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 Seven: Guys Live Performance 3
(The Top Twelve is Chosen)
Wednesday,
March 8, 2006
Editor’s
note: How do this year’s American Idol contestants stack up to previous
seasons? There are more contestants who are technically proficient singers,
but the overall image and stage presence of the contestants isn't as good as in previous seasons. How can we tell? At this point in the competition
in every previous season, we’ve known most of the contestants’ names by now,
and we could put faces with the names when seeing them in print.
Not this season: We still have to look at the names on screen or play back
video to get the names as we take notes during the performances (especially
the girls). Something you can apply to your own career: Be memorable!--RR
Gideon McKinney:
Gideon McKinney's version of the Percy Sledge classic "When a Man Loves a
Woman" was the perfect song for him, and we were pleasantly surprised by how
contemporary he made it sound in comparison to his previous song selections.
It was a great arrangement and nearly perfect vocal, and he made the song
his own, eliminating the novelty act aspect we weren't so crazy about in his
previous performances. Great work, and well done!
Tips for success:
Making songs your
own--especially when you're working with classic material is the key here.
New arrangements bring things more up to date and bring a fresh perspective
that's exciting to listen to.
Chris Daughtry: At first listen Seether's "Broken" might
not have been our first choice of song for Chris Daughtry, but this
was a very good version of it, and his presence and the mood he created made
it work well. He was a little pitchy on the second chorus, but we liked it
overall. Nice styling and imaging, too. Randy Jackson was right: he's ready.
Tips for success: Continuing to improve stage presence and song
selection are key for Chris to win, and are key for our readers to do well
as performers too. Regardless of what happens on Idol, Chris has the
vocal chops, "it" factor, and knowledge of himself as an artist that people
in the industry look for and enjoy working with.
Kevin Covais: Kevin Covais may not be the next American Idol, but
we liked the soft delivery on his version of Don McLean's "Vincent Starry
Starry Night" and enjoyed his performance. His stage presence is improving
every week, and we think that given a little time he could be riveting in
musical theater, because he makes you pay attention and listen. His young
looks would be an especially great asset, because he could play a wide range
of character ages. Tips for success: Continue to work on stage
presence and get to know what it is that makes the audience listen more
intently during your performances. Then do more of it!
Bucky Covington: Pat Green's "Wave on Wave" was the perfect song
for Bucky Covington, because it sounded like his own song written just for
him, and he should record it. On this song Bucky's tone and timbre reminds
us a lot of the way Elvis placed his voice on "One Night with You"--which is
a very good thing. A really nice vocal, and nice improvement on imaging as
well: last week Bucky looked like he was going into the studio, and now he
looks like he's about to step onstage. Tips for success: Continuing
to work on stage presence brings more confidence and produces even better
live vocals. We can see the growth in Bucky Covington's performances, and it
will work for you, too.
Will Makar: Although Will Makar sang it well, Marvin Gaye and James
Taylor's "How Sweet it is (to be Loved by You)" was a poor song choice. He
delivered a nice vocal, but it came off as cheesy and very Telethon due to
the Bland Band's arrangement. Technically it wasn't bad, exactly; just
bland, bland, bland, and a little too sweet. We like watching Will, though,
and still think he's a great candidate for sitcoms if he can act. Somebody
get the kid acting lessons and an agent, will ya? Tips for success:
Song selection is especially important for artists with cute, Donny Osmond
good looks, because they have a hard time getting people to take them
seriously. The better looking the artist, the harder it is. Songs with
soulful lyrics the artist and audience can relate to is often the key.
Taylor
Hicks: When we heard Taylor Hicks was performing the Doobie Brothers' "Takin'
it to the Streets" we cringed a little, because we were afraid it
would be karaoke--especially given the obvious gray hair/Michael McDonald
comparisons. As it turned out, it was very different from the original
vocally and ended up being an excellent song for Taylor, because he made it
his own. He has great vocals and fabulous presence, and we like his
quirkiness...kinda like Ray Charles, Michael McDonald, Joe Cocker, and Brian
Wilson rolled into one. Tips for Success: This song was risky,
but luckily it worked. Artists should be especially careful when choosing
songs by artists they sound like and resemble physically, because it can be
more like an imitation than your own artistic self.
Elliott Yamin: Elliott Yamin's version of Bryan Adams' "Heaven" was
unfortunately not a good song for his vocal style, and although he sang it
in tune, it was bland and just not there dynamically. Perhaps the pressure
of tonight's performances was a factor, but Elliott seemed to have less
stage presence than last week. We agree with Simon that Elliott is more of a
soul singer, and we think he'd be a good jingle singer, or possibly a backup
vocalist, because his voice sounds like it would blend well (a talent in
itself, and a lucrative profession). Tips for success: Knowing who
you are as an artist is the key to good song selection. Working hard on your
stage presence helps you know yourself better as an artist, too, because you
become more comfortable with who you are onstage.
Ace Young: Where's the dynamic performer we saw singing "Father Figure"
two weeks ago? Ace Young's version of Michael Jackson's "Butterflies" was
not a good song choice for him, and Webmaster Extraordinaire put it best:
"He is someone that doesn't know who he is." Ace has presence, but he needs
an identity as a performer. Vocally, as we said last week, people either
love falsetto or they hate it. We're not into it at all, and it was pretty
off pitch in some places. The interview segment was a little off, too
(most people do know that musicians in L.A. work a lot of odd jobs), so Ace
would probably benefit from some media training. Tips for success:
Consistency is key to keeping the interest of fans and the industry at
large. Audiences like artists they can rely on to deliver great performances
every time they turn on the TV or pay money to see them. They also like
artists who know who they are as performers. You can't coast on charisma.
We voted
for: Chris Daughtry. Close second: Gideon McKinney.
Ryan Seacrest Smart quip of the Night: "Stay tuned for the Fox special,
Gideon and His Women, next on Fox." Seacrest's imitation of
Taylor Hicks had us laughing as well. But the ending of the show is a
little awkward without his trademark "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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