Idol Watch

Taylor Hicks (almost) goes "The Distance"

  Fifth season American Idol winner Taylor Hicks suffered the usual Idol indignity: Win the show and rush release a mediocre major label album on BMG. A few years ago Hicks' eponymous set had one good song, a surprising and effective cover of songwriter Paul Pena's Gotta Move. (Pena's the late dude who write and recorded Jet Airliner a few years before the Steve Miller Band found it and had the hit).

Beyond that track, Taylor Hicks was a stiff and he ultimately was dropped.

On March 10, Hicks returns with a new album, The Distance, on an indie label and ... it's not bad.

The main problem with Hicks, of course,  is getting beyond his image on Idol. His spastic performances, his look and his somewhat offputting persona post-show (not the warmest guy you'll ever meet) remains so entrenched in the mind, it unfortunately colors one's initial reaction when greeted with The Distance. Put his image out of mind -- hard, I know, I know -- and his new CD gets off to a decent start. The title song and What's Right Is Right sound like tracks that would have fit well on Doobie Brother Michael McDonald's first solo album in 1982 and are also much preferable to McDonald's current career of regurgitating tired old Motown songs.

Also gpod, the shuffling Seven Mile Breakdown, a track well worth slapping on your iPod. These keepers make up for the Achy Breaky Heart rip off, Keeping It Real (the verses are almost identical to the polarizing Billy Ray Cyrus single of 1992) and the sentimental Nineteen and its tale of war heros.

The album's ultimate debit is Hicks' weakness as a vocalist. He can sing, for sure, and in small doses actually exhibits soul and some chops (as on the aforementioned highlights). The problem is that Hicks tends to sing every song in the same tone so over the long haul his albums run into a samey pattern and feel long. Worse, he doesn't put the requisite attitude in tracks that call for it. For example, Wedding Day Blues, is Hicks' tale of stealing the bride, his ex, from the groom at the reception. The song begins with a James Taylor-like acoustic guitar intro and calls out for a snarky lead vocal -- the guy in the song is a cad, knows he is, but doesn't care -- yet Hicks sings it straightforward, the same way he delivers the somewhat sappy Nineteen, the Latin lilt of Once Upon a Lover and the frisky Seven Mile Breakdown. Hicks has a specific range he's good in but great artists can bring flair and a distinct persona to stylized tracks such as Wedding Day Blues and Hicks falls well short of greatness.

The Distance is an improvement over the major label record, it's not the worst Idol related CD at all, it's easily superior to the latest offerings of last season's one and two finishers David Cook and David Archuleta. In doses, it's engaging -- a word I never thought I'd use in a Taylor Hicks commentary -- but if you're looking for true soul patrol greatness, check out the latest CD from Season Six third placer Melinda Doolittle instead.

Triple Idol next week

Four hours worth of Idol next week.

Tuesday features the 2 hour performance show, with UM Music School student Alex Trugman in contention.

Wednesday is the 1 hour results show.

Thursday, at 8, we'll get an hour long Wild Card show.

TV poll predicts Idol faves

From a press release:

TV.com has an ongoing American Idol contestant poll that attracted 5,027,488 votes in the last couple weeks. The poll keeps a pulse on fan favorites - a good indicator of potential "Wild Card" winners this season. See the highest vote-getters below.

 

TV.COM'S "AMERICAN IDOL" UPDATE

 

Tatiana Del Toro and Matt Giraud Top this Week's American Idol Finalist Fan Poll

 

They were both passed over in group competitions, but Tatiana Del Toro and Matt Giraud are this week's fan favorites among TV.com members as American Idol narrows its contestants in the final 36.   

TV.com's Idol poll attracted 5,027,488 total votes, and may be a strong indication of which fan favorites will return to the final twelve in the Wild Card Round.

The top five contestants according to the TV.com community are

Tatiana Del Toro:        659,648 votes

Matt Giraud:                581,034 votes

Danny Gokey:            561,335 votes

Mishavonna Henson:  376,823 votes

Adam Lambert:           308,967 votes

 

Idol Results Show: 2-26-09

25 million votes came in last night. The 12 contestants did a so-so pass at Ne-Yo's Closer and then the results...

Allison, as expected, is the first to go through to the Top 12 thanks to this 16-year-old's strong rendition of Heart's passionate Alone. Going home: Jesse (shucks) and Matt B., the welder (good, don't care for him).

In a bit of a surprise, a happy one, Kris, who sang Man in the Mirror, is the second contestant to advance to the Top 12 tonight. This was a good choice. Kris is a good singer (he went through all the runs of this song with aplomb), he's good looking and appealing in a wholesome High School Musical way. He can sing rings around Zac Efron and if Disney makes HSM4, here's your guy. This means Megan and Jenine and Matt G. go home.

Brooke White, one of my favorite Idols, returned from last season to perform her new single, Hold Up My Heart, now available on iTunes. I so wanted to like her song but this midtempo pop song is banal. Meager hook, generic lyric. Very disappointed in her first post-Idol single. If there's a parent album, I hope she's holding back some better stuff.

Mishavonna, Jasmine and Kai go home, leaving the remaining stool for the two polarizing contestants, Nick or Adam. I've said it before, Nick's fun and can sing. Adam's my least favorite of the 24 we've seen thus far. I bet Adam gets into finals.

