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 18
Tuesday, May 17, 2005: The
Final 3
Sing Judges' Choice, Clive Davis' Choice, and Their Choice (Guest Judge:
Clive Davis)
Vonzell Solomon 1st Performance (Clive Davis' Choice):
Clive Davis's choice of "I'll Never Love this Way Again" was a good
choice for Vonzell Solomon and she had some nice moments, but her lack of
attention to some of the low notes made it too pitchy for our taste. We also
agree with Clive Davis that smiling wasn't appropriate for the lyrics of the
song. On the plus side, Vonzell looked great in black and her imaging was
excellent. The only change we'd make there is that we'd kill the contrasting
sash that went across her waist and hips; it looked like a converted pageant
sash that had slipped out of place. Tips for Success: Focus more on
getting those low notes right. The power notes mean nothing without the
basics. If you want to make the audience feel the song, you have to feel it
too. Really understand what the lyrics are saying emotionally, and match
your performance to that feeling.
Bo Bice 1st Performance (Clive Davis' Choice): We probably
wouldn't have chosen "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" for Bo Bice because
it's so difficult to make an Elton song your own, but that may have been
precisely why Clive Davis chose it; to see how Bo handled the challenge. Bo
ran with the challenge and did an excellent performance. Tips for
Success: There's nothing we would have changed...except those blasted
sunglasses. Kill the shades.
Carrie Underwood 1st Performance (Clive Davis' Choice): Clive
Davis's choice of "Crying" was a good choice for Carrie Underwood, and she
performed it very well. We weren't crazy about the arrangement, though: a
variation of the chorus would have been more interesting instead of the
section where the word "crying" is repeated over and over. But, Carrie sang
it excellently, and she should definitely record it. Her imaging was great,
too. Tips for Success: Loosen up a bit more onstage.
Vonzell Solomon 2nd Performance (artist choice): Vonzell Solomon's
choice of "Chain of Fools" wasn't the best choice, since it's Aretha
Franklin's signature song, and she performed it just OK. We agree with Clive
Davis in that it lacked soul. (That's pretty much how we've felt about the
majority of Vonzell's performances this season, but we could never figure
out what was wrong until Clive said it tonight.) We also weren't crazy about
Vonzell's wardrobe choice. Tips for Success: You've gotta feel it if
you want to make us feel it. It's not just about hitting the notes. As for
the wardrobe, we like Vonzell in jeans but the color and fit could have been
a little better, and we found the large print of her multi-colored shirt too
distracting.
Bo Bice 2nd Performance (artist choice): Bo Bice's choice of singing
"In a Dream" a capella was a brilliant one, because we're not sure Vonzell
or Carrie could have pulled that off. The timing, passion, and intensity of
the performance were excellent, and the effect was mesmerizing. Once again
Bo Bice proved he knows who he is as an artist, and we were riveted to the
screen. Ryan Seacrest later remarked he was nervous for Bo singing a capella,
but we weren't. Bo Bice has the reliability factor to get it done, and the
soul to make us believe it. Tips for Success: None. Brilliant move.
Carrie Underwood 2nd Performance (artist choice): Carrie Underwood's
performance of "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" was excellent, and we'd
definitely buy the single. It was a terrific pop song for her range, and we
loved the country twist. Tips for Success: None. She did it
excellently.
Vonzell Solomon 3rd Performance (Judges Choice): "On the Radio" was
an interesting song for Vonzell, but we didn't feel she pulled it off. Some
of the notes were shaky, others were pitchy, and the overall performance was
too pageant-y for our taste. We feel Vonzell's growth as an artist hit a
wall several weeks ago, and we haven't seen much improvement since. Tips
for Success: Never stop learning and growing as an artist, and if you
hit a wall vocally, as Vonzell seems to have done in continually missing the
same notes, get a new vocal coach.
Bo Bice 3rd Performance (Judges Choice): We groaned when Paula said
she chose "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" for Bo Bice, because covering that
Rolling Stones classic is one of the deadly sins of song selection. (Mick
Jagger's is far too memorable to mess with.) To his credit, Bo made the best
of a bad situation and pulled off a sizzling, Southern-fried version that
had fire and excellent stage presence. We just hope America doesn't penalize
Bo for Paula's poor song choice and the bad arrangement by the Bland Band.
Tips for Success: Never let Paula Abdul choose your cover song.
Carrie Underwood 3rd Performance (Judges Choice): Carrie Underwood's
Britney Spears-esque "Man I Feel Like a Woman" left much to be desired, and
it was one of her worst vocal performances of the season. We like Carrie,
but have no other words for it but just awful. Tips for Success: Poor
song selection was the problem here. It seemed like a song that would suit
her, but it just didn't work.
We voted for: Bo Bice, because his a capella vocal performance
on the second song blew us away, and he made the best of a terrible song
choice by Paula Abdul. 2nd choice:
No one came close, but we'd send Vonzell home because her growth as an
artist seems to have stopped.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: It was too packed of a show
for smart quips, but it was nice to hear Ryan's trademark "Seacrest out" at
the end of the show. In the immortal words of our webmaster, "It ain't over
until Seacrest says out."
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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