American Idol Season 6 - 2007

[RetroRuss]

Originally Posted by discokicks

I don't know if she's really what you'd call American Idol material though. She's much too mature and professional to be promo'd now to American radio....er....maybe I should re-word that.... Her music wouldn't be that appealing to younger audiences and hopefully, when it comes to her first cd (or download series? ), they won't throw her voice over some hip-pop beats singing about how her hips don't lie.

I'd have to disagree with you on this one! It is the segment of population her voice and charm appeals to that are still going out and buying CDs, which the record companies rely on. The 'younger' generation, tend to download individual tracks, or get the music of their favourite artists from friends, burned from CDs or downloaded from sites such as Limewire. I haven't heard her performance yet this week (it's not shown here in the UK until later this evening) but right from the early auditions we saw her and felt she has stood head and shoulders above everyone else. I imagine my old muckka Simon was in a good mood this week. His talent vehicle in the UK - The X-Factor - announced some major changes in the format and presentation of the show, that he was keen to do!

[nrgbeat]

I can't believe they let that girly Sanjaya into the top 12 and sent Sundance home.

Will Chris Sligh sing "Last Time I Saw Him" this week??

Will Blake sing "Muscles" ??

It's Diana Ross week, should be interesting.

[efunk_adelic]

that would be funny.

[Ivana Tinkle]

Hi chaps,
it's been a long time.

the season 6 guys really are terrible. i think out of a bad bunch the beatboxing one at least isn't so dull and the elton john / jack osbourne one may have something. was glad to see the Fresh Prince's brother lookalike go last night, found his eyebrows very distracting!
LaKesha, Ms Doolittle and Stephanie are my faves

[discokicks]

Originally Posted by Headlamp

I'd have to disagree with you on this one! It is the segment of population her voice and charm appeals to that are still going out and buying CDs, which the record companies rely on. The 'younger' generation, tend to download individual tracks, or get the music of their favourite artists from friends, burned from CDs or downloaded from sites such as Limewire.

I would tend to agree with your thoughts here but this is America were talking about. The pop music scene for the last few years over here has been dominated with shallow, meaningless songs and artists appealing to todays youth's obsession with money, glamour and sexual exploration. I would love to see a change where the artists out there who are making music with more meaningful lyrics and showing unique talent could dominate the charts again but there's been this strange hold that has gripped society's tastes.

The recent news of the decline in rap music sales is definitely a positive sign of change but I wonder why things went as awry as they did. Looking at song titles that hit the tops of Billboard's hot 100 over the past couple years, it's possibly indicative to society's ills and temperament:

Candy Shop (subject: sex)
Gold Digger (subject: sex and money)
Temperature by Sean Paul (subject: sex)
Promiscuous (subject: sex)
Sexy Back (subject: sex)
London Bridge (subject: sex)
Money Maker (subject: money and sex)
Hips Don't Lie (subject: sex)
Fergalicious (subject: sex)
Buttons (subject: sex)
Glamourous (subject: money and sex)

Most of the above songs stayed at the top for five weeks or more. I didn't pick these randomly to prove a point...it's just simply been this way over the last couple of years. Even Madonna's recent releases couldn't dent the grip. Currently, the number one song is a charming little ditty by Mims called This Is Why I'm Hot ("this is why I'm hot, this is why I'm hot, I'm hot 'cause I'm fly, you ain't 'cause you're not")

I'm envious with UK and Europe pop charts. You still find diversity on those. Artists like Gnarls Barkley, Scissor Sisters, Amy Winehouse and James Blunt get a chance at some success. Currently, I love the song Grace Kelly by Mika with its unusual lyrics and melody...incredibly creative. And right now, Shirley Bassey (!!!) has the chance of hitting number one with her beautiful release The Living Tree. There hasn't been a successful powerhouse pop ballad for years in America. What's that indicate?

Sorry to have gone off on a bit of a tangent here but with the show American Idol, I'm thinking that perhaps there is some vital importance to its existance. It showcases genuine musical talent and is hugely popular but, other than Kelly Clarkson, our pop charts haven't reflected this. Chris Daughtry's cd is sitting at number one on the album charts at this point so perhaps things are about to turn around.

