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American Idol 7: Idol Ideals for the Top 6by Tyler Sandersfeld -- 04/22/2008
View Printable version of this article Aw, man. Why is it that when I start to love a smart girl, she goes away too soon? Still, Kristy Lee Cook is the very reason why I started this column in the first place. So many people thought her weak vocal skills and that terrible arrangement of “Eight Days a Week” would doom her earlier than she actually left. However, Kristy stuck to the always-successful country theme and picked fantastic songs to boot. She proved that strategy truly can propel an otherwise weak contestant far. She will be missed. This week, our spectacular six will attempt the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the man responsible for Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Cats. Yep, he’s to blame. Also, to keep things simple, I will refer to Mr. Webber as ALW from this point on. His music is not too different from the standard show tune, so this shouldn’t be too different from Mariah Carey week. Some will stay true to ALW’s original, while others will most likely attempt to rework a song into something truer to themselves. 
Now that we’re only five eliminations away from a champion, we should all be comfortable with each finalist’s style. However, some voters may be getting a little too familiar, which could breed a sense of monotony and tedium. That level of sameness will not just affect the Idols’ votes, but also their post-show careers. Unless they’re specializing in a genre that doesn’t change too drastically from year to year, the winner and everyone else who receives a contract will need versatility to survive in the ever-expanding field of popular music. This week, my strategies will also take a stab at what the Idols should do if they want to stand a chance in the current popular music market. As always, I’ll start with those riding the Starlight Express to victory, and end with those whose careers could quickly become as stagnant as Norma Desmond’s. David Archuleta: ALW’s musicals, as with almost all musicals, have at least one sappy, melodramatic ballad with a message about hope or perseverance or some cheesy theme like that. It’s no secret that David A. loves his sappy, melodramatic ballads. The voting audience seems to love them just as much. But can David have a great career with sappy, melodramatic ballads with the days of Whitney, Celine, and Michael Bolton far behind us? There’s always the chance that power ballads will enjoy a huge revival on the Hot 100, but unless David can prove that he can handle more fun songs, he’ll be forever relegated to adult contemporary and Christian radio. Not like that’s terrible or anything. David Cook: I don’t think David will need to worry too much about working an ALW song into his own style. He’s done it with Mariah and Dolly. Still, there are a few songs in ALW’s repertoire, especially from Jesus Christ Superstar, that may be a little too easy for David. Also, David’s tendency to skew a little emo in his performance could become just a bit tedious. Then again, emo is quite popular nowadays, so unless it gets replaced like grunge’s coup on hair metal, David Cook could be well on his way to a Daughtry-esque career, win or lose. Syesha Mercado: Last week, my safest female got the boot. Perhaps the same will happen this week. I’m not exactly the biggest Syesha fan in the world, especially after she made two boneheaded song choices in a row. I am glad that America saved her after she finally did something right. This show’s love affair with big-voiced females never ceases to amaze me. Unfortunately, those voices have not done well outside of the show. A big voice is nothing if you don’t have the creativity and emotion of a Mariah Carey or Alicia Keys. Syesha will need to find that creativity and emotion if she wants to escape the cruise ships. 
Carly Smithson: While most of the others have already defined themselves to the smallest detail, Carly remains a bit mysterious. Is she a rocker? A soulful belter? An Irish chanter? Carly really needs to find a style and stick to it, but she can do it. Carly’s voice is quite versatile, so she could enjoy a very lucrative career if she and the record producers play it right. Of course, that didn’t happen seven years ago with Carly’s dismal failure of a debut album. Brooke White: Brooke suffered a scare last week, and I don’t believe she’s completely out of the woods at this point. With ALW’s songs as boisterous as Mariah’s, Brooke may have trouble fitting into a song again. If she couldn’t escape the bottom three with a simplified version of “Hero,” then doing the same with ALW will yield similar results unless it’s either wonderful or disastrous. As for after Idol, Brooke would do best if she’s allowed to write her own songs, granted that she can write. If Sara Bareilles and Colbie Caillat can do it, so can Brooke. Jason Castro: With Kristy gone, Jason can reign as the most polarizing contestant remaining. Some (like myself) love his contemporary laidback style, while others (like my father) can’t get past his weak voice. Also, Jason’s facing a triple whammy of statistics this week. First, he’s a male. The elimination pattern so far has been male-female, and Kristy was female. Second, he’s likely to perform early this week, since he enjoyed the privileges of the anchor position last week. Finally, he’s most likely splitting a few votes with Brooke White, whose fans will vote extra hard for her since she nearly got eliminated last week. Like Brooke, Jason would be much better suited to a life as an adult contemporary singer-songwriter, much like Jack Johnson. That’ll do it for this week. Join me after another contestant gets eliminated on my birthday. Oh joy. See ya then! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent American Idol 7 articles on FoxesOnIdol:
Tyler can be reached at tejayes@yahoo.com. What do you like? What do you hate? I mean, besides bad birthday presents. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about American Idol, be sure to check SirLinksALot: American Idol and Reality TV Fever! View Printable version of this article
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