Blame Mariah. She’s to blame for the melimsa-craze of most modern pop R&B singers. American Idol auditions are full of half-baked singers who torture us with ear-spitting trills and runs. Eep. Truth is, not everyone should sing like Mariah. Actually, most shouldn’t even try it. I’m looking at you Syesha. Oh, yeah, and you too, Kat McPhee. Nothing against her personally, but I rue the day Mariah came on the scene.
Mariah Carey week would have been a great time to break out a broader theme, like that Top 100 iTunes theme that was rumored. Instead, we get Mariah Carey songs. This should be interesting. David Cook, Jason Castro and Brooke White are going to have to come up with some creative arrangements to make it work. Carly Smithson is singing “Without You” but hey, that’s really a Harry Nillson song. One of the guys could have tackled that. Syesha Mercado will be right in her element. And Kristy Lee Cook? Somebody in comments suggested she could sing “Heroes” and then dedicate it to the troops! Heh, she probably will.
I’ve been listening to her songs. The Pop R&B–it ain’t my thing. I’m totally at a loss as to what the Idols should sing. What do you think?
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Idol’s Music Director Discusses How the Contestants Will Do This Week
Idol’s associate musical director Michael Orland sat in on the session, and tells Us the male performers are in for a rough week vocally. “This week is tougher musically because Mariah’s songs are so much better suited for a female vocal. This is when the guys are going to get to prove [their worth],” Orland says.
However, with guidance from Carey, Orland is optimistic each of the contestants will shine. “They are all like sponges; they just can’t wait to hear what you have to say. I am excited to see what Mariah has to offer them and they are loaded with questions,” Orland confirms. “They want to know what kind of prep she has to do, what she has to go through.”
Orland says the contestants kept emotions in check if one of their peers selected a song they had been eyeing.
“This [selection] was pretty open to anything Mariah has recorded. So it was pretty wide. A lot of contestants contemplated doing one of the lesser well-known ones, but it’s a risk. If you do it differently and bring something new to it, I don’t think it matters how well known it is for a Mariah Carey song. Originally, when the contestants first hear the songs, the grab the familiar. But as they listen to more, they go, ‘Maybe that is not right for me.’
It’s no secret that judge Randy Jackson is a Carey pal and colleague, but how will Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell react to the top 7’s selections? “I can’t wait see if the judges are going to say ‘I don’t think you should be singing Mariah,’ and for the contestants to say ‘I don’t have a choice!’ Orland jokes.
One of Orland’s picks to wow Cowell & Co. Tuesday night? None other than Idol’s boy wonder, David Archuleta. “It is so natural,” he says of the 17-year-old fan favorite’s vocal talent.
“It’s always hard to sing a Mariah song - she is like the queen of vocals. And I love all the contestants, but David is trying new things, and everything he tries – even just fooling around and playing - works. It’s like ‘Where is that coming from?!’”
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So, it’s going to be a tough week for the guys, but Archuleta is going to be fantastic. Shoot. That only leaves 2 other guys.
*@$! me, do we really need pre-show ArchuIdol pimping from Idol employees? If David is really “trying new things” he wouldn’t sing the same damn ballad every week. I had better hear “Touch My Body” out of him this week to justify this comment from Michael Orland. Or at least something uptempo with no wheezing or lyric-forgetting or crapped out high notes.
If DC and JC had started taking vocal lessons in the womb, they would sound more like Mariah, too. I’m really glad they didn’t though. I lurve their imperfect, untrained voices.
/rant over. LOL.
I can’t wait for some real spoilers. I’m not even try to predict what they might sing because I’ve never been a fan of her style and don’t know her songs. And thanks for the info, PM. I’m getting ready to power vote.
ETA: right on, Cheese!
Mariah is fine for Boy Wonder but tough for CC? Let the de-pimping begin.
LMFAO. Please enlighten me more, Michael Orland. What “new things” has he tried? A different inspirational “message” song every week?? WOW!! I’m sooooo impressed!!!
Aren’t the Idol contestants coached by either Michael Orland or Deborah Byrd? For instance, last year, Deborah would coach Melinda, and Michael had Jordin. Is it possible that he hasn’t heard everyone?
Cheese and Sarah- I too LMAO at Orland comments. Still racking my brain to remember when and/or Little D has done different.
Message Song- Check
Angelic voice- (subjective) Check
Boring Ballad- CHECK!!!!
Soooooooo….what has been so different or risky or out of his “wheelhouse” during Idol?? Oh I forgot, Week 1 he sang an uptempo song….(smacks head….DUH!!!!)
GwendolynD, it sounds like he’s basing this on his sitting in on the rehearsals with Mariah. Either way, the pimping of little D before the show is a bit much, IMO. Whatev!
