July 7, 2012 
Am I missing something here? If so, what? I just heard this incredible Masterclass Recording of Sometimes I Cry by DeAndre Brackensick. It was recommended to me a while back by one of my loyal readers, Anita. Thank you!
It was recorded to coincide with the abbreviated performance of this number during the American Idol Season 11 Top 9 Performance Show.
How – and more important- why did American Idol let this young artist slip through their fingers? His sound is so refreshing, so unique, so “not cookie-cutter”.
You really have to treat yourself to the entire listen to understand and respect the depth of artistry and vocal talent he brings to this song. He is a singular talent and unlike anyone else I have ever heard.
And, remember, he is only seventeen-years-old! Seventeen! I cannot wrap my head around this fact alone. If ever there was a category for Pop Counter-tenor, he fits it to a “t”.
I really hope beyond hope that DeAndre is given the recognition he deserves.
And American Idol needs to undergo a reality check. If this show wants to redeem itself, start by recognizing and celebrating unique and stellar talent. And direct them into the arms of legendary record producers who know how to cultivate excellence in every genre of music – not just pop and country.
We, the listeners, deserve more and, over time, will demand change. Enough already!
Masterclass Lady On MySpace.Com
Vocalist.Org
MasterClassLady.Com 
Rosanne:
Simply Awesome!! Incredible!! And it was like this for me every time he sang on the show. They all heard it but as I said before whats so unfortunate is that the overall viewing audience of Idol just isn’t into to R&B.
I love this recording!! Unbelievable!! It reminds me of Eddie Kendricks another great R&B tenor from back in the day who I think to this day has never got his just due. The thing about De Andre is that, he’s even more polished in my opinion than Eddie ever was. Had it been another show that catered to a different audience he would have won it, hands down. I just don’t think the overall audience of Idol appreciates music like that. I’ve heard it said over and over again, had Aretha Franklin or Patti Labelle auditioned for Idol they would have not made it. (I can’t tell you how many times I heard that about Aretha). Think about it, Beyoncee is one the most popular singers of our time and she sang on Star Search but didn’t win. How about that. Yet shes had a career in music that star search could have never promised her.
I don’t think De Andre slipped through Idols hands. I think Idol did him a great favor by giving him the experience and introducing him to the world and as soon as he can get the tour over with and get rid of the Idol stigma he can go and start making some real music (like he did on that beautiful recording). Idol to me is basically a kids show to give kids dreams. It will probably real soon move to Saturday afternoons TV like Star Search did.
As for De Andre, he’ll be one of the singers we’ll be hearing about in a couple of years that will be doing great. We’ll see him . He’ll look different. We’ll say ..”oh yeah”.. He’d probably be embarrased to admit that he’d been on Idol. Its just not the way any of the real greats get their start in the business. I mean … come on now … how many winner’s out of 12 seasons of that show after a year or 2 are really remembered and go on to become true SUPER stars. De Andre to me has one of those exceptional voices. Its super-star talent to me and that kind of talent doesn’t have to beg for an opportunity. When you are good like that ,opportunity just comes your way.
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BrotherKarl – I meant to change the wording about Idol letting DeAndre slip through its fingers. But, summer distraction prevailed.
Anyway, you are so correct – he will become a star on his own terms. But, in my mind, he is already a star.
I am really upset that they only gave him one song to sing on tour. That’s absolutely ridiculous.
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Idol is clueless as to what they have in Deandre. They gave him only 1 solo Master Blaster on tour. But they have Dre singing back up vocals for everyone and in all most group numbers. Dre is in more numbers 11 than anyone else. Now why would that be? Humm he has such a great range and such control he can support any of the other contestants. Also I watched a few tubies and WOW just WOW. Deandre is an incredible performer. That boy can DANCE.
BortherKarl I loved Eddie back in the day!!
My fingers and toes are crossed and prayers have been sent that we do get a cd of DeAndre music. It has been way way to long since we have been blessed with a voice like Deandre posesses.
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Aubry – how right you are. DeAndre’s voice is integral to the background vocals. Not only does he have the range but also the musical sensibility. He adds harmonic and melodic variation with such ease and musicality. The best choirs in the world would kill for a singer like DeAndre. That boy has serious musical skills.
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I am here agreeing with all of you! DeAndre has the toal package, good voice, great looks, confidence, good dancer, etc. I am wondering if along the way enough people complain the producers may give him another number for the show. He was in my Top 3 favorites this season!
