New Season, New Judge

I like Ellen, she's funny and bright. But. This is a show about VOCAL PERFORMANCE.

Question: Why not have a VOCAL COACH as a judge?

Answer: ratings.

Unbelievable results

I REALLY enjoyed the show, except for the little part where Kara pushed aside the bikini girl and sang her into the ground. I agree, Kara definitely has more talent... but I thought that was a little... tasteless.

The votes are in, and Kris Allen has been chosen as American Idol 2009.

In any case, I predict that Adam will have a long career, and perhaps not winning might actually be better for him as he will have more control over what happens over the next while.

Kris vs Adam (Top 2)

I thought both contenders did a pretty good job, but vocally I have to say that Adam has a terrific instrument and a great mastery over it. I enjoy Kris's performances and I think he has a lot to offer as well. They are both artists and neither one of them has anything to be ashamed of. My vote is, for Adam, of course, because he is, and always has been, the best singer of the bunch.

Top 3 - May 12/09

DANNY (Dance Little Sister), I thought he rocked it up, he had fun, the voice was spot on.

KRIS (Apologize), thought the voice was a bit stressed in the chorus, but there was some very nice quality in the rest of the song.

ADAM (One), tremendous breath flow, great range, bright clear tone.

DANNY (You are so beautiful), interesting voice, from a singing teacher’s point of view. Very breathy/raspy to start, but then finds beautiful clear tone in the higher notes. Tastefully ornamented, great sense of musicality. I thought it was a wonderful interpretation of the song. Showed control, range, and heart.

KRIS (Heartless), I enjoyed the song, well sung, well performed. Voice has a bloom on it, a warm vibrato that is appealing. Refreshing and different.

ADAM (Crying), ohhh I loooove Aerosmith. I couldn’t sing it, but he sure can. Couldn’t hear anything not to appreciate.

For me, vocally and performance-wise, these three singers are very close. I do think Adam has an amazing instrument and great musicality, I think Danny also has good range and musical sensibilities, I think Kris is very talented and has great artistry. How do you choose between them? If by vocal ability alone, then I have to choose Adam, with Danny a close second.

Top 4 Results

Interesting that Kris was #1 in the voting - at least according to how they gave the results.

Kris
Adam
Danny
Allison

Allison went home, that's cool for me - I did appreciate her style, but didn't feel she was as appealing a performer as the others. I figured she'd have enough fans to keep her in the running. I've always felt that Danny and Adam would be the final two.

TOP 4 – MAY 5/09

Interesting choice of a Mentor for the contestants this week. I thought the music itself was well-played and the arrangements were good. I am losing interest in hearing the judging panel. Four is too many. It would be more effective to have three judges who have more time to give longer critiques to help the singers (and the public) understand what they need to work on. As a voice teacher and composer, etc., feedback from those more experienced than I is a crucial part of my growth. I’d like to hear more notes on singing and performance, and less “you’re the bomb, dog,” “that’s artistry,” “you look great tonight,” “that was boring.” That IS boring.

ADAM (Whole Lotta Love) – right in his element, couldn’t take my eyes (or ears) off of him. Vocally powerful, strong and resilient, good depth, bright tone, great range, I understood every word.

ALISON (Crybaby) – Didn’t get all the words. Some of the notes seemed too low and we lost her, the last note was very nice and showed bloom on the voice. The performance was solid but the song didn’t thrill me.

Duet: KRIS / DANNY – Renegade. Well done, showed Danny’s voice is stronger and has more range, Kris was good but Danny overshadowed him, great combination and fab harmonies.

KRIS (Come Together) – I think Kris was out of his element this evening. I like him, I think he has his own style, but this sort of music doesn’t suit him. I think he’s a good singer, but in terms of vocal “presence”, he’s the weakest of the four. In terms of appeal and performance, I think he’s a top contender.

DANNY (Dream On) – I really appreciate Danny’s vocal chops, but as a voice teacher I have grave concerns. When he went into falsetto near the end, it sounded strained and weak, and the scream at the end made me shudder. Vocal damage 101: screaming, Danny, is the quickest way to node city. You have talent, you have a great voice, it’s unfortunate that you are up against Adam, or you’d have a shot at the title. I think this song was a big mistake, vocally as well as in performance. Not only for this particular show, but at this point, only three weeks from the final, to push your voice in such an unhealthy manner could affect the ability to perform for the rest of the season, assuming the public gives you the chance. I’d suggest resting the voice for a couple of days. No talking, no singing.

Duet: ALLISON / DANNY – well matched. I thought this song suited Allison better than her solo did. Strong performances from both.

My take? Vocally, Kris is the weakest. Danny might be in trouble. I’m not over the moon about Allison’s solo performance. They each have their fans… most likely Kris will go home.

~ 29Apr09 Results

As Matt sings his rendition of "My Funny Valentine" I feel sad for him, but I knew he would go home tonight. He hits one very pitchy spot in the song which makes me wince as I write this.

I thought it was very odd that Adam was in the bottom 2. Perhaps they are trying to keep it interesting.

TOP 5 - APR 28/09 - RAT PACK

KRIS (The Way You Look Tonight); I like Kris and his style. His technique is not bad. The voice is a little throaty. He has a good sense of phrasing and dynamics, his upper notes are solid and sweet. 8.5/10

ALISON (Someone to Watch Over Me); I thought she sang with a little more dynamic sense than usual, her nasal huskiness is distinctive, but the voice sits too far back for me, it makes her tone have a dull edge. Her best performance to date, IMO. 8/10

MATT (My Funny Valentine); I disagree with the lowering of the key. I felt the beginning of the song was too low and this made Matt lose tone in the first few phrases. He does have some agility and range, but he’s up against stiff competition. 7.5/10

DANNY (Come Rain or Come Shine); I have always thought that Danny and Adam are pretty closely matched. I like Danny’s husky voice, and he has such a good sense of musicality. Very nice dynamics, good phrasing, every note on pitch. He has natural power, he looked and sounded totally committed to the song. Excellent. 9.5/10

ADAM (Feeling Good); Beautifully bright tone to start off, immaculately on pitch. Extremely well done, can’t fault him. 9.6/10

I believe Matt will go home this week.

