The top 5 finalists will all be singing two songs each. The first will be a song from the year they were born and the second will be a selection from a legendary Diva.
Candice Glover was born in 1989 - the same year that Paula Abdul spent three weeks at #1 with Straight Up. Candice veered away from the dance beat and decided instead to focus on a lighter arrangement where her vocals shined through. But even more importantly, for the first time in the competition she expressed an ease and confidence with her style and stage presence.
Janelle Arthur was born in 1989 - the same year that Vince Gill had a hit with When I Call Your Name. This was a genuine and heartfelt moment of a beautiful voice and sweet personality sharing the gift of music with us. Janelle is so lovely and sincere you feel everything with her.
Kree Harrision was born in 1990 - the same year that She Talks To Angels was a hit for the Black Crowes. This song choice was step backwards for Kree. She was back to being a nameless and faceless voice who was given a microphone but has zero personality and stage presence.
Angie Miller was born in 1994 - The same year that The Pretenders had a hit with I'll Stand By You. This was an outstanding emotional and vocal live concert moment. Angie tore it up at the piano playing with perfection and her voice was totally beautiful.
Amber Holcomb was born in 1994 - The same year Without You was a #3 hit for Mariah Carey. So we all know it wasn't as amazing as Mariah's version, but it was still very good. Her voice is strong and she looked so completely wonderful in a sleek and stylish mini dress.
When You Believe brought Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston together for the first time. This double diva powerhouse ballad was a great opportunity for Candice to show off more of what she can do. It was all about her voice and she did it perfectly.
Dumb Blonde is an example of what makes Dolly Parton a legendary diva. Janelle is the perfect young diva who is capable of rocking the stage with this kind of song. She is vibrant and dynamic every time she gets on stage and her bouncy blonde hair and sparkly outfit were the ideal match for her great vocal performance.
Have You Ever Been In Love is a typical Celine Dion vocal throw down that exemplifies her as one of the greatest divas. Kree Harrison, unfortunately, doesn't even come close to how amazing Celine is. It was a weak effort in comparison to the greats. Kree lacks a distinctive quality that makes her special and unique.
Halo is a Beyonce diva moment and Angie Miller ran in here grabbed it for herself and completely stole the show. She looked incredible and her vocals displayed a pure and crystal clear resonance that knocked over all of the competition. It was like I was hearing this song for the first time. It was beautiful.
Barbra Streisand is the Diva standard that all others are judges against and Amber Holcomb effortlessly rose to the challenge. Her performance was grand, classic and divinely pure. What a lovely talent!
All five of the remaining finalists are very good, but one of them is noticeably lacking in all areas including vocal range, stage presence and style. Kree Harrison should be the lowest vote getter be sent home this week.
Showing posts with label Whitney Houston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whitney Houston. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Top 10 Girls take their first shot
The Top 10 Girls can sing any song of their choice to try and win your votes:
Zoanette Johnson went first with an attempt at Tina Turner's #1 hit from 1984 What's Love Got To Do With It. The expectations were high as the judges gushed about her, but she failed miserably. Zoanette could hardly remember the lyrics and she looked like a complete mess.
Breanna Steer stood center stage and let her vocal range be the focus. She looked very classy and poised performing Beyonce's 2007 R and B slow jam Flaws and All. It was tender, emotional and presented Breanna as a star of the future.
Aubrey Cleland chose to sing Big Girls Don't Cry that Fergie took to #1 in 2007. She is a strikingly beautiful young woman who is completely ready for starring in videos. Vocally it is evident that her range has its limitations, but this song did not challenge her too much.
Janelle Arthur is the definition of a classic country girl. She is sweet, genuine and lovely and with her vocals tonight she saved it all for the end. She belted out a superbly pure final note that was thoroughly impressive.
Tenna Torres served up a cover of a Faith Hill song twisting it up with a soulful and impeccable vocal. She clearly has a the range to hit the highs and the lows and everything in between. And along with all of this, Tenna is just a very nice girl as well.
Angie Miller sat at the piano, sang an outstanding vocal and thoroughly brought the house down. She carries herself like a seasoned professional who is quite simply a true artist. She performed a brand new song that can be found on the debut album from Season 11 Miss American Idol finalist Colton Dixon. He needs to thank her for helping to raise the profile of his album. I see a spike in sales after this.
Amber Holcomb took on the 1996 hit from Whitney Houston and the Preacher's Wife soundtrack, I Believe In You And Me. She could definitely rise to the challenge and pull it off and make it look effortless. Great job.
Kree Harrison struggled and strained vocally to hit the notes. She sounded weak and forced as she tried to sing the song. The judges seemed to like her, but I just didn't see it. She seems to totally lack stage presence, personality or any style whatsoever.
Adriana Latonio did her best to provide a showstopper, but her youth and inexperience didn't quite allow her to measure up. She has a very nice voice and a sweet personality, but that's not enough to carry her through.
Candice Glover added some passion and energy to John Legend's Ordinary People. It was an outstanding interpretation of a great song that she was able to make even better.
There was some great talent to be found in the top 10 girls tonight but only 5 can make it through. Here's my prediction: Aubrey Cleland, Janelle Arthur, Angie Miller, Amber Holcomb and Candice Glover.
Zoanette Johnson went first with an attempt at Tina Turner's #1 hit from 1984 What's Love Got To Do With It. The expectations were high as the judges gushed about her, but she failed miserably. Zoanette could hardly remember the lyrics and she looked like a complete mess.
Breanna Steer stood center stage and let her vocal range be the focus. She looked very classy and poised performing Beyonce's 2007 R and B slow jam Flaws and All. It was tender, emotional and presented Breanna as a star of the future.
Aubrey Cleland chose to sing Big Girls Don't Cry that Fergie took to #1 in 2007. She is a strikingly beautiful young woman who is completely ready for starring in videos. Vocally it is evident that her range has its limitations, but this song did not challenge her too much.
Janelle Arthur is the definition of a classic country girl. She is sweet, genuine and lovely and with her vocals tonight she saved it all for the end. She belted out a superbly pure final note that was thoroughly impressive.
Tenna Torres served up a cover of a Faith Hill song twisting it up with a soulful and impeccable vocal. She clearly has a the range to hit the highs and the lows and everything in between. And along with all of this, Tenna is just a very nice girl as well.
Angie Miller sat at the piano, sang an outstanding vocal and thoroughly brought the house down. She carries herself like a seasoned professional who is quite simply a true artist. She performed a brand new song that can be found on the debut album from Season 11 Miss American Idol finalist Colton Dixon. He needs to thank her for helping to raise the profile of his album. I see a spike in sales after this.
Amber Holcomb took on the 1996 hit from Whitney Houston and the Preacher's Wife soundtrack, I Believe In You And Me. She could definitely rise to the challenge and pull it off and make it look effortless. Great job.
Kree Harrison struggled and strained vocally to hit the notes. She sounded weak and forced as she tried to sing the song. The judges seemed to like her, but I just didn't see it. She seems to totally lack stage presence, personality or any style whatsoever.
Adriana Latonio did her best to provide a showstopper, but her youth and inexperience didn't quite allow her to measure up. She has a very nice voice and a sweet personality, but that's not enough to carry her through.
Candice Glover added some passion and energy to John Legend's Ordinary People. It was an outstanding interpretation of a great song that she was able to make even better.
There was some great talent to be found in the top 10 girls tonight but only 5 can make it through. Here's my prediction: Aubrey Cleland, Janelle Arthur, Angie Miller, Amber Holcomb and Candice Glover.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
And the Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is....
