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 20: The Top 10 Guys
Perform Classic Songs From the
70s
Air date: Tuesday, February
26, 2008
Michael Johns: Michael Johns' version of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own
Way" wasn't bad, but in places it was pitchy, and a couple of notes on the
chorus were way off. Performance-wise it wasn't horrible, but just not all
that memorable. We blame song selection for the problem here. Fleetwood Mac
was a great band with charisma; Michael Johns isn't there yet. Tips
for success: Anticipate onstage conditions. "Go Your Own Way" was
written for Lindsay Buckingham's unique voice and range. It's one of those
songs that leaves very little room for error, and you're either right on the
note, or way off. If there's the slightest chance you won't be able to hear
yourself onstage, this is not the song to go for.
Jason Castro: Jason Castro's version of Andy Gibb's "I
Just Want to Be Your Everything" was pleasant and had an interesting
arrangement. The vocals could have been stronger, but we liked the
acoustic parts a lot and wish the whole thing would have been without the
band, which weakened it. Performance-wise, Jason Castro has a unique look,
is pleasant to watch, and is entertaining. Tips for success: Better
song selection, and consistent vocals.
Luke Menard: Luke Menard's version of Queen's "Killer Queen" was vocally
not bad, but performance-wise, God was it ever boring to watch. It was very
Telethon, and Freddy Mercury's little finger had more stage presence.
Tips for success: Hitting the notes isn't enough. You have to entertain
the audience with something more, so they want to listen to you
hitting those notes.
Robbie Carrico: Robbie Carrico's version of Foreigner's "Hot Blooded"
was OK as far as hitting the notes, but the arrangement and vocal styling
were pure Pablum. There was no attitude in his vocal or stage presence, no
attitude in his body language, no down and dirty grit. As our webmaster, who
had liked Robbie Carrico in earlier shows, remarked, "Now I understand what
people mean by the word 'poser'. His blood wasn't hot, it was tepid!"
Tips for success: Pay attention to the lyrics!!! "Hot Blooded" is
about down and dirty getting it on with a groupie, so the vocal and singer's
onstage attitude should reflect a desire to do that.
Danny Noriega: Danny Noriega had a good vocal, but the song was really
boring. Performance-wise, Danny was interesting to watch, so we'd like
to see him get hold of a great song that really fits his style. Tips for
success: Song selection, and finding his niche are key. We have a really
strong urge to put him in a retro new-wave pop band...
David Hernandez: David Hernandez's version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"
had a great vocal, and we didn't hear any off notes. But it was awkward to
watch, because...for lack of a better term, he seems way too whitebread for
the song. Tips for success: Choosing songs that are believable in
relation to your image is important. You're trying to tell a story.
Jason Yeager: Jason Yeager' version of the Doobie Brothers' "Without
Love" had a good vocal, but the band performance and arrangement were so
lame it was tough to judge. Performance-wise, a good front man should be
able to overcome that, and unfortunately Jason didn't. It was a little like
watching a beginner-level Osmond sing it. Tips for success: Again,
song selection. A boring song in the hands of a non-superstar is not a good
thing.
Chikezie: Chikezie had a great vocal on his Donnie Hathaway song, and
much, much better stage presence than last week. We're voting him most
improved of the week. And thank God the suit is gone; this week he looked
younger, fresher, and more fun. Tips for success: Song selection is
key. But the different attitude you can get by wearing a different outfit
can sometimes make a big difference, too, as it did for Chikezie this week.
David Cook: David Cook's version of Bad Company's "All Right Now" had
a very good vocal. He needs to work on his stage presence, but at least it
was credible as a rock performance. Unfortunately the post-performance
conversation turned some of us off, causing our webmaster to remark, "I hate
when people are over-cocky when they have nothing to be cocky about."
Tips for success: Always remember that even after you've sung the last
note, you're still in front of an audience who can change their perception
of you on a dime.
David Archuleta: David Archuleta's version of John Lennon's "Imagine"
was the perfect way to handle a legendary song, if you must attempt it. And
the vocal was very well delivered. Tips for success: We never
recommend singing legendary songs that are strongly associated with one
artist. But if you must, drastically changing the arrangement from the
original and singing it with a killer vocal is the only way to go. That way,
you'll at least get points for creativity and making it your own.
Most signable:
Based only on this week's performances, there's no one we'd be
interested in, because their stage presence wasn't strong enough. Good
voices aren't enough to keep us interested. (If they were, opera singers
would rule the music industry.)
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 |
