American Idol: Being safe's usually a good thing but it wasn't good on this CD
Written: May 24 '05
Product Rating:
Pros: All 12 of this season's AI finalists sings a full song. Bonus Ensemble song included.
Cons: None of the songs are truly show stopping as the title claims.
The Bottom Line: America Idol 4 finalists supposedly sing "show stopping tunes." The songs are safe and somewhat dull, however. The CD would have been much better with different song selections.
PattyTherre's Full Review: American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers
I am writing this review on the eve of the Finale of American Idol 4, so I don’t know if Bo Bice or Carrie Underwood is the next American Idol. As with anyone who watched the program this season, I have my personal favorite and had favorites throughout the season. Listening to the American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers CD without seeing the singers and without emotional attachment has enabled me to better review this CD based on how the performers actually sing as opposed to who I personally liked and did not like. Reality show fans know that they tend to connect with certain competitors and root for them even if they aren’t necessarily the best pick to win. With the competition ending, I can better listen to the actual voices and not play favorites based on personality, looks, or live performance ability.
This Year’s American Idol had more talent, in my opinion, and more diversity, than in any other season. From rock to country to Motown to pop, the 12 finalists represented just about every genre out there. Oddly, for being called “Showstoppers,” this CD didn’t contain any real show stopping songs that were performed throughout the season. In fact, it takes the safe way out, giving the contestants the safest – and often times dullest - songs possible. This makes for a much less dynamic CD than that I had expected.
The Playlist
1.Independence Day - Carrie Underwood
2.I Don't Want To Be - Bo Bice
3.Best Of My Love - Vonzell Solomon
4.House Is Not A Home, A - Anwar Robinson
5.You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Nadia Turner
6.Part-Time Lover - Nikko Smith
7.My Funny Valentine - Constantine Maroulis
8.Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Jessica Sierra
9.Everytime You Go Away - Anthony Fedorov
10.Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - Scott Savol
11.Knock On Wood - Lindsey Cardinale
12.God Bless The Child - Mikalah Gordon
13.When You Tell Me That You Love Me - Ensemble
My Opinions
Carrie Underwood stays with her country roots singing Martina McBride’s Independence Day and does a fine job. Carrie is a strong vocalist (as evidenced by the fact that she will either be the next Idol or the runner up in 18 hours) but there is nothing new or special about the song. It is just a mirror image of the original. This is not to say it is disappointing, just a bit uninspired.
Bo Bice, who will either be the next Idol or runner up tomorrow, backs away from his rock and roll persona to sing a sort of bluegrass version of I Don’t Want To Be, originally performed by Gavin DeGraw. Of all the amazing show stopping songs Bo performed this season, I find it strange that the producers picked this song for him to sing. Again, they took the safe route. While I would have preferred Bo’s rendition of Vehicle or Whipping Post, it very hard to find fault with Bo’s gritty, laid back vocals on this track.
Vonzell Solomon, who was in the top three this year, sings Best of my Love, originally performed by The Emotions (not the Eagles’ song of the same name). This was classic Vonzell and, once again, very safe. Still, her personality comes through and she jazzes up an average sounding CD with her energetic, if unoriginal, performance.
Anwar Robinson is up next with A House Is Not A Home . Anwar took a risk singing this Dionne Warwick hit and pulled it off well on the show and on the CD. While the song certainly didn’t stop the show or make the CD fabulous to listen to, it did highlight Anwars’s pure, sweet singing voice.
Nadia Turner, who was voted off way before her time in the opinion of many Idol fans (and mine as well) belts out You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, originally sung by Dusty Springfield. It is a very good rendition of the song and really makes one wonder why Nadia was voted off so early in the competition. This was one of the most inspired and hauntingly beautiful songs on the CD.
Nikko Smith performs Stevie Wonder’s Part-Time Lover and we’re back to karaoke sounding vocals. Nikko was originally not one of the top 12 finalists but was brought back to the show after finalist Mario Vasquez decided not to participate on the show after making it to the final 12. Nikko’s performance is fine but could be heard in any karaoke bar across the country on a Saturday night. (No, I am not channeling Simon Cowell here …I hope!)
Rocker Constantine Maroulis of the smoldering eyes fame sings, of all songs, the old show tune My Funny Valentine. Constantine’s undeniable show stopping performance was his amazing rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and I was disappointed that the song didn’t make the cut on this CD. Of all the songs Constantine - a very popular singer with his roots firmly in rock and roll - performed, this one was one of the most out of character. Still, he manages to pull it off flawlessly. However it was certainly not his best performance by a long shot.
