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 9 Perform
Classic
Standards
Air date: Tuesday,
April 3, 2007
Guest: Tony Bennett
Blake Lewis "Mack the Knife" (popularized by Bobby Darin) was a good
song for Blake's voice, and it wasn't bad, but we weren't wowed by it. He
over-vocalized a bit on the 2nd verse, and we wanted to hear him put more
feeling into the lyrics. Wardrobe-wise he looked great...except for the big,
wide tie, which on camera looked like "The Tie That Swallowed Blake Lewis".
Tips for success: Always check your look on camera to be sure your
accessories are in proportion to the rest of your outfit. God and producers
(natch) created dress rehearsal for a reason, so use it to your advantage.
Phil Stacey In theory, "Night and Day" (popularized by Frank Sinatra)
was a good song for Phil Stacey, and his low notes sounded a bit like
Sinatra. (Heaven help us, we're agreeing with Paula...) He was off a bit at
first, but he got it together and delivered on the notes. But, we agree with
Simon that it was kind of a "dark" version...In fact, was a lot like Kevin
Kline's melancholy performance of it in De-Lovely. Tips for
success: Pay attention to the meaning of the lyrics, and act the part.
Melinda Doolittle "I Got Rhythm" was an interesting song choice for
Melinda Doolittle, because it's been done so much, it's hard to inject
anything new into it. That said, her voice is in a whoooooooole other league
from the rest of the contestants, and it was an excellent performance. The
minus? Melinda's Wardrobe and hair this week. We want to see the joyful
expression on Melinda's face when she sings, and the distracting print of
her dress--and a hairstyle that made her look like she was hiding behind her
hair--took the eye away from that. Tips for success: Her joyful,
expressive eyes are Melinda's best feature when she sings, so it's important
to highlight them rather than hide them. Know your best feature when you
sing, and work it!
Chris Richardson Chris Richardson's version of Duke Ellington's "Don't
Get Around Much Anymore" was really tame at first, and we were bored for the
first half. Then his personality kicked in, and the last half was excellent
and very cool. But more to the point, not being prepared with the lyrics
memorized when he walked into the room with Tony Bennett was disrespectful.
Pros are prepared. Tips for success: 1. Always go into a
session knowing your lyrics; it gives you more room to be creative with the
music. And, people will take you more seriously because they'll respect your
professionalism. (Important when you're trying to get someone to
invest millions of dollars in your career.) 2. Your performance has
to be cool all the way through; half a great performance isn't
enough.
Jordin Sparks We've never been a fan of the song "On a Clear Day" (not
even of the Barbra Streisand version)...But, Jordin sang it
exceptionally well and had great stage presence. In fact, she reminds us a
lot of Melissa Manchester or Bernadette Peters at their best. On the
downside, Jordin's outfit reminded us of what airport hotel lounge
waitresses wear, giving the impression of a singing waitress who jumped
onstage. Singing well on the #1 rated show in America warrants more style.
Tips for success: Great voice, great stage presence needs equally
great clothes. It's a package deal, so dress the part.
Gina Glocksen Gina Glocksen's version of the Charlie Chaplin-penned
"Smile" (popularized by Nat King Cole) wasn't exactly contemporary, but she
sang it excellently, and with feeling. It was one of her better
performances, and it probably would have been more well-received by Simon
had the arrangement been a little more current. Tips for success:
Standards are tricky to bring current. When you're doing a classic, it's
important to work with a skilled arranger to bring something fresh to it.
Sanjaya Malakar Sanjaya Malakar sang Fred Astaire's "Dancing Cheek
to Cheek." Fred he ain't, and the suit and hair were atrocious. Tips for
success: Our musical integrity prevents us from offering any. That train
left the station long ago.
Hayley Scarnato Hayley Scarnato's version of "Ain't Misbehavin''' was
flat on some notes near the beginning, sharp on others farther in, and had
some big notes later. Performance-wise it was a little too Betty Boop, and
the dress and hair made her look like a pageant girl...which isn't a
compliment in a singing competition. Tips for success: Hayley's voice
is more suited for musical theater than a commercial recording contract.
She'd probably do quite well on Broadway.
La Kisha Jones La Kisha Jones' performance of "Stormy Weather" had a
shocking moment: she hit a clinker at the beginning. But the rest was
fabulous, and the elegance of her wardrobe matched her voice and top-notch
stage presence. Tips for success: Star performances are a whole
package: voice, feeling of lyrics, stage presence, wardrobe, and hair, all
working together with a great song.
Additional Notes /Tips for success: Standards have been recorded and
performed live by the world's greatest singers. The key to covering them
successfully is to bring more to the song than just hitting big notes. The
audience knows the song, so it's important to be fresh, unique (in a
good way), and make them believe you lived and wrote those lyrics.
We voted for: This was tough, because no one wowed us with the
whole package this week. With a major recording deal just weeks away,
it's past time to put the whole package together and knock every performance
out of the park. So by default, we voted for Blake Lewis. There are better
voices, but Blake came the closest to putting it all together this week (and
has done so consistently through the competition). Chris Richardson was more
entertaining this week and would have had our vote, had
his entire performance been good, and if he'd been prepared when
arrived for class with Tony Bennett.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: None, but Ryan's black
Vegas Casino Guy suit and tie looked fab, and was apropos.
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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