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: The Top 9 Sing
Dolly Parton
Songs (Guest Mentor:
Dolly Parton)
Air date: Tuesday,
April 1, 2008
Brooke White: Brooke White's version of "Jolene" was not a
great arrangement for her voice, and she was pitchy on some notes. The
arrangement was too much like the original, which only works if your voice
has a super-unique quality to it. Brooke's great, but it didn't work for us,
and we'd have preferred to see her do something more unique with the song. Tips for
success: As we've said time and time again, you have to do something
unique with an arrangement to change it from the original. The more unique
your voice, the closer you can keep it to the original...but for 99.999% of
singers out there (yes, that includes you), changing it up is always a
better bet.
David Cook: David Cook's version of "Little Sparrow" was an excellent
choice for his voice and style, and he sang it excellently, save for one bad
note. Although we usually hate falsetto, David's falsetto works because it's
so organic, and unlike most singers, he flows naturally into and out of it.
We'd like to hear him go even more alternative with the vocal on this song;
it's a song that really works for him. Tips for success:
Projecting a bit more never hurts, but considering he was taken to the
hospital after the show, we give him an A anyway.
Ramiele Malubay: Ramiele Malubay's version of "Do I Ever Cross Your
Mind" could work for her as a song selection, but she didn't sing it well,
and she just didn't shine. What happened to the little girl with the big
voice? Ramiele isn't growing in the competition--she seems to be shrinking
inside herself rather than developing into the artist we hoped she'd become.
Tips for success:
The combination of projection, confidence, singing well, image, and choosing
the right song is what it takes to be successful. Pulling out one of them at
a time won't do it.
Jason Castro: Jason Castro's version of "Travelin'
Through" was a great song choice for him. We've heard him sound better, but
we liked it for him stylistically, and we'd like to hear him record it with
really good production. We have no idea what the hell Simon Cowell was
talking about on this one. We would have liked to see Jason step it up with
the stage presence a tiny bit, though. Tips for
success: When your
singer-songwriter vibe is your strength, improving your stage presence
behind the guitar is important. You never want to get lost behind that
guitar. This Keith Urban performance is a great example of how to do it.
Carly Smithson: Carly Smithson's version of "Here You Come Again" was
beautifully sung, but predictable. It was boring, and the arrangement of the
band was very Telethon. Image-wise, we couldn't agree more on the wardrobe.
But we're still confused as to who Carly Smithson is as an artist, and we've
never seen someone with so many tatoos have so little edge. We should know
who she is by now, and she's yet to give a performance that we actually
remember (as evidenced by the fact that the morning after the performances,
an MBADC staffer who saw the entire show said, "You know what I was
surprised no one sang? That one that goes 'Here You Come Again'." And our
Editor thought perhaps one did, but couldn't remember which contestant...) Tips for success:
Finding something unique about yourself and bringing it out, confidently, is
key.
David Archuleta: David Archuleta's version of
"Smoky Mountain Memories" was sung with a beautiful voice and musically
suited him, although we weren't crazy about the arrangement, which should
have been acoustic piano. But the lyrics really didn't fit someone of his
young age, so it was a little awkward. To make matters worse, he hit a
clinker on one of the high notes. Truly, we'd rather this kid's parents had
let him develop into an adult with a great voice, then spring him on the
world. Because finding songs that suit him is going to be a real challenge. Tips for
success: Changing the arrangement and instrumentation can highlight or
change moments in the lyrics. Had David done this song with just himself at
the piano, the lyrics might have worked for him, because an acoustic
instrument brings out innocence and vulnerability in music and lyrics.
Kristy Lee Cook: Kristy Lee Cook's version of "Coat of Many Colors"
was a good song for her, and she sang it well. But she needs to work on her
stage presence; sometimes it feels like she's just coasting, and not in a
good way. Tips for success: It will be interesting to see how people
react to Kristy's comment about being more concerned with impressing Dolly
rather than her mom at that moment. That's the killer attitude you have to
have, but saying so on TV definitely rubbed one of our staffers the wrong
way.
Syesha Mercado:
Syesha Mercado's version of "I Will Always Love You" was sung well in
the beginning, but throwing the Whitney in there was a mistake. It's been
done, it's iconic, and as far as we're concerned, it's taboo for anyone to
try to go there. You can't, so please do something else. Tips for success:
If we hear one more singer try to do Whitney's notes, we may start screaming
to try to drown them out!!! Arrrrgh!!!OK not really, but we'll be thinking
it...
Michael Johns: Michael Johns' version of "It's All Wrong But it's All
Right" had an excellent arrangement, and he sang it excellently too. A++++
on song selection. He should record this exact version, and he could make it
a classic. Definitely Michael's best performance to date. Before this, we
were ready to see him go home, because we were bored. Tips for success: Song selection,
and arrangement is vital. In this case, it was the difference between
a just OK and a superstar performance.
Most signable:
David Cook. He's the most consistent, he has a clear vision of what his
voice can do and of himself as an artist, and he "gets it".
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 |