Results - Disco Wk / Top 7

Lil - eliminated at the top of the show

After a rather questionable disco medley... we got on with the rest of the results.

Kris - safe

Adam - safe

Danny - safe

Anoop - bottom 2

Matt - safe

Alison - bottom 2

The choice is Anoop or Alison. It will be Anoop. I'd be shocked if it was Alison, although her song choice this week wasn't that great.

45 million votes - and Anoop goes home. Alison is safe.

I thought Lil and Anoop performed well. What's up with Simon? Telling someone they are clumsy or horrible is, at best, unhelpful.. at worst, arrogant.

DISCO NIGHT – APR 21/09 – TOP 7

My take on the night, from top to bottom.

ADAM (If I can’t have you) – beautiful phrasing, well-modulated dynamics, excellent tone, heartfelt, wonderfully done, understated elegance and simplicity that shows true spirit and skill.

DANNY (September) – Definitely showed strength and range, good solid vocal, fun performance.

KRIS (She Works Hard for the Money) – Nice bloom on the voice, worked it out in his own style, interesting arrangement, world vibe. Good work.

MATT (Staying Alive) – When I heard the title I wondered how he was going to manage the range. But he delivered, sang a good solid vocal and it was a fun performance.

ALISON (Hot Stuff) – Once again I am impressed with the maturity/depth of Alison’s voice, however, I thought the song, or the arrangement it of it, was blah. She sings in her throat, swallows the words, and has no dynamics in her phrasing. But she is a strong performer.

ANOOP (Dim the Lights) – Anoop has a wonderful tone, beautifully bright, good range, a lovely bloom on the voice. The vocals were strong and secure, but the song sucked.

LIL (I’m Every Woman) – It was fun but I don’t think the song did anything for her.

I think Lil & Anoop will go home.

MOVIE SONGS Apr 14/09 – Top 7

My assessments, in order of ranking:

ADAM – Right on pitch, good body in tone, a fun song, great range as always; wonderfully done. I do wonder if he could sustain that kind of performance for an entire concert.

ANOOP – beautifully bright and open tone (forward position), securely on pitch, understood the words, has a ‘bloom’ on the voice, lovely top notes.

DANNY – Husky tone, in charge of his instrument, nice falsetto, pretty strong performance.

ALISON – verse felt too low, chorus was OK, also seemed a bit low, it didn’t bring out her voice in the way I’d wish. A couple pitchy spots, after the key change it started to work. She has a distinctive sound, but she places her voice so it resonates in the throat and we can’t understand the words.

KRIS – I liked the beginning, I wrote ‘solid vocal’ but at the end I agreed with Randy that it was pitchy here and there.

MATT – Nice tone, swallows the words a bit, bridge a little pitchy/squeaky.

LIL – I was disappointed in the song choice. I use “The Rose” as the first rock ballad for some of my female students who have not yet developed much range. It’s very low and has very little in the way of vocal challenge. I expected Lil to sing something like ‘Goldfinger’. Anyway, I wasn’t sure of the arrangement; it was a bit pitchy, and I agreed with Simon that she’s got to challenge herself vocally if she expects to stay in the competition.

***RESULTS

Bottom Three: Anoop, Lil & Matt. Matt got the lowest number of votes but was saved by the judges.

Results - Apr 8/09

ADAM - safe. Good. No suprise.

KRIS - judges said he was boring & indulgent. I don't think so. Yes, Kris is safe.

ANOOP - judges said he was original & flawless - in the bottom 3.

DANNY - judges said he sang well, made song his own, brilliant. Safe.

MATT - judges praised his vocal ability, incredible on every level. Safe.

SCOTT - judges were not impressed - in the bottom 3. Good.

ALISON - judges loved her rendition, a la Kelly Clarkson. Safe. Darn right.

LIL - she should be bottom 3. Beautiful karaoke, 3rd rate Tina Turner. Needs to be more original - in the bottom three.

So we have Anoop, Lil and Scott on the stools waiting.

In the meantime, let's talk about Scott, cause I've been thinking about him all night. As a voice teacher it is part of my ethical obligation to be both supportive and also honest. I appreciate Scott for all he is, but at this moment in time, he does not belong in this competition. It is a disservice to his talent to allow him to think he is currently singing at a professional level. We must have enough respect for him to be honest in our assessment of his instrument and his skill right now. I believe in dreams but I also believe in hard work and humility. My coaches paid me the compliment of using their eyes and ears and instincts to help me assess where I was, and shared their expertise with me so I could grow over time. They taught me to observe myself disspassionately, objectively, without judgement and use my awareness to know what needed work. When they told me something was very good, I knew it was excellent. They never led me astray. Their honesty was a gift to my process of growth as an artist.

Is it just me or is Kelly Pickler way off key? Ouch.

One person back to safety is.... Lil. Well, I disagree with that. Anoop clearly sang better than Lil last night. However, I think they both should stay. Hopefully that will be the result. We shall see.

Anoop & Scott. 34 million votes. 30,000 difference in votes between them. The lowest number of votes goes to Scott. I nod my head. Anoop is safe. This is right.

