How you rate the performers
What do you look for when judging how well the contestants did? Do you factor in song choice--whether the song was right for the performer or whether you personally like the song? What about connection with the audience--whether or not the audience seemed to warm up to the performer? Vocals--did they sing what they did well, did the song adequately show off their range, did they show their own vocal style or just try to sound like the original artist? I try not to let song choice influence my decision because a good singer should be able to sing anything and still retain their style and be good at what they do. I think often the audience votes for someone because they like the song they chose even though the performer might not have done the best job on the song. For instance, last night I really liked "Takin' It to the Streets" but that's because I love that song. Taylor didn't bring anything extra to the song. Anyone could have sung it and I would have liked it. Probably even if William Hung had performed it! :lol: I also rank performers lower if they try to clone the original artist, even if they do a good job with it. Why would I buy records from someone who sounds like Aretha Franklin when I can just buy albums by Aretha herself? The contestants need to develop their own signature style in order for me to be impressed by them. Performance matters to some degree. I don't let it be a major influence but if there performance is so bad that it takes away from their presentation I will deduct points for it. Obviously vocal ability is very important. If someone demonstrates that they can sing very high without getting screechy, sing very low and still sound good, hold a note for a length of time without getting warbly, modulate their voice to sing soft at times and louder at other times, and stay in tune for most of the song, they'll get high marks for vocals. Connection with the audience doesn't matter much to me but it seems to matter to the judges and the audience. I've seen plenty of superior singers sent home while lesser singers have stayed because the audience relates well to them. How attractive the performer is doesn't matter to me. Most of the time when I listen to music, it's on the radio in my car or while I'm at the computer so I'm just hearing the song, not watching the person. When a group I like comes to the Civic Center, I don't choose which concert to go to based on how cute the singers are. I choose the group that performs the most songs I like. I hate it when talented but homely singers are sent home while handsome/beautiful bad singers stick around. American Idol is a singing contest, not a beauty contest, IMO. It's a shame that appearance wins out over talent in the music industry and I guess that's what accounts for the crap that's on the radio these days. :roll:

This seems like the perfect opportunity for me to add that while I loved Taylors rendition I surely could have lived out the rest of my days, happily ever after, without witnessing the retarded rabid seizure-like dance that accompanied his performance :lol:

For me, vocal ability is most important but they should also be able to perform. Although the judges have really been stressing that the singers should find out who they are and stick with that, I like when they can demonstrate the ability to sing well in more than one style. When they sing, I want to hear their voice and see them demonstrate range and control. Sing the darn lyrics as they are written and leave out your own "yeah, yeah, yeah"s! Sing, don't shout. The girls should not even think about attempting Whitney, Mariah, or Celine songs unless they seriously have comparable range and must be prepared to do it better than the original. Otherwise, prepare for the inevitable comparisons that will be to your detriment. As for performance, the singers need to LOOK like they aren't nervous and make natural looking gestures and dance moves. They should not just stand in one spot and sing nor should they carry the microphone stand around the stage. If a singer can't accomplish these things, I'm generally not impressed with their performance. Looks don't matter but they should make an attempt to be well-groomed and wearing clothes that fit and suit them. I want to hear some originality in vocal phrasing without changing the song completely out of recognition. As pika said, don't clone Aretha Franklin, or any other artist. However, the song should still be recognizable.