Vocal Masterclass Discussion Thread For American Idol Season 8: Arizona Auditions

January 13, 2009 by Masterclass Lady 10 Comments


American IdolThank heavens for my spiffy new, wireless notebook. I could sit in the comfort of my bedroom and type in real time as another season of American Idol invaded my musical space.

And it was a great beginning to Season 8, as the producers, thankfully, increased the “on air” time for the more talented singers this season. Oh yes, we still witnessed a few delusional “singers’ along the way, but, for the most part, it was a showcase of the singers that will most probably inhabit the select group of 36 in the semi-final rounds.

In order that this article can be published immediately after the end of the 2-hour show, my first impressions from the Arizona Auditions will be abbreviated. I will leave it up to you to fill in the blanks and add your comments.

Barracuda Girl/Tattoo Emily – exceptional singer, with an exceptional style. And, she seems to be a truly genuine, likeable young lady. She will definitely move far in this competition. Very far!

J.B. -16 year old male singer. A beautiful singer with a highly developed voice that just oozes with ease and grace from his body.

Arianna – 16 years old. This young lady has a lovely timbre to her voice and a relaxed vocal style. I love the nuances she exhibits – she is an extremely expressive and sensitive young singer. Very confident, given her young age.

Lea Marie– perhaps a promising songwriter but she can’t sing. Suggestion: Submit your songs for the American Idol winner’s songwriting competition.

Stevie Wright – 16 years old,. She sang a killer version of Etta James’ “At Last”. A possible Kelly CLarkson, according to Paula and concurred by Kara

Michael Sarver –27 years old.  He possesses a pretty good voice and is a really nice guy. This combination may carry him far in the competition.

Bikini Girl -it was just a matter of time, right? Her name is Katrina and she is 20 years. Oy vey, this is painful.  Kara said: “Next time come naked” ! hahaha! Good one! She is pretty awful and she was not squeezing her butt for additional support when she vocalized. I could tell! Everyone could tell with that bikini outfit. (tsk tsk)

Brianna – 22 years old  She sings: “Let’s Hear It For The Boys” and “Killing Me Softly”. She may not go far, but her personality permeated her voice and actually assisted the vocal process. A very strange audition, but, I think I would have put her through as well. She reminds of Mikalah Gordon from Season 4, so who knows? She may make that Top 12? Stranger things have happened.

Deanna -25 years . She sang “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay” – much too nasal for my taste. Nonetheless, she has a very distinctive voice, but, for me, it was not distinctive in a good way. Did I miss something here? I did not think this was a great audition but the judges truly loved her. Another editing mystery.

Cody-the horror film producer decides to sing “Wonderful World” by James Morrison and just kills. Beautiful voice, extraordinary charisma and musicality. Only 17 years old? Good for him.

Alex Trugman 19 years old. Self taught singer. There is a voice there, but, mamma mia, the tension in face and throat. Oh well, Masterclass Lady will fix that if he moves forward in this competition. (wink wink!)

Twenty-three years old, Scott McIntyre is almost completely blind. This is an amazing coup for American Idol, as this young man is extremely talented. He is a singer/pianist and a good one. Really, really good. He sang “And So It Goes” and just melts your heart. His tenor voice is so velvety soft and expressive. Gorgeous  and heartfelt. What a spectacular ending to a great 2-hour show.

Kudos to Kara DioGuardi. I love her addition to the judging panel and she seems to be bonding extremely well with the other judges. She is talented, articulate and bright. Very good choice indeed!

Now, to you the readers, this is your forum as well. What say you? The Masterclass doors are now open.

Copyright © 2008. MasterclassLady.Com. All rights reserved.


Bookmark and Share

American Idol, American Idol Season 8, Music, Television, Vocal Masterclass Articles, Vocal Masterclass Discussion For American Idol Season 8
Masterclass Lady's avatar

About Masterclass Lady

Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
View all posts by Masterclass Lady →

10 Responses to “Vocal Masterclass Discussion Thread For American Idol Season 8: Arizona Auditions”

  1. Unknown's avatar
    Erin January 13, 2009 at 11:58 pm

    Overall, I thought there were some pretty good singers. But the only ones I probably will remember from tonight are Arianna, Cody, & Scott. Those are the three I thought were the best. I thought Stevie was good but she is nowhere near as good as Kelly Clarkson.

