Tonights AMERICAN IDOL

[sunburnwilly]

America voted for boring and safe .

[Daddy Dee]

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Kris Allen picked up the “American Idol” title on Wednesday night, and while it may have shocked some media pundits who were expecting an Adam Lambert victory, a source close to the show revealed the final vote was not even close.

A top FOX source told Access Hollywood that the vote left Kris as the clear winner by a large margin.

[Tom Adams]

Personally, I too think Adam should've won. I know many folks say he's a screamer and in some respects he is. But what rock "legends" haven't been at one point or another?? Robert Plant? Steven Tyler? Freddie Mercury? Brian Johnson? The list goes on & on. But if you take the time to really listen to Adam's voice and get past the screaming, you'll find that he's got a very good set of pipes. Folks that have done some serious singing or been around trained singers know what I'm talking about. And to the karaoke critics I say try and do what he does. I'm confident in saying many have no idea how difficult it is to hit the notes he hits or to do a controlled slide up or down to a note. Here's a clue - he doesn't rely on vibrato to maintain pitch. Ever try to sing a note on pitch? I mean, open your mouth and just HIT a note and be dead on. Anyhow....in my mind, at some point, American Idol - whether intentionally or unintentionally - "typecast" Adam in that screamer role and I think Adam knew that was the ball he had to run with.

Kris Allen??? Honestly, my problem with him was him not being what I think he should've been all season. And that was illustrated on the last night when he sang with Keith Urban. I told my wife almost at the beginning of the season that Kris was not gonna sing anything that came even CLOSE to country music 'cause he knows that country singers never make it. Even worse - they get crappy reviews from the judges. Yet from the beginning I said that Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Rodney Adkins, etc. were in Kris' wheel house and he could knock music like that out the park. So there he is with Keith Urban and he sounds more like Keith than Keith does! But true to form Kris stayed away from "country". Even the night when they were to sing a country song, he picked some traditional country song, rearranged it and then did a "safe" performance without much relationship to "country". I have no way to prove this, but I believe it was a calculated move on his part. And if it was - more power to him for he got where he wanted to go. Personally, I wish he'd have embraced his ability to sing contemporary/rock country during the season for he could've really shined.

In the end, I believe they will both make crazy money. Adam will try the recording artist thing, but end up on Broadway. Kris will go to Nashville and become as big as Kenny Chesney.

Tom

[fini]

Tell you the truth, my favorite was 17 (barely) year old Alison Iraheta. Colter, you should look up some of her performances. Definitely a soulful singer.

[jdm56]

I'm glad Kris won. He is a solid talent and can sing practically anything. Adam is very talented, too, but is much more limited, imo. Practically every genre he attempted, he turned into a glam-rock shriekfest, yet was never criticized for it.

Did Adam suffer because of his possible sexual preferences? I never heard him state his preference, but if you look like he does, people are just gonna make assumptions. So, he probably did lose more votes than he gained, just due to his "look" -the make-up, clothes, etc. But that was all his choice. He could have toned it down and perhaps he would have won.

I'm looking forward to Kris and Danny's first albums!

[Mr. RF62]

Alexis Grace was the one I wished had won, she has a great voice.

[oscarsear]

I think Adam could have won but lost over the length of the season because he periodically went over board in his appearance. Had he worked to appear more mainstream most of the time he'd have won. I don't think he wanted to win that way so he flew his freak flag and lost because of it. He is good, but his tendency to yowl, howl was nails on a chalkboard at times. I fully agree with Fini, Alison was the real stand out. What we got was more of a settle-for winner than the best singer. Yet, I lose track of AL winners after their shows anyway. The new material they get to sing just pales in comparison to how they performed some of the older stuff during the competition. That or I am just an old geezer.

[BigStewMan]

Did Adam suffer because of his possible sexual preferences? I never heard him state his preference, but if you look like he does, people are just gonna make assumptions. So, he probably did lose more votes than he gained, just due to his "look" -the make-up, clothes, etc.

I read on a news website about a month ago, that apparently some photos surfaced of him kissing other men, he was asked if he was gay and would neither confirm nor deny it, answer that he is who he is.
after the show, i saw an interview with him and he said it was "symbolic" that he sang freddie mercury's part with Queen.
I think he is very good, and freddie mercury was in my opinion, without a doubt, the best male vocalist ever. I do think that Adam going over the top at some point in every song would get tiresome eventually. he would be a much better show; however, I'd probably rather listen to a CD of Kris'.

[fini]

I think he is very good, and freddie mercury was in my opinion, without a doubt, the best male vocalist ever.

BigStew, you're forgetting Boxcar Willie.