Scott needs to sing for a save, which I hope they will save this time. His performance doesn't change my mind. They are divided on the save, which suprises me. Simon finally speaks up. He's right. It doesn't diminish what Scott has accomplished, he will tour with the top ten, he has a chance to make a career. But for right now, he's going home.

TOP 8 – APRIL 7/09

Here’s my ranking, from bottom to top:

SCOTT (The Search is Over) – unfortunately this was totally the wrong song choice for Scott. He’s not a rock singer and it felt like the music was off kilter – something in the timing didn’t work. Instead of showing Scott’s skill, the song made his vocal weakness quite clear. His instrument is really just not ready for a singing competition.

LIL (What’s Love Got to Do With It) – Seemed a bit low at the start. Tina Turner? Why not Shirley Bassey or Whitney Houston or something that sits higher and brings out the voice more effectively. She did pull it out a little about half way through. Again, song choice. Kara made an excellent point about the low range not working effectively. Choose songs that accentuate your strengths, then.

KRIS (All She wants to do is Dance) – good vocals, on pitch, nice groove. Not bad. Didn’t think it was really challenging, but it was fun.

ALISON (I can’t Make You Love Me) – her voice is very mature for a 16 year old. I thought she sang with restraint and simplicity, this served her well. The song didn’t thrill me as a show of skill, but she sang it well.

ANOOP (True Colours) – solid tone, very emotive, on pitch, nice bloom on the voice, sweetly sung. Nice modulation and phrasing. Yes, not brilliant but solid.

MATT (Part-time Lovers) – very musical, easy riffs, good arrangement, sung with great spirit. Fun.

DANNY (Stand by Me) – great song choice, a little nasal in quality sometimes. Secure, confident, worked it out – a very good performance.

ADAM (Mad World) – excellent control, beautiful phrased, sung from the heart, good song choice. Magical, powerful performance. I wrote “a star” and then Simon rose to his feet and gave a standing ovation. This is what good voice training can do – assist in the expression of the artist within.

Likely Scott or Lil will go. It should be Scott. Give Lil one more chance to show what she can do with the right song.

Apr 1st - Results

We know that Alison & Meagan are in the bottom three. The last two people on stage waiting to hear which group they are in? Scott & Anoop. Randy says Scott should stay, but the consistently better singer is clearly Anoop. Nope, Scott is safe.

They’d save one of the bottom three, Simon says. I think they’d save Alison. No worries, she’s safe.

Now Anoop and Meagan. Yes, Meagan is last. Okay, finally. She should go, IMO. She certainly has a wonderful look, but she needs some serious vocal training if she expects to have a career. Her final performance didn’t change my mind. But she’ll tour the group, so her journey is not over.

I totally agree with the final result.

Mar 31/09 - TOP 9

I think the AI band is great but I think the producers need to work a little on sound, several times tonight I felt the band and back-up singers overshadowed the lead. I know they want to fill the theatre with sound. I’d like to actually hear the contestants. This is not the first show I’ve noticed this with. Doing sound for a live televised show is a big challenge…. but this is not their first season.

Here’s my ranking, from bottom to top:

9-MEAGAN (Bob Marley) – I have yet to be impressed with Meagan’s vocals. Her voice seems weak… there is tone, but she tends to sing so that it resonates nasally or she crunches it back in the throat. The colour of the voice is then dark and metallic. I think she needs some serious vocal coaching, and IMO she doesn’t belong in the top 10.

8-SCOTT (Piano Man) – as a voice teacher I just itch to work with Scott for a few weeks, lol. There is potential– but Scott’s way of singing is getting in his way. He tends to either sing closed, through the teeth, or big & wide AND pushing; there is tightness in the jaw; he tends to lift his head up which stretches the neck & causes tension; these things cause an unnatural and unattractive vibrato. However, I do appreciate his spirit.

7-MATT (You Found Me) – Vocally Matt was pretty good, his voice shows promise, but the song didn’t thrill me.

6-ALISON (Don’t Speak) – she sang off pitch and off beat. I wrote down that she shouted the song – and then Simon mentioned it. I do think she tries too hard. She needs to understand dynamics. But I could give a hoot about what she chooses to wear.

5-LIL (I Surrender) – Lil is a singer in search of her vocal identity. She’s got fabulous pipes but every week they tell her, it’s not the right song. Yet she works incredibly hard to produce a good performance. She has good depth & warmth of tone, although I heard the odd pitch issue, I thought she really came to life in the second half. She’s a diva in the making, if the right people could help her figure it out.

4-ANOOP (Usher) – I agreed with Randy that Anoop sang well but the song choice didn’t thrill me.

3-DANNY (What hurts the most) – in the first verse, I wrote ‘wonderful bloom in the voice, great texture, very expressive. But when the song hit the chorus… the sound was unbalanced and my ear couldn’t pick out his voice from the mix & the performance didn’t seem as strong. I also thought the arrangement was rather strange.

2-KRIS (Ain’t No Sunshine) – Another singer with good potential, if he would open a little bit more (sing less through the teeth). Excellent arrangement, good singing, solid performance.

1-ADAM (Play that Funky Music) – Great vocals, of course. Everything a voice teacher would want. Thought he made it his own, lots of fun, good stage presence. What can you say but ‘wow, Steve Tyler move over’.

Results - 26Mar09

Bottom Three:

8 - Scott
9 - Matt
10 - Michael

Really enjoyed Stevie Wonder's performance. It's a pity Michael had to go, he has a lot to offer.

25Mar09- TOP TEN

Overall an enjoyable show except for the boring bickering between the judges and the endless commercials. 2 hour show, 10 performances. That’s what… 15 minutes of music? Oh, but we love it anyway, I suppose, lol.