Picture of Mariah and the Idols
(…I don’t know what to think about Jason’s shirt.)
I think the lumberjack look is hot.
Well, it’s a little better than this look for him.
http://media.americanidol.com/photos/245/30314.jpg
Ok- showing my age here, but DC is looking all kinds of Richard Chamberlain hot!
Also-are they purposely trying to make Pagent Boy look 12?
LOL, pm. That shirt is almost OTT at this point, for me. I think I liked the normal shirts, actually. The farmer thing is just…yeah.
HAHA. Right on, bax!
How about this look?
Jason’s monogrammed look.
Mariah has her perfect pose on. That drives me INSANE!! Yikes!! Head angle check, hair flop check, half smile check… ok, take the picture now!
…I think the url on that page made me laugh even before I saw the outfit. LMAO.
I think the pimpage of anyone before the show comes is always too much. From the looks of it, he’ll whip out another ballad. The kid needs to loosen up and have a little more fun like he did during Top 24 week. That’s been his only (semi-)good uptempo performance so far, IMO.
Awww guys, it may be my guilty pleasure but I love Mariah. I agree, her new stuff definitely does not strike a chord with me. But classic Mariah is great pop…in one of my opinion, she has one of the best voices of all time, and I was shocked to learn that she either wrote or co-wrote all of those great (catchy!) melodies. Here are my picks:
Carly - Without You
Syesha - Music Box (I always liked her falsetto, when she’s not pushing it and being all shrieky)
Kristy - Open Arms
Brooke - tough call. I think she could do I’ll Be There or Vision of Love really well.
David Cook - My All. It will definitely be a stretch though.
Jason - Always Be My Baby. I’m actually really excited to see what he’ll do, I hope he does take this week seriously.
David Archuletta - Hero, obviously!
Carly Smithson- “Without You”
David Cook- “Against All Odds”
David Archuletta “When You Believe” from the Prince of Egypt Soundtrack
Brooke White- “Butterfly” and she’ll talk back to the judges saying she’s a young naive butterfly spreading her wings
Jason Castro- “I’ll Be There” played on guitar in a sweet and somber ambience
Kristy Lee Cook- “Hero” - she’ll make it country and dedicate it to her horse
Syesha Mercado- “Vision of Love”
Don’t know enough Mariah songs to comment intelligently.
But I do know fashion. That is a flannel shirt not a lumberjack shirt. There’s a difference. Neil Young wore a flannel shirt on Leno show during his Harvest Moon phase and Leno laughed at him, wondering why he couldn’t dress properly for the show.
And I’ve been thinking if Neil was to appear on AI, Jason would be his personna. Heck, if I were to appear on AI, Jason would be my personna.
So here’s to flannel.
LaFonda…..Please don’t take this personaly…..BUT HELL TO THE NO….DC is not to sing Against All Odds…….that song is known as the kiss of death on show. How many times have we watched an IDol attempt this song and get bashed left and right.
Just NO NO NO NONONONONONONONONONONNO….
Ok…I’m better. Just had to get that off my chest.
LOL, JSG. I buy my dad a flannel shirt every year for Xmas. It’s now a running joke. This year I “didn’t” and he was upset…. until he realized the gift from my brother was really from me. Gah, we’re a geeky family.
But in honor of my Dad, JSG, Jason, and Neil Young (with a little Kurt Cobain for good measure), I’ll toast to the flannel.
My .02…
Archie: “Make It Happen”
KLC: “Dreamlover”
Jason Castro: “Can’t Let Go”
Syesha: “Emotions”
DCook: “Hero”
Brooke: “Butterfly”
Carly: We know her choice but I wish she was singing “Someday” instead.
Man i’m worried for Syesha, I bet she’ll get the boot this week. She either has to do amazing or thats it, she’ll get picked to pieces by the judges. Brooke and Jason are gonna get praised because like everyone says, they’ll be doing Mariah differently because the havn’t got very good vocals. David A will get praised for being David A. Carly, dunno, i think a good week. And David C nahh, second bad in a row i think. I already predict a Syesha, David C and Kristy bottom 3. I’ll die if Syesha goes before Kristy. Unjust I say.
Mariah with the Idols HQ- Full picture
Well I’m at a loss. I can’t pick a clear good-song-choice for ANYONE. All I know is that if I think about David A. singing “Touch My Body” I go into awkward giggling fits. So, so wrong on so many levels. hahaha!
Cheese…we do what we do best. He does do slow songs best. He did a phenomenal job with Shop Around. His bending over and the crowd goes wild, that I love, and then his natural vibratto
Just Remember Whitney, and even Mariah for that matter do ballads best. 90% of them are just that. They can pull up a chair and belt out a ballad better than anyone.