[markydefad]

Discokicks--you are sooooo right on the money. Well-said!!!....America's pop music taste is totally trapped in the toilet of sexual innuendo/booty calls/ thrusting humps & lovely lady lumps!!!, etc.....when strippers like The Pussycat Dolls are a top selling group...what hope is there????

American Idol does provide an entertaining show --but I fear the contestants don't have a very long chart shelf-life...unless they become sexual fixations for nerds, like apparently Miss Kelly Clarkson has!!! And I will say that Miss Kelly has received some good material post-Idol...her records are in constant rotation on the adult-oriented FM station in LA...but then so are The Cranberries!!!!

You can stop listening to STAR98.7 for over year and, lo & behold, when you tune in-- they are still playing the same old songs....you've missed nothing. The tight-restrictive playlists are so hurting the chances of artists getting radio exposure...I just don't understand why they play the same songs over and over and over and in the case of STAR98.7 for DECADES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

next up on STAR98.7...LINGER followed by DREAMS followed by LINGER followed by DREAMS ...THEY LOVE THE CRANBERRIES music from 1993!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ivana Tinkle]

America's pop music taste is totally trapped in the toilet of sexual innuendo/booty calls/ thrusting humps & lovely lady lumps!!!, etc.....when strippers like The Village People are a top selling group...what hope is there????

I do find it weird, Scissor Sisters have kinda surpassed Cliff Richard as the nations favourite here. Hot Chip aren't far behind, and Goldfrapp and The Gossip are on chat shows. Seems like there's a load of great disco inspired US acts at the moment. The new LCD lp is in all the serious papers too.
You've got a lot to be proud of I think...

That Sarah Jessica Darker that won our Pop Idol would never have got into the finals of American Idol...

[nrgbeat]

Do the Idol kids even know who Diana Ross is??

[remicks]

******

from wikipedia :


The 12 Finalists



Finalists

The 12 finalists were announced on March 8, 2007. As in past years, the top 12 will appear on the annual compilation album. Also as in past years, one finalist will be eliminated every week.

Blake Lewis (77804) (born July 21, 1981) is 25 years old and auditioned in Seattle, and is from Bothell, Washington. He is a former member of the a capella group KickShaw. Claiming to be the city's beatboxing champion, Lewis sampled a hip-hop tune to the judges before rendering Seal's "Crazy". Blake passed the auditions but Simon commented to him that "You are not that good as you think are," reminding him not to be cocky and overconfident in the future.

1. Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)
2. Virtual Insanity (Jamiroquai)
3. All Mixed Up (311)
4. You Keep Me Hanging On (The Supremes)

Brandon Rogers (74191) is 29 years old. He auditioned in Los Angeles and is from North Hollywood, California. Rogers has been a backup singer to established artists, performing on Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera's 2003 Justified and Stripped Tour and Anastacia's 2005 Encore Tour. After hearing his audition song, the judges (including guest judge Olivia Newton-John) were impressed with his vocals. Simon Cowell later mentioned he was the best auditioner coming from that city.

1. Rock with You (Michael Jackson)
2. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
3. I Just Want to Celebrate (Rare Earth)
4. You Can't Hurry Love (The Supremes)

Chris Richardson (8963) (born February 19, 1984) is 23 years old. He auditioned in New York and is from Chesapeake, Virginia. During Richardson's audition Randy compared him to Justin Timberlake. He also recieved outstanding praise from the judges for his performance of Geek In the Pink, in which he was referred to as the best of the night. Randy even compared him to Jason Mraz, saying that he sang it better than the original.

1. I Don't Want to Be (Gavin DeGraw)
2. Geek In the Pink (Jason Mraz)
3. Tonight I Wanna Cry (Keith Urban)
4. The Boss (Diana Ross)

Chris Sligh (24994) is 28 years old, hails from Greenville, South Carolina, and attended Bob Jones University. He auditioned in Birmingham and sang "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, after which Paula gave a standing ovation and stated, "I like you very much." Paula, Simon, and Randy laughed at his ambition "to make David Hasselhoff cry" (a nod to the Season 5 finale where David Hasselhoff did, in fact, cry). When he made it to the top 24, Simon said that he was not the strongest singer of the bunch, but has a great personality.