Here's how I ranked them, from #1 to #10:

*DANNY (Here I come) – Strong, solid voice, he demonstrated how to be “present” in a song (with it, in it) without ever pushing the voice. Very polished performance, he sang on pitch, and came across as grounded. Good song choice.

*ADAM (Take a good look at my face). Hmmmm. I’m a big Adam fan, but honestly I wasn’t too sure about this. I felt the voice sounded a little bit unsupported… the song was possibly set too high. Not that he doesn’t have range. The tessitura of this song (where in the range it sits most of the time) placed the voice in an area that seemed somewhat disconnected from the body. The tone was very sweet and very clear, tho. He sang with great emotion and he showed awesome control.

*ALISON (Pappa was a Rolling Stone) – Puleeeeaaase. Look, I’m getting just a little suspicious of the ‘raving’ over the last performance of every show. Oh is that just a perception on my part? Alison sang… okay. I thought the last few notes of the song were solid and showed something real and deep. It showed what she might be capable of doing with the right song. It wasn’t the best performance of the night, it wasn’t the worst performance. It was a decent performance, but my socks were still on my feet when she sang the last note.

*ANOOP (Oh, Baby Baby) – Clear and very solid tone, firmly on pitch. Some depth in the sound. A real ability to ‘paint the song’ with his voice. I would have liked a little more support in a few of the top notes (funny, just after I wrote that, Kara said it). If I had Anoop in the studio I’d give him specific exercises to do that would assist in understanding the instrument and negotiating the range easily and with consistency. Very good tho.

*KRIS (How Sweet It Is) – As soon as Kris started to sing I felt he was ‘present’ – he brought character to what he was doing. He was solidly on pitch, he negotiated the phrases easily, well done.

*MICHAEL (Ain’t too Proud to Plead) – Hmmm. It’s interesting to hear the judges talk about a performance like this, which came across as being ‘hot’ in a sense, but is also ‘not’ what they want. They’re looking for authentic artistry and I think that’s really hard to ‘get’ sometimes. You pick a song you like, that you know the audience will like, but the judges aren’t wild about it, as they say it’s ‘not the ‘you’ we’re looking for.’ I thought that Michael had good phrasing, and that he was pretty solid on the riffs. Could he do better? I think so. Will he get the chance? I think so.

*LIL (Heatwave) – my goodness, what a song to pick. I sang it myself back a few years ago when we were the dance band at the local Legion. Before Lil sang I wrote: “should be in her element.” After she began, I wrote: “what isn’t working about her singing for me?” In this particular performance, it was… that she was all at one level. There were no dynamics (or just one – loud). In addition, she thinks too much about what she is doing. With the ‘shouting’ of the song – which partially might have been reaction to the band, who was very loud & covered her – the voice started to get tired and you could hear the stress. If Lil was in my studio, I’d show her some technical things to focus the tone and give power without effort, and I’d work with her to ‘balance’ the voice so that she could negotiate the range easily and evenly. I’d also work to help her use texture in her voice to express the song, rather than volume.

*SCOTT (You Can’t Hurry Love) – I thought Scott did a little better tonight. Like I said last week, he sings with the voice placed in the back of the throat, but he didn’t lift his head so much this time, which helped the tone stay more consistent (stretching the neck means we stretch the infrastructure around the vocal chords & add tension to the voice as well). He sounded more present in what he was doing, he had a relationship to the text and the song. He’s very talented on the piano. I agree with Simon, though, I have always thought that Scott sounds too ‘lounge-like’. One of the reasons, IMO, for this, is the lack of ‘form’ in the production of the sound. Right now there is a sense that the voice is separated from the body. If I was working with Scott, I would try and help him develop a deeper connection to the resonance of the voice, and teach him how to frame the words so that the tone is solid, consistent and has depth.

*MATT (Let’s Get it On) – I liked the top of the song, but when he stood up, he lost something. It was like it was less grounded. Towards the end, he seemed to find it again. So the middle was (as Randy might say) ‘sort of okay for me’, but it didn’t thrill me. I thought his tone was good, he sang on pitch. I think it can be difficult – or distracting – to move and sing at the same time. We have to be careful that we don’t ‘throw’ ourselves by trying to do too much. It was interesting that the judges felt opposite to me – that he was more grounded when he got up.

*MEAGAN (For Once in My Life) – if one of my students came to the studio and sang like Meagan sang this song, I would stop them, and say ‘you’re trying too hard.’ I’d say ‘you were sick last week, and you want to prove that you’ve got it, but you’re actually pushing ‘it’ away.’ In the beginning, the voice had a nasal resonance, and as she moved into the song, it was obviously constricted. It’s like she is clamping down on the voice in the throat and often pushing at the same time – this can often give the illusion of power, but it’s actually tension that holds the voice back / down, which is why she is pitchy & has an unnatural vibrato. She shouted the song, and I was particularly worried when she ground her throat. The voice was already tight, and grinding does nothing to assist it to work effectively. It did not add anything to the performance & is unhealthy. She did look fabulous, though.

Who should go: Meagan
Who will go: Lil

P.S. RYAN SEACREST (little riff from ‘oh Baby Baby’) – sweet tone, Ryan, if a little… unsure. Could be a little more grounded. Let me know if you need some coaching. *blows a kiss*

Top 11 - Results

Bottom Three:

*Alison (my rating - 6.0/10)

*Michael (my rating - 6.5/10)

*Alexis (my rating - 5.5/10)

Alison is safe, says Ryan. While Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis sing, I'm rooting for Michael to stay.

