Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
"American" Idol?
Change we can believe in?
The Virginia Governor has declared April Confederate History Month.
Once again, "American" Idol has lived down to its history of relegating superior black singers to the back of the pack.
Please tell me you understand why those two statements go together.
Change we can believe in? Really?
(There. I finally said it.)
The Virginia Governor has declared April Confederate History Month.
Once again, "American" Idol has lived down to its history of relegating superior black singers to the back of the pack.
Please tell me you understand why those two statements go together.
Change we can believe in? Really?
(There. I finally said it.)
Hey Lee - It's a SAD song!
There were a lot of good things about tonight (Siobhan) and some very good (Big Mike, Crystal, Casey). But there was one thing that has me very angry and since this blog has always been all about me, I need to get it out of my system. Lee not only butchered Hey Jude but completely misrepresented the song. Singing badly I can handle. But did he bother to read the lyrics or get the history of the song which is a song Paul McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's son Julian during his parents' divorce? Uh, grinning ear to ear and shouting, "Everybody put your hands together", isn't typically the way one handles a young boy losing his home life. The whole way he sang the song (uptempo, shouting, toe tapping, clapping) was just so, so wrong and I am really quite angry about it. And musically, it is one of those songs that can't be shortened without ruining it. It reminded me of Michael Johns trying to do A Day in the Life a few years ago.
And what was with the freaking bagpipe?
OK - with that beginning to get out of my system, I can review the rest of the night. Everybody else was OK to great including Teflon Tim who seems destined to be with us another week. I will say the show felt too long to me at two hours maybe because everybody sang fairly slow tempo songs. Even though Crystal was fabulous - again - I really wish she had taken my first choice for her of Helter Skelter which would have broken up the mood of the evening created by so many somber songs. I do like the behind the scenes looks as they give us a better idea of the personalities of the Idolists which is so important to their stage personae.
I am also feeling a bit like the rest of the season doesn't matter for me because I don't really care who wins at this point although I so want Tim and his smile gone. I already know whose records I want to buy - Crystal's, Big Mike's and if matched with the right songwriters and producers, Siobhan's. The fun for me at this point is seeing how the Idolists change and grow, e.g. Casey showing a really soulful, sensitive side tonight or what My Girl Siobhan will wear each week.
As to tonight, Big Mike was my big winner. He sounded like Bebe Winans of contemporary gospel music fame and his version of Eleanor Rigby is ready for urban radio right now. Simon, who doesn't get gospel or R&B, won't understand.
Crystal was, again, Crystal. At this point she only needs to be compared to herself. I did recommend Come Together as a possible song for her and I thought what she did with was really cool. She does need to make more eye contact, though. Still, she is totally radio ready.
Casey finally showed us he is not a one-trick bar-singing pony. Jealous Guy (a John Lennon song from his album Imagine) was tender, sensitive, soulful and gave us an expanded perspective on who he is as an artist.
I've got My Girl Siobhan slightly below them tonight. She has the best pure voice in the competition and she gave a technically perfect performance of Across the Universe that was, unfortunately, a bit too restrained. Still, a great recovery for her from last week.
The rest: Aaron seemed to struggle with his voice tonight. It had no power at all. His arrangement of Long and Winding Road just laid there with nothing happening. He does need to sing an uptempo song - he should have taken my advice!
Katie is SOOOOO cute and telegenic but vocally she's just one of a zillion other 17-year olds out there who have nice voices. It was her best performance to date but just go ahead and download Jennifer Hudson's version of Let it Be.
Andrew made a good song choice with Can't Buy Me Love and his Jason Mraz-y take on it was alright but nothing worth remembering.
That leaves Tim. The following are real quotes from Diandra. First, she held her head and whined, "I'm melting", in the voice of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. Then this exchange:
Christine: Do you know who he reminds me of?
Diandra: Satan?
Need I say more?
And what was with the freaking bagpipe?
OK - with that beginning to get out of my system, I can review the rest of the night. Everybody else was OK to great including Teflon Tim who seems destined to be with us another week. I will say the show felt too long to me at two hours maybe because everybody sang fairly slow tempo songs. Even though Crystal was fabulous - again - I really wish she had taken my first choice for her of Helter Skelter which would have broken up the mood of the evening created by so many somber songs. I do like the behind the scenes looks as they give us a better idea of the personalities of the Idolists which is so important to their stage personae.
