MBADC American Idol
Armchair Quarterback 2006
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 career.
Week Five: First live performance
night (Girls)
Tuesday, February
21, 2006: 1st Public Vote, Girls Performances
Mandisa:
Mandisa
Hundley’s version of Heart’s “Never” was an excellent choice for her voice
and range, and we loved that she made it her own. Excellent stage presence,
too; she took command of the stage immediately and gave a confident
performance. It was a little pitchy on two or three high notes, but overall
it was a strong performance. Most importantly, her command of the song and
arrangement was convincing enough that she could easily record and release
it as her own cover version. A great example of how to make a cover song
your own. Tips for success: Continuing to choose the right songs for
her voice is key here. Also…it’s nitpicky, but we have a problem with
Mandisa Hundley’s choice of using just her first name. Going by one name is
a title that’s given to you by the public--not taken on yourself. Whitney,
Celine, Mariah, and even Cher earned that right through industry experience.
Madonna was a rare exception, and got plenty of flak for it.
Kellie Pickler:
We like Kellie
Pickler, but she’s gotta get hold of her nerves in order to do well. Her
lack of live performance experience is showing, performance wise and in
terms of poor song choice for her voice; Martina McBride’s “How Far” was way
too much song for her voice to handle with nerves. We like her heart,
though, and the raw talent she displayed in the auditions. If she can relax
and let it shine, she has the potential to do well. Tips for success:
More experience singing in front of an audience will help, as will
understanding what her voice does under pressure and developing more
objectivity about song choices that really work for her voice. (It’s not
enough to love the song; it has to suit your range and style as well.) For
some performers, taking a cue from professional athletes and watching
videotapes of your performances with a good, honest coach helps develop this
objectivity. (Warning: This can backfire bigtime if done with a parent,
significant other, fan, or other unobjective person.)
Becky O’Donohue:
Becky O’ Donohue has a striking presence, and there’s good stuff in there,
but she just isn’t using it correctly. Her choice of Patti Smith’s “Because
the Night” was a good song for her voice, but she oversang (screamed) it in
parts and was seriously off pitch on some notes. Since she was on pitch for
the majority of the song and didn’t go off until the volume increased, it
was probably either due to inexperience singing with a band, or an inability
to hear herself. Tips for success: A good vocal coach combined with
onstage experience will probably help. Since volume presented most of the
problem, becoming an acoustic rock performer until she gets control of the
volume and power of working with a loud live band would probably help her
maintain a place on the show while still being in learning mode.
Acoustic-electric switch hitting like Alanis Morisette could be a saving
grace here, because she has a very nice tone on some of the softer parts of
the song.
Ayla Brown:
Ayla Brown’s version
of Christina Aguilera’s “Reflection” was much, much better than we expected,
although she sang it a little slow in the beginning and didn’t quite make it
her own. Technically she hit the notes though, and we love the tone of her
voice. We’d just like to see more of her personality come though, and more
stage presence. She seems like an interesting person and has beautiful eyes,
but comes off as a little distant and unreachable, which is hard for an
audience to get past. Tips for success: Continuing to choose songs
that are right for her voice and that she also connects with will help bring
out more of her personality. It will also be important for Ayla to take an
active role in wardrobe, hair, and makeup, working together with the AI
pros to use that as a vehicle for self-expression. A performer never has to
reveal more than she or he wants to, but you have to reveal something. Your
image is one way of doing that while still maintaining your comfort zone.
Paris Bennett:
Paris Bennet is stage
presence personified. We love the way she took immediate command of the
stage, and her connection with the audience. Her version of Gladys Knight’s
“Midnight Train to Georgia” was good, but not vocally as great as she has
been. Styling her hair like Gladys Knight also worked a little against her
in our eyes: the world already has a Gladys Knight and needs a Paris Bennett
instead. Tips for success: Paying attention to the notes is every bit
as important as performing. For a top-notch performance, both have to work
together. Choosing songs that make the most of her voice will be key here.
Stevie Scott:
Stevie Scott seems
like a sweet person, but it unfortunately isn’t enough to make her right for
AI, and her choice of an opera number, “To Where You Are,” wasn’t the
best choice for a competition that focuses on finding the next big thing in
pop, pop-country, or pop-rock. Had the song worked for her particular range,
she might have been able to carry it off later in the competition, but not
for the first performance night. Unfortunately nerves didn’t help, and her
lack of vocal power just wasn’t enough to make it fly. Given her reaction to
the criticism, we also fear she may not have what it takes to deal with the
criticism that inevitably comes with a career in the music industry. Tips
for success: Better vocal coaching—in terms of vocal instruction and how
to deal with criticism--is the answer here. Kids who aren’t taught how to
handle criticism in a realistic way can have major problems when they try to
break into the real world music industry. Knowing how to deal with it is an
excellent safety net and ultimately gives the artist confidence.