I'm not quite sure what Carrie is wearing, her headdress and the waist of her dress is kinda strange, but the colour red suits her. Carrie sings with a clear and solid tone, the textures of her voice transmit the emotion of the song. When she goes up, she makes the transition smoothly and the upper notes are clear and strong. She never pushes the voice, altho she's always present in what she's doing. Randy comes in with his part. I feel like they are slightly imbalanced, the song seems slightly low for him, but he has an agreeable warm tone. The song is really hers.

Back to the results. Simon says they would consider saving one of the bottom two. We go to commercial as I wonder which one they would save. Hopefully Michael.

Here we go - after the nationwide vote of 31 million... Michael is safe. Alexis is going home. Or maybe not. She has to sing & then they will decide. As she sings I think it's ridiculous that she had the least votes when the weakest vocalist in the show this week was clearly Scott. Meagan we can forgive.

Unfortunately they decide not to save her after all. But she's young and talented. People know who she is. She has the potential for a career if she is wise and uses the contacts she has made to move forward.

Idol is the beginning - not the end.

TOP 11 – 17Mar09 – Country Week

Best dressed award goes to: Paula (lovely gown), Ryan & Randy, who outclassed Kara and Simon in the fashion department. On to the singing….

MICHAEL SARVER (6.5/10) – Michael seemed in his element with this song. I like the quality of his voice. The song wasn’t “challenging” in terms of range, but he sang and performed it well. I could see him on the country charts. Vocally he sings a little too “tight” – he shapes his vowels very flat and very wide, this places the voice in the back of the throat. He would get more depth and range and projection if he opened in the right way. When he does open his mouth, there is good quality in the tone. I know it’s country style. I totally disagree with Simon’s “1.2 out of 10.” Michael looked good, had fun, remembered the lyrics, and sang on pitch. It was at least a 6.5.

ALISON IRAHETA (6.0/10) – Alison has a good voice, but she hasn’t got enough experience or training to understand her instrument. For me it sits too far back – it’s like she’s swallowing the words. Another “tight” singer – meaning you clamp down on the voice in the throat, and then push for ‘power’. So you get a ‘hollow’ sound. Doesn’t work that way. That way is the road to constriction and potential damage. And limited range. There IS a bloom in the voice, but it is hard to hear it with this method of singing (oversinging). That’s why it sounds “tuneless” and has a “dull” tone.

KRIS ALLEN (6.25/10) – Kris has a clear tone, there’s a nice bloom on the voice. The song was well-arranged (simple) and let him shine. Well-phrased. It didn’t blow my socks off, but I thought it was solid.

LIL ROUNDS (6.10) – Lil is not a country singer, but I wish she had chosen a song that fit her better. However, it was well-phrased. She has good tone and solid vocals. I agree with Paula, singing a second verse before going to the chorus was not the best choice, the song took too long to take off. Simon was right – the song didn’t fit her.

ADAM LAMBERT (9/10) – Well I was looking forward to this as IMO Adam clearly has all the ingredients to be an American Idol. What will he do with country, I wonder. Johnny Cash, ‘Ring of Fire.’ All rocked up, interesting take on the song. The best voice in the competition, bar none. If I had him in my studio I’d have very little to say. He seems in command of his instrument, and he’s creative with it. He’s an Artist, for sure. I disagree with Simon – it was an different & interesting take on the song, not at all ‘horrific’. I agree with Randy – Nine Inch Nails doing country (“Hurt”, anyone?).

SCOTT MACINTYRE (5.0/10) – Scott is talented, no doubt. Especially on the piano. But I don’t think he’s a particularly good singer at this moment in time. I think the voice needs further development. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about him, or want to see his dream die, but I think we also need to assist young people to assess their abilities honestly and figure out what they need to work on to grow and improve. One of the issues is how he pronounces his words… very wide vowels, which means he loses tonal quality and strength of tone. The too-big shapes and the lifting of the head as he sings leads to an unnatural vibrato in his voice and a sense of thinness in the sound. I found the debate between Paula & Simon over whether or not Scott should use use the piano to be irritating. I agreed with Randy, it was a ‘nice’ and ‘safe’ performance.

ALEXIS GRACE (5.5/10) – Alexis has a strong voice, she phrased the song well and put her own interpretation on it. Her top voice needs development – really, she needs to understand her instrument better. When we have a powerful chest voice and we are in the habit of oversinging… our pushing takes something away from the top voice and makes the transition to the upper register more difficult (and unhealthy). There was a word that she especially pushed on that caused the tonal quality to be very hard/harsh, and there was an unnatural wobble in the sound at that point. This kind of pushing leads to pitch problems and uneven tone. She needed to sing it simply, and trust the song to bring her voice out (if a song doesn’t bring your voice out effectively – pick a different song!). One of my main issues with the Idol shows as samples of ‘good singing’ is that they often lead to the misapprehension that ‘loud’ is better. Alexis’s performance was a good example of that misunderstanding.

DANNY GOKEY (7.0/10) – Danny has a good voice, although I find it a little nasal in quality, especially in the verse. Pretty solid performance, though. I didn’t feel like it was a terrific song choice for him, and I agree it took awhile for the song to begin to work for him. Randy was right about the need to support the verse better, and Danny said he didn’t know what to do with that part. That surprises me. I understood that, besides working with Randy Travis, the competitors had a vocal coach. But I guess they can choose whether they use those resources or not. If you don’t know… why wouldn’t you work with a coach. If you don’t know… perhaps it’s the song itself that isn’t a fit. In any case, I thought it was extremely interesting to hear the judges comment on this performance. Compare what they said about Danny to what they said about Adam. They actually said that Danny’s performance was better than Adam's performance. Really?