1. Typical (Mute Math)
2. Trouble (Ray LaMontagne)
3. Wanna Be Loved (dc Talk)
4. Endless Love (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie)

Gina Glocksen (53750) (born July 4, 1984) is 22 years old and auditioned in Memphis, and is from Naperville, Illinois. She auditioned in Chicago during Season 5 and made it to Hollywood but was cut before the Top 40.

1. All By Myself (Eric Carmen)
2. Alone (Heart)
3. Call Me When You're Sober (Evanescence)
4. Love Child (The Supremes)

Haley Scarnato (50411) is a 24-year-old former wedding band singer who auditioned and lives in San Antonio.

1. It's All Coming Back to Me Now (Celine Dion)
2. Queen of the Night (Whitney Houston)
3. If My Heart Had Wings (Faith Hill)
4. Missing You (Diana Ross)

Jordin Sparks (80066) , (born December 22, 1989) is a 17-year-old from Glendale, Arizona who auditioned in Seattle. She was a contestant on America's Most Talented Kid in 2003 and also appeared on the program's Tournament of Champions, on which she sang the Celine Dion ballad "Because You Loved Me" in her auditions. She is the daughter of former NFL defensive back Philippi Sparks. She also performed in the Christmas "Christmastime" Tours in 2005 and 2006 for Contemporary Christian singer, Michael W. Smith. Smith's website encourages people to vote for Jordin Sparks.

1. Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman)
2. Reflection (Christina Aguilera)
3. Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar)
4. If We Hold On Together (Diana Ross)

LaKisha Jones (8292), a 27-year-old bank teller who performed "Think" by Aretha Franklin, and is from Flint, Michigan. Viewers were first introduced to Jones during the "Best of the Rest" segment aired after the city auditions were over. After the audition, LaKisha celebrated with her family and cried tears of happiness with her daughter. She is also the runner up of the Houston show, KPRC Local 2 Gimme the Mike, in 2005. She listed Ft. Meade, MD., on her application, also has a Houston following.

1. And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Jennifer Holliday)
2. Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
3. I Have Nothing (Whitney Houston)
4. God Bless the Child (Billie Holliday/Diana Ross)

Melinda Doolittle (57073), age 29, auditioned in Memphis, and is from Brentwood, Tennessee. Despite being a professional back-up singer, she admitted she was still tense and nervous about competing in the show. She auditioned with "For Once In My Life" popularized by Stevie Wonder, and was met with universal praise from the three judges on her vocal ability. The judges did express concern about her nerves and told her to believe in herself. She has sung back up for Aaron Neville.

1. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone (Aretha Franklin)
2. My Funny Valentine (Chet Baker and many others)
3. I'm a Woman (Peggy Lee/Maria Muldaur)
4. Home (Diana Ross)

Phil Stacey (51815) is 29 years old. He auditioned in Memphis and is from Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to his vocal prowess, he is memorable for missing the birth of his daughter, Machaela, to audition for Idol. He performed two songs before getting through to Hollywood: My Girl and Let's Get It On.

1. I Could Not Ask for More (Edwin McCain)
2. Missing You (John Waite)
3. I Need You (LeAnn Rimes)
4. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (The Supremes)

Sanjaya Malakar (80203) (born September 10, 1989) is 17 years old. He auditioned in Seattle with his sister Shyamali, singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered". He is from Federal Way, Washington, the same town as Amy Krebs. After Sanjaya's audition, Simon commented that he had a better voice than his sister. Both made it to Hollywood, but Sanjaya was shown tearfully embracing his sister when he made it to the top 40 in Hollywood and she was cut. He was reported to be in the top four of the men's group on February 22. He has continually received harsh criticism from the judges.

1. Knocks Me Off My Feet (Stevie Wonder)
2. Steppin' Out With My Baby (Tony Bennett)
3. Waiting on the World to Change (John Mayer)
4. Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Diana Ross)

Stephanie Edwards (52357) is 19 years old and from Savannah, Georgia. She auditioned in Memphis.

