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 Seven (Girls):
Tuesday,
March 1, 2005: 2nd Public Vote, Girls Performances
Aloha Mischeaux: Aloha Mischeaux's stage presence and use of
the camera is getting better, but her choice of Alicia Keys' "You
Don't Know My Name" wasn't the best song for her range and style. It's
always difficult to pull off a song written by a musically gifted artist
with an unusual style or prominent phrasing, and this song didn't show us
who Aloha is. Tips for success: Choosing songs with more dominant
melody lines and less unusual phrasing will help tremendously...Songs song
written by non-performing songwriters would offer a better chance for
success, because the phrasing would be less stylized and would be easier for
Aloah to make her own.
Lindsey Cardinale: Lindsey Cardinale had great energy and a good
delivery on "I Try to Think About Elvis" but she needs a signature song to
be memorable. The smokiness of her voice that made her unique is getting
lost, and we don't have a sense of who she is as an artist. Tips for success:
Choosing a song Lindsey is passionate about will help find the signature
song she needs. We've also noticed a bad habit Lindsey is developing during
her performances: constantly putting her hand on her abdomen to check if
she's breathing correctly. It's distracting, and we're noticing that more
than her smokey voice. Learning how to feel the notes and sense when she's
breathing correctly without having to constantly check will bring the
audience's focus back where it should be.
Jessica Sierra: Jessica Sierra had a great vocal and delivery on "A
Broken Wing". In fact, it would have made a fine recording. The song started
off a bit slow for our liking, but she pulled it off and won us over. Like
Bo Bice, Jessica Sierra has musicality and soul. Tips for success:
Continuing to do what she did tonight, only even more so will make Jessica
Sierra a formidable contestant. Choosing songs with lyrics she a deep
connection with and being herself can easily put her in the Top 2. Post
American Idol, we'd love to hear her sing a duet with Bo Bice.
Mikalah Gordon: Mikalah Gordon is discovering she enough natural
drama that she doesn't need to create it, and it was great to see that come
together in a new image and style. Although her performance of "God Bless
the Child" was a bit off on some of the low notes and we might have chosen a
different song for her, we applaud the evolution and would like to see her
stick around long enough to see it continue. The potential is there. Tips for success:
With hard work on her vocals, Mikalah could be a star once she figures out
who she is as an artist. She reminds us of a combination of Liza Minelli and
Bette Midler in one, and if she truly feels comfortable in her new image,
we're all for it.
Celina Rae: Celina Rae's version of "When the Lights Go Down" was a
little draggy in arrangement, and the vocals were pitchy at
times. It was the typical "talent show" performance, which could
partly be attributed to a less-than-stellar song choice. Tips for
success: Star quality is about uniqueness and spark. Finding a song she
connects with, and owning the song, as opposed to just singing it, may help
Celina bring it out.
Nadia Turner: "My Love" was an offbeat song choice for Nadia Turner,
we'll give her that. We didn't love it, but she did make it her own, which
scores major points with us. Tips for success: We'd really, really
love to see what a rock voice coach like Elizabeth Sabine, who's known for
strengthening voices and helping people find their vocal power, could do to
help Nadia find hers. We know it's in there; you can see it in the way Nadia
expresses herself through her image. We also want to see her choose a
signature song that helps bring it out. If she finds her power and voice as
an artist, she'll be unstoppable.
Amanda Avila: Amanda Avila's "Turn the Beat Around" was much
improved over last week's performance. It was a little pitchy at times, but
she had great energy and stage presence, and there was a bit of a Pat
Benatar quality we liked on the verse. She "sold" the song well. Tips for success:
If Amanda Avila figures out who she wants to be as an artist, with hard work
she has the potential to be the pop-rock
Shania Twain.
Janay Castine: Janay Castine's performance of "Hit 'Em
Up Style" was much-improved over last week, but it wasn't the
greatest song for her. Kudos to Janay for coming out of her shell...but she
seemed to have stepped into someone else's. We're in agreement with Simon in
that it seemed like a wind-up doll pop star performance. We want to see who
Janay Castine is. Tips for success: Performing experience out of the
national spotlight and finding herself as an artist is what Janay needs to
shine. If she does this, she can probably have a very successful placement
on a future American Idol. The potential is there, but in order to
grow and find herself as an artist, she needs to give herself time to grow
and find out who she is as a person.
Carrie Underwood: Carrie Underwood's "Piece of My Heart" was an
interesting country interpretation, and we give her points for creativity.
But with Melissa Etheridge's ultra-powerful performance of it at the Grammys
just weeks ago so fresh in the minds of most of the music industry, it was a
particularly bad song choice. Nothing short of the resurrection of Janis
Joplin in her prime could come close to that emotional moment, which made
Carrie Underwood's version look like a state fair novelty act in comparison.
Carrie Underwood is much better than tonight's performance. Tips for success:
Song selection is key. When choosing a cover song, you must always keep in
mind the impact of the last artist's performance of it...as well as how
recently it was.
Vonzell Solomon: Vonzell Solomon has a lot of talent, but we never feel
connected to her performance. Her version of "If I Ain't Got You" seemed a
little too low for her, and it just wasn't memorable. It's difficult to make
an Alicia Keys song work for anyone but Alicia Keys, because like
Elton John, she writes for her own voice and style. Vonzell has potential,
but tonight's performance made us feel like we were in an upscale karaoke
bar.
Tips for
success: Song selection, song selection, song selection. We'd like to
see Vonzell dig deep and show us who she is.
We voted for: Jessica Sierra, because her vocal had the best quality,
musicality, and soul. 2nd Choice: Tie: Nadia Turner and Amanda Avila.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: "All
right, commercial time. Let's face it, Fox needs the money."
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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