American Idol Review – Top 8 – The Art Of Singing Without Pressure

Posted on 11. Apr, 2008 by Per Bristow in American Idol, Performance, Singing

Why do you really want to sing better and feel freer using your voice?  Probably because you want more than your singing voice to be heard. I bet you really want your “inner voice” to be heard. We all want to be heard, and be able to influence, inspire and make a difference in this world. And that is what last night’s show “Idol Gives Back” was all about. It was a beautiful mix of show and documentary reports of the work that is being done and needs to be done in various parts of the world. To read more about it and how you can help, go to www.AmericanIdol.com

And now on to this week’s contestants. The assignment was to pick an inspirational song. Here are the videos and my take on their performances…

Michael Johns – Dream On

His vocals where great. It was awesome until he went into the  “screams”.  Since he went for the hard rock approach, it’s hard not to compare it to Steve Tyler and Aerosmith’s original version. The power with those high-pitched screams (which is, by the way, something I teach how to do) is when they really cut through. In comparison to Steve Tyler (and most rock singers who can “scream”) he fell short. Simon Cowell said he came across as a wannabe and I don’t disagree. He’s better than that.

Syesha Mercado – I believe

Syesha is growing into the best singer of them all. She has perhaps the best genuine connection and she sang the song wonderfully, but… and this is a big giganormous but… Due to her song choices she makes it absolutely impossible for us to not compare her to the original and she is positioning herself as a karaoke singer – albeit an exceptionally good one. Fantasia’s version of this song was one of the most memorable moments of American Idol. What on earth does Syesha believe we are going to compare her to? It’s like the comedian who comes out on stage and delivers the same joke as the comedian before him. It’s dead, it’s done and it doesn’t matter how good you are. We feel resistance before she even opens her mouth when we know what she is about to sing.  Syesha said that Fantasia is her idol. But why attempt to live up to – or do a karaoke version of – someone who is just a couple of years older, when you are attempting to become an “idol” yourself. A little more self respect would be expected at this level.  Rather than choosing a “big voice song”, she would be better off if she chose a different kind of song and turned it into a “big voice song”. Now that would blow us away and she has the capacity to do it.

Jason Castro – Over The Rainbow

I liked the opening. I could sense a sparkle in his eyes, but then it didn’t build as it could have. It was cute and it was sweet but not so memorable. Now, I confess that I am flavored by the fact that I once saw a guy do a similar version of Over The Rainbow in a local club. This guy awakened a sleeping audience and got everybody clapping and singing along. It was a remarkable performance. What surprises me is that so many of the performers in American Idol still come across as if they are auditioning rather than taking on the role as being the star of the show when the enter the stage. Jason has a unique sound and this is the kind of stuff that suites him. Come on, Jason, put on a show. Entertain us. You can do it.

Kristy Lee Cook – Anyway

To follow up last weeks discussion regarding the tendency of many to hide behind the mic stand:  Did you notice how the song lifted when she snapped away from the mic stand and moved forward  - to the audience. She went for it and I loved it. She performed rather than auditioned. I’d give her the most improved singer award over the last three weeks

David Cook –  Innocent

We know David can sing and he’s given us many memorable moments.  However, this wasn’t one of them. The beginning wasn’t very exciting, which perhaps was more the song’s fault than his. Then I did get excited. Finally someone who dared to step away from the mic stand and even go into the audience. But it didn’t quite happen. He didn’t connect with the audience and instead played to the judges. Hmmm. He seemed a little out of his element making that move. Too bad. I hope this doesn’t stop him from doing it again. If he gets comfortable really working the crowd, it could be sensational.

Carly Smithson – The show must go on

Why is Carly so angry and aggressive when she sings? This is not the first week she sings this way. She has had this tendency most weeks, whether she sings a love song or an inspirational song (as was the assignment this week) and which I have written extensively about. Finally the judges are commenting on the fact that they are not connecting. Now I want to say this: The beginning of the song was great. That was the most present Carly has been and I loved it. I was with her, but then, like so many before her have done, she backed away and stuck herself behind the mic stand. Why would the microphone stand be the final destination? Dear readers, I want to ask you your honest opinion: At the moment she went behind the mic stand, did you feel the song became more exciting?  I really want your candid opinion on this.

David Archuleta – Angels

Nice rendition indeed. The ending was wonderful with the runs.  There was difficulty in the verse because he doesn’t have depth, richness and dynamics in the lower register.  But he shines when he kicks into a higher range of his voice. Like I write a couple of weeks ago, his voice has a hard time cutting through in more up-tempo rocking songs, but in ballads like this he can really do his thing. Once again, he was completely clear on the intent of the song and was able to really make it fresh and spontaneous within the confines of the song.

Brooke White – You’ve Got A Friend

If we are going to be honest, there are hundreds of singers just in my neighborhood here in Los Angeles who sing “better” than Brooke. Vocally she is really quite average. Then again, that’s not what it’s about. It’s about being able to connect and provide value for the audience. Brooks has a nice personality and good musicality that deservedly has gotten her very far. I hope this serves as inspiration to you. You can sing just as well. You can entertain, inspire and create value for an audience too.

Now take a look at this! Everything above I wrote before the voting was in. Now we found out that Michael Johns was eliminated. It was a shocker indeed, but good for him. Now he can go on and have a career. But watch this video.  Look at his final performance. This is what I have been talking about every week (go back and read the posts). Just look what he does. He is suddenly a rock star!  Finally he’s got no mic stand to keep him safe. He’s mad, he’s shocked, and most of all he’s got nothing to lose. He’s no longer "singing" the song to prove something. The pressure is off and he’s no longer "auditioning". Instead he goes out and rocks the house, more or less demanding everyone in the audience to Dream On. Yes! Finally! Finally he’s really connecting. Too late for him in this competition, but hey. I’d say this is his best performance so far and I suspect we’ll hear more from him in the future. This was the only clip I could find and there are several minutes before he launches into the song.  However, it’s interesting to watch it all, because you can imagine the emotions that are going through him and how he puts everything into the song. Take a look.