Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Well, that was interesting...

I just did something unprecedented in history. I, yes indeed it was me, watched the American Idol finale. It just finished. And I think I actually have something interesting to comment on. Every time I have watched this show, I have agreed with Simon. You see, I've done a lot of singing in my time, I've performed with many groups and sung in almost every style imaginable besides rap and Britney-style trash.



Simon has a really good ear for music. I think he hears things very similar to the way I hear them as well, and maybe that's why we agree. When I look at a singer, I can almost always discern through their voice where there breathing is off, what kind of ear they have, and what range they will sound best in.



I also have a very good feel for performers. This is mainly a function of doing all different sorts of performing, from staged musicals to madrigals. I've seen the technique, and I know the signs of nervousness or just flat lack of talent.



That being said, here's my assessment of tonight. Blake's rendition of that Bon Jovi song was fantastic. The beat-box stuff he does is great. But even then, I can hear that his voice just isn't that strong. Since this was the first time I heard him, I don't know if it's a bad day or typical, but I wanted to hear him again. Trouble was, the next two songs were just poor. In the second song he was constantly going flat and trying to sustain notes with poor breath support. The third song - yeah, it just wasn't him.



Blake is a great performer, and although he shouldn't be a pop star, I think he would do well in a good rock band because he can sure sell a good song.



Jordin Sparks, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Blake. Her voice is

HUGE, and you can tell that she actually knows how to breathe to support her voice. This gives her an automatic, distinct advantage over Blake. Trouble is, she doesn't move like a great performer, she's just too static. Fortunately, that is the sort of problem you can correct with some good constructive criticism.



American Idol is ultimately a singing competition. Hence, Jordin wins hands down. If she doesn't, that's too bad, because she is by far the superior singer.