MBADC American Idol
Armchair Quarterback 2005
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.
Week Twelve
Tuesday, April 5, 2005:
Musicals Theme Night
Scott Savol: It was nice to hear Scott Savol's
mid-range in his version of "The Impossible Dream" because we rarely get to
hear it. But overall the vocal was pitchy and lacked emotion. We agree with
Simon in that it was "ordinary." We've enjoyed watching Scott grow as an
artist, but two mediocre performances have us thinking his time just may be
up. On the plus side, Scott looked really nice in a blue shirt; it's a good
color for him. Tips for success: Scott has a nice quality to his
voice, as we've said in previous weeks. Hard work with a coach for more
consistency, more of that pleasant mid-range, and more live performance
experience to give him more confidence will help a lot.
Constantine Maroulis: When Constantine Maroulis chose "My Funny
Valentine" we were a little scared (and extra picky), because it's one of
our Ed-in-Chief's favorite standards. We actually liked this jazzy version,
and it fit Constantine's voice beautifully. Randy Jackson confirmed what
we've been saying for weeks when he said he doesn't "really buy the rocker
thing." We agree; Constantine would do well to either stick with this, or
drop the "musical theater" sound from his voice if he wants to be a rocker.
This comes off as much more genuine. Tips for success: Continuing on
this path, which is a better fit for Constantine's vocal style, seems much
more "real" for Constantine than trying to put on a rocker persona. We'd
also like to see him tone down the mugging for the camera a little, because
sometimes he crosses the line between charm and smarmy. Finally, we wish
Ryan Seacrest would give him lessons on how to groom his facial scruff;
there's an art to wearing scruff without it making look like you need a
shower. (Shave the neck, dude).
Carrie Underwood: Carrie Underwood's vocal delivery on "Hello Young
Lovers" was excellent. The song and it's accompanying costume were a bit
dated, however, and we actually understood Simon's "washing powder"
commercial reference. (We were thinking 1960 commercials for Frigidaire.) It
came off just a bit too Donna Reed. Tips for success: If Carrie
maintains her consistency and chooses better songs, she can win.
Vonzell Solomon: Vonzell Solomon's version of "People" started off
with shaky low notes, but she recovered. Still, choosing Barbra Streisand's
signature song wasn't the best move, because throughout the performance we
were comparing her, note for note. Who could live up to that? Tips for
success: Song selection, song selection, song selection. We shouldn't
have to compare Vonzell to anyone.
Anthony Fedorov: Anthony Fedorov's "Climb Every Mountain" was an
interesting song choice, but we're not sure the contemporary arrangement
really worked. As always there were some nice moments, but there were a few
pitch problems, and overall there didn't seem to be enough power or emotion
behind the vocals. Anthony was fantastic in early auditions, but hasn't
seemed to bring out that magic, and it's sad. Tips for success: We're
stubborn enough to think that song selection is a big part of the problem
here. Perhaps a new vocal coach might help him reconnect with what he
originally loved about singing in the first place, because we're not seeing
much growth in Anthony, who had been one of our favorites in the early
auditions.
Nikko Smith: Nikko Smith's "One Hand One Heart" had a really nice
arrangement that translated it into a performance we could envision seeing
on the Grammys. It was very pitchy in places, but Nikko had excellent
energy, and he continues to grow in terms of presence. Tips for success:
Hard work with a vocal coach to eliminate some of the pitchiness, as well as
continuing to gain experience with live performance, will make Nikko
continue to grow as an artist.
Anwar Robinson: Anwar Robinson's "If Ever I Would Love You" had a
nice, jazzy arrangement, and as always, he looked like a star. There were
some great big notes, but unfortunately some of the others veered off-pitch.
Tips for success: Hard work with a new vocal coach, as we prescribed
last week, are still the remedy here. He's close, oh so close. The song
selection was a big improvement over last week, and it's clear that he's
working hard and really trying to get it.
Bo Bice: Bo Bice's "Corner of the Sky" wasn't the greatest song
selection, but as our Webmaster deftly put it, "he has taken ownership of
it," and he did everything he could with it in terms of stage performance.
We're still rooting for him. Tips for success: Song selection, song
selection. We know Bo has the goods, but he's gotta show it with songs that
the audience can connect with as well as himself. We were a little put off
by his admission that he chose his song by closing his eyes and pointing to
a song on the page; in an important competition, it seemed
like a
lazy approach.
Nadia Turner: Nadia Turner's "As Long as He Needs Me" wasn't our
favorite performance of hers, but it wasn't bad. We just felt it didn't
highlight what makes Nadia unique, and it didn't have seem as natural as
last week's performance. The dress and earrings didn't work for us, either;
it was distracting because it didn't fit with her natural image and looked
like someone came in and said, "OK, we've gotta glam this girl up." Tips for
success: Consistency in image, as well as song choice, are important. When
you're trying to attract a fan base, image switching can come off as a
little schizo.
We voted for: We voted for: Bo Bice, as a strategic vote to keep him
in the competition. He's still our favorite because of his natural
musicality and knowing himself as an artist. 2nd choice: Carrie
Underwood, because her vocals were the best of the night, and she looks like
a star who's already there.
Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: No smart quip that we noticed, but
Seacrest's impression of the "Constantine Look" was hilarious. To be honest,
we were a little distracted, being alternately fascinated and horrified by
the Seacrest Sweater-shirt combo. We loved the sweater, but the white shirt
sticking out didn't quite make it. Kudos to Ryan Seacrest for not being
boring.
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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