I have intentionally restrained myself from commenting too frequently on American Idol this year. For me, the show has lost some of its luster. It still has my interest…and, in some ways, they’ve improved it this year (for example, I think the viewer phone calls are a nice addition)…but there are still so many things that they really need to improve that I continue to find it frustrating as well.
For example, while the judges continue (very legitimately) to whine about song choice, the producers have refused to use the show to do what it most obviously SHOULD do…build in a LEGITIMATE songwriting competition that’s designed to be a part of the show itself…rather than this joke of a competition to write these sappy season-ending anthems. They should be having great stuff written by up-and-coming amateurs that could actually become hits during the season…real songs.
While this year’s cast has been interesting, I don’t know that I’d buy into the “strongest field ever” claims. And, the loss of Chikeze weeks ago was a joke. I know…that’s the way the cookie crumbles, but that kid had the talent to be in the top 3. Anyway…enough of the griping for now.
Here’s my take on the remaining five. David Cook is the clear winner. David Archuleta is second. Then Syesha or Jason, and Brooke is last. Here’s a blow-by-blow:
Brooke White: She may well have a career as a singer-songwriter. I find her to be sweet and attractive, if a bit overly fragile. But she is simply not that unique. There are a thousand girl singer-songwriters around the country with as much talent. She’s where she is because she’s where she is. I’ll certainly be open to listening to her post-Idol output, and I might well buy it, if it’s good. But I lost interest in her some time back. She has just not brought anything special to the competition.
Syesha Mercado: She’s a lovely girl. A born entertainer. Energetic and sexy. She could be a lead in musical theatre, etc. But, again…where is she unique? Would you put her up against Fantasia, LaToya London, Mandisa or a dozen other young black girls who have been around in the past few years? Not me. I just don’t see her as having a great depth of soul (in the “depth, passion, heat, groove” sense, not necessarily the “black” sense) as compared to those others. She does have an impressive voice…nice moves…looks great. But I wouldn’t be shocked if I didn’t remember her name a year from now.
Jason Castro: Special and unique is what he’s all about…and not in a Sanjaya-like way. You may not smell what Jason is cookin’…but I do. I love the sweetness of his vocals. And there’s something else I find very appealing (no, not the dreads or the eyes): It’s the fact that he doesn’t “need this”. He just shows up and does his thing. Most people thought his performance on Andrew Lloyd Webber night was lame. Not me. He’s not cut out to sing that stuff. But he gave it all he had, and if you’d never heard it before by others (sung full voice, etc), you’d have been impressed by his delivery of that beautiful melody. Simon used a word to describe him on Wednesday and I can’t remember what it was, but it was accurate. Bascially, he just conducts himself well and brings what he has. I think he’s got a solid little career ahead of him. No, he won’t be headlining on Broadway. No, he’s not an American Idol. But he’s a seemingly-sweet (and slightly oblivious) young kid who girls will love to listen to as he sings love ballads. Nothing wrong with that.
David Archuleta: Speaking of sweet, this young guy is every teen girl’s dream…or maybe pre-teens…well, at least until they reach a certain age and start falling for “bad boys”. He has a gorgeous voice. I’ll be very interested in seeing what he does post-Idol. He could sell a lot of product to the right audience if he can learn to pick songs (he has not demonstrated this skill to date. Frankly, as the newness of his voice has worn thin, I’ve found him increasingly boring. But…he DOES have all the tools to make beautiful music. It all boils down to what he does with it. He could also be a real bust.
David Cook: This is no longer even a competition. Barring major mistakes on Cook’s part, I don’t see how they’ll spin this as a close race. David appeals to a nice segment of girls and to a lot of guys as well (Archuleta doesn’t have this going for him). Cook is smart, and he’s really benefitted from the constructive crticism he’s been given. He’s become more humble (on the surface, at least), and his song choices have been terrific. I’m anxious to see what he does for Neil Diamond week. My first guess would be Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show…but he could do almost anything and have fun with it (Diamond has written some great stuff). He’s got a terrific voice…range, power, texture (with the exception of his lower register, which shouldn’t be much of a hindrance). My only criticism of him at this point is that his facial expressions can tend to be a bit…err, smarmy at times. But once he wins and gets some “handlers” working with him, they’ll get that figured out. This guy is likely to sell a ton of music over the next few years. It will be interesting to see where he lands in the market. But I suspect he’ll come across as credible to a wide range of fans, from pop rock to modern rock. Should be fun to watch.