[Daddy Dee]

indeed

[BigStewMan]

I think he is very good, and freddie mercury was in my opinion, without a doubt, the best male vocalist ever.

 

BigStew, you're forgetting Boxcar Willie.

you are kidding, aren't you?

[skonopa]

And to the karaoke critics I say try and do what he does. I'm confident in saying many have no idea how difficult it is to hit the notes he hits or to do a controlled slide up or down to a note. Here's a clue - he doesn't rely on vibrato to maintain pitch. Ever try to sing a note on pitch? I mean, open your mouth and just HIT a note and be dead on.

I don't need to try what he does. I know plenty of artists that are far more capable than just about anybody that I've ever seen come from thise "Idol" shows, as well as actually produce far more engaging/interesting music in the process. Maybe if these "Idol" artists actually try something more interesting than just rehashing the same old tired mainstream crap over and over again, I may actually be impressed with thier output. Everthing that I've ever seen come out of these 'Idol' shows to me only seems to suggest it is really nothing more than just a glorified karaoke contest. Just like 'coltorphoto1' said in an earlier post, "Hey, I have like 400 LP's of REAL ARTISTS here to listen to. I don't need TV's 'made-up' artists-du-jour, thanks."

I think I'll just continue to listen to artists that actually are willing to put out music that is not a reshash of the same mainstream commercial crap, such as Suspyre, Darkwater, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Xystus, Within Temptation, Leverage, Keldian, The Dreamside, Adamantra, Thought Chamber, Mindwarp Chamber, Mind's Eye, Primal Fear, Serenity, Human Fortress, Stratovarius, and the list goes on and on and on (at least another 700+ artists in taking stock of my own collection). No need for the "TV 'mad-up' artists-du-jour" for me, as far as I am concerned. Hey, obviously people enjoy it, so be it, but don't even try to convince me that this represents the pinnicle of what music has to offer, as I know for fact that it isn't. Popular, yes, but the "be all, end all" of music? Not even close.

[toddvj]

Normally I just ignore the nay-sayers, but I think there is a point to be made here. Most of the contestants are already "starving musicians" before they come on the show. Some have had recording contracts, some are struggling in the bar scene, etc. Look up almost any of the contestants and you'll probably find some music that they self-released or had released by a smaller independent company.

Sure the producers of the show want to make it look like it is just a bunch of kids walking in off the street, but if you look during the "auditions," you'll notice they are always reading the contestants' resumes as they walk in the door. I have no doubt in my mind that the people that are going to make it through are pre-determined (at least for the most part), and they just throw in a few nut-jobs to make it look legit. How much of the contest is real, and how much is rigged, I don't know. I think the voting is real, but it is clear that the judges are there to steer public opinion toward the artist they feel is the most "commercially viable."

The music industry is a business, it's no secret, it has been for a long time. They are there to make money, plain and simple.

The fact is, it's hard to make it in the music industry, but if it's what you want to do, swallowing your pride, and going on American Idol is one way to make it. Are you "selling out" when you go on the show? Maybe. But the fact is, win or lose, you are going to get noticed. These kids are household names once they're on the show.

So you do your time, fulfill your obligation to 19 records, then go out on your own as a well-known artist and make the music you want to make.

I don't think anyone is saying that American Idol is the pinnicle of what music has to offer. For the most part, the show is very, very cheesy. It's fun to watch, though, and whether or not you like the artists' type of music, they do manage to "discover" some real talent.

One American Idol alumnus, Carrie Underwood, came from nothing to be a huge superstar in country music. She is possibly the most popular artist in country music today. She has sold millions of records, won grammies and CMA awards. And that's without "rehashing the same mainstream commercial crap." I don't listen to that type of music, and wouldn't personally buy her albums, but I also wouldn't lump her in to the category of "made-up pop stars."

And to skonopa, those are some interesting bands, nice list. I'll have to check them out. I checked a couple out, I would have never heard of them (except Nightwish) otherwise. Which is sort-of my point. Although, I suppose if they were more well known, they would lose some of the "coolness" factor that they have? I do think that Adam Lambert, from this season's American Idol, has the chops to front just about any of those bands, if that is what he chose to do. And that's what I think he's best suited to do, be a front-man for a rock or heavy metal band.

[skonopa]

And to skonopa, those are some interesting bands, nice list. I'll have to check them out. I checked a couple out, I would have never heard of them (except Nightwish) otherwise. Which is sort-of my point. Although, I suppose if they were more well known, they would lose some of the "coolness" factor that they have? I do think that Adam Lambert, from this season's American Idol, has the chops to front just about any of those bands, if that is what he chose to do. And that's what I think he's best suited to do, be a front-man for a rock or heavy metal band.