    Like

  2. Unknown's avatar
    ArchieFanDoc January 14, 2009 at 2:41 am

    Wow MCL – you had this up in lightening speed – thanks! You were pretty entertaining tonight.
    I was not sure if I wanted to watch AI8 – but when I heard that music I broke down and watched with my husand.
    I was very impressed with Scott – went to college starting at 14!
    don’t expect my moniker to change though!

    Like

  3. Unknown's avatar
    Audrey January 14, 2009 at 9:28 am

    As always love your insight. My favorite was Stevie and then Cody. Cody reminded me of Danny from last season except he could sing.

    The highlight for me was seeing Jason Castro in the audience with his brother in the preview for tonight. Can’t wait to hear Michael. Hopefully he also possesses Jason pure vocal sound. Soothing to the ears and heart melting.

    Like

  4. Unknown's avatar
    Rereader January 14, 2009 at 11:36 am

    Wow, that was fast, MCL!! No one blew me away last night, but I was most impressed by Cody and Scott–and Stevie was really good too. (These early rounds always make me so nervous!)

    Looking forward to seeing Jason and Michael Castro tonight, too!

    Like

  5. Unknown's avatar
    Bizzee24 January 14, 2009 at 11:52 am

    MCL, I agree with ArcheFanDoc, you are very entertaining tonight and hilarious! Not too many people stood out for me tonight except for Scott, Cody and possibly Stevie. Scott’s story is truly inspirational – it just goes to show that anyone can do anything – I love it!

    As for Bikini Girl…Oy Vey is right! What kind of person shows up for an audition dressed like that?! If I were on the judging panal, I would NOT have put her through just for that!!! What were the judges thinking? I did hear Kara’s comment….”Come back naked” – too funny. Let’s hope she doesn’t make it far – she doesn’t deserve too!

    I’m looking forward to tonight!

    Like

  6. Unknown's avatar
    masterclasslady January 14, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    Hey everyone!

    I aim to please. I am not serious all the time and, if you could actually see me with my students, you would quickly realize that. We have a lot of laughs here at Harmony Street School. A sense of humor, combined with lots of hard work, goes a very long way in the vocal developmental process.

    SO, tonight should be exciting, shouldn’t it? I can’t wait to see Jason and his brother, Michael. That will be a highlight for me, but, I am sure many good singers will surface this evening.

    Like

  7. Unknown's avatar
    Kariann1 January 15, 2009 at 6:56 am

    MCL, your analysis is right on the money. I love the way you write.

    Yes, I was most impressed with Scott McIntyre! Did Ryan actually give him the high five?

    The show went very well and I like Kara. She balances the group of judges and has a good senese of humor. Great interaction with Bikini Girl.

    I promised myself I would not get too attached to anyone this year. I was/am such a devoted Jason fan!

    Like

  8. Unknown's avatar
    thetomboy January 15, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    Hi MCL – it’s good to see your initial thoughts on the audition episodes this time around! I like their succinctness and I agree with most of what you said except for Deanna – she reminded me of Tami Gosnell from AI6 – and I really liked her.

    I’m glad you liked Scott – he was my favorite of both nights. Here’s his MySpace – I especially like his song “Dream World”.

    http://www.myspace.com/scottmacintyre

    Give them a listen because if he’s top 50 he’ll have to take his music down very soon. Judging by the Hollywood clip we saw of him, I’d say he is.

    Like

  9. Unknown's avatar
    Anita January 20, 2009 at 6:02 am

    Hi everyone! Glad to be back for this season, and I’m SO pleased to see that you’re up for hosting us again, MCL!!

    We already have one Idol in “trouble” http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602769/20090115/story.jhtml Emily Wynne-Hughes aka Barracuda/Tattoo Girl is wearing an alcohol monitoring bracelet following a DUI.

    Onward and forward with the show! Weeeeeeee!!!

    Like

  10. Unknown's avatar
    masterclasslady January 20, 2009 at 9:09 am

    hahaha. A scandal already? I love Barracuda/Tattoo Girl. Too bad. Off to read the article now. Thanks Wadahoot. Nice to see you back once again.

    Like