The Voice vs. American Idol

I missed The Voice last year, but started watching it this year.  One of my biggest complaints about American Idol was the joy they seemed to get in humiliating some people.  They pick some of the early auditions just because they're bad.  The Voice only shows good singers.  They may not all be good enough to get picked, but even when they're not picked the judges are polite and respectful to the singers.  While on American Idol sometimes the judges can't stop laughing or make ugly comments while the singers are on the stage.  I've always talked about this aspect of American Idol and how much I hate it.  Watching The Voice it just seems so much nicer.  Even when the judges compete against each other they don't seem to be so mean about it.  While I haven't been excited about a winner from American Idol is years I'm hoping to feel some of that excitement this year on The Voice.

Watch and Be Amazed

This clip I came across over at Mark Evanier's excellent blog. Mark is a writer of tv shows, comic books, and probably about a million and one other things. He writes a very entertaining blog. He had this video posted and I almost didn't watch it all the way through. I started and if you watch you you'll probably be like me and figure this is one of those times when someone gets made fun of or humilated, much like the tryouts at the start of American Idol do. That's the set up and I almost turned it off because I didn't want to see that happen. But keep watching. You'll be surprised and glad you did. This woman blows away most of the American Idol wannabes. The shame is she would never had even been able to try out for AI, one she's too old and she definitely doesn't fit their version of what a star should look like. Watching her though I felt a joy run through my body, just seeing her do this should make you smile. Watch and be amazed.


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New Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks' newest album is coming out next month. I was a big fan of him on American Idol and was thrilled when he won. I bought his first album and while I have liked it more over time, I still don't feel it was the best he was capable of. You can preview his new album here. I haven't listened to all of it yet, but from what I hear I'm really liking this one. The first song on the album "The Distance" is already the best thing I think I've heard from him. I'm getting excited about this album now.

Update: Since just writing the above I've listened to "Seven Mile Breakdown" and have to say this is really, really good. This is the type of music that I always imagined Taylor to be capable of making. I love this song.

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Bo Bice

I started watching American Idol with Season Four, probably about half way through the final twelve. That was the one that came down to Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. We all know how that ended up. I remember liking Bo when I watched it, but at that point American Idol was still kind of leery of having a "rocker" on the show.

It's obvious that you don't have to be the winner of American Idol to get an album. Some runner-ups are even doing better than the winners of their season. So Bo got his album deal and his first album came out the same day Carrie's first album was released. Her album went on to sell millions of copies, while I'm not sure how many his did. I know it wasn't all that much. His producers basically presented a watered down version of his "rock" roots. I didn't buy it, but I heard some stuff from it and wasn't that impressed.

His second album came out last year. The exact same day that Carrie released her second album. I'm sure it wasn't planned that way, but it was kind of weird. Again her album got all the reviews and notice, while his sat quietly on the shelf. Except this time the sound was different. I don't know if he stepped forward or the producers decided to let him be more of himself, but his country rock side took a step forward. I picked up his album just recently, after I saw him perform on some show and liked what I saw. His new album is very good. It's in the tradition of southern country rock, from bands like Skynrd to Allman Brothers.

This gives me some hope for Taylor Hicks next album. I feel like they did the same thing on his first album after his win. It was over produced and I felt like Taylor got lost in the mix. I'm hoping his second album he can step forward and make it his own.

Anyways here is Bo Bice's song "Witness" from his second album See The Light.

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New Kristy Lee Cook

This is the new single from Kristy Lee Cook from last year's American Idol show. I don't think she ever lived up to the potential I saw in her try out when she sang "Amazing Grace." I like this song and the album is ok. Pretty much standard for that generic country pop that seems to be everywhere.

Surprise

Wow! I have to admit that I'm surprised that David Cook won. I was sure it would be the other David.

Which David?

American Idol is on and I'm in here on my computer downloading some vinyl to the computer. While the final 12 revisit their past glories I'm listening to Styx and Sly Stone and Kansas and Roger Daltry. Anyone remember "Free Me" by Mr. Daltery those many years ago?

Going through these albums made me realize how much I miss vinyl albums. The feel of them. The size of them. The things you could do with album artwork that you just can't do on a cd because of the size. The Styx Cornerstone album opened up like a bookcover. And the Beatles would never had put out the cover art to Sgt. Pepper if it have been on a cd first.

Well, it's almost eight, so I think I will go check out which David wins. I think it's going to be the younger, though I hope its Mr. Cook.

