MBADC American Idol
Armchair Quarterback 2008, Season 7
American Idol, from
the perspective of a former national-level talent booker, demo screener, and
performance coach: who we like in the
competition, what works and what doesn't, what contestants can do to improve
their chances of success, and advice you can apply to your own career.
Editor's Note: Much has been made in the media about some of this year's
contestants having had label deals in the past. After much discussion, we at
MBADC made a conscious decision not to use this as a factor when rating each
contestant's performance in the MBADC American Idol Armchair Quarterback
column...including the new "most signable" section.
Season 7
Top 16: The Top 8 Guys
Perform Songs From the
80s
Air date: Tuesday,
March 4, 2008
Luke Menard: Luke Menard's version of
Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" was a little weak in the vocal in
spots, and it didn't work for us--performance-wise, or in terms of song
selection. Said our Webmaster, "It's a novelty song that doesn't work now.
[In the 80's] that song was a gimmick and the song, the video, the shirts
all went together to make people say, 'Hey, who are these guys?' The song
doesn't work by itself." We agree.
Tips for success: Web's got it right: novelty songs don't work in a
current setting, so choose something else.
David Archuleta: David Archuleta's version of Phil Collins' "Another Day
in Paradise" was a little pitchy, but was an overall
good performance that was very current. He could record it.
We also really respect that he paid attention to the lyrics--something
that's lacking in many past and present Idol contestants. Performance-wise, playing the piano was a good choice, and we agree with the
judges in that he should have stayed at it for the whole song. Tips for
success: Staying behind the piano on a ballad creates a moodiness that
is lost when you step away, so it's better to stay there so as not to break
the spell.
Danny Noriega: Danny Noriega's interpretation of Soft Cell's arrangement
of "Tainted Love" had a great arrangement and cool vocal phrasing. The vocal
could have been a little better in a couple places, but our Ed in Chief
"liked the oddness of it" and thought it was kind of cool. Webmaster didn't
like it at all. Performance-wise, it could have been a little better in
terms of stage presence, but he's definitely not boring, and we enjoy
waiting to see what he'll do next. Tips for success: Taking a
big risk sometimes pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. Go for it, and be
sure you have the personality to back it up.
David Hernandez: David Hernandez's version of "It's All Coming Back to
Me Now," which Celine Dion made famous in the '90's, was pitchy in places
and had a couple of really bad notes. (Given the judges glowing praise, we
wondered if the judges couldn't hear the performance, a problem on the
Idol set which Simon Cowell has complained of many times over the past
several seasons.) Performance-wise, we found it boring to watch. Tips for
success: Develop your stage presence to be memorable. Good vocals aren't
enough.
Michael Johns: Michael Johns' version of Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About
Me" was off-pitch on the bridge, and we didn't like this as a song for him,
because he's too Michael Hutchence-esque on it, and we've already had a Michael Hutchence. Instead of imitating Michael
Hutchence's look, sound, and style, we'd prefer to see Michael Johns be
himself and develop his own. Tips for success: If you look like
Michael Hutchence or are Australian and sound like him, singing anything
that makes you sound more like Michael Hutchence is a mistake. It's been done, so be yourself.
David Cook: David Cook's EMO-esque version of Lionel Richie's "Hello"
blew us away, and was our favorite performance from all 7 seasons of
American Idol. We loved the arrangement, which brought a bit of darkness
to the lyrics, loved the aggressive but haunting quality of the guitar, and
thought the vocal phrasing was delivered brilliantly. The recording of this
live performance could be released as is, and could be a hit again.
We wouldn't change a thing. Added Webmaster, "That's the first time I've
ever liked that song." Tips for success: This is an example of the
perfect way to handle a cover song: claim it, change the arrangement, and
make it entirely your own.
Jason Castro: Jason Castro's interpretation of the Jeff Buckley
version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" could have been a little stronger on
the vocal, but he's developing nicely as a performer. The vocals sounded a
little too much like the Jeff Buckley version for our taste, but overall it
was really good, and we like watching him. (For an excellent example
of how to change the arrangement and vocal of this song, check out
Bon Jovi's 2007 Unplugged performance of it from VH-1). Tips for
success: Like we said with David Cook, claim it, change it, and make it
your own.
Chikezie: Chikezie's version of "All the Woman I Need" had an OK
vocal, and he had really nice tone at times. But it was very Telethon, and
we were really bored...especially after standout performances by the two
previous contestants. Tips for success: Following good performances
requires putting extra "oomph" in your own performance. That way, you add to
the audience's energy level, and they stay with you. Then you can feed off
that collective energy to create a memorable evening for the audience.
Most signable, based on tonight's performance:
David Cook.
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.
American Idol
Armchair Quarterback |
