vocally and performance-wise, he seemed to have lost his personality a bit
this week. Because of their complicated rhythms and extreme highs and lows,
Sting’s songs are hard for anyone other than Sting (or an exceptionally
well-trained jazz singer) to perform. Chris didn’t quite get away with it on
the rhythm front. Image-wise, we liked that Chris went back to his old look.
Tips for success: Stay with the band!
Gina Glocksen: Gina Glocksen’s version of The Pretender's “I’ll
Stand By You” started off not bad, but her voice was very shaky for the
first part of the song. It got much better, though, and it had some really
nice moments. Randy Jackson was right; it was a really good song choice for
her. Image-wise, her wardrobe was really bad, and it looked like she was
afraid to move for fear of the skirt being too revealing. Tips for
success: Check your look on film before making that final decision, and
make sure you don’t have to stand still to keep anything from showing. Doubt
makes you hold back performance-wise.
Sanjaya Malakar: Ai yi yi…What can we say about Sanjaya Malakar’s
version of No Doubt’s “Bathwater"?
What a mess…and although we’d need to view the performance again to be sure,
we think he may have mixed up his he/she/him/her pronouns a bit. Adding
insult to injury, even the hair was all wrong. Tips for success:
We’re good, but we’re not miracle workers. Singing is just not this kid’s
thing, and this week, even the charisma wasn’t working for him.
Hayley Scarnato: Hayley Scarnato’s version of Cyndi Lauper’s “True
Colors” sounded like a B-version of Marie Osmond, and we hated it. It was
boring, and some of the notes were a little screechy. Image-wise, it looks
like she’s trying to coast through by wearing sexy clothes…which doesn’t
really work with her sweet, all-American look and sweet vocal delivery.
Tips for success: Hayley would probably be a good commercials singer.
You know the decent but sometimes generic female singers they use to cover
old hits in commercials for various products? Hayley could probably make a
very good living at it.
Phil Stacey: Phil Stacey’s version of the Police’s “Every Breath You
Take” was a good song for his voice, and we liked the raspy quality he
brought out. Whatever Phil did here, he needs to keep doing. It was his best
performance of the season, and ditto for the band. Image-wise, we liked
everything but the hat. Tips for success: Choose songs that bring out
the best quality of your voice.
Melinda Doolittle: Although the vocal was excellent, Melinda
Doolittle’s version of Donna Summer’s “Heaven Knows” was actually boring for
the first half. Said one of our staffers, “It’s not the best Donna Summer
song,” and we agree: the whole thing was way too Telethon. Image-wise, we
never thought we’d say this, but Melinda’s wardrobe was atrocious: On film,
the outfit made Melinda look even shorter, the print was too busy for TV,
and the belt made it look like she had no waist. We agree with Simon Cowell
on this one. Tips for success: Again, check your look on film!
Blake Lewis: Blake Lewis’s of The Cure’s “Love Song” had
an excellent arrangement, and it was an excellent song for his voice. He
could record the song with that arrangement, and it would probably work well
for him. Performance-wise, he needed to have more presence on it, because
as one of our staffers pointed out, “For a competition, it might not be the
best song,” because it doesn’t have a big buildup that ends with big notes.
Image-wise, the wardrobe was a great choice. Tips for success: At
this point in the competition, although there are better voices, Blake is
the most signable, because in addition to his talent he’s the right
combination of commercial and unique, and he has a young, marketable image.
To win, he needs to continue to work hard on his vocals, stay focused by not
reading the blogs and message boards and media, and not let the buzz go to
his head.
Jordin Sparks: Jordin Sparks’ performance of Gwen Stefani’s “Hey
Baby” didn’t impress us; she has a much better voice than that song showed,
although she had excellent stage presence. It’s always awkward watching
someone perform a song by the guest artist, and this was no exception.
Wardrobe-wise, the skirt wasn’t flattering, either. Tips for success:
1. Song selection—never perform the guest artist’s song if you can possibly
avoid it. 2. If you’re tall, like Jordin, dance classes can help you learn
how to use your height to your advantage and move more fluidly across the
stage.
Chris Richardson: Chris Richardson’s version of No Doubt’s “Don’t
Speak” was pitchy at first and he rushed it a bit, but it was an excellent
song for his style and range. It was refreshing hearing a guy sing it, and
he could record it. Tips for success: 1.Gender-bending lyrics by
singing songs originally done by the opposite sex is usually very effective.
We’d like to see more contestants do that. 2. No matter how good you are,
keep working on your vocals and timing.
We voted for: Blake Lewis.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: “Well, I feel
uncomfortable now…” (after Chris Sligh said something about being in his
underwear.
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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