New Season, New Idols

Missed the girls night- a guy's gotta have some family time- but I caught the guys tonight.

Having not seen the auditions, there were no preconceived ideas or biases on my end. Not a good night for most of them, however, there are a few standouts.

Love John Park's voice and the style he chooses to sing! But it's got to have a better showcase for it. God Bless the Child is a difficult song, so he just needs to find the right one to show it off. I'll have to give it some thought before I suggest one. (I had always said Adam Lambert should be doing Queen, months before he did!)
Regardless of Kara's cougarness, Casey James is ok. Hope he doesn't buy his publicity too soon. Yes, Simon, it was a good song choice.

Potentially the winner of the season is found in Lee DeWyze. Here's good and honest music by someone who seems to be a good guy. Possesses a man's voice- something sorely missing in much of music lately. Has an awe-shucks personality vaguely familiar of Season Five's super talented Elliott Yamin and last year's Kris Allen.
Since I missed the girls, guess I gotta YouTube it. Stay posted...
(Photo copyright American Idol.)

American Idol Men Make Their Mark

With Kris Allen's album out now and Adam Lambert's due in a couple of days, it's going to be another American Idol Christmas. Can't speak about Adam's yet, but let me tell you Kris' first one is a solid effort. It's one of the best debut collections from an Idol winner yet. Kris rocks convincingly yet with heart and soul. His trademark high notes are there, his songwriting impressive, and his passion for the art is evident. Go pick up the disc. You'll be glad you did.

ipod shuffled

Like to shake it up a bit every now and then. And it was way overdue, but it finally took American Idol Season Eight to make me shuffle up my ipod. Not since the year of Elliott Yamin and Chris Daughtry has there been such talent!

So adding to the old standbys of Sting and Karen and Richard Carpenter are now Kris Allen and Danny Gokey, in particular. Why now Adam Lambert? Just not a fan of the glam rock thing. Should his disc have a few things as strong as Mad World, I might consider a change of plan.

Certainly, there are some oddities on my ipod shuffle to make the most die-hard of Disney geek blush. One Little Spark from the Imagination pavilion (Epcot), the on board soundtrack from the original version of Space Mountain (Paris), and various odds and ends from Disneyland, Epcot, California Adventure and TokyoDisneySea.

Naturally, it doesn't end there. Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, and Amy Grant give me an inspirational shot, with Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra providing the swing. George Strait still rules and Keith Urban adds a few more songs to my collection.

Can't wait for the traditional onslaught of Fall releases! I am sure A Change is Gonna Come once again.

Following 2009's Top Two...

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert are great together as they make the American Idol promotional rounds on television. I've seen quite a few video clips, and each man is impressive, funny, talented. They are clearly good friends. The best of the bunch: Kris on Jimmy Fallon's show. Yes, he's also been to Walt Disney World and New York as well. To see the Fallon clip, you can go to the website Kris Allen Nation . Well worth the time- funny as all get out!

Revelation

Just listened to Fight for Love, the follow-up album to the debut disc by Elliott Yamin. We all knew the man from American Idol Season Five could sing, but whoa!

This is the work I've been waiting for. Quite the surprise! Elliott wraps his warm but manly voice around some pretty excellent tunes. The title song is really the first great one on the album, but it just keeps getting better. From You Say all the way through Someday, the artistry and heart felt delivery result in a disc that is stronger than the first one. No sophomore slump here! Production is crisp and styles are varied. But it is Elliott's voice that's the defining element, and it is used to wonderful effect on all the backgound vocals.

The biggest revelation? Elliott can write them as well as sing them. In fact, the best songs here come right from his pen.

Messing with the Pack

Adam Lambert can sing. He can peform. He can also get a bit full of himself as evidenced by Tuesday and Wednesday night's American Idol. The voters had it wrong. He deserved to go home. Why?

Pure and simple, he disrespected the genre. Messed with the Rat Pack. Sang as if he was above the great masters like Sinatra and Martin. Or even the new leaders of the pack like Michael Buble. Between the ego and the performance, it was time to go.
Matt Giraud deserved to stay. His song choice was awful- "My Funny Valentine" is just a boring song- but he is a talented, soulful singer.

Kris Allen was good and convincing (as usual), but it was Danny Gokey who rocked the night with the best peformance of his Idol career.

Let's be honest, Adam will shine next week and should probably do a Queen song. He does have the right combination of showmanship, lounge singer and sleaze. (Kara DioGuardi totally nailed the "x" factor here- the thing I couldn't put my finger on!) The next few weeks will be very, very interesting!

All American Boy

Nice piece on USA Today about Kris Allen, American Idol, and how he stacks up compared to the previous front runners, Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert (very well, thank you). Shades of Chris Daughtry and Elliott Yamin from Season Five. Go here.

Rising and Falling Stars

Recapping last night's American Idol:

Danny Gokey- Nice guy, great voice, warm smile. Totally authentic. I like him, but why don’t I think he’ll go the distance? Must be song choice. "PYT" was terrific, but it has been a mixed bag since. Very, very solid. I’m rooting for him to hit the top three. Yes, sometimes, nice guys do finish first.

Adam Lambert- Last night’s performance showed a delicate phrasing reminiscent of a young George Michael. Definite stage presence, but he is a bit difficult to watch since his Elvis look a couple of weeks ago. I keep thinking kd lang here. Is America ready for its first gay idol? Probably, we’ve had them before- just didn’t always know it up front!

Kris Allen- He keeps getting better. Terrific voice and growing confidence. Knows how to "play" with the songs, changing each one to make it his own. Maybe last night’s Don Henley cover wasn’t his best- it was original- but give the kid a break. It was his first average performance so far. He may not end up the top dog, but he’s got my vote for best and most versatile voice.

Matt Giraud- Too cool. To tackle Stevie Wonder and give his song a new swing and lift it never had- wow! I’ll buy this song. Growing in confidence as a performer. A family friendly young Justin Timberlake. Give the man a contract.

Allison Iraheta - Once I heard she was going to cover the classic Bonnie Raitt song, I said, "If she can show some restraint with this, it will be amazing." She did- and finally won me over by showing she is more than a one trick rocking horse.

The rest: Lil Rounds, it’s time to go. Powerful voice, nice gal, but predictable. Anoop, above average potential with the right producer and image maker. Scott, hate to say it, but he should have departed a long time ago. Nice, talented folks, but none are in the league of those above.