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 Sixteen
Tuesday, May 03, 2005: The Top 5 Sings Songs by
Leiber and Stoller, and Any Top 40 Hit from This Week's Billboard
Charts
Anthony Fedorov 1st Performance: Anthony Fedorov's choice of "Poison
Ivy" was a poor song selection for his vocal style. He was pitchy on the low
notes, and his vocal delivery seemed to lack the energy that the song
required. It was very Star Search...which was disappointing, because we know
Anthony is capable of so much better. When it comes to song selection, he
just doesn't seem to "get it." Tips for success: A performer has two
choices: he can be a selfish performer and ignore the audience by choosing
songs for himself, or he can choose songs the audience wants to hear. Given
that it's a voting competition, the latter would probably be a good idea.
Anthony Fedorov 2nd Performance: Anthony's choice of "Incomplete" was
much better. He was off pitch in places but managed to pull it together and
get back on track. On the plus side, Anthony had beautiful tone on the last
note, and we loved the slightly-gritty power note right before it. Tips
for success: As an artist, you must know what works for you. Comparing
each week's voting results to the song performed is a good way to start.
Anthony Fedorov has a voice built for power ballads. Emotionally, the other
stuff doesn't always connect.
Scott Savol 1st Performance: "On Broadway" was a good song for Scott
Savol's range and style, although some of the low notes were a little shaky.
We liked the growl-y quality he had in some parts, though, and he should
definitely consider recording this song. Tips for success: Keep
working on those shaky notes. If you want to be the best, vocal training
never stops.
Scott Savol 2nd Performance: Scott's performance of "Every Time I Go
Away" had a few notes that were a little pitchy, but it worked overall, and
he sounded like he could have been the person who recorded it. Nice imaging,
too. But the cocky attitude was a complete turn-off and gave the same effect
as the the conceited chick who was kicked off The Bachellor recently
and went on about how pretty she is. Tips for success: Drop the
attitude and work on those shaky low notes. No one's perfect, and if Scott
were really as awesome as he apparently thinks he is, we wouldn't find pitch
problems in his performances every week, and he would have been signed long
ago.
Vonzell Solomon 1st Performance: "Treat Me Nice" didn't suit Vonzell
Solomon's vocal style at all, and it didn't highlight the best aspects of
her voice. That was a shame, because the arrangement was very creative and
left no comparison to the original song. As for the performance itself, she
nailed the hardest notes and was shaky on the basics, which points out a
lack of attention to detail. Tips for success: Apparently someone
hasn't told Vonzell that every note counts. They do, so paying attention to
the basics is important. Never ignore the "easy" notes, and never get so
caught up in the energy of the performance that you let yourself veer
off-key.
Vonzell Solomon 2nd Performance: Because the Idol contestants
recorded "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" and have performed it several
times, it struck us as cheating a bit when Vonzell chose to perform it. It
seemed a bit unfair, and was disrespectful to the other contestants, who
when they're performing the song together, are colleagues. Although she was
a little pitchy on a few of the notes, overall it was a good performance.
But she lost votes from us with the distracting shout-outs and by cutting
Ryan off, causing one of us to shriek at the TV, "Shut up and let him get on
with the numbers!" It's not the Vonzell Show. Tips for success: Pay
attention so you're not cutting off the host, who is trying to present
everyone in the best light.
Bo Bice 1st Performance: In the hands of a less skillful performer, Bo
Bice's choice of "Stand by Me" could have been a disaster, because it was
Ben E. King's signature song. Bo's smart enough to mix it up and make it his
own, though, and he had a really nice variation on the line "I won't be
afraid." The vocal could have had a little more power in a couple of places,
but it was a great performance overall and got a great compliment from our
Editor who said, "Bo Bice is only the second person I've ever seen do that
song who does vocal variations to make it different from the original."
Tips for success: See below.
Bo Bice 2nd Performance: Bo Bice's version of Los Lonely Boys "Heaven"
was excellent. We've never liked the song, but Bo Bice injected his own
style into it, and we like his version a lot. If Bo recorded it, we'd
actually buy it. Tough tests for any artist, and Bo passes them with flying
colors. Bo's styling was fabulous, too. Tips for success: There's
really not much we'd have Bo Bice do differently...As long as he puts the
sunglasses and hat from previous weeks in permanent retirement and keeps
coming out with good song selection, strong performance energy and passion,
and nails the notes with his signature style, it's all good.
Carrie Underwood 1st Performance: Carrie Underwood's version of "Trouble" was a well-done countrified version that played well and reminded us a
little of Trisha Yearwood with a twist. She pushed a little too hard on some
of the notes, but overall it was one of Carrie's best performances. Tips
for success: See below.
Carrie Underwood 2nd Performance: Carrie's "Bless This Broken Road"
wasn't nearly as strong as her first performance tonight. There were some
very off notes in the bridge, which was too bad, because it had been
excellent up to that point of the song. Her imaging tonight was very
good.
Tips for success: Carrie has tons of star quality, but she still doesn't
have it completely together in terms of song selection and her look, and at
times it seems like she's a little inconsistent due to over-experimentation.
Really paying attention to who she is as an artist and what works for her
voice, style, and imaging will be key.
We voted for: Bo Bice, because he just "gets it." As an artist we
trust Bo to know what he's doing (even when we're not sure about his song
selection), and 99% of the time, his choices are right. Even when they're
not, he still delivers. That's what fans expect from an artist, and we're
proud to give Bo Bice our vote. 2nd choice: Carrie Underwood, with
some reservations. Sometimes we feel like she doesn't quite "get it" yet,
and we still don't trust her not to blow it. Carrie Underwood is loaded with
talent and star quality, but for us she just doesn't have the reliability
factor of Bo Bice.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night:
There wasn't one, but we liked the fast-on-his feet ad-lib recovery from a
minor, rare slip of the tongue (he said the word "memorizing" instead of
"mesmerizing" but found a way to use "memorizing" in the next sentence). As
host, Seacrest is every bit as reliable as Bo Bice is as an artist.
[Edited May 18 b/c your friendly Editor wasn't paying attention and got an
Elvis song title wrong.]
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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