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: The Top
6 Perform
Bon Jovi Songs
Air date: Tuesday,
May 1, 2007
Phil Stacey
“Blaze of Glory” was an excellent song choice for Phil Stacey’s voice and
style. The song has huge notes and is a difficult song to sing, but he did
it well and even managed to stylize the chorus a bit. If he put more of his
country flavor in, he could record it (and we never say that about
Bon Jovi songs, because with longtime fans of the band on staff, we’re
tres picky). Performance-wise, Phil had decent stage presence, and it
was his best performance yet. Tips for success: Always make a
cover your own by changing something about it. The thing that made this song
work for Phil was that he stylized the chorus. Had he not done that, it
probably would have been too karaoke.
Jordin Sparks
“Livin’ On a Prayer” was a bad song choice for Jordin because 1. she’s not a
rock singer vocally or image-wise, 2. the song doesn’t bring out her best
vocal qualities and 3. it’s one of the Bon Jovi songs that falls under the
heading of “Untouchable.” (We were hoping she’d go for “Always,” a Bon Jovi
ballad that perfectly fits her range and big note style.) Jordin’s version
of “Prayer” was shaky and screechy, and overall it reminded us of a
not-so-great bar band. (Image-wise, it was just as bad.) On the plus side,
Jordin knew she screwed up on the vocal, and we respect her for knowing what
she did wrong. Tips for success: 1. Knowing where you went
wrong is as valuable as getting it right. 2. Straying too far from
your image and genre can be disastrous. Figuring out a way to make the
covers work within your style is key. 3. Song selection, song
selection, song selection.
La Kisha Jones
“This Ain’t a Love Song” was a good song choice for LaKisha Jones’ voice,
although she was shaky and pitchy on some of the low notes until she found
her groove about ½ way in. But once she got it together and stepped away
from the mic stand, she was magic and absolutely nailed it. Wardrobe-wise,
the clothing was just OK, but the makeup and hair were great. Tips for
success: LaKisha sings better when she steps away from the mic stand and
uses the stage. Know which way you sing better—stationary behind the
mic, or not? Playing an instrument, or not?--and take full advantage of it.
Blake Lewis
“You Give Love a Bad Name” Blake Lewis demonstrated the perfect way to
approach a classic everyone knows: change it completely and make it your own
so it’s a whole different animal from the original. It’s the only way to go
with an Untouchable, since no one can ever compete with the original in most
people’s minds anyway. We loved Blake’s version of “…Bad Name,” and he made
a song from 1986 into something fresh and new (and 2007 pop radio-friendly).
We also love that the beat boxing was back! The only thing we didn’t
like was Blake’s new, dark hair color (blond photographs better). Tips
for success: Dark hair absorbs light and photographs flat, so many
performers are best off with well-done blond highlights, which light up the
face.
Chris Richardson
“Wanted Dead or Alive” Chris Richardson demonstrated exactly the way not
to cover one of the Untouchables. Aside from being an Untouchable, “Wanted”
was a bad song choice for Chris because it didn’t fit his vocal style. And
let’s face it, the lyric doesn’t ring true: most American Idol
contestants haven’t yet earned the right to sing a lyric depicting a
seasoned, exhausted performer who’s been on the road for years. Song choice
aside…Chris was screechy and shrieked the ending, so it was like bad
karaoke, and his wardrobe could have been better. (Adding insult to injury,
Chris came unprepared to his mentoring session with Jon. There’s no excuse
for not knowing the lyrics.) Tips for success: Unless you’re a genius
at song arrangement, stay away from Untouchables. Even then, think twice.
Melinda Doolittle
“Have a Nice Day” We weren’t crazy about this as a song selection for
Melinda Doolittle, because we felt one of the band’s ballads or “Keep the
Faith”** would work better for her voice. But, she had excellent stage
presence and did a great job with the attitude and feel of the lyrics. The
quality of some of her notes didn’t match her usual vocal quality, but even
so, vocally she’s still miles ahead of the other contestants. Wardrobe wise,
she made great choices this week. Tips: Melinda needs more confidence
when she’s not singing (it is possible to have it without changing
your humility). If she owns and accepts it she’ll be an even better singer,
because she’ll be open to her talent and the good fortune it can
bring…rather than pushing it away.
**Although
lyrically “Keep the Faith” was meant for a male singer, it can be done
convincingly by a female singer by changing the line “Forgive your wayward
son” to “Forgive this wayward one”.
We voted for:
This was a tough one, because we liked Blake Lewis for his arrangement and
interpretation, and Phil Stacey for his overall vocal. If we had to choose
one we’d probably choose Blake, because he’s the most fresh,
marketable, and unique.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night:
None in particular,
but his delivery on some of his lines was especially funny tonight.
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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