And the results were predictable: mostly soaring high notes from the women (and David Archuleta) and alt-rock affectations from the guys. On Thursday, Kristy Lee Cook was rightfully booted off after belting a countrified version of "Forever," a doo wop-tinged hit for Carey in 1996.
"American Idol really grooms these big voices for these big pop songs, but pop is much narrower than that now," says Kennedy, a former MTV personality who now hosts Reality Remix, a cable show that recaps the best of the genre.
"But I don't think the contestants this season have the personality or personal drama to carry a good pop song. Having a great voice doesn't really matter. It's the back story that helps you sell the artist, that certain something people can relate to."
Early on, American Idol viewers seemingly understood that. Fantasia Barrino, winner of Season 3, garnered much press (and eventually a Lifetime movie) with her hard-knock past. She was a rape survivor and a barely literate teen mother whose dynamic stage presence and quirky, gospel-drenched vocal style vitalized her performances. Though her pop success has been limited since winning American Idol, Fantasia has done well in the urban realm.
"The show is really selling a narrative, not a singer," Fennessey says. "The more the audience can identify with a good back story, the more interested they become in the contestant."
Early this season, Idol producers promised that they would focus more on the back stories of the contestants, but so far the show has stuck with overemphasizing its pop-star guests and head-scratching musical themes.
There was a bit of a brouhaha early on when it was revealed that several of the show's "amateurs" (namely Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White and Michael Johns) had record deals at one time. Others, such as Archuleta, Jason Yeager and Syesha Mercado, had previously appeared on other TV talent shows. So many of the contestants are more or less seasoned, which is reflected in their mannered performances on the show.
There's little sense that you're watching, say, a Kelly Clarkson transform from a shy, homely girl with a big voice to an assured performer comfortable in the spotlight. "There's no mass standout this year, and the formula is getting old," Kennedy says. "But to watch the whole pop star-making process unfold is what keeps people coming back in droves."
rashod.ollison@baltsun.com
