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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > April > 15
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
4/15: Top 7 Idol performance night: Mariah Carey!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We knew it. Ballad hell. That’s what we got courtesy of Mariah Carey, the theme and the mentor. How about this timing? Her latest album comes out today, too! What a coincidence!
Nobody did dreadfully. David Cook lifted his game, boldly grunging where grunge has never been. David Archuleta was in his comfort zone, did his usual emoting. Kristy Lee Cook is still keeping herself alive with smart song choices. Syesha was, as usual, solid but is solid good enough? Carly didn’t quite hit the heights and will be in trouble again. Brooke is in that red zone as well, totally out of her element. Jason’s fans will love him and he was in the pimp spot to boot so he’s fine.
Anyway—my rankings: 1- David Cook 2- Syesha 3- Kristy Lee 4- David A. 5- Jason Castro 6- Carly 7- Brooke
Bottom three? Syesha, Carly and Brooke. Who will go home? I think Carly has been skirting the edges and isn’t bringing it home. It’s time for the Irish gal to go back to San Diego. [I made those picks before checking your comments or Dialidol.com and I’m glad to see the bottom three at the moment are indeed Syesha, Carly and Brooke.]
Up first: David Archuleta (“When You Believe”) - This was apparently a minor hit with Whitney in 1998 that I don’t even remember from “The Prince of Egypt.” David’s wearing leather pants. I hope they don’t squeak while he walks. It’s your standard issue ballad and he did it well but man, I can’t stand this drudgery. And it has some sort of inspirational theme, right up his alley. Randy: “You can sing anything. That was the bomb.” Paula: “It must feel great for Mariah to hear your interpretation of the song.” Simon: “I would have bet $1 million you’d pick that song in advance. I thought that was very good. You set the benchmark.” B-plus
Carly Smithson (“Without You”) - She noted how boring it is now without Michael Johns around or “MJ” as she calls him. This was actually a cover song for Mariah, a top 3 hit in 1994, and made a major hit by Harry Nilsson in the early 1970s. She’s going into her lower registers to start this song and restrains herself until the end. She really tried to dial back the Angry Bunny From Outer Space look with mixed results. It was a solid vocal performance, not transcendent but not very good. Randy: “You have to trust your lower register. It was pretty good.” Paula: “I liked you shared some vocal restraint.” Simon: “Did you pull it off? No. I think you’re overthinking everything. I still think you’re wound up. It was an okay version.” B-plus
Syesha Mercado (“Vanishing”) - This was an album cut from Mariah’s first CD, a gospel-tinged ballad. Yes, another ballad. It’s going to be one of those nights. It was beautifully done. Controlled yet emotional, lovely. Randy: “I love how you go for it every week. You did a good job on it all thing considered. It’s hard to sing.” Paula: “This week, you’ve been extremely smart… You picked a song not many people know. Overall, tonight was unbelievably magical.” Simon: “Once again, technically, it was very good indeed. Having said that, I’m not sure I would have chosen a song not many people know about. You run a risk.” I agree with Simon that a relatively unknown song might hurt her. A-minus
Brooke White (“Hero”) - She missed her sister’s wedding this past Saturday. “Hero” was Mariah’s eighth number song in 1993-94, definitely one of her signature songs. Brooke hit a bad note to start but she smartly does a quiet, stripped-down version of the song. It’s just okay in coffee-house form. Not her best, not her worst. I almost wish she had slowed it down a bit more. It felt mildly rushed. Randy: “I liked the fact you brought the singer-songwriter thing. I was digging it until the bridge.” Paula: “Every ounce of you is totally authentic to who you are.” Simon: “I don’t think you had much choice but to do what you do. It was a bit like ordering a hamburger and only getting the bun. In other words, the vital ingredient, the meat. Your voice isn’t strong enough to carry that off.” (Brooke looks confused.) B