Jessica Sierra, another strong vocalist who was voted off the show fairly early – possibly too early — sings Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart and nails it. Her voice is smoky and it’s refreshing to hear a strong performance after several good, but safe, ones. Jessica’s fans will not be disappointed in her vocals on this track at all.
Anthony Fedorov, often referred to as this season’s Clay Aiken because of his somewhat nerdish looks and affection for crooning ballads, performs Paul Young’s Everytime You Go Away. This is a sappy performance of a somewhat sappy song by a good, but not great vocalist. Again, there is nothing wrong with the performance, but there’s certainly nothing to make me believe he should have been the next Idol. Any resemblance to last year’s runner up Clay stops at his appearance and song selection.
Scott Savol, the “average Joe” of the bunch who managed to hang onto his #5 spot with the help of a website that was determined to keep the worst singer on the show for as long as possible, sings Phil Collins’ Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now). Although he didn’t have the look of an American Idol and was often pitchy and slightly off in his performances, Savol was certainly not the worst singer of the season. This song, Savol said, was dedicated to his father who said he would never amount to anything. Because of the emotion behind it and because it ended up being his last song before going home, Savol’s fans will eat this performance up. It’s a decent rendition of the popular song but Phil Collins doesn’t have to worry about his place in the music industry after hearing Savol’s rendition.
Lindsey Cardinale, the first finalist voted off the show this season, tackles Amii Stewart’s Knock On Wood and does a fine job. It’s one of the better tracks on this CD, which could be because most of the songs are so dull that a bit more upbeat song is very welcome. I would have liked to have heard more of Lindsey before she left the show but America decided otherwise.
Mikalah Gordon, the brash, oft times annoying, 16-year-old Barbara Streisand/Fran Dresher hybrid performs Billie Holiday’s God Bless The Child and comes off as screaming more than singing. This isn’t a good performance by the young singer and is way too outdated for someone so young. She was voted off second this season and for good reason. This performance does nothing to convince me she should have stayed around any longer.
Lastly, the entire cast sings their single When You Tell Me That You Love Me. This song was released with all profits going to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund and has topped the pop charts for weeks. It’s a very simple, somewhat corny song that doesn’t stop the show by any means, but was made for a very good cause, so I can’t fault the effort. Overlooking the fact that it is a charity release, it’s just a pop “ditty” with not a lot of substance. Idol fans, however, will like hearing the finalists singing their individual parts and then combining their voices.
As an aside, the CD insert has pictures of all the finalists and “Thank You’s” from each one in their own words, a nice little extra.
Conclusion
Unless you are a diehard American Idol Season 4 fan, this CD will do nothing for you. It’s a compilation of remakes of well-known songs that are performed better by the original artists. Idol fans will probably enjoy the selections, especially if their favorites weren’t in the top three spots and more than likely won’t be heard from again.
Unfortunately, not many of the songs are true show stoppers as the title of the CD claims. There is nothing bad or wrong with any of the songs but none really stand out as true breath taking performances, although there were several on the show itself; they just didn’t make it to this CD for some reason. Idol fans will probably pick this up, as I did, because they enjoyed this season’s finalists and want to remember the 12 people who kept them riveted week after week by performing live and often taking harsh criticism from the judges. Fans who never watched this show will have absolutely no interest whatsoever in this disc and will no doubt pass right by it when looking for new music to buy.
It’s tough to rate this CD. As a fan of several of the finalists singing on the record, I was disappointed in the song selections. Still, I do enjoy the different voices and personalities that I have come to know over the weeks and am not sorry I purchased the CD. I will give it three stars. It’s an average offering that could have been above average if the producers would have chosen songs that truly did stop the show rather than ones that were safe and, at times, yawn inducing.
Buying Info
You can purchase a copy of this CD at AI’s official website, www.idolonfox.com. It is also selling everywhere that pop music is sold. I got mine at www.buy.com for about $13.00.
Product DetailsOriginal Title:American Idol Season 4 - The ShowstoppersCondition: NEWFormat: CDArtist: American IdolLanguage: EnglishGenre: PopMore at iNetVideo.com
The album features individual performances by the top 12 finalists on the fourth season of America s No. 1 TV series, American Idol, as well as their ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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