Brenna Gethers:
Brenna Gethers’
version of “You are the Sunshine of My Life” wasn’t the best choice for her
over the top personality and style. It was pitchy on the low notes, a little
too nasal, and came off more like a karaoke bar performance as opposed to
the pro performance we know she’s capable of. As much as we wished Brenna
would tone down her attitude, we disliked this even more. Tips for
success: Tone down the offstage attitude, but not the onstage voice or
onstage performance. Better song selection is especially important here
(yeah, we know, we sound like a broken record here, but song selection is
crucial).
Heather Cox:
The fact that we
had to watch our recording of Performance Night to remember who Heather
Cox is and that she wasn’t memorable enough from reading our notes is never
a good sign…“When You Tell Me That You Love Me” was a poor song choice
because of comparison to the original, and although it wasn’t bad at all, it
was mediocre and unmemorable. Heather’s pretty and pleasant, but stars are
memorable. Tips for success: Selecting a song that leaves an
impression, as well as improving stage presence is of vital importance here.
More stage experience and choosing songs that bring out your own unique
personal power and then making them your own with unique arrangements that
work for your voice and style helps tremendously. Sometimes highlighting a
performer’s lack of force with a well-thought acoustic performance actually
makes them more powerful and memorable, too.
Melissa McGhee:
“When the Lights Go
Down” was a good song for Melissa McGhee’s voice and style. It had some
great moments but was pitchy in places, so working on consistency without
losing power will be key. Her stage presence needs work, so learning how to
project is important. Getting hold of the nerves will help. Tips for
success: Experience helps the stage presence department, but you can
accelerate the process a bit by watching concert video of well-seasoned live
performers known for great stage presence--with the sound off. Watch
as many different performers as possible, regardless of musical genre,
and watch with the sound down so your musical tastes don’t interfere with
your objectivity. We recommend seeking out concert video of the following
performers, who are known within the industry as having great stage
presence: Shania Twain, Jon Bon Jovi, Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong, Gwen
Stefani, Barry Manilow, Shakira, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, and REO
Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin.
Lisa Tucker:
Lisa Tucker’s
performance of Jennifer Holiday’s “I Am Changing” was a little pitchy, but
commanding. It wasn’t the best song for her voice, but her excellent stage
presence and star quality made it an excellent moment of live television.
Tips for success: Choosing the right songs for her voice and style are
the key here, because she has presence down. Now she just has to put it
together with songs she can sing perfectly.
Kennik Sky:
Kennik Sky’s version of Oleta Adams’ “Get Here” was delivered with an
excellent vocal, but it came off as a little too pageant-y and despite the
good voice, was a little too reminiscent of what it might be like to watch a
Star Search spokesmodel sing. The musical theatre quality of her
stage personality made it come off as a little too Telethon for our taste.
But, they’re problems that are easy to get past with the right imaging and
song selection. (Vanessa Williams overcame it very well.) Tips for
success: A unique arrangement or a lesser-known song can be a great
help, as is avoiding material that’s been heard on telethons, Star Search,
beauty pageants, or previous American Idols. Finding an elegant way
of dressing without looking like you’re a Miss America contestant is
also key. Or, if it fits your personal style, dress down a little. Sometimes
you have to dress down a little to make people get past your looks and
actually listen to your voice.
Katharine McPhee:
Katharine McPhee’s
version of “Since I Fell for You” was delivered with an excellent vocal that
hit the right notes, and she’d be an excellent studio singer. She’s very
pleasant to listen to and watch, but something’s missing that we haven’t
quite been able to put our collective finger on…We don’t dislike her in the
least and think she has a great voice, but we’re not blown away, either.
Maybe it’s a little too perfect and lacks uniqueness? We also wonder about
the commerciality of her voice and style, which is what American Idol
is all about. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Tips for
success: Song selection may be the answer here. A familiar song but
with a unique arrangement that hasn’t been heard on TV before, and delivered
with passion, could do the trick.
We voted for:
Mandisa, because she
put presence, voice, and song styling together. Others, like Lisa Tucker and
Katharine McPhee were good as well, but Mandisa’s performance had stage
presence and was the most recording-worthy.
Ryan Seacrest Smart Quip of the Night:
None, although
the heated discussion with the judges was interesting. What really stood
out, though, was the lack of his trademark “Seacrest out” radio-style
sign-off at the end of the show. We like Ryan a lot, but dispensing with
his trademark this season makes him seem like any generic, no-name host and
makes him come off almost as bland as his former co-host Brian Dunkelman.
Bring it back, Seacrest! Not saying “Seacrest out” is like Dick Clark
without his trademark salute, Donald Trump without “You’re fired,” Johnny
Carson without the trademark golf swing, Ed McMahon without
“Heeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny,” Martha Stewart without “It’s a good thing,” or
Bugs Bunny without “What’s up, Doc?” Never mess with your trademark.
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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