Having grown up with the Motown music, I do believe Barry Gordy Jr. would have signed him ti his label. I think he’ll grown into his own as a wonderful performer. In addition, most young men continue to grow until age 21. I do love when he’s performing with Jessica. He’s adorable!
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I also can see–and hear–some of that same style when Heejun Han sings backup:)
MCL: Is there any chance he sould hurt his vocal cords by overusing his counter-tenor?
BrotherKart: How right you are:) He could fill in NOW for Eddie Kendricks. I wonder if the Stylistics are still touring?
All: I am the holder of a VIP ticket to the 08.11.12 Top Ten show in Columbus, OH: One of the ‘perks’ is a 45 minute ‘M & G’ with them.
As an aside, there are only 130 VIP tickets TOTAL[all shows] available to the public:)
Continuing, since Deandre–plus several of the other Top Ten–have indicated that they like–and wish–to bring back an updated 1970s[‘old school’] sound.
Well:) I am currently scouring my ‘stax-o-wax’ to select a representational sample. I will be ‘gifting’ the sample to them. Get this: I will first present my gift to them and then ask them if they would like to ASK ME any questions about the music–and the time—since I lived it.
I suspect also that they–like some of the crew–were ‘unborn’ during the era of Stax Records, The Sound of Philadelphia and Motown.
Anyway, feel free to e-mail me with any requests:)
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James,
I also have tickets. Not V.I.P. though :-(. I will be attending the concert in North Charleston, SC on 8/6/12. I also won two more tickets that I am using to take my two nieces with me to the concert. My spouse and I will be sitting in two different sections and we will have one of our nieces each sitting with us. I wish we could all sit together but as I purchased my tickets before I found out I had won, each pair are in a different section.
Anyway, The only reason I purchased tickets was to see DeAndre perform live. He was one of the favorites with the live audience during his stint on the show and I know, as much as I enjoyed watching him perform on TV, I will enjoy it more live. That is why it breaks my heart that they only have him doing one solo. Knowing that he will be on stage for 11 acts throughout the concert helps a little but he should have at least 3 solos if you ask me. This is the first time I have ever purchased tickets even as much as I am a fan of David Archuleta. I just wasn’t in a position to be able to attend back then.
But DeAndre will do amazing with the backing vocals too. He has impeccable musical timing and the ability to hit those harmonies wherever they fall on the musical scale. His duet with Hollie is living proof. Also in his trio with Heejun and Joshua during the MJ medley, I think he just rose way above the other two. His voice just enhanced the whole performance and blended so well with the other two that I think it wouldn’t have sounded nearly as good without him. Of course that is just my opinion.
He should be doing “Master Blaster”, “Endless Love” (even though he hated it), and also “Sometimes I Cry” in the live show. Those were three of the best performances of the season if you ask me. I wish he and Hollie could do “I’m So Excited” as well. But of course they are going to give the most exposure to the top 5 so it’s understandable. It’s only 2 hours and I guess they are under time constraints too. I would stay another hour for 2 more performances by DeAndre though! LOL
I really worry about his future. He does need to mature a little and I hope he takes the time to do that before he strikes out on a path to try and please everyone else in his bid for stardom. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being “DeAndre” in my humble opinion and I think he should just take the time to grow comfortable with who HE is and learn to operate within those parameters on a more mature level. The song “Sometimes I Cry” and “Endless Love” are exactly where his abilities live and thrive although he is also very good at performing on the more upbeat songs such as “Master Blaster” and even sounded a lot like Stevie in certain parts of that performance.
Thanks so much for the post Rosanne and also the one you did on David. I didn’t get a chance to comment on that one yet. Really there isn’t much to comment on in that article except to agree with it 100%. David just has an amazing affect on people and the funny part is that I don’t even think he realizes the true extent of that himself. But that is what keeps him so humble and that is a good thing.
James, Say hello to DeAndre for me and tell him that I am still fuming about the way he was treated on the show and across the net with all the negativity. Give him my best wishes for the future. Also tell him I’ll be in the crowd on August 6th cheering him on! Thanks in advance, Taymaro!
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I’m not surprised DeAndre is on stage so often, quite frankly, he’s one of three contestants who knows how to harmonize well (Erika and Elise being the other two) the only boy, and the only contestant who can harmonize well and dance.
And considering all that, it’s not shocking that he only gets one solo, because he needs to be on stage as often as he is to sing backup, and at some point, it gets unfair to everyone else. (The eighth place finisher being on stage for two more songs than the next contestant.)