Would you wanna see Madonna do that….NOT.
But you wouldn’t wanna see Whitney sing what she had to while doing all of Madonna’s dancing.
Take Care All,
Go David A
Eric, sure, that’s all fine and dandy, but on a show that supposedly celebrates a contestant’s ability to be “versatile”, it’s a bit hypocritical for the judges to constantly praise one contestant for doing the same. damn. thing. every week, while criticizing others for “not getting out of your box”.
Amen, dadgummit.
Contestants who are “versatile” can also run the risk of being criticized for not “knowing who they are” depending on how they show that versatility. Step out the box, the contestant is criticized for not “knowing who they are”; get back in the box and they are praised briefly for bringing the “hotness back” or whatever, then criticized the next week for trying something different. (That very thing happened to MJ last week.) Or are criticized for doing the same sort of thing and being criticized for being indulgent.
I think the trick is to perform a good song with confidence and technical proficiency within a certain style, while varying the types of songs selected, but don’t stray too far from the signature style of performance. Seems like the most successful contestants are those who showed development over time while not altering their basic performing style.
This is some speculation going on regarding Archuleta’s song choice (from a Mariah fan who posts at IDF):
I guess there was another hint somewhere pointing to the same song. It does sound like a coronation ballad, so I guess it makes sense. What 17 year old boy doesn’t want to take on Whitney AND Mariah on Idol? I hope this means KLC will sing “Hero” and go home.
So eric, you’ll buy an album of David Archuleta singing ALL inspirational ballads? Contestants NEED to change it up to keep them interesting.
Thanks, cheese. I was just about to bring that over.
I love that song…on Prince of Egypt. Not on Idol. There’s no doubt he’ll it sing well, but does EVERY week have to be inspiration week for this boy? Sigh.
Could he just add a beat to it? I won’t be mad at him if he does.
I’m fully expecting inspirational/contemporary Christian/Christian pop out of this boy. He’ll be the male equivalent of Jaci Velasquez, Stacie Orrico, and Rachael Lampa.
For this performance or his future CD? If you’re talking about his CD, I don’t think he’ll make it in CCM because he’s mormon. Just my opinion, of course.
If David A is really singing “When You Believe,” Orland’s comments seem even odder. Maybe he’s going to make it into a rap?
I think his CD will probably be along the lines of most of the winner’s CD’s - plenty of maudlin ballads and a couple of potential radio songs (except I don’t see him having a hit like Tattoo or No Air). Diane Warren is probably digging up the dreckiest of her dreck for him.
I completely forgot about “When you believe” I wonder who is going to sing hero
Aren’t they considered Christian? Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, right? Besides, on his Idol questionnaire, he lists Kirk Franklin as one of his favorite artists.
Of course, this is just a guess on my part.
The judges never seem to be consistent, Sarah. If you venture out of the box they want you in, they’ll criticise but if you stay in it, you’re predictable. It’s hard to win with them unless you’re the current tco.
I’ve noticed that even though I’m sad not to see Michael sing VofL tonight, it’s rather freeing not having to worry about song choice and performances. I will watch tonight but without the worry.
I don’t really know any mormons in contemporary christian music right now.
I highly doubt a Mormon would succeed in CCM because Christians consider Mormonism a cult.
That spoiler chick is back at EW. She was right last week. Here’s what she says:
Er can anyone give me the link to the song “I do wanna laugh” I’ve never heard it before.
She’ll never give an outright name of a song. You’ll have to figure it out from her clues.
Hmm, it’s probably “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” I can hear Jason doing that one… sort of?
Can someone provide the link to the EW comments? I never could find them last week.
ETA: Thanks, gwendolynD! You should copy this to the new spoiler thread, too. : )
For cheese:
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/04/idol-mariah-car.html
I started a spoiler thread…
I don’t wanna cry is kind of slow for Jason..but we shall see.
I just don’t think it was ever written in the books that this show was about versatility, it is about singing and no one here can deny David A. has the best voice . Even the ones who said they will take David C’s IMPERFECT voice
Besides David A IS versatile, playing guitar, piano, etc
I hope we all realize how trivial this is and not get upset it takes a lot for me to but I try :) Being diagnosed with cancer a month ago, the last thing I want to do is get upset with another person on here over a tv show.
I am very passionate over DAVID A but it shouldn’t be over another person.
I hope we all realize this
Can someone answer this objectively tho. This is clearly not a DAVID A site, if you know what I mean, is it ?? more into other singers. Where is you look around there are other sites into him, right???
take care everyone.
ERic
could someone give me the link of the site that posts the songs throughout the day that they will definitely sing
thanks again
E