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The Goddess Speaks Nadine Kam |
Good vocal ability alone
does not an ‘Idol’ makeWatching "American Idol" has changed the way I listen to music and I've noticed that 90 percent of the stars who actually are America's idols have voices that are average to poor. I never noticed before, because like everyone else, I was listening to songs as self-contained little miracles, the arrangements, instrumentation, energy, vibe, groove, adding up to a foot-tapping or soulful whole. And the voice? Just one part of a complicated mix I took for granted until I heard Jasmine Trias sing "Breathe."
The strain showed. The next day at the office, everyone was wondering how she thought she could have pulled off such a difficult song. "Not even Faith Hill can sing a Faith Hill song," someone quipped, and I thought, "Huh? Faith Hill set the bar on that song."
Then I listened to the song again. And there was that strain. I can imagine song's writer Holly Lamar and Stephanie Bentley sitting back thinking, "Sure it's an impossible note, but hey, we don't have to sing it. Wouldn't it be great if someone could?"
Possibilities are intriguing. Wouldn't it be great if someone like your sister, cousin, neighbor, classmate or co-worker could be the "American Idol"? It's a modern Cinderella story, no prince required.
The zeal of Hawaii's audience is something that has been mocked. When the Democratic presidential primaries were going on, politicos worried about Hawaii's turnout. It was, after all, an "American Idol" night. We've also been accused of cheating, voting earlier than our designated time slot, abetted by friends on the East Coast who could pass on those toll-free numbers.
The zeal is understandable, I think, because we know so many people who could be stars, if only ... for luck, connections, looks, hard labor, you name it. I never thought about it much until a mainland friend pointed out how unusual it is to see so many people taking their turns at the karaoke mic, and singing well. "You just don't see that on the mainland," he said. But here, music surrounds us, from back-yard luau cha-lang-alang sessions, to karaoke, to impromptu jams whenever someone busts out a guitar.
I ADMIT, I had my own showbiz dreams and through the auditions, I tried to imagine what I would have sung if I had been of "Idol" age. Being slightly older I have access to songs the typical 20-year-old never heard of. Everyone these days sings Christina or Beyoncé, so I would certainly avoid appearing as one of the pack.
I toyed with the idea of singing Barbra Streisand's "Stoney End," but I never knew what that was all about. I could have sung Donna Summer's disco tune "Last Dance," but I could imagine judge Simon Cowell telling me, "That was your last chance. Goodbye."
I'm more rock-inclined, but I'm sure stuff by Linkin Park or P.O.D. would not have gone over well. So I started listening to KRTR 96.3 adult contemporary and singing along, much to the dismay of my S.O. because we were carpooling at the time. "Why are you listening to this stuff?" he demanded, before retreating to own car and his usual diet of rock and NPR.
I settled on Train's "Calling All Angels," just because I'm a sucker for the big attention-grabbing song. But I would not have made it past Paula Abdul, having heard her tell one contestant, "You're too affected."
You can't avoid being "affected" if you have a style of your own. I've picked up many a vocal tic over the years -- little hiccups, coos and squeaks "borrowed" from covering songs by the likes of Curve, Divinyls, Mary's Danish, Darling Buds and Daisy Chainsaw -- adding up to something imperfect, but unique.
If you tune into that other talent competition, "Nashville Stars," on USA, you'll understand what I'm talking about. There, all the contestants, save one, are already seasoned performers. Very little separates the top four singers in terms of technical ability, so that competition will be won or lost on personality, charisma, showmanship -- pure star power.
What interests me is how wholesome and, yes, bland, America's picks have seemed compared to the music industry's picks. There's not an in-your-face Eminem, flashy Beyoncé, risqué Christina Aguilera, or punky Jack White in the bunch. No one should have to skimp on clothes or beat up on people in bars to be noticed, but at the same time, a wannabe star does have to show more than a pulse.
Our local idols still appear to be thinking of their competition as a singing contest when at this point they should be showing more individuality, more star power.
Nadine Kam is features editor.
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