He truly has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard. He does have the whole package. The looks, the voice, the natural performance ability, and the dancing. The one thing I will say, IMO, he doesn’t appear to have is the confidence. According to DeAndre, he can’t dance, isn’t that good looking, and it took him a while to figure out he was just as good as the other contestants (better DeAndre, you’re better.)
I hope that someone saw him on this show and wants to work with him. Because a talent like his needs to be developed and shared with the world. I’ve heard he’s had some offers, here’s to hoping it’s true and here’s to hoping they’re still on the table after the tour.
Anyway, not sure if you saw this. But this is incredible to me. 11 years of Idol, and little DeAndre has the biggest vocal range.
I also thought this was really cool. He’s just being silly/adorable with his friends. Messing around and such..but then he decides to sing with him. And manages to sing in perfect harmony. He just knew what notes to sing that went with the chorus..talk about musicality.
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Lynn vow and thanks! I had no idea Deandre has the most range ever on Idol.
Since season 1 I have only really become a fan of
Kelly Clarkson
Chris Daughtry
Jason Castro
Adam Lambert
and now Deandre
Many others to a lesser degree. David A, Casey James, Phil2, Hollie, Haley
Except for AI where KellyC won, I haven’t had luck picking the winner of the show. But those I havepicked have gone on to pretty amazing careers. Look just at Adam, he is now fronting Queen in Europe and his CD Trespassing is amazing.
People raise an eye brow at me for Jason being on my list but he is still signed to a Christian Arm of Atlantic, has had a couple of top 20 hits there and is in the finale stages for cd #2. Jason & Deandre kind of remind me of each other. With their unique good looks and lack of confidence? This lack of confidence baffles me as both young men are so handsome and sweet! Yes Dre has a much better range and much more control than Jason but both emote so well. When they sing I FEEL!! Phillip emotes really well also but he is confident.
Lynn, I am so hoping DeAndre has offers. In today’s music biz, it is so hard to break in and have success. The same songs played over and over at nausium. Then to make it worse these so called Super Stars need auto tune and vocal enhancements and can’t sing live unless they lip sync. It ticks me off when music reviewers put down Idol contestants music as lesser when in fact most Idol alum can sing circles around the Katy’s, Ke$ha’s, Madonna’s & Rihanna’s live.
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James – DeAndre should be able to use the counter-tenor range without injury. Professional classical counter-tenors do so on a regular basis and make loads of money in the process. It is an elite group of singers in the classical world.
And so it should be in the pop world. My only concern is that DeAndre is working with natural talent. He needs to gain some technical skills to preserve his voice in the long run. Maybe he has done so. I see a pretty good technical approach when he sings through that area of his range. It’s his mid-range that concerns me most. It is not as rounded or refined – sounds tight to my ear.
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Taymaro – very well said! I too wish I could go and see DeAndre! Yes, DeAndre! There I said it! For me, he is the real star of the show although I do love Jessica and Hollie as well.
But, Dre is different – so unique. Love watching him because he is full of surprises and so entertaining.
James – give Dre a huge High Five from the entire MCL community. I hope to interview him one day soon. 🙂
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Lynn – brava!! Very well said. Can’t wait to watch that YouTube video. Why am I not surprised that Dre has the widest range out of all the Idol competitors? Because he is that good, that’s why!!
Thanks for adding your comments, Lynn!! Much appreciated.
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KariAnn – nice to see you here showing some DeAndre love. Isn’t this video spectacular? Thanks for stopping by!! 🙂
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Aubry – I absolutely agree with you about Jason and DeAndre. I think Jason fared much better away from the show and is improving with each passing day.
So, I expect the same from DeAndre. He will continue to improve on his terms and without pressure and this will make an enormous difference I feel.
Thank you for your comments. 🙂
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MCL:
I found some more receng vids of Deandre and–to my lightly trained ears–it sounds like hs is working his midrange better. One of the things that was a little ‘turnoffy’ for me during his AI stay was–IMO–the overuse of his falsetto.
Actually, since Ms. Testone is also a vocal coach, I may–if time permits–and the Top Ten would like me to give them a friendly vocal criitque–ask her if she advised Joshua to ‘back off’ with the screaming and the vocal fireworks.
I will try to mention the MCL group hug.
Taymaro:
I will try to remember:)
Aubry:
Now, now: Give Madonna her due:) She actually had pretty good vocals. Even Katy Perry–when one gets past the breath pauses–also has a decent stage and vocal presence:)
But, per the others. I FULLY agree. I saw Nicky Monaj performing during the AI finale and she missed her cue during a song. It was so obvious the amount of electronic tricks that had been used and I flet bored. Also, why, exactly, was LMFAO invited to perform on the AI stage?