The Season 11 Top 12 finalists opened the show with a very fun group performance of the Bruno Mars track Runaway Baby. It was great to see Colton, Deandre, Skylar and Hollie out there showing off what they can do.
Credence Clearwater Revival accumulated 17 top 40 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 in the four short years between 1968 and 1972. They did them all with the impressive lead vocals of John Fogerty. John took the stage with Phillip Phillips to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising and what stood out most is that after all these years John still a a great vocal range that makes Phillip's pale in comparison.
The Season 11 2nd Runner Up, Joshua Ledet then performed the Elton John classic Take Me To The Pilot with the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. With their voices and musical styles being so similar it was hard to distinguish where Joshua ended and where Fantasia began. But then all you had to do was realize that Fantasia was the one wearing the glittery body suit that was slit up and down both legs! And she thought everyone was going to be paying attention to her glamorous, silky long hair....
Erika, Elise, Shannon, Skylar, Jessica and Hollie performed a medley of Chaka Khan favorites including Ain't Nobody and Through The Fire. It culminated with the diva herself joining them on stage to sing I'm Every Woman. It seems like she took fashion advise from Fantasia as she chose to rock a glittery body suit as well.
Since 2006 pop princess Rhianna has been cranking out #1 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 with We Found Love, Only Girl in the World and S&M being the three most recent. With tonight's explosive performance of Where Have You Been it's quite likely that she could be adding another one to the collection.
Skylar Laine then had the opportunity to strut her country girl stuff for a duet with legendary superstar Reba. They performed her recent hit, Turn On The Radio and they were both in their element looking and sounding great.
Early in the season, Jessica Sanchez set herself apart as the clear front-runner with her exceptional rendition of the Whitney Houston smash #1 hit from 1992, I Will Always Love You. Tonight she recreated the moment with flawless vocal perfection.
Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua took over the stage to sing the Neil Diamond anthems America, Cracklin' Rosie and I'm a Believer. The grand finale came when the man himself joined in for Sweet Caroline. It was quite the fun karaoke party on that stage!
Jennifer Lopez took advantage of the chance to perform in front of this huge audience. She served up some more of her signature dance, latin, pop music.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Diana DeGarmo and Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Ace Young have been maintaining their music careers on the Broadway stage where they had a chance to meet and get to know each other better. In a romantic surprise Ace took advantage of being back on the American Idol stage to ask Diana to marry him and she immediately accepted.
Hollie Cavanagh showed off her amazing voice on You'll Never Walk Alone and demonstrated what a fierce competition it would have been if she had been in the finals going head to head with Jessica Sanchez. Hollie welcomed the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks on stage with her and this turned into a lovely duet with two beautiful young women. Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua then got together one more time to perform a Bee Gees medley in tribute to Robin Gibb
Jessica Sanchez continued to be the front-runner throughout the season when she performed the dramatic ballad from DreamGirls, And I Am telling You I'm Not Going. Tonight she had the privilege of singing it with the original artist who set the standard that all other have tried to live up to, the amazing Jennifer Holliday. It was truly electrifying to see them together and actually keep pace with each other.
Since Jennifer had her turn to perform, it was only fair that Steven Tyler and Aerosmith also got a chance to perform a medley of their hits.
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes spent three weeks at #1 in 1982 with Up Where We Belong. It was a classic combination of the soft paired with the scruffy as Jessica and Phillip did one last duet together. They then both went center stage to have the final results revealed. The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is.... PHILLIP PHILLIPS!
He took his guitar, he sang his debut single Home, and the glitter fell around him as he held back tears.
Credence Clearwater Revival accumulated 17 top 40 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 in the four short years between 1968 and 1972. They did them all with the impressive lead vocals of John Fogerty. John took the stage with Phillip Phillips to sing Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Bad Moon Rising and what stood out most is that after all these years John still a a great vocal range that makes Phillip's pale in comparison.
The Season 11 2nd Runner Up, Joshua Ledet then performed the Elton John classic Take Me To The Pilot with the Season 3 Miss American Idol winner Fantasia. With their voices and musical styles being so similar it was hard to distinguish where Joshua ended and where Fantasia began. But then all you had to do was realize that Fantasia was the one wearing the glittery body suit that was slit up and down both legs! And she thought everyone was going to be paying attention to her glamorous, silky long hair....
Erika, Elise, Shannon, Skylar, Jessica and Hollie performed a medley of Chaka Khan favorites including Ain't Nobody and Through The Fire. It culminated with the diva herself joining them on stage to sing I'm Every Woman. It seems like she took fashion advise from Fantasia as she chose to rock a glittery body suit as well.
Since 2006 pop princess Rhianna has been cranking out #1 hits on the Billboard HOT 100 with We Found Love, Only Girl in the World and S&M being the three most recent. With tonight's explosive performance of Where Have You Been it's quite likely that she could be adding another one to the collection.
Skylar Laine then had the opportunity to strut her country girl stuff for a duet with legendary superstar Reba. They performed her recent hit, Turn On The Radio and they were both in their element looking and sounding great.
Early in the season, Jessica Sanchez set herself apart as the clear front-runner with her exceptional rendition of the Whitney Houston smash #1 hit from 1992, I Will Always Love You. Tonight she recreated the moment with flawless vocal perfection.
Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua took over the stage to sing the Neil Diamond anthems America, Cracklin' Rosie and I'm a Believer. The grand finale came when the man himself joined in for Sweet Caroline. It was quite the fun karaoke party on that stage!
Jennifer Lopez took advantage of the chance to perform in front of this huge audience. She served up some more of her signature dance, latin, pop music.
The Season 3 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up Diana DeGarmo and Season 5 Miss American Idol finalist Ace Young have been maintaining their music careers on the Broadway stage where they had a chance to meet and get to know each other better. In a romantic surprise Ace took advantage of being back on the American Idol stage to ask Diana to marry him and she immediately accepted.
Hollie Cavanagh showed off her amazing voice on You'll Never Walk Alone and demonstrated what a fierce competition it would have been if she had been in the finals going head to head with Jessica Sanchez. Hollie welcomed the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks on stage with her and this turned into a lovely duet with two beautiful young women. Colton, Heejun, Jeremy, Deandre and Joshua then got together one more time to perform a Bee Gees medley in tribute to Robin Gibb
Jessica Sanchez continued to be the front-runner throughout the season when she performed the dramatic ballad from DreamGirls, And I Am telling You I'm Not Going. Tonight she had the privilege of singing it with the original artist who set the standard that all other have tried to live up to, the amazing Jennifer Holliday. It was truly electrifying to see them together and actually keep pace with each other.
Since Jennifer had her turn to perform, it was only fair that Steven Tyler and Aerosmith also got a chance to perform a medley of their hits.
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes spent three weeks at #1 in 1982 with Up Where We Belong. It was a classic combination of the soft paired with the scruffy as Jessica and Phillip did one last duet together. They then both went center stage to have the final results revealed. The Season 11 Miss American Idol winner is.... PHILLIP PHILLIPS!
He took his guitar, he sang his debut single Home, and the glitter fell around him as he held back tears.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Jessica VS. Phillip
We have reached the Season 11 Miss American Idol final face-off between Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips.
Jessica went first and started with a performance of Whitney Houston's #4 hit from 1993, I Have Nothing. Her voice is perfect for this type of ballad that requires a singer with an impressive vocal range like hers. She looked very classy as she delivered a wonderful rendition. For the next round Jessica tackled another song from an accomplished diva. This time it was The Prayer by Celine Dion. Once again, this young 16 year old finalist proved that she can easily rise to the vocal challenge. It was simply beautiful. Her final song was an original composition called Change Nothing. This mid-tempo pop selection allowed Jessica to connect her outstanding voice to some new material and genuinely make it her own. She belted out some amazing power notes that clearly proclaimed that she is the best singer left in the competition.
