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 (Guys)
Wednesday, February
22, 2006: 1st Public Vote, Girls Performances
Patrick
Hall:
Patrick Hall’s version of “Come Thru My Window” was sung in good voice, but
the delivery came off as a little too bland. It wasn’t the best song
selection and worked against him, because although Patrick has a great
voice, a rock song doesn’t fit his image. Keeping in mind the producers’
true purpose of the American Idol competition (finding the next big
thing in commercial pop music), we also wonder about his commerciality,
because image-wise, he comes off as more of a contemporary Christian or mild
pop country style. Tips for success: Song selection is key here. If
you have a mild image and personality, highlighting it, rather than working
against it, makes it more powerful.
David Radford:
“Crazy Little Thing
Called Love” was not a good song choice for David Radford, and combined with
the Bland Band’s arrangement, it came off as a little cheesy and very
Star Search. True story: our webmaster fell asleep during this
performance…Which is too bad, because he has a good voice, and with the
right song selection, could be very entertaining. Tips for success:
Always choose songs that best highlight your image and style, and never
forget what blanded-down, TV band arrangements do to most rock and roll
songs.
Bucky Covington:
Bucky Covington’s
version of Lynard Skynard’s “Simple Man” may have been the right song choice
with the right backup band, but the Bland Band ain’t it. There’s something
we like in Bucky’s style, and we look forward to hearing him paired with the
right song. (We’d like to hear him sing Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page”)
The nerves were showing quite a bit, and it looked like he usually
has a guitar in front of him, but he can probably overcome it. Tips for
success: Getting used to singing without a guitar in front of you can be
tough, but ya gotta do it. If you normally play an instrument as well as
sing lead, practice both so you don’t feel so naked without it.
Will Makar:
Will Makar is clearly
loved by the camera, and he comes off as very likable and all-American. The
problem is, “I Want You Back” wasn’t the best song choice to show off the
voice we definitely hear in there. It was entertaining, but borderline
cheesy and a little too Amusement Park or high school talent show. We like
Will, though, and when he finds his song niche we’ll be even more
entertained. Post Idol, if he can act, someone get this guy a sitcom
or put him in a rom-com movie, will ya? Tips for success: The cuter
you are, the more important it is to stay away from songs and
performances that can make you seem cheesy. Serious songs can balance it
out.
Jose Sway Penala:
Sway’s choice of song
may have worked for some, but not for those of us who aren’t wild about
falsetto. He’s a decent singer, but we’d like to hear a song that shows off
his power. We liked the high note he held, but generally speaking we agreed
with Simon Cowell on this one. Better song choice next time is key.
American Idol is about pop, pop-rock, or country commerciality…and
currently commercial songs aren’t sung in falsetto. Tips for success:
Singing in falsetto is extremely risky, because people either love it or
hate it, and if you go off, it’s really bad. For that reason, we recommend
avoiding it, or at least limiting it to small sections of a song, rather
than the majority of the song.
Chris Daughtry:
Of all the 2006 AI
contestants, male or female, Chris Daughtry has our favorite
voice to listen to. He knows when to use the growl, and his voice has a
great combination of tone, rasp, and clarity all rolled into one. That said,
although Chris delivered on Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” we cringed
when we heard this was his song choice, because it’s never good to do a song
that’s so well known the original artist plays in your head alongside the
person performing it. But if Jon and Richie heard it, they’re probably very
proud, because he sang it well and did them justice. We at MBADC just
wish he would have made it a little more his own, because we heard Jon and
Richie right along with him, note for note. Luckily, Chris’s voice held up
to the microscope. Tips for success: Chris is onto the right style,
but should stay away from the uber-classics within it unless he does a
radical change of arrangement. You only get to sneak by with a replica once,
if that. Developing a repertoire of songs you’ve made your own is key to
becoming a memorable performer. He’s got the chops, so it’s time to step
into his own shadow.
Kevin Covais:
Kevin Covais is
pleasant to listen to, and he displayed a really nice tone on “One Last
Cry”. The next American Idol? Probably not, but that’s OK. He’s very
young and has plenty of time to develop the rest later as he grows into
himself as a person. Meanwhile, he has a kind of Radar O’Reilly vibe we
like, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do. Tips for
Success: Song selection that shows off his tone is important. If he can
handle power notes, he should milk them for all they’re worth, be a sponge,
and take AI as a valuable experience he can’t get anywhere else.
Gideon McKinney:
Gideon McKinney’s
version of “Shout” was fine, and he has a good voice, but it’s difficult to
judge because we need to see him do something contemporary. We know he can
do a retro show, no problem. But so can a lot of other people. So, now what?
Tips for success: Proceed with extreme caution when doing retro
songs for a talent competition. Especially when said competition is to
secure a contemporary recording contract.
Elliott Yamin:
Elliot Yamin had a
really nice voice and vocal styling on his version of “If You Really Love
Me.” He made it his own, and had an excellent performance. Tips for
success: Continuing to choose songs that work well with his voice and
constantly striving to improve his stage presence is what Elliott needs to
knock it out of the park and be memorable.
Bobby Bennett:
Bobby Bennett’s choice of “Copacabana” was extremely risky, because Barry
Manilow, who co-wrote it, was accused of being cheesy with it himself. That
makes it even harder for someone else. It came off as very back-lounge
Vegas, in an overly campy sort of way. The next American Idol? No,
but he is entertaining, so with the right material Bobby can eliminate the
cheese and can probably make a pretty good living with old school that
works. Tips for success: Song selection, song selection, song
selection. He’s quirky and should play to that without getting cheesy. Song
suggestion? The Squirrel Nut Zippers song that’s used as the theme song to
Family Plots would be great for him.
Ace Young:
When it comes to the total package, Ace Young is our all-time
favorite AI contestant. He’s got the voice, excellent song choice and
styling that made “Father Figure” his own (he could record and release it,
as is), stage presence, looks, and a great image. Chris Daughtry may have
the technically better voice, but if tonight’s performance is any
indication, Ace Young is a fully-formed artist who knows who he is.
Constantine Maroulis was acting like a rock star. Ace Young is a rock
artist, and is the real deal. This performance reminded us of star-making
moments we’ve seen in the past on The Grammys and the American Music
Awards—and had that quality to stand up to them. Bravo. Tips for
success: If Ace continues to choose the right songs,
continues to work his butt off, doesn’t change a thing other than naturally
growing as an artist, and has excellent management and career guidance, he
can have a very long, very successful multiplatinum career regardless of
what happens on Idol. If this performance is an indication and he’s
consistent, he’s ready.
Taylor Hicks:
Taylor Hicks’ version
of “Levon” was oversung a bit and wasn’t the best song choice for him, but
certainly wasn’t bad. It’s just that we know he’s capable of so much more.
Definitely an artist…he just needs good song selection and guidance. He gets
kudos for choosing an Elton song not as many people know, though. Tips
for success: Song selection, song selection, song selection. Taylor
Hicks is in the right song selection ballpark, he just needs to find the
sweet spot.
We voted for:
Ace Young. Close
second: Chris Daughtry. Once Chris finds his own style in song
selection, it will be a tougher call for us.
Ryan Seacrest Smart quip of the Night:
No smart quip, but his
spontaneous jumping up and down as part of Taylor Hicks’ “soul patrol” had
us laughing so hard we were crying. But we still miss “Seacrest 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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