Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown says he'd like daughter Ayla to have another crack at "American Idol," where judge Simon Cowell once described her performance as robotic and empty.

The fledgling recording artist, a 21-year-old student at Boston College, made it to the show's final 16 singers in 2006.

Her father told ABC's "This Week" that Ayla was so new to it all back then that she had never put on makeup until she did "American Idol." He also says that Cowell's critique, while harsh, was on target.

The Republican lawmaker says having his daughter back as a contestant would be great for the program and would show people there's life after "American Idol."

Ayla Brown has sung the national anthem with the Boston Pops and released three albums _ including one called "Circles" that just came out.

Scott Brown won a special election in January to fill the Senate seat held for decades by the late Edward M. Kennedy.