ANOOP DESAI (7.10/10) – I like the placement of Anoop’s voice. It’s not back in the throat, it doesn’t resonate in the nasal cavity, he has a clear bright tone. He phrased the song well, and I liked how he built the song using vocal texture – which demonstrates sensitivity and mastery. Sometimes, simple is best. And letting the song ‘sing itself’ while you sing from your heart, is powerful.

MEAGAN JOY (5.2/10) – There is a depth to Meagan’s voice, but I don’t think this song (or any other song she’s sung to date) really shows it. I thought this was a rather “girlish” performance and that some of her licks were insecure. I felt like it was “Beach Blanket Bingo”. However, at the end of the song, the judges pointed out that Meagan has been very ill, and I give her kudo’s for performing so well under enormous pressure. As a singer myself, I know there is nothing you can do to create tone or stay on pitch if you are so ill that the voice isn’t responding. However, I looked back at how I’ve rated her in the past… the average out of 3 performances was 5.1 out of 10. I marked her 5.2 for this performance. I’m sure she’ll be back, and we’ll see how she progresses.

MATT GIRAUD (5.5/10) – Nice bloom on the voice, I like that warm vibrato. I wondered about some of the phrasing and how breathing was handled. The practice of singing breathy in the verses (which tires the apparatus) and then pushing the chorus is one I dislike for many reasons. The judges raved so much about this sometimes pitchy, seemingly insecure performance that I went back and watched it again. It certainly didn’t work for me, and I shook my head when Kara, Paula and Simon were all over it as being the best of the night. Not to put Matt down for putting it out there and doing his best, but I do sometimes wonder if I am hearing a different performance than the judges, or if it sounds different in the theatre than it does on tv.

Who should go: Scott.
Who will go: Lil.

Results Mar 11/09

Jasmine & Jorge voted off. Not that surprising.

Top 13, Mar 10/09

My picks. I have always felt that Adam has great vocals, tonight he was amazing, reminded me of Steve Tyler and other terrific rock artists. My only worry is that he may be peaking too soon. I hope he is wise enough to rest up, and focus on continuing to work hard. You don't want to assume you have it in the bag. My bottom two are Kris & Anoop... many of the others are rated pretty close to each other right now.

*Adam (10/10)
*Danny (7.25/10)
*Lil (7/10)
Matt (6.95/10)
Alison (6.9/10)
Meagan (6.8/10)
Michael (6.75)
Jasmine(6.6/10)
Jorge (6.55/10)
Scott (6.5/10)
Alexis (6.30/10)
-Kris (6.25/10)
-Anoop (5/10)

Wildcard Show 5Mar09

Well, let's see what they come up with tonight.

JESSE (3/10) – boring, agree with Simon, a little 'self-indulgent'

*MATT (7.2/10) – not sure of song, brought his personality out, a little self indulgent too, but very enjoyable

MEAGAN (4/10) – too low for her, wanted to hear more of her range, nice tone, kinda missed the last note. Okay song.

*VON (8/10) – great vocals. What? This guy is boring and the others so far weren’t?

*JASMINE (7.8) – okay, she has a voice, she has potential. Is she ready to be an Idol? I don’t know. Felt a little pitchy, I thought it was a shaky performance.

RICKY (7.5/10) – ain’t it obvious where the judges are going? His performance wasn’t THAT bad.

*TATIANA (7.7) – okay, so she sang the same song. She sang it pretty well. Her voice is mature, strong – ready – unlike Jasmine. She can sing on pitch, too.

*ANOOP (7/10) – he’s not bad, not bad. Some strength, some depth of tone

**MY PICK – Von, Jasmine... Matt… maybe Tatiana, Anoop?

--Jasmine: they call her up, what do you think they are going to say? Randy says… heavy deliberation… welcome to the top twelve.

--Ricky – front and centre – Kara says… you showed more personality… but not enough.

--Meagan / Tatiana – it’s not over… what you’ve done is astonishing. Continue with your dream… MEAGAN?????? Give me a break.

--Jesse – Simon says – you didn’t make the top twelve

--Von – I don’t think he’ll make it, they have called him up now & there are other people left.

--Matt, Anoop. Should be Matt. Simon says… Matt, you’ve made it through.

Then they announce… they are going to make it a top 13, and Anoop is in.

Top 13 now includes: Jasmine, Meagan, Matt, Anoop

Well, on to the real competition now. Maybe.

Results 4Mar09

Lil (no big surprise), Scott (not the best singer by a mile), Jorge.

Simon: "One of you is through to the top twelve. The other is not." Yeah.

Here are the wildcard contestants and my rating of their performance: Von Smith (7/10), Jasmine Murray (3/10), Ricky Braddy (8/10), Megan Corkrey, Tatiana del Toro (6.75/10), Matt Giraud (4/10), Jesse Langseth (7.1/10) and Anoop Desai (4/10)).

Last group of 12 – 3Mar09

I thought it was a better show in terms of quality of singers, but I have to admit I started zoning out towards the end. Two hours, too much chit chat. I look forward to when we have the top 12 and can zero in on individual performances better.

*VON SMITH (7/10) – nice tone, sang smoothly in tune, song had an agreeable groove, not bad.

TAYLOR V (6/10) – rather low, but I liked her delivery of the first verse. The second seemed less secure – probably because the voice gets tired swiftly when we sing too low in the register for too long. I felt she has a nice instrument but it needs more development. I wasn’t sure of the song choice for her. She did look comfortable on stage.

*ALEX W-T (7.5/10) – good voice, solid tone & depth. I wanted him to open his mouth more. He showed personality.

