After Season 5 of AI when Taylor Hicks won, Idol apparently thought they had lost control of selecting the winner and gave us Season 6 – without a doubt, the worst season of AI ever. Season 8 saw the producers thwarted again with Kris Allen winning over Adam Lambert, the judges favorite. Not going to let that happen with Season 9. Nope, we want a girl with a guitar to win. I believe Simon said he hoped to find a “Taylor Swift”.
So we get stuck with the weakest boy finalists ever and a bunch of girl clones. I don’t know what the producers strategy was, but it’s NOT working. I will be watching NCIS on Tuesday nights and may or may not watch the girls on Wednesday. The results show – no way.
The good news is I can get caught up on my reading.
Tribute to Lilly Scott (one of the most gifted singers and musicians ever on Idol)
Country singers are really getting the blues lately. What a great mix. Country is the new rock n roll. I like it.
Ryan Bingham is one guy who is really gaining a following with his Americana charged tunes. I would love to see AI contestants Crystal Bowersox, Casey James or Lilly Scott give him a try,
Ryan Bingham has spent most of his life on the road, first on the rough-and-tumble rodeo circuit, then moving from town to town on the equally volatile roadhouse musical circuit. Those travels have given him plenty of material to draw from – and plenty of reason to stop for a moment to dig in his heels and take a stand.
That’s exactly what the Texas-bred troubadour does on his second Lost Highway album, Roadhouse Sun, a hardscrabble collection that’s at once unblinkingly personal and unapologetically political – the latter a new and bracingly vivid addition to Bingham’s palette. The expanded consciousness bursts to the surface of several cuts on Roadhouse Sun – nowhere more movingly than on “Dylan’s Hard Rain”, a stark look into the darker corners of an America in which the storm its namesake sang of has blown through.
“With all that’s happened politically and economically in the last couple of years, I felt like there was a lot to say,” explains the 28-year-old singer-songwriter. “As a young person, I felt like it was time to get involved, to write something that wasn’t just about Saturday nights in bars. And as far as Dylan? Things that were happening back then are still happening. Things keep repeating themselves.”
This years American Idol was overhyped even more than the last few seasons. Out of thousands of male contestants, the judges and producers managed to pick the most uncharismatic, most untalented, and most out of tune male singers ever. The bottom of the pack is probably not much worse than usual, but where are the 2 or 3 great male singers?
Lee Dewyze? He is the only male that can sing and command the stage. The other frontrunners are all overhyped and in any high school talent contest across the country. Casey James – great guitar player but can’t sing. Aaron Kelly – good for a 16 year old but so what.
I’m guessing that AI really stacked the deck in favor of the girls this year. At this point in the competition, at least 7 girls are still in the running. I can’t wait for the top 12 so we don’t have to keep listening to all boy nights.
I planned on reviewing the top 12 boys and top 12 girls. But is was just too painful listening to them once – can’t make myself do it again. I have to admit I fell for the hype and actually believed Idol had all these great girl singers this year. Not!
The 2 girls I was looking forward to were Didi Benami and Crystal Bowersox.. Neither were at the top of their game. I think Crystal really made a mistake playing the harmonica. At this stage of the contest, she needs to wow us with her voice. She should have saved the harmonica for a breakout moment after she makes the Top 12. She used her magic bullet when she didn’t need to. Lilly Scott is my pick for dark horse and a couple of good performances could move her up the leader board.
If there are any great performances, I will probably post about them. Otherwise, I will start posting when we reach the Top 12.
Two things I want to hear in a song are melody and emotion. A great range isn’t needed to win Idol, but singing the melody in tune is. If I had a daughter trying out for Idol, I would encourage her to listen to the great singers from the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s as well as listening to a few of the jazz greats. I would stay away from well known current artists, unless I was sure my take on the song was so unique it wouldn’t be compared to the original. But “borrowing” the arrangement of an old song by a current artist has served many Idol contestants well.
So first thing to do is yo decide what your style is and stick to it (unless its not working). Decide what style of music you want to sing and then each week, arrange your song to match your style. If you can find an arrangement you like that matches your style, go for it.
Next, I would identify my go to singers – singer/songwriters are best. Here’s my list of 10 of the most influential female singers of the last 50 years. Obviously I picked my favorites. I’m especially looking for great singers that did a great cover of another artist’s work.
Who else should be on the list?
Melody Gardot singing the Beatles “Because” at Abbey Road Studio. Melody makes it her own with a hauntingly beautiful version.
Mary Chapin Carpenter sings Down at the Twist and Shout - a great song for country week.
Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) sings The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Which is better – Mary or Roberta?
Joni Mitchell sings You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio. Prolific singer/songwriter.
Amy Grant covers Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi.
Nina Simone – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. This is how you make a song your own.
Rickie Lee Jones – Chuck E’s in Love. If a contestant ever pulls this off, it means guaranteed top 5.
Aretha Franklin cover of Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
Eva Cassidy covers Ain’t No Sunshine.
Judy Collins cover of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne (I believe Judy was in her 60′s when this was recorded, amazing)
So girls, sing the melody and sing in tune. Forget about the runs and the trills and just sing a beautiful song with real emotion.
Caitlin and Will’s 1st album, Dark Horse, should have been released by now. If you don’t remember them, Caitlin and Will were the winners of last year’s “Can You Duet”. The prize for winning was a record contract with Columbia Nashville, but it seems that lackluster sales and ratings have killed the album. Read more »
Last year, in the first season of Can You Duet, 3 duos emerged with major label contracts and a shot at stardom. The winners, Caitlin & Will, just released a video for a great song written by Caitlin about the death of her aunt from breast cancer. This song, Address in the Stars, is already a big hit with fans and should quickly move up the Country video charts. Because of the fan comments this video was receiving, Caitlin started a web site where people post memories of their lost loved ones.
Address in the Stars
Joey and Rory were the other powerhouse to make their name in the first season. Their 1st single, Cheater Cheater, made it to #30 on the Country Chart. Another great song from their 1st album is Play The Song.
Melody is in Europe playing several Jazz festivals to rave reviews. During her set at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, someone’s cell phone starts ringing. Watch the video to see what happens.
She also did a great rendition of Ain’t No Sunsshine (Sorry but it’s a short cut)
Melody Gardot appeared on Letterman a couple of days ago. I missed it, but I found the clip on Youtube. Dave and Paul seemed to love Melody. Melody is showing us how to build a career.