MBADC American Idol
Armchair Quarterback 2006, Season 5 (Week 1)
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 One Auditions
Episode airing Tuesday, January 17, 2006 (Chicago, IL)
Based on the auditions, our favorite from this episode is Mandisa Hundley
(hometown: Antioch, TN). We love that her voice has a clear sound along with
a depth of soul; it's a rare combination. Mandisa gets our award for this
episode's Voice of the Night. Simon Cowell's comments about her size were
way out of line but were unfortunately an accurate reflection of Hollywood's
attitude about weight.
Also interesting:
Twins Derrell Brittenum and Terrell Brittenum (hometown: Memphis, TN) have
great voices, but it will be interesting to see how they adapt to the
contemporary pop sound of American Idol. Regardless of what happens on
Idol,
if they read music and blend their voices well with others, they could be a
fabulous backup vocal team--a la the Waters sisters--and could probably make
a good living at it. [Err, that is, if they hadn't been arrested...According
to an AP report Terrell
has been in jail since Jan 10 on charges of forgery, theft by deception, and
financial identity fraud, and Derrell is
expected to turn himself in on the same charges.--Ed]
Gina Glocksen (hometown: Naperville, IL) impressed us with her audition with
her great attitude and fun personality, but what really set her apart was
the variation she did at the beginning on Celine Dion's "Power of Love" -- a
much-used song the judges are no doubt tired of hearing by now. If you
Tivo'ed this episode, look for the twinkle that suddenly appears in Simon
Cowell's eyes and betrays the rest of his facial expression when he realizes
she's made the song her own. (Keeping in mind that execs are trained to keep
a poker face lest a competing company's rep be present, that's the kind of reaction you
want. When you see the twinkle, you've got 'em.) It will be interesting to
see if Gina ultimately has what it takes to make Top 5, but whatever happens on
Idol, she can make probably make a living in music whether she becomes a
star or not.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: In this episode Seacrest's
Letterman-esque timing was some of his funniest ever on Idol, so it was
difficult to choose one moment. But hiding behind a rejected contestant's ticked-off grandmother
as she talked with Simon and egging her on takes the cake. ("He looks
shorter than he does on TV, doesn't he?")
Episode airing Wednesday, January 18, 2006 (Denver, CO)
Based on the auditions, among the contestants from tonight's episode, 16
year-old Lisa Tucker (hometown: Anaheim, CA) stands the best chance
of being the next "American Idol." We like Lisa's look, and her voice is
strong, clear, and mature. In fact her voice is so well polished, it will be
interesting to see whether she pulls out unique, soulful performances.
Regardless, given time, life experience, and live performing experience, in
a few years Lisa Tucker's voice should have the complete package, and she's
off to a great start.
Also interesting:
Rochelle Elaine Dye (hometown: Kansas City, KS) made it seem easy and
effortless, but still soulful. Because of this, we're naming her this
episode's Voice of the Night. How she handles the pressure of the
competition will be key.
Chris Daughtry (hometown: McLeansville, NC) came this close to being
our Voice of the Night winner, but nerves affected his timing so we had to
give it to Rochelle. But sound wise, Chris was our favorite to listen to,
because we love the tone and emotion in his voice, and he has just the right
amount of rasp. Chris's voice reminds us a little of Eric Martin (former
lead singer for Mr. Big), and if he gets his nerves together and brings out
his presence, like Eric Marin, Chris can become a well-respected studio
voice within the industry.
Brett "Ace" Young (hometown: Los Angeles, CA) has a nice tone, and a
look that rock and pop audiences can both respond to. His voice sounds
similar to many other singers, so Ace can set himself apart by putting more
emotion into his voice. Lookswise, he's got it down, so bringing out emotion
and more stage presence could be a Top 10 combination.
Special kudos to Simon Cowell for putting Garet Johnson (hometown:
Veteran, WY, population 4) through to Hollywood even after Paula said no.
Not only will watching Garet's adventures be good TV, we love that Simon
recognized the fact that, ready or not, without Idol Garet would probably
not get the experience to develop the voice we hear "somewhere in there."
Extreme caution and a good entertainment attorney is advised though, because
if the public responds, sharks will be circling post-Idol.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night: "Who knows what they could
dream up in the future? Best not to think about it..." (said during the
voiceover about contestants dubbed "The American Idol Brain Trust").
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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