ARIANNA (6.5/10) – I felt there was depth to the voice/tone. Odd song, but good voice. She needs to be careful not to push the voice. I thought the accompaniment was a bit strange. Who arranges these things?

*JU’NOT (6.8/10) – nicely done, very secure, good song choice for him, good build. Kept me with him all the way through. He knows how to paint a song with his voice.

KIRSTEN (6.2/10) – She was dressed like Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’ and the song / performance was overdone.

NATHANIEL (6.6/10) – A bloom on the voice, nice flow, youthful personality. An okay, fun performance.

?? (6.4/10) – I felt like there was some good tone in the voice, not bad, a little pitchy… I started to zone out and didn’t even get her name.

SCOTT (6.3/10) – It was a safe, okay performance, I would have liked to have heard more depth.

KENDALL (5.10) – Very cute, I thought the song was pitchy & pushy. Not the song for her.

JORGE (6.45/10) – Solid tone, sung on pitch, the performance was okay… last note was good.

*LIL (6.9/10) – I’m afraid I felt a little skeptical listening to all the judges rave about this performance. Yeah, she was good… but she didn’t blow my socks off. A warm rich voice, I thought it was a safe song choice, not a bad performance.

As you can see, I didn’t rate anyone more than 7.5 and most of the singers were in the 6.0 to 7.0 range – acceptable but not extraordinary.

Maybe 3 out of these 4 will go through: AlexW, VonS, Lil, Ju’Not

~ Feb 26/09 - Results

Adam Lambert (no surprise), Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen

The best part of the show are the 3 winners singing their songs. Any one of them sings better than Brooke White, who sits at the piano and sings her new single, which has odd lyrics. Her voice is thin and pitchy.

Feb 25/09 – 2nd group of 12

Overall I thought it was a very poor show. The number one thing that occurred to me as I watched (which was then expressed by Randy) is, pick a song that ‘sings itself’. If you pick a song that you like, that has no range, that has no vocal highs and lows, that doesn’t challenge you… then you have to try so hard to make something of the song, that your voice & your performance suffers. I really think too, that just because you like a song, it doesn’t mean it suits you or your voice, or will show your personality.

JASMINE (3/10) – very pitchy performance, especially at the end when she pushed her voice. The song seemed too low for her. Unfortunately, a rather dull performance. As I said above, pick a song that helps you, helps show off your voice – not something you have to overperform just to make an impact.

MATT (4/10) – nice voice. His breathing was all over the place, likely due to nerves. I’m not sure that he has much range – certainly this song seemed to show a limitation.

JEANINE (2/10) – very low, very pitchy, sort of a weird arrangement or something. I thought she came to life a little bit at the end.

NORMAN (7/10) – dear Norman. I award him the best performance of the night. He took over the stage, every eye was on him, and you wanted to see/hear what he was going to do next. And he actually has a nice voice too.

ALISON (6.5/10) – I felt her voice sits a little too far back – it’s like she’s swallowing her vowels. A little pushy, a little pitchy.

KRIS (6.5) – voice was tight from the start. I thought the song was a good choice, and that the performance was decent, although it didn’t show range.

MEAGAN (4.5/10) – nice voice & presence. The song seemed low, a little pushy/pitchy, but parts were okay. Didn’t really show off. I agree she’s got marketability.

MATTB (6.75) – engaging from the start. Good presence, but the song itself felt too slow, too many pauses between vocal lines. Again, a song that doesn’t help the singer sing. I was waiting for the song to take off, but it never did.

JESSE (7.1/10) – nice vocals, solid tone. I felt the performance was a bit ‘put on’ but better than any other singer prior to him.

KAI (6.8/10) – nice voice, okay, a little blah, safe.

MISHAVONNA (8/10) – reminds me of Katherine McPhee. Very focused, very serious (too much so), but secure, and chose a good song to sing.

ADAM (8.5/10) – he definitely has the best voice of these 12, and he’s a seasoned performer. I thought he did a terrific job, and actually sounded like an IDOL should sound.

Choices: ADAM, MISHAVONNA, JESSE
Honourable Mention: Norman

Results - Feb 18/09

--------------------
MY PREDICTIONS:

Danny, Ricky & Alexis
Honourable mention: Tatiana

RESULTS:

Danny, Michael & Alexis
4th - Tatiana
--------------------

Tue Feb 17/09 – 1st group of 12

Welcome to the new season of AI, huh. A new judge. Some new rules. Mom and Dad in the green room when you're done. WAY too much unfocussed talking by the judges after the live performances. Otherwise I think the shows have been tighter, over all.

Here's my assessment. Bear in mind that, altho I've watched all the programs up til now, this is the first time I've really taken a close look at the contestants. Hope I got the names right. As a voice teacher I'm listening for vocal strengths & weaknesses - but I cannot eliminate performance from my observations.

3/10 – Jackie Tohn
Clips of Jackie screaming before and after her auditions made me cringe. Not a healthy thing for a singer to be doing at any time. I felt the whole performance was overdone – skin tight pants, played the clown is right. However, it was entertainment – cabaret style. American Idol style? I don’t think so. On the good side, there’s nothing wrong with the voice itself, and she was a good choice for a show opener.

8/10 – Ricky Brady
I felt this was a well presented performance. The voice has “bloom”, solid tone, good range.

7/10 – Alexis Grace
I wasn’t sure about this song choice. The voice was solid and the performance was good.

6.5/10 – Brent Keith
Song had a nice groove, I agreed with Kara that the song didn’t show off all his abilities. He has good tone & I’d like to hear him do something more edgy.

