Oh Dear God, this is what it has come to. I think in the life of every blog there will be an American Idol moment, will there not? Yes, there will and here is this blog’s. But before we get started, I need to make some things clear. A) I do not watch American Idol, and I am not “into” American Idol. My Sweet Lady watches American Idol. I join with her because I am into her and it is something we do together. B) In addition to making wicked mixed tapes, I would make a hell of an A&R man. (That’s music biz speak for Artists and Repertory, which means finding and developing the talent. See, I’d do good, right?)
So, with those things being said, I’d like to lay out the State of the Idol for you. First of all, Tim Urban is hanging by the skin of his teeth which is why he shows them so much. I actually don’t think the guy is a bad singer, and he could pull off a power pop thing if he worked at it. Unfortunately Tim Urban does not know what power pop means. Right now he has the Jonas brothers crapping their pants and no one else cares. Bye, Tim!
Aaron is going too. Nice kid, but he’s too young for his voice. I thought he did a nice job with the Aerosmith song but let’s face it, even Aerosmith sucked until they got way into drugs and then sobered up. I’m not recommending that Aaron Kelly do all the smack in LA between now and the finale. I’m suggesting that he will get it done in time and then rock our worlds.
Little Katie Stevens is like a china doll who is very lovely but not really something anyone feels comfortable taking off the shelf. She’s got Aaron’s problem too, and I don’t see her doing smack. She will be very popular at her high school and college, so that is something. And as long as we are being honest, Siobhan is just weird. I did not like it when Alex Lambert screamed, and I don’t like it when Siobhan Magnus screams. Points for originality? Sure. I hope those will get her upgraded to business class on the way home.
Speaking of people who need a larger seat, Michael Lynche really made me happy when he first did his thing. I was looking forward to seeing where he would take it. Unfortunately, it seems as if that is all he’s got. I still liked Mike’s act on “Eleanor Rigby” but I can understand that it has grown old for most everybody. My Sweet Lady did not like his style from the get-go, and apparently she is not alone.
So, then we get down to the group who could actually win. No, I have not forgotten Andrew Garcia. “Forever” proved that “Straight Up” was not a fluke. I think he is circling around the mark and just might hit it right on time to win big. He could also be circling around the drain of course; he’s a long shot. So is Crystal, by the way. She does not sound so much like she is singing in a bar anymore, but she is right in the middle of the Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge, Janis Joplin rhombus. Not a bad rhombus to be in, as rhombi go, but we have seen those acts before.
We have not seen a lot of bagpipe in pop music recently, however, especially not those of us in khaki cargo shorts and American Eagle polos who frequent Dave Matthews’s solo gigs. It’s possible that they would go to a Lee DeWyze concert and never know the difference. That might be good for ticket sales, but it’s bad for winning Idhal. Ill considered as it was, the bagpipe was a good sign that LeeBo is willing to take a risk. He’s hungry but surging and just might peak at the right time to win the whole thing.
Casey James’ peak may be the highest of them all based on his lofty starting point. Seriously, did you see him standing next to Ryan Seacrest (and please excuse me as I now have to vomit in the trashcan because of my own banality.) Casey James is a tall man which means he will never have a muffin top which means I must hate him. Of greater concern was a tendancy to hew to closely to a Bowersox-ish bar band sound. He is rapidly accellerating away from that planet, but Newton’s First Law applies to Idol contestants as well as apples. Casey of the golden hair may be peaking too soon. He may also be on a long arc which will carry him through the show and beyond.
At this point, I feel like I should apologize to my Sweet Lady and the other person who is still reading. Eight hundred words? On American Idol? Was this really necessary? Obviously not. It’s @michealfmuller’s fault. He’s the one who got me thinking. I’m the one with the blog though, so ultimately this one’s on me. If you post something on your blog about Dancing with the Stars, I promise to follow the link and leave the page open for 10 minutes or so.