Idol Season 8 Needs to Focus on Song Choice
What the contestants choose to sing is key to their survival on Idol
Feb 28, 2009
Since American Idol kicked off in the summer of 2002, the one constant that remains, other than Ryan Seacrest, is the importance of song choice.
It is the song choice that allow contestants to show their vocal strengths, as well as their personality.
David Bloomberg in his article, What American Idol 8 Contestants Need to Know on the website FoxesonIdol.com wrote the following on the importance of song choice this season.
"Song choice is absolutely key. Several contestants picked songs that they simply could not handle and ended up looking much worse than they really were. You’ve got to find a song within your range and abilities. For example, not everybody can belt out a song like Kelly Clarkson, so you have to work with what you’ve got."
In the past, the judges have also told contestants to stay away from songs that were previously sung in a prior season.
Repeat performances
After certain songs have been performed very well during past seasons on the show, you would think that contestants would not perform those to keep away from being compared.
Season three contestant, Jon Peter Lewis shared his thoughts on Facebook about season 8 contestant Jackie Tohn, who re-did the song that won him the audience wildcard vote into the Top 12, Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation".
"Among other people worth mentioning is Jackie Tohn who sang “little less conversation”. Not because I loved her performance—I mean I didn’t hate it like Simon, but singing that song was one of the highlights of my Idol Journey and watching her perform it tonight brought back a few memories. I don’t think she was terrible, but of course I’m partial to the way I did it," Lewis wrote.
Tohn is not the first contestant from this current season or from seasons past to perform a song that has already been done well and received high praise by a prior contestant.
During Bon Jovi week, season 6 contestant Chris Richardson chose to sing, "Wanted Dead or Alive". Richardson performed the song well, but as judge Simon Cowell said, "not enough to stay in the competition."
Richardson was eliminated the next night.
Daughtry's version of the song impressed Jon Bon Jovi so much, that Daughtry went on to open for the band during their "Lost Highway" tour in 2008.
Another song choice faux pas that judges have pointed out in past seasons is taking a risk performing a past Idol winner's coronation song or a past winner's Billboard hit.
Season 6 contestant, Lakisha Jones sang the Carrie Underwood hit, "Jesus, Take the Wheel", that left the judges less than inspired.
Judge Simon Cowell said after the performance, "You were the one to beat, you've got to now choose the right kind of songs, because that was the wrong kind choice of song for you."
The following week, Jones performed "I Believe", the coronation song of season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino. She was again met with criticism from the judges.
"It's a very hard song to sing after Fantasia, I must admit," said judge Randy Jackson.
The beat boxer from Bothell and the bartender from Blue Springs
Over the prior seven seasons of Idol, there have been contestants like season 6's runner-up, Blake Lewis and season 7 winner, David Cook that had much success built on their song choices during their seasons.
Blake Lewis, season 6's infamous beat boxer from Bothell, WA, used his performing abilities and natural charisma to win the fans over to vote him into the final two. Consistently on point song choices also played a huge part of Lewis' success that season.
It was Bon Jovi week that would solidify Lewis as the best performer of the season.
His original and risky take on Bon Jovi's hit song, "You Give Love a Bad Name" put him over with not only the Idol fans, but with all three judges.
The judges praised him for his originality and for a risk that paid off in his favor.
"This was amazing, this is your night!", judge Paula Abdul exclaimed after the performance.
Cowell agreed, saying, "I think you're a very brave young man, you took a massive risk. This is what's going to keep you in the competition next week."
After the season had wrapped, Lewis seemed happy overall with what he had accomplished on the show.
"I was just trying to be true to myself this whole entire time. Just be me and not sacrifice anything to make me do anything different that I wouldn't normally do," he told the Associated Press.
The following season, David Cook, the most recent winner of American Idol would take risks early and often throughout the competition.
During the 80's themed week in the Top 16, Cook, the bartender from Blue Springs, MO, took a chance with putting an emo-rock twist on the Lionel Richie classic, "Hello".
A couple weeks later, Cook took on the Chris Cornell version of the Michael Jackson hit, "Billie Jean".
The judges raved, but it would be Cook's original take on a huge Mariah Carey hit, "Always Be My Baby", that would seal the deal on him being the one to beat that season.
Cowell said that the performance was, "like kind of coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air." He continued on to say, "This is the sign of a great potential artist, someone who takes risks."
Even Carey liked Cook's spin on her hit.
"It would be a hit for him, not from a selfish point of view, but from the selfish point of view of wanting to hear it, as a listener," she commented.
American Idol Season 8
Hopefully this season's crop of Idol hopefuls have done their homework while watching their fellow contestants compete and are listening to the judge's comments.
It's all about song choice, song choice, song choice!
American Idol airs on every Tuesday and Wednesday on FOX.
 |
