American Idol - 2011

[billyjean]

Idol has been rather interesting this year because you have these kids who already seem to have their lil niche.  Country, Jazz, Gospel, and of course Rock.

After last night I believe I watched the performance of the next winner ... James Durbin.  He's rocked it all along, but never really gave evidence that he could change it up and deliver a softer side.  If there was any doubt ... he quashed it last night with the beginning of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/v/KPGvRJHlPVo?fs=1&hl=en_US

[mustang54]

Idol has been rather interesting this year because you have these kids who already seem to have their lil niche.  Country, Jazz, Gospel, and of course Rock.

After last night I believe I watched the performance of the next winner ... James Durbin.  He's rocked it all along, but never really gave evidence that he could change it up and deliver a softer side.  If there was any doubt ... he quashed it last night with the beginning of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/v/KPGvRJHlPVo?fs=1&hl=en_US

Totally agree! That kid is fantastic! I can't see what anyone especially the judges see in that bearded goof. I'm an ole man and I could blow him off a stage. No voice at all. He has the vocal range of a fart!

[Berwyn Patsy]

An unbelievable amazing performance!  He is the next American Idol!

[billyjean]

I do think we saw something else from Scotty too.  I am totally for James Durbin, but Scotty finally took the advice he received to try to mellow out the twang when he did his rendition of "You've Got a Friend".  I was amazed he could just sing (again, this was in the very beginning) without inserting the dip to low and twang out which is his method.  I think he even surprised himself.  He's been fighting it and fighting it ... and when he finally gave in he turned in a non-one trick pony performance at least for the very first part of the song.  If you play the video you will see that Scotty's usual method is absent, until the band kicks in and he goes right back to his usual.

Regardless, whether you like Scotty or not, whether you like country or not, Scotty will have a career in Country Music when this is all over.  He has the voice of a 30 year old dude, and at his age ... 16 ... that is amazing.

But the man to beat is James ... no doubt about it in my mind.  Unless he seriously messes up ... I don't see him getting beat.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Q23TgyZzx-g?fs=1&hl=en_US

[billyjean]

In discussing American Idol with others, what I complain about and others agree is these young kids try to imitate artists that torture and kill songs and they end up making the same mistake.  Jacob is a perfect example.  A voice that we should be drooling over is ruined by his styling.  Too much of the screeching and what I term "torturing" a song.  In the old days I'd throw on Aretha Franklin and my Dad would yell out ... is someone killing a chicken !!!??

I just wrote that off to old fashion cause they grew up listening to Mahalia Jackson on the radio.  Unfair to compare Jackson to Franklin since we have a case of Gospel v. Pop Soul.  Nevertheless, we've had many great black artists over the years that knew the importance of staying on melody and delivering an emotional quality to a song.  Too many to mention, but even in the stretch between Donna Summer to Whitney Houston, neither of those ever tortured a song.  They knew how to turn on the soul at the appropriate moment to accent the emotion of a tune.  Today, its like the more you screech and hold a note and wabble it from six ways to Sunday ... this is what young ppl think is desired when in fact it makes some ppl run out of the room to get away from it.  They have yet to learn that it is harder to keep to melody than to screech, yell and torture a note.

Consider this simple woman of 40 delivering a great rendition of Chain of Fools.  Remember ... she is not a professional ... yet you can tell she understands how to stay with melody and then bring the soul in the right way.

http://www.youtube.com/v/9PmUnvhNCu4?fs=1&hl=en_US

[billyjean]

Another pretty good performance on Idol ... this time Haley with House of the Rising Sun:

http://www.youtube.com/v/035GStnLOaI?fs=1&hl=en_US

[Berwyn Patsy]

  She is amazing.  This is how I see it all ending.
Lauren will go next week.  Scotty the next.  Second runner up will be Haley and this years
American Idol will be JAMES DURBIN!!
           

[mustang54]

  She is amazing.  This is how I see it all ending.
Lauren will go next week.  Scotty the next.  Second runner up will be Haley and this years
American Idol will be JAMES DURBIN!!
           

Haley will go next week. Lauren the next with Scotty finishing second to James Durbin. Unless someone makes a poor song choice as Lauren did this week.

[billyjean]

Like you, I think Lauren will go next.  However, my guess is that Haley goes after that, leaving Scotty and James.  James will win it and at some point before its over, James and Steven Tyler will perform together.

