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American Idol 6: The Case for Melinda Doolittleby Belle Book -- 03/28/2007
View Printable version of this article Ever since Season 2 of American Idol, I have always picked a favorite whom I vote for repeatedly. In Season 2, that favorite was Clay Aiken; in Season 3 my favorite was LaToya London; in Season 4 I first was interested in Nadia Turner and then in Vonzell Solomon; and in Season 5 I rooted for Paris Bennett. With the exception of Nadia, my previous favorites have always managed to come close to winning but never won. Now, I have a new favorite for Season 6. Her name is Melinda Doolittle. 
I first saw Melinda, like everyone else, when she auditioned in Memphis. There, we all learned that she was a professional back-up singer who was trying to move out of the shadows and into the spotlight. However, being in the shadows was her comfort zone and therefore she was very nervous and tense before meeting the judges. Fortunately, when she auditioned with the song “For Once in my Life,” popularized by Stevie Wonder, the judges loved her. Simon put her in the top 2% of musical talent, and they sent her to Hollywood. Still, they were concerned about her evident nervousness and urged her to believe in herself. When we saw her in Hollywood, she obviously wasn’t nervous anymore. In fact, the one time I heard her before I learned she was in the top 40, she did great. Then, of course, she had to face the judges as one of the top 40. They told her that she was no longer a background singer and she was ready to sing lead – she was in the semi-final 24. From there, she took off! We all heard her sing Aretha Franklin’s “(Sweet, Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone,” and she was outstanding! The judges praised her of course, and Simon pointed out one thing that made me root for her ever since then – too many stars have huge egos and little talent, but Melinda has huge talent and little ego. It was then that I first began to root for her and to begin voting repeatedly for her. And of course, she made the second semi-final round. Then, with her rendition of “My Funny Valentine,” she proved not only that she had made huge strides in her confidence since her first audition, but she could be consistently outstanding. The judges considered it the best vocal they had through the whole competition so far! What was even more amazing was that this song wasn’t all that similar to her first semi-final performance. And in her third semi-final performance she once again showed her consistency and her versatility with a fierce performance of “I’m a Woman,” which made Simon call her a “little tiger.” Needless to say, she got into the finals, and there she once again proved she belonged with a performance of “Home” that made Paula Abdul cry. And once again, she made it through to the next round. Along the way, we learned a few more things about Melinda, such as the fact that she has a vocal coach friend and that she depends on a stylist friend to help her with her clothes choices because she’s not a shopper. I could definitely relate to that, as I’m not a shopper either – unless it’s for books! 
TV Guide also learned that Melinda was tone-deaf as a child and was allowed only to lip-sync in elementary choirs! Maybe that explains the initial confidence issues that made her comfortable with the background, or maybe not. We also learned about whom she has been a back-up vocalist for before auditioning for American Idol – Aaron Neville, for one! Although it’s certainly helpful to learn as much as we can about Melinda, I don’t think that’s the secret of her appeal to many, including me. No, I think the secret of her appeal is the fact that she combines a huge vocal talent with a humility and gratitude for getting the praise that is rightfully hers. How could anybody resist when she cried after her performance of “Home,” when she got a standing ovation? I sure couldn’t, and I was already a huge fan of hers! And a lot of people agree with me, as the fact that I kept getting a lot of busy signals while trying to vote for her indicates! So Melinda Doolittle may have been a back-up singer once upon a time. But I am now rooting for her to be the next American Idol because I think she has the whole package. She is hugely talented, chooses her songs well, is consistently outstanding, seems to have no trouble with different themes, is unique and memorable, and is so humble that she’ll never argue with the judges. There are other very talented women in the competition, including LaKisha Jones. But I don’t think any of these women have the full package, even LaKisha. That is why Melinda should be our next American Idol. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol and RealityNewsOnline:
Belle Book is a library clerk for a community college in Pennsylvania. If you wish to contact Belle, she can be reached at BelleBook@aol.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot: American Idol, SirLinksALot: Melinda Doolittle, and Reality TV Fever! View Printable version of this article
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