THE DAM NATION: Idol 10 - Jordin Sparks

Monday, November 1, 2010

Idol 10 - Jordin Sparks

10. Jordin Sparks

Season 6, Winner

Yes, we shall start the Idol Top 10 with Jordin Sparks!

Believe it or not, Jordin was a contestant that I definitely thought wouldn't win early on. I expected to see her do quite well in the competition and get voted out mid to late Finals. But winner? Never thought she had it in her.

I mean, I had seen the types of people that had won the first five seasons, and Jordin didn't exactly fit the bill. The five proceeding winners had something about them that made people take notice early on. Jordin didn't seem to have that same spark - no pun intended - early on. But of course, she managed to prove me VERY wrong.

If I'm being honest, Jordin just went completely unnoticed from her audition, to Hollywood week and even during the semifinals round - though two of her performances were really good. When she performed Give Me One Good Reason and Heartbreaker, I knew she'd make Top 12, but for some reason she just screamed cannon fodder to me.

Then, I Who Have Nothing happened during Top 11 night and I was absolutely hooked. I suddenly became a fan. She then managed to deliver good to breathtaking performances after that from A Broken Wing to On A Clear Day and even Hey Baby! Sure, she wasn't as vocally precise as Melinda Doolittle or unbelievably unique as Blake Lewis, but I always felt her emotional connection when she sang her songs and she, to me, had a very beautiful upper register to her voice. Yes, she couldn't support her lower notes that well but she has improved since then.

Obviously, Jordin absolutely was one of the more talented contestants of Season 6, and she gave at least one performance that goes down as one of the all-time great Idol performances. Oh, and considering she was - in Randy Jackson's voice - only seventeen at that time, that's already a pretty impressive feat.

One minor issue I had with Jordin though was the fact that the other seven winners - Lee Dewyze not included. Haha. - either brought something very unique to the show - Fantasia Barrino and Taylor Hicks- or they were simply, hands down, the best at the type of music they sang - Carrie Underwood, David Cook, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard and Kris Allen. I don't think the same could be said about Jordin. Sure, she's extremely talented, but she didn't bring anything to the show that people from proceeding seasons - or even her own season - didn't do better.

However, she may not be one of the "stand-out" winners so far, I think Jordin fills that young Pop/RnB niche that NO ONE from American Idol has really found much success at. Clearly, she has been pumping out hits very steadily with Tattoo, One Step At A Time and Battlefield. Her single No Air even holds the record as the Best Selling Idol Single EVER with more than 3 Million copies sold - yes, beating the crossover success of Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats. Not too shabby for Jordin Sparks eh?

Favorite performance(s): I Who Have Nothing was undeniably Jordin's best performance. I think I literally dropped my jaw as I was watching that performance. I got chills. Her voice soared and she captured the emotion of the song perfectly. Again, very breathtaking. Now, Jordin also delivered many good ones during her time on Idol and I'd say my other favorites would be A Broken Wing, Give Me One Reason, Wishing On A Star and To Love Somebody. Terrific song choices, with great vocals to back them up.

I Who Have Nothing