Backup singers rescue wayward ‘Idols’

Both Gibson and Smith have brought out CDs with songs they’ve written and perform.

“American Idol” isn’t “everybody’s path,” said Smith. “For me, personally, as an artist, I feel like it would compromise my artistic integrity to audition for a reality show. I’m an artist first and foremost, not a singer first and foremost.

“This show isn’t about finding artists. It’s about finding stars, and that’s a totally different thing.”

That said, they’re generally pleased to be part of the “American Idol” machine that churns out TV’s top ratings and instant names like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Hathaway gets her greatest satisfaction from Minor’s band, which she said could teach a master class at her alma mater, Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“It’s a musical education on that stage. Every week is special to me because this band flawlessly moves through genres and styles,” she said.

Smith agrees. “When people like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, come on the show, I think to myself this is something I can tell my grandkids someday. I can tell them I was part of the Rickey Minor band.”

Given the uneven contestants, the show also can be entertaining in unexpected ways (“I’m always amused,” Smith said). The latest eye-catcher is teenager Sanjaya Malakar, whose increasingly madcap hair styles and borderline vocals have left his boosters undaunted.

Watching a tape of Malakar’s audition performance, Gibson understood why his megawatt smile and a “voice that was smooth and sweet” got him on to the show.

“He had a nice tone, and you think there’s going to be more,” she said. “There isn’t always more in his voice, but he’s consistent with his sweetness.”

The trio relishes contestants who approach the task prepared. This year, that includes Phil Stacey, Doolittle and LaKisha Jones. From seasons past, they fondly recall Vonzell Solomon, Anwar Robinson and Paris Bennett.

Solomon “loved music and it just came out of her. It’s fun backing up people like that, people who come out there and give it all,” Gibson said.

But they’re ready to help a singer in need. Smith was supposed to echo Scarnato during “Missing You”; when the contestant lost her way, Smith quickly decided it was better to keep mum until Scarnato recovered. For Sligh and his wayward “rhythm thing,” Gibson tried to sing a bit louder in hopes that he might get back on track.

She’s a pro but not a miracle worker: Sligh was voted off.

Knowing how much effort it takes to build and sustain a music career, do the singers begrudge the show’s promise of easy fame?

“It’s the nature of the business to put out these fantasies of overnight success, because the whole thing is a dream for the people who are watching,” Smith said. “There’s always going to be the Cinderella story.”