Phillip took on the classic Ben E. King song Stand By Me that originally hit #4 in 1961. As usual, Phillip lacks the vocal range, skill and talent to actually sing the song well. The lyrics were merely spoken with no melodic inflection at all. He then decided to musically mutilate the Billy Joel song, Moving Out as he had done earlier in the season as if once wasn't enough. The saving grace of his performances was the last one as he stood center stage for an original song called Home. And stand center stage is all that he needed to do as the band played loudly and the background singers did all the work to drown out his minimal voice. He was also upstaged by a marching band that thankfully pulled focus away from his clumsy awkwardness.
As showcased tonight, Jessica Sanchez should easily win the Season 11 Miss American Idol Crown. She has the looks, style, stage presence and most importantly, the outstanding and impressive vocal range to take her time from this competition and translate it into a long career in the music industry.
Jessica went first and started with a performance of Whitney Houston's #4 hit from 1993, I Have Nothing. Her voice is perfect for this type of ballad that requires a singer with an impressive vocal range like hers. She looked very classy as she delivered a wonderful rendition. For the next round Jessica tackled another song from an accomplished diva. This time it was The Prayer by Celine Dion. Once again, this young 16 year old finalist proved that she can easily rise to the vocal challenge. It was simply beautiful. Her final song was an original composition called Change Nothing. This mid-tempo pop selection allowed Jessica to connect her outstanding voice to some new material and genuinely make it her own. She belted out some amazing power notes that clearly proclaimed that she is the best singer left in the competition.
Phillip took on the classic Ben E. King song Stand By Me that originally hit #4 in 1961. As usual, Phillip lacks the vocal range, skill and talent to actually sing the song well. The lyrics were merely spoken with no melodic inflection at all. He then decided to musically mutilate the Billy Joel song, Moving Out as he had done earlier in the season as if once wasn't enough. The saving grace of his performances was the last one as he stood center stage for an original song called Home. And stand center stage is all that he needed to do as the band played loudly and the background singers did all the work to drown out his minimal voice. He was also upstaged by a marching band that thankfully pulled focus away from his clumsy awkwardness.
As showcased tonight, Jessica Sanchez should easily win the Season 11 Miss American Idol Crown. She has the looks, style, stage presence and most importantly, the outstanding and impressive vocal range to take her time from this competition and translate it into a long career in the music industry.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Idols dominate the 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood is sitting comfortably at the #1 position on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for the second week in a row with her album Blown Away. Her performance of the title track from the album was without a doubt the highlight of the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. Her vocals had all the power and drama necessary to bring the story of abuse and revenge to life for the crowd of cheering fans. It was combined with wind from giant fans, bursts of smoke, glitter falling to the ground and Carrie looking amazing is a flowing red gown.
In addition to Carrie, the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks was also there to participate in a tribute to the late Whitney Houston. Jordin performed a stellar rendition of I Will Always Love You with wonderful vocal perfection and heartfelt emotion. Jordin will soon be co-starring with Whitney in the remake of Sparkle that will be in theaters later this summer. A new duet with Jordin and Whitney was just released from the Sparkle soundtrack today called Celebrate. It's a fun and upbeat dance groove that has potential to be huge hit.
The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, was also at the Billboard Awards to perform the third single from her album Stronger. This week Kelly is returning to TV on a new show called Duets where hopefuls will compete for the chance to sing and record a song with her.
Finally, the winner of this season's Celebrity Apprentice was named and unfortunately it was not the Season 2 Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Clay Aiken. For some reason, Donald Trump decided to give the honor to Arsenio Hall instead. Once again, Clay has found himself in the 1st runner up position.
In addition to Carrie, the Season 6 Miss American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks was also there to participate in a tribute to the late Whitney Houston. Jordin performed a stellar rendition of I Will Always Love You with wonderful vocal perfection and heartfelt emotion. Jordin will soon be co-starring with Whitney in the remake of Sparkle that will be in theaters later this summer. A new duet with Jordin and Whitney was just released from the Sparkle soundtrack today called Celebrate. It's a fun and upbeat dance groove that has potential to be huge hit.
The Season 1 Miss American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, was also at the Billboard Awards to perform the third single from her album Stronger. This week Kelly is returning to TV on a new show called Duets where hopefuls will compete for the chance to sing and record a song with her.
Finally, the winner of this season's Celebrity Apprentice was named and unfortunately it was not the Season 2 Miss American Idol 1st runner up, Clay Aiken. For some reason, Donald Trump decided to give the honor to Arsenio Hall instead. Once again, Clay has found himself in the 1st runner up position.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Top 8 - Sing the 80's
Tonight the top 8 finalists are singing songs from the totally awesome 80's!
Debarge took I Like It to #31 in 1983 and Deandre Brackensick brought it right into the present. Once again he chose a song that allowed him to show off his extremely impressive vocal range while highlighting his smooth and wonderful falsetto. Deandre is totally ready for his videos to get millions of views on YouTube.
Foreigner hit #1 in 1984 with I Want To Know What Love is. Elise Testone hoped this power ballad would sustain the energy from her rocking performance last week, but unfortunately it just exposed her vocal and performance limitations.
Colton and Skylar got together to perform Islands In The Stream that Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton took to #1 in 1983. For the most part they just appeared to be going through the motions, but their voices are good enough that it wasn't all bad.
Genesis took That's All! to #6 in 1982. Phillip Phillips was out there showing off a combination of awkwardness mixed with anger. He couldn't seem to connect with the song at all and he made it very obvious that he didn't like it.
Hollie and Deandre served up some pure entertainment with their very fun rendition of The Pointer Sisters #9 hit song I'm So Excited from 1984. It was bouncy, energetic and showed off the lightness in their youthful personalities while also highlighting amazing vocals.
Simply Red had a #1 hit in 1989 with If You Don't Know Me By Now. Joshua Ledet once again took the song to his gospel comfort zone and performed with passion. One thing that he hasn't shown off yet is if he can actually sustain a single note for an extended period of time. There's lots of gasping up and down but no controlled blowing us away.
Whitney Houston took How Will I Know to #1 in 1985. Jessica Sanchez really makes it all look so easy. She can perform outstanding vocals live so incredibly well that it's going to be wonderfully impressive to hear what she produces in the studio. She's wonderful.
Phillip and Elise got together to drag down the fantastic classic rock song from 1981 Stop Dragging My Heart Around. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty took it to #3 on the Billboard HOT 100 and were a completely natural pairing, but these kids just painfully strained their voices trying to force it out.
Irene Cara had a #1 song for 6 weeks in 1983 with Flashdance, What A Feeling. Hollie Cavanagh looked spectacular in a very cute sparkly blue dress while she strutted and showed off her great legs in some very cute shoes. Along with her working the stage so well came more of her fantastic voice that belted out this great song to perfection.
Jessica and Joshua paired up on the 1987 #1 smash I Knew You Were Waiting from George Michael and Aretha Franklin. It's a good song, but it didn't provide Jessica with any great moments to shine and Joshua just over sang it.
Cyndi Lauper won the Grammy for Best New Artist after releasing great material like Time After Time that hit #1 in 1984. Colton Dixon has a unique ability to transform an amazing song into his very own showstopper. He tore the roof off the place while taking us all on the ride with him.
