Vocal Masterclass Discussion Thread For American Idol Season 7 Top 12 Gals
Well. the ladies were not better or worse than the guys last evening. Like last evening’s all male performances, there were some brilliant female vocalists and some not so stellar singers. The show seemed to pick up steam midway through the two - hour song fest.
Generally, all the ladies came well equipped with a solid technical foundation in their singing style; however, only a few managed to successfully combine the technical process with the artistic process - which, ultimately, results in a memorable and inspiring performance.
Once again, I welcome your comments, as I am not able to provide full length vocal masterclass articles until the Top 12 singers are determined.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the guys. I didn’t think they were any wholly terrible performances; even the ones on the lower end showed vocal promise.
For the girls on the other hand… wow. I actually found a few of the performances hideous and vocally hopeless, and even some of the better ones were just “okay.” And this is coming from someone who prefers female singers to male ones by a very wide margin. That said, I think a few girls actually did very well. Alaina impressed me most, I think, because I actually wasn’t expecting much from her, but she sang with maturity and did very well when the song took off into the higher range. I didn’t even realize it was the same song Chikezie sang until she hit the chorus. Syesha has great charisma, stage presence, and undeniable star quality—although I wasn’t surprised that she did well at all. Carly has a great tone and sings with nuance, but I can see where Simon was coming from with his comment. I think that out of the girls who didn’t necessarily get the best comments, Kady Malloy has a lot of potential. She still managed to show that her voice can shine a bit (although not enough to do her full justice), but some of the girls did themselves no favors at all (even when giving the song choice the benefit of the doubt).
teriyakifan
21 Feb 08 at 4:39 am
Hi Teri:
Yes -I found the girls quite lacklustre, but so many of them were sick. I can’t imagine what they were feeling like - performing on National TV with the flu. Can’t be fun.
Hopefully, they will all (well, minus 2) perform with more enthusiasm and energy next week.
I don’t think the 60s theme was a wise decision at all. I like to see these singers select songs that they can identify with. Some of them made great decisions and really added a new vocal twist to these retro songs. But, again, that came down to a handful of girls.
I loved Carly - she was sending me a Barbra Streisand vibe for some reason through her song selection and musical approach to her number.
masterclasslady
21 Feb 08 at 5:25 pm
Like with the guys, there were some that I thought did well (Ramiele, Asiah, Kady, Carly), some I’m on the fence about (Syesha, Amanda), some I can’t keep straight (the blondes!), some I forget (???), and one that was in over her head (Amy). All had issues, good and not-so-good. Of them all, Ramiele had the most complete package- vocals and performing. I like Carly’s voice but she seemed to strain her voice to reach some notes and it looked like she was doing something weird to her mouth during some of the vowels (keep it round, ala MasterClass Lady’s instructions! lol)
The funny thing was that when Kady started singing, all of a sudden I noticed the “echo” effect of the sound system. Hello, I’ve taken vocal lessons (albeit as an amateur and not a very good one at that!) and one of the things that I was constantly working on was my “resonance”. (I could have used that “echo” during my lessons/performances to help me out, really lol.) Going back and listening to all the girls, they all had this “echo” effect but some voices’ lack of resonance nullified any benefit, imho.
katherinesmom
21 Feb 08 at 5:36 pm
I have major problems as well remembering who’s who and what they sang. But, I Carly, Ramiele and Syesha. Oh - and Brooke was very good as well.
Have to run. Time to teach some singers.
masterclasslady
21 Feb 08 at 7:32 pm
I think Syesha has a tendency to shout on the high notes. Brooke’s voice is just ok but one thing I do like about her is that she has originality. But I do like Carly and Ramiele. Asia’h, too.
erin920
21 Feb 08 at 8:35 pm
“I loved Carly - she was sending me a Barbra Streisand vibe for some reason through her song selection and musical approach to her number.”
— You know, it actually makes sense that you say that! If you watch Carly’s top 24 video on AmericanIdol.com, she mentions that she loves Barba Streisand in particular (and that, despite all the tattoos, she’s not really into rock music; she just likes the art).
http://www.americanidol.com/videos/?vid=891
katherinesmom, I know what you’re referencing when it comes to Carly’s high notes. I noticed it even during “Alone.” Her natural singing tone in her comfortable range is quite lovely, though. It’s so different from how she used to sing from her “Ultimate High” days (in the sense that she sounds MUCH better now!).
teriyakifan
22 Feb 08 at 6:17 am