Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for coming back to this blog week after week and commenting. My desire with this blog is to show you the way that I see American Idol. Last year, I had the top 2 pegged from Hollywood Week … And by top 10 week, I had accurately predicted every elimination for the rest of the season.
This season is entirely different. The talent is fantastic throughout the top 10 and week by week the performers change.
I read a comment this morning about how I never say anything good about Adam Lambert. So I want to clear this up. Adam Lambert is a great singer. I am a big fan of Jeff Buckley and there are moments that Adam sounds just like him. (Side note – his version of “Ring of Fire” was not from Jeff Buckley – it was a Dilana arrangement.) I am also a huge Freddie Mercury fan. As a singer – these guys are my heroes. They do things with their voice that are impossible to most guys. And so does Adam.
I thought Adam’s rendition of “Mad World” was the best performance of the season.
I’m a fan of Danny Gokey because:
a) He is a friend of mine
b) We come from similar musical backgrounds
c) An artist is someone who shares an emotional experience with others and Danny has experienced a vast array that he can share through his music – I think his story would be a good contribution to our world of music
Next – I say this is the best top group not because everyone is better than David Cook or Carrie Underwood. That would be rubbish. I say this is the best Top 10 because everyone is so distinctly different. And they are all good. Not all groups of Top 10 were like that.
Lil has delivered disappointing performances the last couple of weeks, but let’s not forget that everyone was RAVING about her during the semifinals. I understand where she is mentally. When you are told over and over again that you are disappointing the audience, you become very insecure. Week by week, you get more and more nervous. You start to worry more about the success of your season than your own personal success and it makes you even more nervous. Performing under that pressure is IMPOSSIBLE. It’s impossible because you are wound up and tight and self-conscious. A great performance requires vulnerability – such as Adam showed last night. If she could forget about the pressure of winning and just let go, she would begin to shine again. Though she may be going home tonight.
The best thing that could possibly happen for Adam now is that he doesn’t win. If he gets voted off early, hundreds of thousands of Idol fans will buy his CD the first day it comes out just to show their support. And by not winning, he will have more time to focus on writing his album and doing the music he wants to do. I think he has a better shot at superstar status if he doesn’t win. BUT, I could be wrong…
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AMEN BROTHER!!!!
Phil, thank you for posting again. A welcome surprise!
1) I stand corrected on the Dilana arrangement. When Lambert performed Ring of Fire I thought I heard Randy Jackson comment on it being a Buckley cover. Regardless, I was wrong and I apologize.
2) I understand and agree with your opinion of it being more beneficial if Adam is voted off early. I just don’t see it happening. I would be curious to find out just how long the winners are “locked in” contractually for. Kelly Clarkson is so talented that for several years I really didn’t register “American Idol” when I heard her music. I see the same with Adam Lambert. And I see much bigger things for his career.
3) You are uniquely qualified to host this blog. You’ve been there, you know many of the contestants and understand the pressures. I would like to see more of those insights, and the last couple weeks have been vast improvements.
All the best.
Hard to tell if you are better off or not. Carrie Underwood did great as winner, and Chris Daughtry has absolutely blown everyone away, and he was voted off early (not because I didn’t vote for him, he was an early fav of mine).
Thanks for the added notes Phil.
Randy and Ryan did attribute Adam’s take on Ring of Fire as from a Jeff Buckley version–I never found any Jeff Buckley version out there and I have 3 CDs, so this is confusing. The Middle Eastern flair was def similar to the Dilana Robichaux version from Rock Star Supernova. Hmmm…
Actually, I must confess that upon listening to Adam’s ROF version as opposed to watching it, I didn’t hate it so much. I think his preening during that song put me off more than the arrangement or his vocals. He has stopped preening so much and I think his performances are better for it. Its now much more about the music and less about his awesomeness. On the other hand, I think Danny is going in the opposite direction. It’s now less about the music and more about Danny’s awesomeness. I cannot put that in technical musical terms its just my emotional response to their recent performances.
I think Adam will win this year and rightly so.
Oh…and I have heard of the Eagles and Don Henley. The 80’s and early 90′were lost to me musically because I was too darn busy working! Now that I’m unemployed I’m trying to be more cool!
I had DVR’d Idol last night, and I was ticked that it stopped recording right before Adam was going to sing. If they would just dump Paula or limit her to 1000 words or so, this wouldn’t happen. I’m also tired of Simon interrupting her. Dude Simon, it’s hard enough waiting for Rainbow Abdul to finish up…quit making it worse.
Again, no one is talking about Matt Girard on here. I think he is one of the strongest of the contestants when it comes to picture music he will do in the future. Adam is a god, but too much of his stuff goes by the hairband way. Finally, can the judges quit descriminating (yes, i said it) against Scott? He’s not that good!! Tell him the truth despite his challenge for god’s sake! It’s amazing how people change their tone when speaking with people that have a disability. They need to be treated the same. So, therefore, Scott, it’s been horrific and it’s time to go home.
By the way, Phil. Your pic above still slays me. It’s like you are staring straight through to my soul. Anchors Aweigh…..
Scott goes home. Results were as I expected. Adam is the hands down winner. The question now is who goes next. My musical test is more on the Carrie Underwood side but Adam grows on you. What a voice. What a future he has in front of him.
Amazing to look at the music world and pick out the Idol talent.
After NEVER missing a show for 7 seasons, this year Wednesday nights have become family movie night, just can’t stand the group songs, just painful to watch. But really? Isn’t that what the tour is all about? I have never seen one but I get the idea that is the whole show, maybe not. The last three weeks have discovered turning on the show at 5 till and I still get the results. Scott sang better…not surprising…once the pressure is off the true talent can shine. Like I have said before, when we saw Phil Stacey at Central Christian we were BLOWN away and thought if America could have heard THIS show, he would have clearly been the American Idol!