Bette Midler hit #1 in 1989 with Wind Beneath My Wings. Skylar Laine wanted the crowd to see that she can belt out the big notes and this song easily allowed her to do that. She also managed to interpret the song lyrics very well.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Elise, Phillip and Joshua. They all have the same problem of lacking range and versatility. They serve up the exact same thing every week, but instead of getting better, it just ends up being more tired and boring. I think that Elise will be going home.
Debarge took I Like It to #31 in 1983 and Deandre Brackensick brought it right into the present. Once again he chose a song that allowed him to show off his extremely impressive vocal range while highlighting his smooth and wonderful falsetto. Deandre is totally ready for his videos to get millions of views on YouTube.
Foreigner hit #1 in 1984 with I Want To Know What Love is. Elise Testone hoped this power ballad would sustain the energy from her rocking performance last week, but unfortunately it just exposed her vocal and performance limitations.
Colton and Skylar got together to perform Islands In The Stream that Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton took to #1 in 1983. For the most part they just appeared to be going through the motions, but their voices are good enough that it wasn't all bad.
Genesis took That's All! to #6 in 1982. Phillip Phillips was out there showing off a combination of awkwardness mixed with anger. He couldn't seem to connect with the song at all and he made it very obvious that he didn't like it.
Hollie and Deandre served up some pure entertainment with their very fun rendition of The Pointer Sisters #9 hit song I'm So Excited from 1984. It was bouncy, energetic and showed off the lightness in their youthful personalities while also highlighting amazing vocals.
Simply Red had a #1 hit in 1989 with If You Don't Know Me By Now. Joshua Ledet once again took the song to his gospel comfort zone and performed with passion. One thing that he hasn't shown off yet is if he can actually sustain a single note for an extended period of time. There's lots of gasping up and down but no controlled blowing us away.
Whitney Houston took How Will I Know to #1 in 1985. Jessica Sanchez really makes it all look so easy. She can perform outstanding vocals live so incredibly well that it's going to be wonderfully impressive to hear what she produces in the studio. She's wonderful.
Phillip and Elise got together to drag down the fantastic classic rock song from 1981 Stop Dragging My Heart Around. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty took it to #3 on the Billboard HOT 100 and were a completely natural pairing, but these kids just painfully strained their voices trying to force it out.
Irene Cara had a #1 song for 6 weeks in 1983 with Flashdance, What A Feeling. Hollie Cavanagh looked spectacular in a very cute sparkly blue dress while she strutted and showed off her great legs in some very cute shoes. Along with her working the stage so well came more of her fantastic voice that belted out this great song to perfection.
Jessica and Joshua paired up on the 1987 #1 smash I Knew You Were Waiting from George Michael and Aretha Franklin. It's a good song, but it didn't provide Jessica with any great moments to shine and Joshua just over sang it.
Cyndi Lauper won the Grammy for Best New Artist after releasing great material like Time After Time that hit #1 in 1984. Colton Dixon has a unique ability to transform an amazing song into his very own showstopper. He tore the roof off the place while taking us all on the ride with him.
Bette Midler hit #1 in 1989 with Wind Beneath My Wings. Skylar Laine wanted the crowd to see that she can belt out the big notes and this song easily allowed her to do that. She also managed to interpret the song lyrics very well.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Elise, Phillip and Joshua. They all have the same problem of lacking range and versatility. They serve up the exact same thing every week, but instead of getting better, it just ends up being more tired and boring. I think that Elise will be going home.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Top 13: Boys Vs. Girls
The top 13 finalists were guided tonight by R&B singer Mary J. Blige. The girls will all sing a Whitney Houston song and the boys will all sing from the Stevie Wonder songbook.
I Wish hit #1 in 1977. Joshua Ledet tried to show off his vocal range and talent by selecting this funky uptempo number rather than another gospel ballad. His voice is very good and that's not the problem. He has to work on channeling his energy into an entertaining performance style.
I'm Your Baby Tonight hit #1 in 1990. Elise Testone was way out of her comfort zone with this dance pop vocal rollercoaster. She rose to the occasion and gave it her best shot even though you could tell her heart wasn't really in it.
Knocks Me Off My Feet was included on the 1976 album Songs In The Key Of Life. Jermaine Jones only has one thing to bring to the party. He has a deep voice, but he has no personality, showmanship or stage presence.
I Believe In You and Me from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack hit #4 in 1997. Erika Van Pelt performed a very respectable rendition in her own personal style.
Lately was included on the 1980 album Hotter Than July. Colton Dixon completely immersed himself in the lyrics of this beautiful song and brought them to life with such passion and vulnerability. He has all the necessary rock star qualities to transform an R&B ballad into an emotional performance that gives the audience chills. Outstanding!
I Have Nothing from the Bodyguard soundtrack hit #4 in 1993. Shannon Magrane should just give up and go home now. This performance exposed her complete lack of breath control and lack of ability to handle the demands of this competition. It was sad.
Master Blaster hit #5 in 1980. Deandre Brackensick is completely overflowing with talent, vocal range, stage presence, showmanship and all the other desirable qualities in an American Idol. He was fun and energetic on stage and it's a shame the song had to end. More, more, more!
Where Do Broken Hearts Go hit #1 in 1988. Skylar Laine has the wonderful ability to take on a new song for herself and simply tell the story in the lyrics with maturity way beyond her years. The vocal interpretation was both dramatic and meaningful.
All In Love Is Fair was included on the 1973 album Innervisions. Heejun Han comes off as a completely insincere phony and he's totally unpleasant to listen to and to watch on stage.
All The Man I Need hit #1 in 1991. Hollie Cavanagh is a lovely young woman with an astoundingly big voice and crystal clear vocal range. She completely nailed this vocal performance and looked sweet, stunning and professional.
Ribbon In The Sky was included on the 1982 album Original Musiquarium. Jeremy Rosado has no problem at all revealing his sensitivity and genuine love of music and performing. He's a completely great kid that it feels good to root for. It's too bad that this song didn't allow him to really show off what he can do with his voice.
I Will Always Love You spent 14 weeks at #1 in 1993. Jessica Sanchez quite simply has an amazingly impressive vocal gift. She sings with such ease and the sound is so pure and natural. The recording industry has a new star!
Superstition hit #1 in 1972. Phillip Phillips does this whole screaming rocker act on stage, but unfortunately it lacks any indication of human emotion or understanding.
After all the votes are counted it's going to be Boys Vs. Girls as the judges will decided if the boy with the lowest number of votes or if the girl with the lowest number of votes is going home.
My prediction for the lowest votes getters is Shannon Magrane, Elise Testone, Jeremy Rosado and Joshua Ledet.
Hopefully the judges will be sending Shannon home.
I Wish hit #1 in 1977. Joshua Ledet tried to show off his vocal range and talent by selecting this funky uptempo number rather than another gospel ballad. His voice is very good and that's not the problem. He has to work on channeling his energy into an entertaining performance style.
I'm Your Baby Tonight hit #1 in 1990. Elise Testone was way out of her comfort zone with this dance pop vocal rollercoaster. She rose to the occasion and gave it her best shot even though you could tell her heart wasn't really in it.
Knocks Me Off My Feet was included on the 1976 album Songs In The Key Of Life. Jermaine Jones only has one thing to bring to the party. He has a deep voice, but he has no personality, showmanship or stage presence.
I Believe In You and Me from the Preacher's Wife soundtrack hit #4 in 1997. Erika Van Pelt performed a very respectable rendition in her own personal style.
Lately was included on the 1980 album Hotter Than July. Colton Dixon completely immersed himself in the lyrics of this beautiful song and brought them to life with such passion and vulnerability. He has all the necessary rock star qualities to transform an R&B ballad into an emotional performance that gives the audience chills. Outstanding!
