Second annual OU idol does not live up to first year expectations

Last Tuesday I decided to miss my usual weekly dose of America Idol to attend another singing competition on campus: OU Idol. Much to my surprise, I am not sure how worth it attending this event really was, beside the fact that I was helping a good cause: the March of Dimes. Performances this year did not seem as entertaining as the first OU Idol in 2009.

Although some performances were enjoyable to watch, many others were lifeless. Randall Rine, singing “Hero” by Mariah Carey knew what she was doing with her voice on a technical level, but left the audience with a boring performance.

On the contrary, Carolyn Miller, singing “Girl Next Door” had great stage presence, but not being in-sync with the background track was distracting.

Kim Blaha seemed like she was holding back in her performance. I wish she would have stepped outside of her comfort zone because she had such a clear tone to her voice.

Although the judges liked her voice, Stephanie Nord delivered a whiny tone when she was belting sections of the song. The more conversational, softer sections of the song were much more enjoyable.

One of my favorite performances, however, included an acoustic guitar accompaniment of the song “Fallin’.” Kirstie Zontini connected well with the audience by showing a sassy side to her voice. I love the personal and intimate nature of acoustic performances.

OU Idol is a fun event that brings OU talent in the light while supporting an important cause. I hope that for next year’s competition, however, more is brought to the table. I would like to see more passion from the contestants. Until then, it’s back to watching the real American Idol for me.

-J-