Kristy Lee Cook (“Forever”) - This was a middle-tier hit for “Mariah” in 1996, not one I know particularly well. But that’s wise so we as viewers lack a preconceived notion of this ballad. (Yes, another ballad! Nobody has dared take on “Dreamlover” or “Always Be My Baby”). Kristy Lee has been improving in recent weeks and the confidence is definitely there. She gives it a nice Faith Hill-style feel. (Notice they’ve stopped the front area crowd from waving their hands—thank God!). I enjoyed it. I’m jonesing for something more upbeat at this stage of the show but hey, she did her thang, as Randy might say. Randy: “I don’t think that was amazing… but I gotta tell you. You definitely stepping up toward the end. You hit that note at the end.” Paula: “You have this all worked out in your plans. I’m blown away.” Simon: “You didn’t give me chills. I think you managed with what you could. It was a little whiny at times. It wasn’t ever going to be advantage for you. It just wasn’t great.” A-minus/B-plus
David Cook (“Always Be My Baby”) - Oh, well. David is daring to take on one of Mariah’s more ebullient songs, one of my favorites from 1996. He does his little grunge-rock turn on yet another pop song, Chad Kroeger style. It’s actually quite captivating though the female backup singers really is a strange addition given the way he sang it. And we know he didn’t “borrow” that arrangement from Chris Cornell off YouTube. Randy: “You are ready to make an album. I’d never stood up. That was the most brilliant performance yet.” Paula: “You’re it.” Simon: “It was like coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air because that was original. It was daring. It stood out by a mile. This is the sign of great potential artist. Someone who takes risks. Congratulations.” A (With his sick brother in the audience, he’s in tears.)
Pimp spot! Jason Castro (“I Don’t Wanna Cry”) - How will he Jack Johnson this Spanish-tinged No. 1 ballad from her early days? Ick. She touched his dreads! This was not one of those tunes I particularly liked which makes it hard for me to enjoy his rendition. He did alright. It was no “Hallelujah.” Randy: “I felt like I was at a weird beach luau and someone was playing music in the distance.” Paula: “If I was at that luau, I’d listen all night long.” Simon: “I have to agree with Paula. It identified with you. It was a cool version. The guys won the night.” B-plus
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4/15: Kellie Pickler wins three CMT awards, Debra Byrd interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kellie PIckler last night won breakthrough video, performance and tearjerker video of the year for her autobiographical song “I Wonder.” Congrats Kellie!
I also briefly interviewed “Idol” music director Debra Byrd this morning. She has been with “Idol” since the beginning and continues to mentor and help the finalists. Last year, i got to gab with her for an hour but this year, I only had a few minutes this time around.
She’s promoting a “pitch pipe” with volume control, which ensures singers can start on the right note. She said Justin Guarini and Blake Lewis are two finalists who use it. More info about Byrd and her product here.
Byrd, who has been with “Idol” since day one, said the only contestant she can think of who didn’t need a pitch pipe was season four finalist Anwar Robinson, who is in Atlanta this week to perform in “Rent’ at Fox Theatre. He had, what she would call, “perfect pitch.” That means you ask him for a note, any note, and he’ll hit it no matter what.
I wish I had more time but she did give me a little insight into how do deal with Mariah Carey songs when you don’t have a five-octave range. “Her songs are written for her style,” she said. “So you have to dissect them and take her voice out of the equation. For someone like Kristy Lee Cook who doesn’t vocally go near the instrument that Mariah Carey has, we strip it down. You have to go to the essence of the song.”
I asked her about Michael Johns. “I think he did a great job with ‘Dream On.’ We were surprised he didn’t make it. I wish I knew why.”
As for Kristy’s progress: “She’s getting better every week. That’s a great testimony to her ability as a human being. She’s really working hard on her songs. She has a great handle on who she is. She works her hiney off. She’s changed a lot of bad habits.” (What bad habits?) “She stopped riding that horse when she sings. And she stopped mashing potatoes with her foot.”
With David Cook, “he never opened his eyes early on. Now he opens his eyes.” WIth Jason Castro, “we worked on his breathing. He’s getting better each week.” And how about Carly Smithson and the angry look? “She wasn’t aware she was doing that before. We’re working on that.”
Alas, we ran out of time so I didn’t get a chance to parse Brooke, Syesha or David A.