I Have Nothing from the Bodyguard soundtrack hit #4 in 1993. Shannon Magrane should just give up and go home now. This performance exposed her complete lack of breath control and lack of ability to handle the demands of this competition. It was sad.
Master Blaster hit #5 in 1980. Deandre Brackensick is completely overflowing with talent, vocal range, stage presence, showmanship and all the other desirable qualities in an American Idol. He was fun and energetic on stage and it's a shame the song had to end. More, more, more!
Where Do Broken Hearts Go hit #1 in 1988. Skylar Laine has the wonderful ability to take on a new song for herself and simply tell the story in the lyrics with maturity way beyond her years. The vocal interpretation was both dramatic and meaningful.
All In Love Is Fair was included on the 1973 album Innervisions. Heejun Han comes off as a completely insincere phony and he's totally unpleasant to listen to and to watch on stage.
All The Man I Need hit #1 in 1991. Hollie Cavanagh is a lovely young woman with an astoundingly big voice and crystal clear vocal range. She completely nailed this vocal performance and looked sweet, stunning and professional.
Ribbon In The Sky was included on the 1982 album Original Musiquarium. Jeremy Rosado has no problem at all revealing his sensitivity and genuine love of music and performing. He's a completely great kid that it feels good to root for. It's too bad that this song didn't allow him to really show off what he can do with his voice.
I Will Always Love You spent 14 weeks at #1 in 1993. Jessica Sanchez quite simply has an amazingly impressive vocal gift. She sings with such ease and the sound is so pure and natural. The recording industry has a new star!
Superstition hit #1 in 1972. Phillip Phillips does this whole screaming rocker act on stage, but unfortunately it lacks any indication of human emotion or understanding.
After all the votes are counted it's going to be Boys Vs. Girls as the judges will decided if the boy with the lowest number of votes or if the girl with the lowest number of votes is going home.
My prediction for the lowest votes getters is Shannon Magrane, Elise Testone, Jeremy Rosado and Joshua Ledet.
Hopefully the judges will be sending Shannon home.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Top 12 sing their beginnings....
This week the top 12 finalists were to select a song that came out the year they were born:
Naima Adedepo was born in 1984 and she performed Tina Turner's comeback smash hit that spent three weeks at #1 and Grammy winning Record of the Year, What's Love Got To Do With It. Tina's classic version was all about the image being a perfect match for the unique vocals, but Naima seemed to pay more attention to her image and less to her vocals. She's very talented, but still needs to work on combining her great style with her wonderful voice.
Paul McDonald was also born in 1984 and he performed Elton John's hit that peaked at #4, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. Paul does best when he finds the right song to match his quirky style and this was not it. He's cute and distinctive, but let's hope he never puts his stamp on this one again.
Thia Megia was born in 1995 and she performed the Oscar winning theme song from the film Pocahontas that Vanessa Williams took to #4. Thia was a stunning and beautiful princess as she performed this inspirational ballad with total vocal perfection. She is a young woman with limitless potential.
James Durbin was born in 1989 and he performed Bon Jovi's hit that spent one week at #1, I'll Be There For You. James served up more of his classic rock singing for this power ballad without going over the top as usual. From what we've come to expect from James, this was pretty tame.
Haley Reinhart was born in 1990 and she performed Whitney Houston's pop smash that spent one week at #1, I'm Your Baby Tonight. This version will definitely not become a pop smash as Haley turned it into a dreadful big band mis-step. She has tried to show herself as a vocal chameleon with previous performances, but this week the vocals were simply not good.
Stefano Langone was born in 1989 and he performed Simply Red's fantastic cover of the Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes classic that spent one week at #1, If You Don't Know Me By Now. With Stefano's charming good looks and flawless vocal interpretation, this song could be a hit all over again.
Pia Toscano was born in 1988 and she performed Whitney Houston's hit that spent two weeks at #1, Where Do Broken Hearts Go. Pia was able to lift this lovely ballad to new heights with an exciting uptempo arrangement that showcased her amazing voice even more than usual.
Scotty McCreery was born in 1993 and he performed Can I Trust You With My Heart by Travis Tritt. We already know he's got a nice deep voice, but he's not showing much range or personality. He's the type of artist where the song is more interesting than he is.
Karen Rodriguez was born in 1989 and she performed Taylor Dayne's biggest hit that spent one week at #1, Love Will Lead You Back. First can we say, WOW! what a cute outfit! the go-go boots and mini dress are fierce with the big hair and huge hoop earrings!!! And her voice was just perfect also.
Casey Abrams was born in 1991 and he performed Nirvana's huge cross-over smash that peaked at #6, Smells Like Teen Spirit. He seemed to be going for respectful as he performed a very safe version of this song that defined a generation. And, of course, he provided his signature screaming.
Lauren Alaina was born in 1994 and she performed a song that peaked at #8 for Melissa Etheridge, I'm The Only One. Lauren has successfully earned herself the title of the most over-rated finalist of the season. The judges rave about her, but she never seems to deliver on stage and tonight was no exception.
Jacob Lusk was born in 1987 and he performed Heart's rocking power ballad that spent three weeks at #1, Alone. He should stick to gospel, but he is also a contender for the most over-rated finalist of the season. The judges don't know what they are talking about.
The most clear shoe-in for one of the bottom three vote getters is Haley. It's gonna be a toss up for who will be joining her so I'm just gonna take a random guess and predict Naima and Paul will be in there also. But Haley should definitely be the one going home.
Naima Adedepo was born in 1984 and she performed Tina Turner's comeback smash hit that spent three weeks at #1 and Grammy winning Record of the Year, What's Love Got To Do With It. Tina's classic version was all about the image being a perfect match for the unique vocals, but Naima seemed to pay more attention to her image and less to her vocals. She's very talented, but still needs to work on combining her great style with her wonderful voice.
Paul McDonald was also born in 1984 and he performed Elton John's hit that peaked at #4, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. Paul does best when he finds the right song to match his quirky style and this was not it. He's cute and distinctive, but let's hope he never puts his stamp on this one again.
Thia Megia was born in 1995 and she performed the Oscar winning theme song from the film Pocahontas that Vanessa Williams took to #4. Thia was a stunning and beautiful princess as she performed this inspirational ballad with total vocal perfection. She is a young woman with limitless potential.
James Durbin was born in 1989 and he performed Bon Jovi's hit that spent one week at #1, I'll Be There For You. James served up more of his classic rock singing for this power ballad without going over the top as usual. From what we've come to expect from James, this was pretty tame.
Haley Reinhart was born in 1990 and she performed Whitney Houston's pop smash that spent one week at #1, I'm Your Baby Tonight. This version will definitely not become a pop smash as Haley turned it into a dreadful big band mis-step. She has tried to show herself as a vocal chameleon with previous performances, but this week the vocals were simply not good.
Stefano Langone was born in 1989 and he performed Simply Red's fantastic cover of the Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes classic that spent one week at #1, If You Don't Know Me By Now. With Stefano's charming good looks and flawless vocal interpretation, this song could be a hit all over again.
Pia Toscano was born in 1988 and she performed Whitney Houston's hit that spent two weeks at #1, Where Do Broken Hearts Go. Pia was able to lift this lovely ballad to new heights with an exciting uptempo arrangement that showcased her amazing voice even more than usual.
Scotty McCreery was born in 1993 and he performed Can I Trust You With My Heart by Travis Tritt. We already know he's got a nice deep voice, but he's not showing much range or personality. He's the type of artist where the song is more interesting than he is.