I would understand if it Kris Allen felt a little embarrassed about sharing the same stage with an inflatable zebra and unisnspiring house music.
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James,
“Sometimes I Cry” was performed by Eric Benet in ALL falsetto and DeAndre actually put a little more chest voice in his version and I actually like DeAndre’s version better. Now with Mr. Benet and the song being fairly obscure it may have sounded at first that he was over doing the falsetto but when you compare the two he really wasn’t in that particular song. And the passion that he delivered was authentic and mesmerizing in my opinion. He did rely on it a little too much to hop back and forth over his break but to go in and out of falsetto like that at will is not an easy thing to do. I have heard people say that anyone can sing falsetto(and Ryan Seacrest actually did him a disservice when he mimicked him in an interview) but most people have no range or control up there. Some of the runs and extremely high notes in falsetto that DeAndre does is a very rare talent. He doesn’t just go up there for a few seconds with one note, he lingers there and plays around up there like nobody I’ve ever heard before. If I read this article correctly, even Rosanne seems to see his unique and rare style in falsetto. I am sure it comes from his back ground in Hawaiian music.
Now all that said, if you go back and watch his version of “Endless Love” when he sings the line “They tell me how much you care, Oh yes” and goes into his falsetto for a second there (Which he didn’t do on the Studio Version and may have went against his advisors and ticked somebody off thus his early demise)he gets a scream from the audience which brings a slight smile to his face in the midst of a song he hated LOL. In his live performance he used falsetto in places that he didn’t in the studio recording and I am sure that was an added touch that he put in on the spot when I listen to it. He probably got a tongue lashing back stage afterwards as well for not sticking to the way it was arranged in rehearsal. The songs he sang in mostly falsetto on the show were the best reviewed as well and also he was safe on those weeks. The weeks where he didn’t use falsetto were the times he was in the bottom. Well that was true all except for the final performance and I blame that on the song and the order of performance. I personally like the song “I Like It”, but it was another not so well known song for most people and he went first on the night which pretty much sealed his fate.
Yes, I think DeAndre can work on his vocals and his technique and go out and produce some very ordinary, bland, cookie cutter music that will appeal to more people immediately.But, from and artistic standpoint, I think his stylistic wheel house is somewhere in the midst of that falsetto and his ability to sing up there with relative ease and hop back and forth from that to a lower range with no problem what ever. He just needs the right songs and support team around him. Just my humble opinion.
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I’ve been a fan of DeAndre’s voice for quite some time. Not only does he have an incredible range and falsetto he also has a uniqueness in his voice. I think a lot of that comes from him being surrounded and embraced with the Hawaiian culture. Although he doesn’t have an ounce of Hawaiian in his blood his voice was deeply influence by it.
He has been singing Hawaiian music since the age of 7. Many of the exotic parts of his music come through because of this.The crack in his voice, singing Hawaiian falsetto and being able to yoddle were a result of this experience.
Could be a factor in why he didn’t go farther on American Idol. He has a different sound. Is mainstream able to recognize his skill and talent because it is not something you hear everyday? Hopefully in time…we’ll see!
Here’s a clip of DeAndre Brackensick when he was..looks like 14 or 15 singing Aloha No’ O Wai’anae. btw..I’m not Hawaiian and have never had an interest in Hawaiin songs until I heard DeAndre do them!
Hope I post this clip right..never tried on here! We’ll see!
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This is a video of DeAndre clowning around with his friends.
I was debating on whether to post this.
Reason’s I shouldn’t
1) He is purposely trying to sing off key and does a good job!
2) The video was shot so you have to lay on your side to watch it!
Reason’s I should
1) Even though he is being funny and sings out of tune there are some
notes he hits that are incredible to me.
2) I find it amusing!
So there you have it..you’ll either love it or hate it!
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it takes talent to purposefully sing off key like that! i can never get enough of that video lesley!
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Lesley, thanks for the videos. I love DeAndre singing Hawaiian music. He has his own flare and his voice has such range and resonance. IMO DeAndre’s voice is truly something special. Even when he sings Hawaiian music I hear so R&B flares. So good.
I also find him completely adorable. So humble and sweet.
He has it all to be a recording star in my eyes. The looks, charm, performance skills that make you want to watch him and the voice to captivate.
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