2/10 – Stevie Wright
Unfortunately Stevie was very nervous – and it’s hard to judge a performance like that. When we are nervous, our breath doesn’t work properly – that’s why we sound flat. She needs to work on centering herself, and choosing songs that have flowing phrases that give her time to breath and settle in. Don’t know if she’ll get the chance this season, though.

4/10 – Anoop Desai
Very nice voice, lovely texture, solid tone. I wasn’t sure the song really showed him off, and it could be that some butterflies caused the occasional pitch issue.

2.5/10 – Casey Carlson
I felt the song was in a key that was too low for her. It didn’t sit in the part of her tessitura that would bring the voice to life. Very safe, rather boring song, and some pitch issues.

6/10 – Michael Sarver
Good song choice, nice vocals, good presence on stage. Not thrilling but solid.

3.5/10 -- Ann Marie B
I thought this was a boring (yes, “irrelevant”) song choice. I didn’t connect with the verse, it felt like she was trying too hard in the chorus to make it work (pick a song that has that IN it, so you don’t have to manufacture it), I felt the performance was over the top and just short of pitchy. However, the voice is a nice one.

5/10 -- Steven Fowler
Nice vocals, but kind of old fashioned disco song, would like to hear something more current.

6.75/10 – Tatiana DT
She’s kooky but she does have pipes and I was surprised to hear a pretty solid performance from her. I thought it was a good song choice, it showed her range. Won me over a little.

9/10 -- Danny Gokey
Good song choice, naturally we’re all moved by what he’s been through, but also I think he really related to the song and brought it out. I thought he was the best of the night.

I think Danny, Ricky and Alexis should be the 3 from this show that move on to the top 12.
Honourable mention: Tatiana

2Feb09 – Hollywood Week Day 1

Comment #1 – Song Choice.

I’m always telling my students that the songs they choose to sing are very important. Just because you like a song, doesn’t mean it fits you. Just because you like an artist, doesn’t mean a song of theirs will bring ‘you’ out in the right way. In addition… we need to understand that the key we choose to sing a song in needs to work for our voice. Songs are like slacks, they should be adjusted to fit. But even once they are adjusted to fit your voice, you need to ask… ‘does it show off my musicality, does it show my range, does it allow me to show my agility and strength?’

Comment #2 – Common Sense.

So, you make it through to the next round in the most important audition of your life. And you come out screaming and yelling. You get together with other folks who made it through and yell some more. Gee, don't you have to do it all again the next day? Don't you think you should be protecting your vocal chords? Don’t you think the stress you’ve been under has affected your instrument?

What you need at this point is:

-water. It’s very important to stay hydrated

-healthy food. – fruits, vegetables, low fat protein. No caffeine or alcohol or soft drinks.

-sleep. – crucial for your voice to bounce back after the stress of the day. Crucial for your psyche to recover from the stress of the day and what is to follow.

-focus. – as soon as you get that ‘yes’, your whole focus should be how best to prepare for day two, and that means finding a quiet space to regroup, eating, and getting some rest.

JMHO.

2009 AI begins

The first shows of the 2009 season were broadcast this week. I thought the shows were well edited, made to be fun and entertaining. I think that Simon could be gentler in his comments. No need to be so curt when dismissing someone's dream, even if it's an impossible one. Courtesy and gentleness go a long way.

I'm amazed at some auditioners, who clearly think this is their one chance to have a singing career... yet have done next to nothing to prepare for this one-time chance. Good advice is given to some contestants - go and work on it for a year, and come back. But they leave crying as though developing their skill and craft for a year for a better shot is a bad thing.

The guy that bugged me the most is the one that cried practically the whole time because this was so important to him - but he'd never taken a voice lesson. And he said, with tears in his eyes, "I just want someone to tell me I'm good."

See, he's got it backwards. I think an artist has to be humble enough to assess honestly where they are and what they need to work on. Pride has no place in the creative process. At the same time, one needs to believe that they have something to offer that is valuable - because each one of us is a unique, one-of-a-kind individual.

Ask someone else to tell you if you are "good enough" and you swiftly will find any number of Simon Cowells to tell you that you aren't. There are any number of best-selling authors whose manuscripts were rejected time and time again. Famous film actors who were told they would never make it in film. World renowned tenors who were told they couldn't sing opera.

What happened - were the "experts" wrong? No, and yes. The experts were obviously wrong because that person went out and did the "impossible", right?

But the question you need to ask yourself is... HOW did that person go out and achieve what was thought impossible???

They did the work. They understood the process of development is key to becoming. They figured out what they needed to know, what they needed to have, and they set out to know it and to get it. They worked, knowing that the goal was far far away... but seeing themselves steadily moving forward. And when they achieved that thing, that first goal... they kept working.

Humility & a quest for excellence keeps them working on their craft even when they start being successful. If someone rates them a 9 out of 10, they say, "thank you very much!". Then they go home and they ask themselves quietly... "hey, 9 is good. I wonder what I need to know and do to make that a 10?"

So, if making it "to Hollywood" is your goal in 2010... let me ask you - how much do you want it? How many voice lessons will you take this year to assist you to sing your best? How many dance lessons will you take so you stand tall and move well? Do you want to look like a professional - make sure your hair is cut properly and you are reasonably well dressed. Practice auditioning - practice talking to the judges, having something interesting to say about yourself. Have someone help you choose the best songs to show off your voice, and practice singing them without music, staying on key, and in a rock/pop style. Sing them in front of a variety of audiences. Be determined to look, sound, and present yourself as a budding professional. Even if you don't make it, you'll be respected for your efforts. And even if you don't make it on AI - nothing is stopping you from being a singer, if you really want to be one.