Karen Rodriguez was born in 1989 and she performed Taylor Dayne's biggest hit that spent one week at #1, Love Will Lead You Back. First can we say, WOW! what a cute outfit! the go-go boots and mini dress are fierce with the big hair and huge hoop earrings!!! And her voice was just perfect also.
Casey Abrams was born in 1991 and he performed Nirvana's huge cross-over smash that peaked at #6, Smells Like Teen Spirit. He seemed to be going for respectful as he performed a very safe version of this song that defined a generation. And, of course, he provided his signature screaming.
Lauren Alaina was born in 1994 and she performed a song that peaked at #8 for Melissa Etheridge, I'm The Only One. Lauren has successfully earned herself the title of the most over-rated finalist of the season. The judges rave about her, but she never seems to deliver on stage and tonight was no exception.
Jacob Lusk was born in 1987 and he performed Heart's rocking power ballad that spent three weeks at #1, Alone. He should stick to gospel, but he is also a contender for the most over-rated finalist of the season. The judges don't know what they are talking about.
The most clear shoe-in for one of the bottom three vote getters is Haley. It's gonna be a toss up for who will be joining her so I'm just gonna take a random guess and predict Naima and Paul will be in there also. But Haley should definitely be the one going home.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The competition begins....
Only three of the next 12 finalists will be moving forward. Here's what they did to win you over...
Jackie Tohn got the competition started with her version of the Elvis Presley track A Little Less Conversation. She may think she's an amazing performer with the style and charisma of the King of Rock n Roll, but she didn't show it tonight. Her vocals were scratchy and weak and were not a good fit for the song at all. The performance was like Katy Perry's at the Grammy Awards this year, but even worse. Jackie needed huge pieces of fruit on stage to distract us from her dreadful outfit. We definitely will not be seeing her again.
Ricky Braddy went in a completely different direction with his rendition of Leon Russell's A Song For You. He's a nice looking young man who didn't feel the need to resort to any gimmicks in the form of a crazy costume or wacky stage antics. He took this vocally challenging ballad and he demonstrated how it's done. It was packed with genuine emotion and big notes highlighting his broad vocal range. We should see more of him.
Alexis Grace attempted to win us over by taking on the first top 10 song by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). It was a very strong attempt as this little white girl got up there in her little black dress and belted out vocals worthy of this 1967 classic song. We should see more of her.
Brent Keith chose to stick with what he knows best by singing a fun country song called Hick Town. He's got a great look and sound for country music world, but he didn't show off his vocal range with this effort. He went for the fans who want to get up and line dance and two-step and there's quite a few of them out there so we very well may be seeing more of him.
Stevie Wright stayed with the country theme by choosing a song by teen chart topper Taylor Swift. It was a sweet little uptempo tale of teen love, but just like Taylor, Stevie doesn't have much of an impressive vocal range. Taylor manages to sell millions of albums despite her weak vocal abilities, but on this show Stevie failed to make a choice that impressed. We should not be seeing more of her.
Anoop Desai took on the #1 smash from 1999 by Monica, Angel of Mine. This song was actually a very good match for his impressive range. But the song itself is somewhat forgettable. Monica managed to have a hit with it as she was riding the wave of success of even bigger #1 smash hits, The Boy Is Mine and The First Night. Anoop wasn't following up any bigger hits, so this was his only chance to leave his mark. That means we might not being seeing more of him.
Casey Carlson did her best to make the 1981 hit by The Police, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic her own. She's a very attractive young woman and we know from the auditions that she has a good voice, but nothing about it worked. She had no opportunity to show off her vocal range at all. It's sad, but we will not be seeing more of her.
Michael Sarver sang the 2005 hit song by Gavin DeGraw, I Don't Want To Be. The song is a real crowd pleaser, but Michael's vocals were kinda bland. He did not get the opportunity to really impress us with his singing. He did, though, have more time to show off his winning personality. If we see more of him it's going to be based solely on his nice personality.
Ann Marie Boskovich took on the Queen of Soul as well with Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Aretha was successfully having a string of hits in 1967 but Ann Marie isn't likely to experience the same thing in this year or in any year. She has a nice voice, but the song was bigger than she can handle. This young contestant doesn't have the personality or the soul to pull it off. Being attractive isn't enough. We will not be seeing more of her.
Stephen Fowler reached back to 1980 to sing the dance groove of Michael Jackson's huge #1 smash Rock With You. This song is a classic jam, but Stephen failed to breath any life into it. He has a good voice that he simply did not use at it's best with this song. We will not be seeing more of him.
Tatiana Del Toro took on the first #1 song by Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You from 1986. She did her best to pull back the drama from Hollywood Week and just let her vocal abilities shine through. The fact is that she actually can hit many of the notes required in a song like this. She has some real talent in there and she's not going to let anything stop her from making the best of this rare opportunity. We will be seeing more of her.
Danny Gokey learned a lesson last year when Mariah Carey was a guest mentor for the finalists last year: Boys can cover her songs better than girls. He took on her #1 hit anthem from 1994, Hero. You could feel that he genuinely connects with the spirit of the song to believe in yourself while he sang every note. He is definitely marketing himself very well. He knows how to pick a song, sing it and tell the story of his life with every appearance he makes. We will definitely be seeing more of him.
Only three of these 12 finalists are moving on in the competition. Here are my predictions:
Danny Gokey will be the top boy vote getter and Tatiana Del Toro will be the top girl. Michael Sarver will then come out ahead of the others to stay in the game.
Jackie Tohn got the competition started with her version of the Elvis Presley track A Little Less Conversation. She may think she's an amazing performer with the style and charisma of the King of Rock n Roll, but she didn't show it tonight. Her vocals were scratchy and weak and were not a good fit for the song at all. The performance was like Katy Perry's at the Grammy Awards this year, but even worse. Jackie needed huge pieces of fruit on stage to distract us from her dreadful outfit. We definitely will not be seeing her again.
Ricky Braddy went in a completely different direction with his rendition of Leon Russell's A Song For You. He's a nice looking young man who didn't feel the need to resort to any gimmicks in the form of a crazy costume or wacky stage antics. He took this vocally challenging ballad and he demonstrated how it's done. It was packed with genuine emotion and big notes highlighting his broad vocal range. We should see more of him.
Alexis Grace attempted to win us over by taking on the first top 10 song by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). It was a very strong attempt as this little white girl got up there in her little black dress and belted out vocals worthy of this 1967 classic song. We should see more of her.
Brent Keith chose to stick with what he knows best by singing a fun country song called Hick Town. He's got a great look and sound for country music world, but he didn't show off his vocal range with this effort. He went for the fans who want to get up and line dance and two-step and there's quite a few of them out there so we very well may be seeing more of him.
Stevie Wright stayed with the country theme by choosing a song by teen chart topper Taylor Swift. It was a sweet little uptempo tale of teen love, but just like Taylor, Stevie doesn't have much of an impressive vocal range. Taylor manages to sell millions of albums despite her weak vocal abilities, but on this show Stevie failed to make a choice that impressed. We should not be seeing more of her.
Anoop Desai took on the #1 smash from 1999 by Monica, Angel of Mine. This song was actually a very good match for his impressive range. But the song itself is somewhat forgettable. Monica managed to have a hit with it as she was riding the wave of success of even bigger #1 smash hits, The Boy Is Mine and The First Night. Anoop wasn't following up any bigger hits, so this was his only chance to leave his mark. That means we might not being seeing more of him.
