Related Sites: · Official Site · Sirlinksalot: The One: Making a Music Star Host: George Stroumboulopoulos

Tweet

Well, now we know where those who didn't make the cut for American Idol or Rock Star: Supernova scored a gig. Okay, it wasn't quite that bad, but the series premiere of ABC's The One: Making a Music Star got off to a creaky start. The premise for this reality show has eleven contestants attending "The One Academy", a state-of-the-art music facility where they'll train with some of the most well-respected music industry professionals as they compete for a major recording contract. Oh yeah, and they'll all live under one roof until it's over. Sound familiar? The One wants very badly to be Big Brother and American Idol all wrapped up into one big ratings bonanza (now, if they threw in elements of The Mole, that would be cool!). Based on the Spanish Endemol series Operación Triunfo, it follows the familiar "select the bottom three" format, with a live results show that airs the next night. But enough of this Idol chatter.

Our hearty contestants prepare for their live performances each week by training with an "artist development team" that provides invaluable instruction in vocal coaching, choreography, image consulting, fitness training and more. At least, that's what the press release says. We don't get to meet these all-important people other than the merest blip of airtime, but we at The Trades appreciate our viewership enough to provide pictures of them (and links to their bios) so you won't have to go through all the work of freezing that TiVo frame. To be fair, dealing with eleven people behind-the-scenes and actually showing their performances is bordering on unwieldy for a two-hour show, so I suspect we'll get to see this team strut their stuff once contestants start getting weeded out.

Contestants

Nick Brownell	Austin Carroll	Michael Cole	Aubrey Collins	Caitlin Evanson	Scotty Granger
Jadyn Maria	Adam McInnis	Jackie Mendez	Syesha Mercado	Jeremiah Richey

Host George Stephanopoulos, excuse me... Stroumboulopoulos introduces the first group performance, and this is our initial opportunity to catch snatches of the different styles that each contestant will bring to the table. The song is Foreigner's "Feels Like The First Time," and I'm feelin' like this is the first time the engineers are dealing with a live show, because the balance on the different microphones varies wildly. Some voices get lost in the mix, while others jump out at you like a flash of aural lightning. At the conclusion, we're introduced to the judges. Mark Hudson's got the cool facial hair color-scheme thing going on, though he's just a tad too self-aware of his coolness. Andre Harrell's opinion is one I'll tend to pay the closest attention to, being a former president of Motown Records. And, if he indeed helped launch the career of Jessica Alba, the man's my freakin' hero. Kara DioGuardi may be an impressive songwriter (and she is... just check out some of the songs she's written!), but she did not impress me initially with her head-bobbing self-important introduction. Alas, I chilled out on her, and will reserve final judgment.

Music Experts

Mark Hudson	Andre Harrell	Kara DioGuardi

Individual performances were prefaced by a brief video segment telling how they came to be on the show, and even briefer snippets of life with the rest of the contestants under one roof. After the first batch all repeat the same "I'm 'the One'" and "I don't plan on going home" lines, I longed for someone to just say, "Y'know, I'm just here for the learning experience... (who cares if I win!)" and a couple of them obliged me.

Jackie Mendez, Miami, FL - "Hot Stuff" (Donna Summer)
Comments: Jackie starts bawlin' right off the bat, and I think to myself, "Man, this is going to be a long two hours." Mark (and my brain) asks, "What's the crying about?" She marches out on stage looking like hot stuff in a revealing black dress trying valiantly not to "let the girls out". And then the song is over. Was it just a portion of the whole song, or was my attention focused, er... elsewhere? Andre says she looks like a "Cuban dessert" -- a line I'm sure was crafted long before the music ended. Mark says her performance almost changed the color of his beard. I uncurl my toes.

Jeremiah Richey, Waxahachie, TX - "Waiting For A Girl Like You" (Foreigner)
Comments: He's dubbed the "light-sleeper" because he can't catch some "Zzzz's" with people playing music in the house at all hours of the night. The guy is so earnest that I want to like him, but his vocals were quite pitchy, something Kara confirmed right away. She encourages him to continue "wearing your heart on your sleeve".

Jadyn Maria, Nashville, TN - "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Supremes/Vanilla Fudge/Kim Wilde)
Comments: She's cute as a bug's ear (whatever that means), but her Mariah Carey impressions are concerning Mark. He fears she might not live up to such lofty expectations. I'm concerned that she forgot some of the words during her performance, but apparently I was imagining things, because the experts don't mention it.