American Idol Finale

American Idol

I've realized that I'm not that excited about any of the final American Idol finalists. I agree with a lot of people that David Cook is talented, but I just can't get excited about him. Nowdays it seems all rockers have the same voice. And don't get me started on the other David. Yes, I know he's talented, but every time he opens his mouth he bores me. I think Syesha Mercado has improved the most over the course of the show. At the start I really didn't think she'd make it past the middle rounds, but here she is in the final three. Her last few shows have been the ones that interest me the most. But I think she'll be voted off tomorrow night, the judges weren't kind to her tonight. Still of the three I liked her the best tonight and last week. She did good with Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Going To Come."

American Idol: Blackbird

Carly Smithson is becoming my favorite. I liked this song, but I don't think it was her best performance, but I was still surprised it landed her in the bottom three. I fear Kristy Lee Cook is just treading water until she is voted off.

Amercian Idol: Eigh Days A Week

Ok, my favorite Kristy Lee Cook didn't do too well this week. "Eight Days A Week" is one of my favorite Beatles' song. It was the first piece of music I ever owned, a 45 for those of you who remember those things. But she butchers this song I hate to say. I think she's trying too hard to follow whatever Simon says, she needs to take chances but follow what she thinks is best for her. She was voted in the bottom three this week.

American Idol: Come Together

I love just listening to Carly talk, her accent is amazing. This is one of the best if not the best from this past week. She has a very strong voice.

David Archuleta

American Idol: Kristy Lee Cook

Could this be the next Idol? I really like what I hear in this clip and this is one of my favorite songs she sings.



I found this partial clip on YouTube of her singing the Mary Chapin Carpenter song "I Feel Lucky."

Another Season of American Idol

American Idol starts next week. With the almost no existence of new tv shows on now due to the networks and producers failing to address the writer's demands AI has clear path to even bigger rating's success. This show is a rating's monster anyway, now with almost literally nothing else to watch it should truly dominate. It's funny though, last year was the first year that the ratings for the show started to dip, I wonder what would have happened this year if it had been a normal year with established competition. Last year was also probably the worst year for talent on the show too. I've really only watched one complete season of AI and that was the year Taylor Hicks won. From what I've seen that year there was a lot of fairly talented people on the show, about 3/4's of the final 12 have recording contracts now.

If I watch AI it will only be after the final group has been selected. I've seen some of the shows where they travel to different cities looking for singers and think it's one of most mean spirited shows in existence. The show picks out some of the most awful singers to show us and make fun of. Some of these singers are just kids, or even if they're not kids, people that really think they have talent, that have probably been told that they could sing by all their friends, and than they go on this show and realize that they have no talent at all. I saw one episode where it was a girl around 15-16 and she literally fell on her knees begging them to take her after they rejected her. I don't see the appeal in this. To me it's humilating and just mean.

I would rather see some of the singers that almost made it to the show. Let us see what didn't make it but could have, so we can compare it to the ones that did make it. The first part of AI I might watch a few parts of the shows, but I just can't watch an entire episode. I'll wait till they pick the final group and than I have no problems with whatever is said about them. I figure if they make it this far they've shown some sort of talent and deserve what they get. (Though last year would lay claim against the talent part.)

Ok, I'll get off my soap box. Every year before the show starts I seem to be singing the same tune, but I know I'm in the miniority. Most people enjoy seeing the ones with no talent getting slammed. And I think that says more about us than any other part of the show does.

Sell 3/4 OF A Million Records and You're A Failure?!

This one is actually a little old news, back from the beginning of the month. Taylor Hicks, the winner of the only season of American Idol I've watched, was released from his recording contract. A lot has been made of the fact that Taylor was the first Idol winner that did not sell over a million copies of his post-Idol album. If I remember the numbers right though he sold around 750,000 copies of his album. Now that's still a lot of albums. In today's market there is becoming fewer and fewer artists that can sell a million copies of an album. What ever happened to helping an artist grow and find his fans. If you don't have a blockbuster with the first album you're gone. It used to be a Record Company was in it for the long haul with the artist, they were willing to work with them and try to grow their fan base. John Mellencamp didn't have a hit album until his sixth or seventh (I forget exactly which one) album. Where would he be if they had dropped him after his first album bombed? I said it before when Taylor first came out with his album that I look on him as an artist that will grow, I think that he had more long term potential than a lot of the other Idols that had bigger debut albums and will go on to smaller ones in the long run. I don't think Taylor's first album was the best that could have been put out, I think the Record Company tried to over produce him. Taylor says he's still going to record, now he'll do it on his own, so maybe this is for the best. Without a Big Boss telling him how to record he can do it his own way.