Casey Carlson did her best to make the 1981 hit by The Police, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic her own. She's a very attractive young woman and we know from the auditions that she has a good voice, but nothing about it worked. She had no opportunity to show off her vocal range at all. It's sad, but we will not be seeing more of her.
Michael Sarver sang the 2005 hit song by Gavin DeGraw, I Don't Want To Be. The song is a real crowd pleaser, but Michael's vocals were kinda bland. He did not get the opportunity to really impress us with his singing. He did, though, have more time to show off his winning personality. If we see more of him it's going to be based solely on his nice personality.
Ann Marie Boskovich took on the Queen of Soul as well with Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Aretha was successfully having a string of hits in 1967 but Ann Marie isn't likely to experience the same thing in this year or in any year. She has a nice voice, but the song was bigger than she can handle. This young contestant doesn't have the personality or the soul to pull it off. Being attractive isn't enough. We will not be seeing more of her.
Stephen Fowler reached back to 1980 to sing the dance groove of Michael Jackson's huge #1 smash Rock With You. This song is a classic jam, but Stephen failed to breath any life into it. He has a good voice that he simply did not use at it's best with this song. We will not be seeing more of him.
Tatiana Del Toro took on the first #1 song by Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You from 1986. She did her best to pull back the drama from Hollywood Week and just let her vocal abilities shine through. The fact is that she actually can hit many of the notes required in a song like this. She has some real talent in there and she's not going to let anything stop her from making the best of this rare opportunity. We will be seeing more of her.
Danny Gokey learned a lesson last year when Mariah Carey was a guest mentor for the finalists last year: Boys can cover her songs better than girls. He took on her #1 hit anthem from 1994, Hero. You could feel that he genuinely connects with the spirit of the song to believe in yourself while he sang every note. He is definitely marketing himself very well. He knows how to pick a song, sing it and tell the story of his life with every appearance he makes. We will definitely be seeing more of him.
Only three of these 12 finalists are moving on in the competition. Here are my predictions:
Danny Gokey will be the top boy vote getter and Tatiana Del Toro will be the top girl. Michael Sarver will then come out ahead of the others to stay in the game.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Lucky 7 sing Mariah!!!!
In the seven seasons of American Idol, there has never been a more accomplished mentor than the one the lucky 7 finalists had the chance to work with this week. From 1990 to the present Mariah Carey has consistently written, produced and performed the songs that are at the top of the charts. She shared her experience and wisdom with the finalists as they attempted to make a selection from her songbook their own.
In 1998 Mariah was asked to join Whitney Houston for a duet of the theme song for the animated film, the Prince of Egypt. The song When You Believe ended up peaking at #15 and after Mariah and Whitney performed it at the Oscars the song took the statue for Best Original Song. David Archuleta is like two divas in one because he managed to bring his sincere persona and vocals to this song and completely make it work. All that was missing was the glamorous long gown, but he'll have plenty of time to do that in the future.
Mariah is the rare diva who writes almost all of her own material. After hitting #1 in 1992 with her cover of the Jackson 5's I'll Be There, Mariah started to include a cover version on many of her albums. On Music Box it was a cover of Nilsson's Without You. While his was a #1 smash in 1972, Mariah's peaked at #3 in 1994. Carly Smithson selected this song that allowed her to belt out some amazing big notes. She also looked much more sophisticated as her silky dress had sleeves that covered her tattoos.
After 18 years of recording amazing songs, Mariah still acknowledges Vanishing from her 1990 self-titled debut album as one of her all-time favorites. It's a uniquely "Mariah" song that is full of elaborate vocal runs and impressive high notes. Staying true to her choices so far this season, this was the clear option for Syesha Mercado to try once again to prove that she is a contender. The fact is that Syesha did a more than respectable job presenting this classic album track to a new audience. And she looked incredibly classy while while doing it.
Mariah spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with Hero. It's one of her career defining songs that her adoring fans expected to hear at all of her concerts. It's a genuinely inspirational song about believing in one's self. Brooke White did her best expressing that sentiment to the audience as she took her comfortable place behind her piano. But as was expected, her limited vocals prevented her from elevating the song to the inspirational heights. She tried and faltered to the point of appearing nervous and awkward.
In 1996 Mariah had just set the all-time Billboard HOT 100 record for spending 16 weeks at #1 with One Sweet Day. So while Forever was never released as a single, demand was so high for Mariah that the song was in heavy rotation at radio anyway. Kristy Lee Cook has once again chosen a song that she can make her own and that directs the focus on her best qualities. She didn't need to play with the arrangement too much to turn the song into a legitimate country tune and her vocals were just as impressive as last week.
Also in 1996, Mariah spent two weeks at #1 with Always Be My Baby. In her original arrangement, it's the kind of song that the campers might sing sitting around the fire while roasting marshmallows. Like we have come to expect from David Cook, he found a way to re-invent this song and completely make it his own while staying true to its meaning. He definitely knows how to work with all of the pieces that go into making music: producers and arrangers, the live musicians in a band, and commanding the stage with his vocals and presence.
In 1991 Mariah had her fourth consecutive #1 song from her self-titled debut album, I Don't Wanna Cry. Jason Castro despite his limited vocal abilities, is still in the competition. Each week he manages to smile just right, flash his bright eyes and "sing" barely well enough to keep coming back. Somehow he should be able to do that again this week, but thankfully without the use of a ukulele. Similar to David Cook, Jason made the song fit his persona with a tropical arrangement and it was actually kinda nice.
This was easily the best week on American Idol EVER!!! In previous seasons the mentors have been incredible artists and musicians, but they have all had their hit-making success in the past. With Mariah, the lucky 7 finalists got the chance to learn from someone who is an exceptionally accomplished hit maker on the charts THIS WEEK! Her catalog of music also requires the finalists to truly step up and prove themselves. I am pleased to report that with the exception of Brooke White, they all did well. My prediction is that Brooke will be sent home with the lowest number of votes and she will be joined in the bottom three by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Both Syesha and Carly are very talented, but they don't seem to be connecting with the audience very well.
In 1998 Mariah was asked to join Whitney Houston for a duet of the theme song for the animated film, the Prince of Egypt. The song When You Believe ended up peaking at #15 and after Mariah and Whitney performed it at the Oscars the song took the statue for Best Original Song. David Archuleta is like two divas in one because he managed to bring his sincere persona and vocals to this song and completely make it work. All that was missing was the glamorous long gown, but he'll have plenty of time to do that in the future.
Mariah is the rare diva who writes almost all of her own material. After hitting #1 in 1992 with her cover of the Jackson 5's I'll Be There, Mariah started to include a cover version on many of her albums. On Music Box it was a cover of Nilsson's Without You. While his was a #1 smash in 1972, Mariah's peaked at #3 in 1994. Carly Smithson selected this song that allowed her to belt out some amazing big notes. She also looked much more sophisticated as her silky dress had sleeves that covered her tattoos.
After 18 years of recording amazing songs, Mariah still acknowledges Vanishing from her 1990 self-titled debut album as one of her all-time favorites. It's a uniquely "Mariah" song that is full of elaborate vocal runs and impressive high notes. Staying true to her choices so far this season, this was the clear option for Syesha Mercado to try once again to prove that she is a contender. The fact is that Syesha did a more than respectable job presenting this classic album track to a new audience. And she looked incredibly classy while while doing it.
Mariah spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with Hero. It's one of her career defining songs that her adoring fans expected to hear at all of her concerts. It's a genuinely inspirational song about believing in one's self. Brooke White did her best expressing that sentiment to the audience as she took her comfortable place behind her piano. But as was expected, her limited vocals prevented her from elevating the song to the inspirational heights. She tried and faltered to the point of appearing nervous and awkward.