1. How Come You Don't Call Me (Prince)
2. Dangerously in Love (Beyoncé)
3. Sweet Thing (Chaka Khan)
4. Love Hangover (The Supremes)

*****

[discokicks]

It's really too bad that Brandon was the first to go of the top 12. He's got a great voice and quite a looker too.....reminiscent of a hot 70's soul singer. He also kinda reminds me a bit of Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter. I think he just couldn't get it together as far as coming up with better songs and rehearsing....so he's definitely not big star quality but much more appealing than the other guys.

Now we get to bear another week of hearing Sanjaya and Chris Richardson. I think Chris R.'s act is most laughable...the epitome of a young person who is trying to emulate someone else (like so many do these days). In this case, it's Justin Timberlake...who, IMO, ain't worth emulating.

[remicks]

******

The worst this week: Sorry to say it:

Diana Ross .

Both in participation and performance . Very disappointing.

What'd she spend .... three minutes with each one.... "Here's your hug ... now sho sho. Next ! " .....

I thought she'd sit there and hold hands with Paula and listen to each one do renditions of her songs …I would've thought she'd have enjoyed doing that ....

Ironic too that she chooses to sing some old rehash of an old song on American Idol .... just like a contestant !! ... (and not Melinda either ). I bet Simon would have said "Bad song choice and you didn't make it your own . But I did like the way you pronunciated each word. "

I was very much looking forward to this week ..... and my expectations weren't fullfilled. In Diana first , but also because this is mostly a group of crappy singers who couldn't do Diana Ross' songs justice.... & maybe that's why her interest in them was so minimal.

I did think the group performance was good.


Did you notice all three of the bottom three were guys !

Brandon .... I think he was good for a couple of more rounds ... sorry he's gone this soon... He reminded me of Our Gang's Buckwheat .


In defense of Sanjaya … I am much more charmed with the contestants toward his age that are just now discovering themselves and are just now learning how to perform and how to put it together . Imagine at age 17 ! having the courage to stand up there in front of everyone fronting a band like that and just giving it their best shot ….I like watching these young ones grow thru the course of the competition . these other contestants that are already thirty years old… are already more polished …. they’ve had ten plus extra years to listen and learn and practice. I am much more moved by watching youthful innocence exploring this music and from their eagerness in taking it on .…. than by these gray haired types who by now should be releasing their second "Greatest Hits" package.

I know his days are numbered … but I’m glad Sanjaya survived another week . He, too me, represents the intended spirit behind this competition …. He reminds me of a throw back to the seventies too ( one of The Sylvers Bros.? )


This weeks payoff : I have a new found fondness in GOD BLESS THE CHILD ....never cared for the song before ...







*****

[nrgbeat]

I was totally disappointed in this week's show.

Diana's singing was disappointing (she should retire) and I'm not sorry to see Brandon leave although I would have preferred to see Sanjaya go.

I think the Holiday Inn in Utica might hire Sanjaya.

[efunk_adelic]

maybe you are talking about EL DEBARGE both skinny?


the show is getting boring... we need to fast forward 4 weeks.

[markydefad]

British Invasion Night!!!! I'm expecting to hear the Beatles, Petula Clark, Dave Clark Five, Donovan, Herman's Hermits, the Hollies, the Who, the Yardbirds, maybe???? But none of those group's tunes were performed. Peter Noone (Herman of the Hermits) was the mentor to the guys and Lulu was the mentor for the girls. Both were great coaches and gave real hands-on advice to the kidz--better than Miss Ross was able to muster the week before. Sorry, Miss Ross. I had to say it. Lulu, in particular, suggested phrasing, key changes, and actually performed some of the songs to show them how. [Or was she auditioning for her own career purposes??? hmmmm]

Anyhoo--the song choices were somewhat suspect--tending, in some cases, toward supperclub/cabaret -- a Broadway showtune from "Oliver!," a James Bond theme song...that added an unexpected overall Shirley Bassey tone to the show in contrast to an expected Dusty Springfield tone. Dusty was performed once--but it was her drama queen song "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" rather than the breezy "I Only Want to Be With You."

Originally, this was planned to be Beatles night--but Sir Paul didn't come terms--maybe the "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" is taking up to much time??? So no Beatles songs were allowed to be sung??? Not sure what happened here.