Syesha Mercado, Sarasota, FL - "Chain Of Fools" (Aretha Franklin)
Comments: Faith is a big deal to her, a point that is hammered home so much so that every single person spouts clichés after her performance (i.e. the host cries out "Lord have mercy!") I'm not sure where this is going, and I'm hoping it's not a setup for later mocking. Her loud vocals were strong; her quiet vocal were indecipherable.

Michael Cole, Winston-Salem, NC - "Devil With A Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly (medley)" (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels)
Comments: Apparently Michael's been boozin' and smokin'... and is roundly chastised by Mark for it. Dude, don't you realize that many a great song has been written while buzzin' in a smoky juke joint? Alas, this is a politically-correct world, and our music expert is imparting sound, healthy advice. Next, Michael balks at the song chosen for him to perform, an act akin to Summer interrupting the Donald last season on The Apprentice (and look where that landed her!). He picks his own song, and at the conclusion of his performance, Mark says he has a new name for him: "Good Bad Boy". I have a new name for him: "Karaoke Boy".

Austin Carroll, Memphis, TN - "The Weight" (The Band)
Comments: This guy may consider himself "eccentric" but he's got talent to burn. A heart-felt piano performance that was gushed over by the experts. My impression is thoroughly validated.

Aubrey Collins, Littleton, CO - "Born To Be Wild" (Steppenwolf)
Comments: This 18-year-old fireball wants to develop into a "rocker chick", but she's not quite there yet. Her performance features screechy vocals, though she does exhibit "the look". Though she has a boyfriend, there are endless, well-edited sequences showing her cozying up to Nick at the academy. Oh, let the soap opera begin! While Mark and Kara go back and forth in discussion, Andre nails it on the head by saying of her performance, "I didn't believe it."

Nick Brownell, Sandusky, OH - "Let's Get It On" (Marvin Gaye)
Comments: Nick pisses off Kara not only during the training sessions, but after his performance. She thinks he's treating the whole thing like a game; he's just "having fun". I seriously can't believe I'm seeing a white guy attempt to pull off this song. Andre is unconvinced (as was I) and labels him "not sexy" enough. Might want to get a second opinion from Aubrey on that.

Scotty Granger, New Orleans, LA - "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" (Temptations/Rolling Stones)
Comments: Scotty looked sharp in his suit and that made a great visual impression. He displayed tremendous vocals during the video segments at the academy, but I thought during his performance he had a "nervous vibrato" thing going on. Still, all the experts thought he was great, so I must be out of my mind.

Caitlin Evanson, Seattle, WA - "Addicted To Love" (Robert Palmer)
Comments: Had a rough bout with drinking but quit five months ago. Mark wants to be her pre-emptive rescuer. She plays a great fiddle, but it doesn't sound smooth accompanied by her singing. I blame the sound system more than her ability. When she jumps around the stage, her voice gets jumpy. The experts all love her. Apparently I need a stiff belt.

Adam McInnis, Jackson, NJ - "American Woman" (The Guess Who/Lenny Kravitz)
Comments: Adam is definitely a singer-songwriter type. When he learns of his song selection, he voices his opinion that he doesn't want his dreadlocks to define who he is. Still, he gives it a shot, rather than rejecting it as Michael did. He reworks the song into a mellow groove, then... plays the game and plays it straight the rest of the way. The experts acknowledge he's worked the hardest at the academy and are inclined to put some more work into him.

Artist Development Team

Roger Love	Tina Landon	Jennifer Rade	rad.	Mark Jenkins	Ray Fuller
Vocal Coach	Choreographer	Stylist	Piano Teacher	Personal Trainer	Guitar Teacher

My Bottom Three: Jadyn, Michael, Syesha - Aubrey would make this list, only now I gotta see what happens with her budding relationship with Nick. Perhaps she knows how to play this game... er, contest after all.

Who's Gotta Go: Michael - Though his entertainment value is potentially high, he's the most unpolished of the bunch.

Final Thoughts: I would think playing an instrument while singing would increase the difficulty of an individual's performance, yet "score points" with the experts for that very reason. Vocal gymnastics, in general, get on my nerves, and the participants were leaning on my last one. If ratings go in the tank, I would have no problem with them signing Austin on the spot and ditching the rest of the series.