In 1996 Mariah had just set the all-time Billboard HOT 100 record for spending 16 weeks at #1 with One Sweet Day. So while Forever was never released as a single, demand was so high for Mariah that the song was in heavy rotation at radio anyway. Kristy Lee Cook has once again chosen a song that she can make her own and that directs the focus on her best qualities. She didn't need to play with the arrangement too much to turn the song into a legitimate country tune and her vocals were just as impressive as last week.
Also in 1996, Mariah spent two weeks at #1 with Always Be My Baby. In her original arrangement, it's the kind of song that the campers might sing sitting around the fire while roasting marshmallows. Like we have come to expect from David Cook, he found a way to re-invent this song and completely make it his own while staying true to its meaning. He definitely knows how to work with all of the pieces that go into making music: producers and arrangers, the live musicians in a band, and commanding the stage with his vocals and presence.
In 1991 Mariah had her fourth consecutive #1 song from her self-titled debut album, I Don't Wanna Cry. Jason Castro despite his limited vocal abilities, is still in the competition. Each week he manages to smile just right, flash his bright eyes and "sing" barely well enough to keep coming back. Somehow he should be able to do that again this week, but thankfully without the use of a ukulele. Similar to David Cook, Jason made the song fit his persona with a tropical arrangement and it was actually kinda nice.
This was easily the best week on American Idol EVER!!! In previous seasons the mentors have been incredible artists and musicians, but they have all had their hit-making success in the past. With Mariah, the lucky 7 finalists got the chance to learn from someone who is an exceptionally accomplished hit maker on the charts THIS WEEK! Her catalog of music also requires the finalists to truly step up and prove themselves. I am pleased to report that with the exception of Brooke White, they all did well. My prediction is that Brooke will be sent home with the lowest number of votes and she will be joined in the bottom three by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Both Syesha and Carly are very talented, but they don't seem to be connecting with the audience very well.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Top 9 Finalists sing Dolly Parton
This week the top 9 finalists had the chance to learn from the music and movie legend, Dolly Parton. Here's the songs they decided to perform:
Brooke White started things off with her interpretation of Jolene. Her familiar guitar strumming was a good fit for this great song, but as usual, her limited vocal range prevented it from reaching its full potential. She also had some difficulty adding any personality to her performance.
David Cook followed things up with his unique interpretation of Little Sparrow. Thankfully, he did not turn the song into a full out rock scream fest. Instead, he showed his range and versatility. He demonstrated his ability to find the balance of making the song his own while maintaining the integrity of the song.
Ramiele Malubay tried to keep the energy up with her interpretation of Do I Ever Cross Your Mind. This cute young lady never has to worry about overpowering a song with her personality or style. She doesn't have enough of either as was exemplified with this forgettable attempt.
Jason Castro picked up his guitar and gave his predictable interpretation of Travelin Thru. The competition has been on for enough weeks for everyone to know that Jason does not have a great voice or much talent at all. Fans are voting for his nice smile, his bright eyes and those distinctive dreadlocks. He brought nothing special to the song.
Carly Smithson provided a spectacular interpretation of the song that Dolly peaked at #3 with in 1977 on the Billboard HOT 100, Here You Come Again. It was a very simple arrangement that allowed the melody and her voice to take center stage. It was a new twist on a great song that audiences will want to hear again and again.
David Archuleta raised his own personal standard of excellence with his interpretation of Smoky Mountain Memories. He may be young and he still has room for improvement, but he's got so much natural talent and personality that he's already the best of the bunch. He seems to sing with a sincere connection and understanding of the song and he conveys that with every note. All that and he has the brightest eyes and the nicest smile of them all.
Cute country girl Kristy Lee Cook appropriately took the stage barefoot as she interpreted The Coat of Many Colors. She sincerely brought to life the message of being poor, but feeling rich because of having love. This was the perfect showcase of both the song and for Kristy's talents.
Syesha Mercado took a risk by deciding to interpret I Will Always Love You. Dolly first presented the song in her movie Best Little Whorehouse In Texas where it was a a very sweet and sad farewell song. The world knows the song best as the anthem that Whitney Houston took to #1 for 14 weeks in 1992 from The Bodyguard. Syesha tried to have it both ways by combining the arrangements and for the most part it worked for her. This was probably the best she has done so far in the competition, but it exemplifies her struggle to find an identity. She was better at the beginning and struggled at the end, but it was still a respectable effort.
Michael Johns brought the show to a great ending with his interpretation of It's All Wrong, But It's All Right. He commanded the stage as he performed this song with a bluesy and passionate energy that we have come to expect from him. Nothing wrong - all right.
My predictions for this unpredictable season are very easy this week. Brooke White, Jason Castro and Ramiele Malubay are really starting to stand out as not as good as the others. They should all be in the bottom three and Ramiele should be going home.
Brooke White started things off with her interpretation of Jolene. Her familiar guitar strumming was a good fit for this great song, but as usual, her limited vocal range prevented it from reaching its full potential. She also had some difficulty adding any personality to her performance.
David Cook followed things up with his unique interpretation of Little Sparrow. Thankfully, he did not turn the song into a full out rock scream fest. Instead, he showed his range and versatility. He demonstrated his ability to find the balance of making the song his own while maintaining the integrity of the song.
Ramiele Malubay tried to keep the energy up with her interpretation of Do I Ever Cross Your Mind. This cute young lady never has to worry about overpowering a song with her personality or style. She doesn't have enough of either as was exemplified with this forgettable attempt.
Jason Castro picked up his guitar and gave his predictable interpretation of Travelin Thru. The competition has been on for enough weeks for everyone to know that Jason does not have a great voice or much talent at all. Fans are voting for his nice smile, his bright eyes and those distinctive dreadlocks. He brought nothing special to the song.
Carly Smithson provided a spectacular interpretation of the song that Dolly peaked at #3 with in 1977 on the Billboard HOT 100, Here You Come Again. It was a very simple arrangement that allowed the melody and her voice to take center stage. It was a new twist on a great song that audiences will want to hear again and again.
David Archuleta raised his own personal standard of excellence with his interpretation of Smoky Mountain Memories. He may be young and he still has room for improvement, but he's got so much natural talent and personality that he's already the best of the bunch. He seems to sing with a sincere connection and understanding of the song and he conveys that with every note. All that and he has the brightest eyes and the nicest smile of them all.
Cute country girl Kristy Lee Cook appropriately took the stage barefoot as she interpreted The Coat of Many Colors. She sincerely brought to life the message of being poor, but feeling rich because of having love. This was the perfect showcase of both the song and for Kristy's talents.
Syesha Mercado took a risk by deciding to interpret I Will Always Love You. Dolly first presented the song in her movie Best Little Whorehouse In Texas where it was a a very sweet and sad farewell song. The world knows the song best as the anthem that Whitney Houston took to #1 for 14 weeks in 1992 from The Bodyguard. Syesha tried to have it both ways by combining the arrangements and for the most part it worked for her. This was probably the best she has done so far in the competition, but it exemplifies her struggle to find an identity. She was better at the beginning and struggled at the end, but it was still a respectable effort.
Michael Johns brought the show to a great ending with his interpretation of It's All Wrong, But It's All Right. He commanded the stage as he performed this song with a bluesy and passionate energy that we have come to expect from him. Nothing wrong - all right.
My predictions for this unpredictable season are very easy this week. Brooke White, Jason Castro and Ramiele Malubay are really starting to stand out as not as good as the others. They should all be in the bottom three and Ramiele should be going home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)