You know, that is always a fine line. I would love to see a truly talented band such as Suspyre get more exposure and sell a lot of records, but at the same time, we all hope that they don't "water down" or "mainstream" thier sound. That was some of the criticism that was being leveraged towards Nightwish in recent years, especially with thier most recent album, Dark Passion Play. There was group of folks that say this was coming off as "too commercial" or "too poppy". I personally like the album myself (although I'll admit that I like thier previous album, Once, a bit better). I did get to personally see these guys perform and meet them one-on-one. They really do care about thier fans and love to make thier music. If they can make money on top of it as well - all the more better as far as I am concerned.

You are correct that for the most part, the music industry is a business out to make money, and I like to see my favorite artists make the money, so they can continue to produce albums (and why I try to buy thier albums whenever possible, or at least attempt to download thier music from legitimate sites, such as eMusic or Amazon, if unable to get the actual disk for some reason or another). But at the same time, I also hope that my favorite artists put the music before the money, and don't sacrifice thier music in some vain attempt to make it "more accessible" or "more commercial", thus ultimately becoming, "more boring".

Also, I know all to well how difficult it is to make it in the music industry. Several of those bands that I've listed off are actually pretty darn good friends of mine, such as the Sonata Arctica and Suspyre guys. I remember how excited Clay (the lead singer of Suspyre) was when he found out how I drove all the way up to Allentown, PA from Fredericksburg, VA (easily a good 4-hour drive) just to see them perform. The guys from Odin's Court (another band that was playing that night), put me up with them for the night so I did not have to drive all the way back that night! Believe me, I've personally see it and it sucks when really good, talented bands like that can barely break out of the local club scene, yet we have to put up with the Britteny Spears, Jonus Brothers, N-Sync kinda of tripe, that could barely sing themselves out of paper bag, yet still sell millions of records and make money hand over fist. I'll have to admit that the talent that I've seen on American Idol is definitly much better than the typical "pop-diva" or "boy band" type of crap. If that Adam Lambert dude (or for that matter, any of the "Idol" artists) does end up fronting a band producing the type of music that I like, and turns out to be really good, I would certainly have no problem in supporting him/them and buying thier album or going to a show.

I guess in the end, from what little American Idol I was exposed to, I was not really that impressed with what I saw and just never bothered to pay any more attention to it, prefering to seek out my music in other ways.

[Hifi jim]

I guess in the end, from what little American Idol I was exposed to, I was not really that impressed with what I saw and just never bothered to pay any more attention to it, prefering to seek out my music in other ways.

I agree. It reminds me of something John Mayer (and I'm no John Mayer fan) said on Eric Claptons Crossroads DVD, and I'm paraphrasing here: Good music needs a host, someone to pass it along to a friend and say, here listen to this! I have to agree with that statement. Most of my favorite artists are either from pre 1978, before corporate greed killed the music industry, or as Mayer points out it was introduced to me by a friend or acquaintance. None of the current music that is played on pop radio, or for that matter "pop TV" interests me in the least. I've seen and heard all of the popular American Idols, and it's just not my cup of tea. Polished pop crap is not where my musical heart is. What Simon, Paula and Randy think is great music is far different than my opinion. I'm a fan of the Indie rock movement which sounds to my ears more like rock from the '70s. Just my 2 cents.

[BigStewMan]

i read yesterday a quote from Brian May of Queen. He said that he and Roger Taylor didn't have a chance to sit down and talk with Adam, and they hoped to have a meaningful discussion with him soon. In response, adam said that there is no way he could turn down an offer from Queen, but he wanted to do some of his own material too. personally, i would rather listen to adam sing than paul rogers. Glad that they have parted ways with rogers--great with bad company; but, not working with Queen.

Not sure how it is in the music industry; but, this generation of professional athletes seems to be divas. I would hope that Adam would see what a great opportunity this could be and relish the chance to learn from some amazing musicians and song writers. I remember seeing Queen on American Idol a few seasons ago. They showed part where the band is rehearsing with the contestant. This one hot shot wanted to change some song around and Brian May said, "NO. I just can't do that to one of my songs."

[fini]

i read yesterday a quote from Brian May of Queen. He said that he and Roger Taylor didn't have a chance to sit down and talk with Adam, and they hoped to have a meaningful discussion with him soon. In response, adam said that there is no way he could turn down an offer from Queen, but he wanted to do some of his own material too. personally, i would rather listen to adam sing than paul rogers.

If Adam really wants to blow people away, he'll revive groups like The Kingston Trio (his voice isn't quite as deep as John Stewart's, but we're talking streeeeetch)....

[BigStewMan]

i like the kingston trio a lot. grew up listening to them