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 12 Sing Songs
of Diana Ross
Air date: Tuesday,
March 13, 2007
Master Class Guest: Diana Ross
Brandon Rogers: Brandon Rogers’ version of The
Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” needed more energy, the vocal was flat on
the verse, and he lost the band after forgetting the lyrics.
Performance-wise, it just didn’t have oomph. Tips for Success: If it
makes you forget the words and lose the band, don’t dance!
Melinda Doolittle: Melinda Doolittle’s version of “Home” (from The
Wiz) was strong, and riveting to watch. We heard two small pitch problems
which she corrected mid-note, but her stage presence and believability were
so strong, we still say, Bravo! “And not a run does she do!” remarked
Webmaster Extraordinaire, who was over-run during Seasons 1 through 5. Tips
for Success: None, she’s got it. We might work with her on her interview
segment, though; onstage she’s a powerhouse professional, but offstage her
demeanor is a little deer-in-the-headlights. Being a genuinely sweet person,
we’re confident she can own it without turning into a diva.
Chris Sligh: In Chris Sligh’s rearranged version of “Endless Love,”
the tempo was all wrong. The vocal itself was very good, and on pitch, but
doing “Endless Love” at a faster tempo and with a drastic rearrangement was
too much and made the lyrics lose impact. Image-wise, we actually liked his
old look better. Tips for Success: You can often get away with one
drastic change when rearranging a well-known song, but rarely two. This
rearrangement may have worked if he’d done it as an acoustic version with a
slow tempo to maintain the impact.
Gina Glocksen: Gina Glocksen’s version of the Supremes’ “Love Child”
lacked energy, and was pitchy on a couple of notes. We didn’t like the Bland
Band’s lack of oomph on it, but we’d like to hear her do it with a top
producer, with a better band, because it was a good song for her voice. We
just wanted her to sing it with more passion and anger, because it’s a song
of anger/desperation of never being accepted considered good enough.
Image-wise, she looked better than ever, and it’s a good look for her.
Tips for Success: Pay attention to the feeling of the lyric, and sing it
like you wrote it.
Sanjaya Malakar: What can we say about Sanjaya Malakar’s version of
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”? The word ‘awful’ is not “enough,” and
singing is not this kid’s thing. (And no, Paula, he wasn’t “right on
pitch.”) Maybe acting is more his thing instead, because the camera likes
him, and he seems to have a great light. Image-wise, they went a little too
overboard with the ‘70’s teen idol look tonight; it was a little too Greg
Brady, and the Tony DeFranco look worked better. Tips for Success:
This is what happens when people are always told what they want to hear,
instead of the sometimes painful truth. Stop the madness, please.
Haley Scarnato: “Missing You” was not a good song choice for Hayley
Scarnato at all, and her singing was at times too quiet and soft. It was
boring, and at times off-pitch (when we could hear her), and she forgot the
lyrics. But, we give her major props for hearing her mistakes and knowing it
was a bad performance, because some other contestants clearly don’t. Our
respect level for Hayley went up ten-fold. Tips for Success:
Projecting to the audience and really feeling the lyrics builds confidence.
Hearing your mistakes and working to change them next time builds respect
among people you work with.
Phil Stacey: Phil Stacey’s version of “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”
was boring and Telethon, but vocally, he had a nice tone for 95% of the
song. Working on his stage presence will help immensely…We probably would
have upped the tempo slightly, too. Tips for Success: Stage presence
can help make up for a bland band.
LaKisha Jones: Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” was a great
song for LaKisha Jones’ voice, and she sang it well. She lost a little bit
of energy in the middle, but overall, it was fab, and she’s stage presence
defined. And no runs!!! Yay!!! Image-wise, we liked the elegance of the
dress, but the color didn’t photograph well. (Since Billie wore white
onstage a lot, we get where she was going, though.) Perhaps a richer color
or matte finish would photograph a bit better? Tips for Success:
Since she’s got the singing and stage presence down, image will be key.
Dressing elegantly is makes curvy girls shine.
Blake Lewis: Blake Lewis’ version of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” was
skewered by the judges for the rearrangement, but we liked what he did with
the arrangement. He had decent vocals, but they needed more passion and
feeling…Given the choice, we would have had him focus more on the vocal than
on his stage movements, because YKMHO is a song that’s all about the vocal
hooks. He did have good stage presence, though. Tips for success: If
it’s a choice between focusing on vocals or focusing on choreography, always
go for the vocal. Stage presence is spirit, so if you truly do a passionate,
really feeling it, leave-it-all-on-the- floor vocal, the stage presence will
come from it naturally.
Stephanie Edwards: We didn’t like the arrangement of Stephanie
Edwards’ version of “Love Hangover” at all: It was boring, Telethon, and
just not sexy (which a song of that title should be). And vocally we wanted
to break out the Koapectate (too many runs). Image-wise, she majorly missed
the mark for the first time in the competition; the print dress distracted
from her voice and pretty face. Tips for Success: Sing it like you
wrote it.
Chris Richardson: Chris Richardson’s version of “The Boss” was very
Telethon thanks to the Bland Band, and we weren’t as enthusiastic about the
vocal as we’ve been in the past: too many runs (Pass the Kaopectate), it was
a little overdone, and it sounded wail-ey in spots. Performance-wise it came
off a little cheesy. But it could have been worse and we see his potential,
so we’d give him another shot. He’s just leaning over a little too far into
Timberlake clone land, which isn’t necessary to get noticed. Tips for
success: Be yourself. Don’t imitate anyone else, because you’re original
on your own.
Jordin Sparks: “If We Hold On Together” was a boring song, but it had
the range necessary to show off Jordin Sparks’ vocal range and capability,
and she sang it extremely well. Performance-wise, her stage presence saved
what, in less-capable hands, would have been a very Telethon song. And, her
imaging was superb. Tips for Success: Ballads without strong melodies
are risky and need a lot of stage presence to work. If you must, sing it
with a lot of passion.
We voted for: Melinda Doolittle
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: None, but his fast-comeback
bickering with Simon was entertaining.
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.
|