[mustang54]

  Should be a very interesting show tonight. I saw Lady Gaga will be the mentor for the contestants. She may seem weird but she is a very gifted and talented young lady.

[Terri]

This is the first season I've watched Idol from the beginning and I love it.  I too hope James wins and that Haley holds out till the end. 

[Ted]

...After last night I believe I watched the performance of the next winner ... James Durbin....  

 Totally agree! That kid is fantastic!

 ...Second runner up will be Haley and this years American Idol will be JAMES DURBIN!!

 Haley will go next week. Lauren the next with Scotty finishing second to James Durbin.   

 ...  James will win it and at some point before its over, James and Steven Tyler will perform together.

 ....I too hope James wins ...

He gone !!

[Terri]

I suppose Americans are more in tune with country music.  Musically, James is a winner.

[mustang54]

 He will be like Daughtry. They both finished fourth and were beaten out by less talented people. Daughtry went on to sell more cd's than the three people above him put together times 10. Its not really a singing contest its a popularity contest.So yes Ted he is gone but he will have the most success. Taylor Hicks proved you can suck and still win. Daughtry sold over 5 million records. Hicks sold 27,000. A bar band can sell that many!

[billyjean]

I suppose Americans are more in tune with country music.  Musically, James is a winner.

Exactly, Terri.  My eyebrow went up when they picked Lauren first as safe.  The other eyebrow went up when they picked Haley as safe.  I turned to friends and said .... there is a big country force out there in voting land ... and I think James is gonna go.

Sure enough.

Well, it would have been nice to see James win it, but his farewell COMMENTS and performance was as if he had won it.  He's a nice kid, and I believe we will see lots more of him, and that he and his family will benefit from his talent.  Let's face it, since the beginning of this year's Idol it has been the James Durbin show, so he has a very bright future ahead.  I think if for some reason he had been voted off early on, like Pia, they would have lost a lot of viewers.  They knew he was the draw.

Lastly, in watching that farewell performance, I noticed the 3 remaining clapping and smiling, not a tear to be seen.  James was emotional at the loss of many contestants.  Especially disappointing was Haley who actually looked like she was glad he was gone.

oh, Ted ? ... James Durbin WAS this year's American Idol no matter what the outcome.

[Robert Pauly]

I find Durbin unlistenable (like Daughtry).  He might hit some notes, but his voice is thin and he doesn't know how to sing (yeah, you have chops, but how about communicating something?) - in a thick, rock context maybe his cutting tone would be an attribute, but in terms of crooning in a pop sense, he ain't got it.

Haley is the best of what's left - she can do anything form Rickie Lee Jones to Joplin - I'm not saying she's going to win, but she has the most complete package (technical ability, individuality, tone and looks) since Carrie Underwood, IMO.  Some of her older stuff on YouTube is interesting.

[Ted]

So yes Ted he is gone but he will have the most success.

oh, Ted ? ... James Durbin WAS this year's American Idol no matter what the outcome.

 He gone !!!

[mustang54]

I find Durbin unlistenable (like Daughtry).  He might hit some notes, but his voice is thin and he doesn't know how to sing (yeah, you have chops, but how about communicating something?) - in a thick, rock context maybe his cutting tone would be an attribute, but in terms of crooning in a pop sense, he ain't got it.

Haley is the best of what's left - she can do anything form Rickie Lee Jones to Joplin - I'm not saying she's going to win, but she has the most complete package (technical ability, individuality, tone and looks) since Carrie Underwood, IMO.  Some of her older stuff on YouTube is interesting.

  Hayley attempted 2 songs this week meant for singers with big voices and a wide range, she has neither. I'll give you she can sing Rickey Lee Jones but most woman can too. She has the vocal range of a fart. Plus she seems to be a spoiled little snot.
And like I said Bob, Daughtry out sold everyone who finished ahead of him combined. Durbin WILL do better than Hayley by a very wide margin. She's a Holiday Inn or wedding singer at best. Someone will teach Durbin how to use his voice and hopefully write some songs that fit his voice.
  What I really want to know is what purpose do the judges serve? Believe me if they voted last night Hayley was GONE! They should make it like Dancing With The Stars, let the viewers vote count for half and the judges for half, otherwise send the judges home. J Lo didn't help by making it a guy vs girl issue a few weeks back.

[Robert Pauly]

I'd bet you're an Infinity fan.

[mustang54]

I'd bet you're an Infinity fan.

Wrong!