Has watching “American Idol” auditions inspired you to be a pop star? Hey, you have to have a good voice–or else you’ll be a laughing stock. Jump-start your singing career with these products. Some will help you hit the right notes. And some will make you the hit of the party.
Rockin’ with the oldies
Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Camp, five days of intensive music instruction led by members of The Who, Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Journey, Starship, Night Ranger, Bad Company, Dokken, Great White and more (Feb. 16-20 in Hollywood). $8,499, includes meals. Visit rockandrollfantasycamp.com.
Show’s on the road
With Sony’s ICD-CX50 visual voice recorder, you can record your best rendition of “Lady Marmalade” while you’re on the go. The hand-held device combines a 256MB flash memory digital voice recorder with a 1.2 megapixel camera, so you’ll get a glimpse of what you might look like on TV. $399.95 at sonystyle.com.
Karaoke cool
Simon thinks good karaoke singers aren’t always made for “Idol,” but we disagree. Practice ad nauseam with the Leadsinger All-In-The-Mic Karaoke Player. The hand-held mic plugs into the TV and displays lyrics on-screen. Another bonus? 300 built-in songs. $129.99 at
target.com.
Down the hatch
All that singing has done a number on your throat. Care for sore vocal cords like the stars do and sip Celestial Seasonings Throat Soothers Tea. Like an ancient remedy, each sachet contains lemon grass, plus healing herbs like licorice roots, slippery elm and fennel. Ah, now those pipes feel better. $1.99/pack of 20 at Whole Foods.
Clean up your act
C’mon, you know you’ve been caught belting “Who Let The Dogs Out” in the shower. Authenticate the shower-singing experience with the Microphone Shower Sponge. Yeah, it’ll exfoliate your skin, but we’re more interested in letting it rip. On sale for $5.99 at wishingfish.com.
PC harmony
Now your computer can be a vocal instructor. With Carry-a-Tune Technologies’ SingingCoach software, you sing into a mic and see how your pitch compares with the real deal. At the end of each song, the software calculates and displays a score from 1 to 100, making it easy to track your progress. $49.95 at select CompUSA stores; more info at carryatune.com.