I am also feeling a bit like the rest of the season doesn't matter for me because I don't really care who wins at this point although I so want Tim and his smile gone. I already know whose records I want to buy - Crystal's, Big Mike's and if matched with the right songwriters and producers, Siobhan's. The fun for me at this point is seeing how the Idolists change and grow, e.g. Casey showing a really soulful, sensitive side tonight or what My Girl Siobhan will wear each week.
As to tonight, Big Mike was my big winner. He sounded like Bebe Winans of contemporary gospel music fame and his version of Eleanor Rigby is ready for urban radio right now. Simon, who doesn't get gospel or R&B, won't understand.
Crystal was, again, Crystal. At this point she only needs to be compared to herself. I did recommend Come Together as a possible song for her and I thought what she did with was really cool. She does need to make more eye contact, though. Still, she is totally radio ready.
Casey finally showed us he is not a one-trick bar-singing pony. Jealous Guy (a John Lennon song from his album Imagine) was tender, sensitive, soulful and gave us an expanded perspective on who he is as an artist.
I've got My Girl Siobhan slightly below them tonight. She has the best pure voice in the competition and she gave a technically perfect performance of Across the Universe that was, unfortunately, a bit too restrained. Still, a great recovery for her from last week.
The rest: Aaron seemed to struggle with his voice tonight. It had no power at all. His arrangement of Long and Winding Road just laid there with nothing happening. He does need to sing an uptempo song - he should have taken my advice!
Katie is SOOOOO cute and telegenic but vocally she's just one of a zillion other 17-year olds out there who have nice voices. It was her best performance to date but just go ahead and download Jennifer Hudson's version of Let it Be.
Andrew made a good song choice with Can't Buy Me Love and his Jason Mraz-y take on it was alright but nothing worth remembering.
That leaves Tim. The following are real quotes from Diandra. First, she held her head and whined, "I'm melting", in the voice of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. Then this exchange:
Christine: Do you know who he reminds me of?
Diandra: Satan?
Need I say more?
Monday, April 5, 2010
Lennon-McCartney Week and I Pick the Songs
First, let's get the blindingly obvious out of the way. The catalogue of Lennon-McCartney is epic in it's breadth and depth. Therefore, to predict what the Idolists will sing is folly. But it's my blog so I get to tell them what I want them to sing. So here we go, in no particular order:
Casey: Back in the USSR, an old-school style rocker with guitar licks he can play with.
Crystal: I hear a bunch of songs for her but a cool stretch she could pull off is Helter Skelter; I also hear "Crystal-ized" versions of Blackbird, Come Together, or Eleanor Rigby.
Siobhan: Let It Be. Just sing it straight up and let everybody hear what a great voice you have and that you can be taken seriously.
Andrew: an Andrew-ed version of Hard Day's Night.
Aaron: he should bring his country-twang to either Eight Days a Week or Ticket to Ride.
Katie: she's probably going to get skewered no matter what but let's give her something upbeat and catchy like Can't Buy Me Love or Paperback Writer.
Big Mike: If he wants to break out of his R&B comfort zone, I would love to hear him sing Lady Madonna. But I think he could stay in his R&B comfort zone and still blow everybody away with the Stevie Wonder version of We Can Work It Out (on my short-list of all time favorite covers).
Lee: Day Tripper is a perfect rock type song for him. A possible alternative is Drive My Car.
Tim: BANNED FROM SINGING THE BEATLES!!!! And he should be convicted of a hate crime if he sings Yesterday.
Casey: Back in the USSR, an old-school style rocker with guitar licks he can play with.
Crystal: I hear a bunch of songs for her but a cool stretch she could pull off is Helter Skelter; I also hear "Crystal-ized" versions of Blackbird, Come Together, or Eleanor Rigby.
Siobhan: Let It Be. Just sing it straight up and let everybody hear what a great voice you have and that you can be taken seriously.
Andrew: an Andrew-ed version of Hard Day's Night.
Aaron: he should bring his country-twang to either Eight Days a Week or Ticket to Ride.
Katie: she's probably going to get skewered no matter what but let's give her something upbeat and catchy like Can't Buy Me Love or Paperback Writer.
Big Mike: If he wants to break out of his R&B comfort zone, I would love to hear him sing Lady Madonna. But I think he could stay in his R&B comfort zone and still blow everybody away with the Stevie Wonder version of We Can Work It Out (on my short-list of all time favorite covers).
Lee: Day Tripper is a perfect rock type song for him. A possible alternative is Drive My Car.
Tim: BANNED FROM SINGING THE BEATLES!!!! And he should be convicted of a hate crime if he sings Yesterday.
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