All told, however, this was the best whole group of performances thus far---the weaker players were better than before and the show was quite enjoyable. The game is on....


My rankings:

1) Jordin ("I Who Have Nothing")--at 17 she was quite impressive --excellent tone, power & control; from the Lieber/Stoller songbook-[further research tells me that it's actually an Italian tune to which Lieber/Stoller must have added English lyrics]--Ben E. King did it first in the USA, I think; later covered by Tom Jones, done by Shirley Bassey also.. and don't forget Sylvester!!!...a Brit Invasion song? Dubious-- except as a cover. [ afterthought: I see on AMG that the English group the Searchers did cover this too]

2) Blake ("Time Of The Season"- The Zombies)--Great choice of material for his talents--Noone told him to SING THE MELODY and surprisingly he did...and the instrumentation of the song allowed him to do his patented beat-box crap to his advantage on those instrumental passages.

3) Melinda ("As Long As He Needs Me" from Oliver!)--supperclub music very well sung as ususal--but a disappointing "Matronly" song choice. [Is she Eydie Gorme???] Is it just me--or does Melinda look like one of Eddie Murphy's drag characters--the whole family sittin' around the dinner table and all of them played by Eddie???? [She's the nice, shy sister who sings in the church choir!!!.] I'm just askin'. [afterthought: this was yet another tune from the Shirley Bassey songbook--checked her "Greatest Hits" and it's there!!! Who gave the Idols the Shirley Bassey fever????]

4) LaKisha ("Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey)--supperclub music again--but I liked her Bassey-like inflections and her attempt at GLAMOUR, dripping with a million $ worth of actual DIAMONDS (so they said); she kinda reminded me of Gloria Gaynor in looks--it was real restrained for her and I liked that--but I never expected her to do something like this with that big ole gospel voice she has!!! I was sure she'd do her other choice "You're My World" which Lulu begged her to do and proceeded to perform the whole song...or so it seemed!!!

now it gets harder to rank em....

5) Chris Richardson ("Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" by Gerry & The Pacemakers) --His nasal voice and boy band persona kinda annoy me but he picked a good song and did it better than I would have expected with an acoustic guitar accompaniment; strangely, Simon/Simone said he'd never heard the song before!!!

6) Haley ("Tell Him" by the Exciters--a US group--so I don't know how this qualifies as "Brit" but it's a good song); Miss Haley basically took off her clothes to stay on the show...hot pants ["HOT PANTS"] & a barebacked satin halter top--she was bouncy and fun--not an ultimate winner--but seemingly better than before.

7) Stephanie ("You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield)-- sure didn't make me forget Dusty--she was kinda tentative...I like her--but she was in supperclub mode along with the other Black girls and the weakest of the three once again.

8. Chris Sligh ("She's Not There" by The Zombies--2 songs from the Zombies catalogue!!!) Good song choice--but walking thru the crowd can't really help your vocals---but he got through it relatively unscathed....

9) Phil ("Tobacco Road" by the Nashville Teens--a Brit group!!)--he may get the ax tonight--but he wasn't bad.

10) Gina ("Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones)--seemed a good choice for her--but the weak vocals did not match her good girl attempt at BADASS attitude--she's NOT JOAN JETT, OK???

11) Sanjaya ("You've Really Got Me" by The Kinks)--Ironically, his best performance yet still the worst of the bunch, I guess. SANJAYA IS A PUNK ROCKER!!!! Who knew??? He forgot all inhibitions and "rocked it out" as only he could...maybe I should have ranked him higher...but, he's still probably safe judging from the the crying little girl in the audience when he performed. Was that little weeper a plant by the producers??? How'd she get in the front row??? How convenient....hmmmm.....

I'm guessing Phil Or Gina might get the boot if Sanjaya gets reprieved once again.... but what do I know???

[nrgbeat]

Marky, I agree totally with what you said. A lot of the lesser performers were better last night and Lakisha who I normally loved, didn't impress me with the Shirley Bassey tune.

Melinda's a great singer but she has as much charisma as a librarian.

Btw, I thought Lulu looked good for 58.