And of course, he does. Adam's in Top 12. I dislike Adam so much I can't bear to even imagine a season of his screeching and theater schmaltz over-emoting. Bad bad decision, America.

As for Wild Cards from the remaining castoffs I'd LIKE for them to bring Nick back and I'd bet three of the judges would consider it for ratings, but Simon will probably overrule them. I don't see the judges bringing any of these 9 back tho. I see one of two from last week given a shot (Tati) but despite Simon's comment after Adam's ungodly reprise of the Stones song,  I couldn't bet on who'd get a shot here. MAYBE Jesse. She has flair and a decent voice.

Idol Top 12: Second Batch

Here we go! Kara says there are no second chances, but there are. For some, there's the wild card round.

Unfortunately, Jasmine Murray, 17, may have to hope for that second chance because her choice of song, Sara Bareilles' awfully simplistic and boring Love Song, sabotaged Jasmine. Her lower range is a mess, she flew off key countless times, and in trying to make something of this modern banality, Jasmine overdit it and was a bit of a train wreck. Shame, given she's a pretty young woman who has previously appealed.

Matt Giraud, 23, sang Coldplay's Viva La Vida. Not much of a voice. Not much of a song. Simon caught onto the stiff, jerky quality of the performance, too. So far, tonight's off to a weak start.

Jenine Vailes can perform and I would have liked to hear her sing, perhaps, a Donna Summer song, something with a melody and soul and range. Instead, she sang another contemporary, inappropriate song (Maroon 5's This Love). Her voice was all over the place. Overdone, as Kara said. Problem is so far these contestants are choosing these mediocre contemporary songs that lack the melodic grace to allow for true singing so they are all overcompensating and forcing something into this music that isn't there.

Nick Mitchell, 27, delivered "one of the most entertaining" Idol performances ever, Randy said, while humorless Simon found Nick's theatrical, over the top rendition of the blowsy And I Am Telling You, "horrific comedy." I am totally in agreement with the other judges. Nick's got a lot of guts, he's entertaining, he can sing (albeit nasally) and I'll remember this performance -- in a GOOD way -- long after I've forgotten everyone else. I truly hope Nick advances into the finals. He''s fresh, fun and a change from the tired norm of this show.

Allison Iraheta, 16, wowed the judges (and my mom) with her foreceful performance of Heart's Alone. For 16, I think she had a lot of poise and potential. I still think no one -- not Allison, not Carrie Underwood, not even Celine Dion -- has been able to do this song the justice the original vocalist, Heart's Ann Wilson, accomplished. For me, this was a bit grating, yelling. That said, I would like to see her again and may rewatch this performance. There's something to Allison.

Kris Allen delivered a High School Musical performance of Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror and won me over. It was contemporary, passionate, well sung and Kris brought some charisma to the stage that Allison slightly lacked. A good, versatile performance.

Megan Joy Corkey, pretty girl doing that boring Corrine Bailey Rae bookstore/Starbucks type of music in a bland, pitchy voice in which she tried too hard to do Amy Winehouse stylizing. Last thing I want is another Amy vocal clone. Dud. And oversung, too, correctly noted by Simon. Megan's unorginal performance of this mediocre song reveals why I liked Nick so much tonight. Megan copied another artist and fell far short (altho she's prettier than the messy Amy) while Nick gave us a fresh interpretation. Allison and Kris were also more interesting.

Matt Breitzke, the welder, can sing better than last week's oil rigger Michael, but he chose a forgettable rock song by Tonic and didn't show us anything special beyond someone who can sing in key. When singing a rock song you need some attitude. The vocals had no attitude, but he showed too much cockiness in defending his rotten song choice. Don't care for his persona, either.

Jesse Langseth chose the way cool Bette Davis Eyes, a song that was No. 1 the week I graduated from high school in 1981 and a fantastic song I haven't thought of for awhile and Jesse's adaquate-plus performance reminded me why I've loved this evocative song. Jesse lacked the flair and style Kim Carnes brought to the original hit (note the way Kim bit into the word "ferocious" for emphasis while Jesse sang it in a straightforward manner). That said, Jesse had some style, she can sing, and she has edge. I like her.

Kai Kalama did an old fashioned Jimmy Ruffin song and, like Simon said, offered nothing we haven't seen on countless seasons. Nice guy. Nice enough voice. But nothing distinct and the song, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, felt stale. Too bad.

From old fashioned to contemporary we come to Mishavonna Hensen doing Train's Drops of Jupiter, but as was the case with the other newer songs, the mediocrity of the songwriting and lack of melody and hook and dearth of soul, forces these contestants to overdo the performances and hit off key patches. This likable 18-year-old isn't likely to return.

Adam Lambert: Stripped the sex out of the Stones' Satisfaction and did the Partridge Family from hell version. Hated it. Too much screaming, too. Simon called it a love it or hate it performance. I hated it, but the judges seemed to love it.

Prediction: I think Alllison is the sure bet to get through via viewers. Adam is a sure bet, too, because if he doesn't get the viewer vote he'll certainly be a judge's Wild Card pick. As for third, I'd probably give another shot to Kris. He's got the High School Musical marketability and that's still a big deal today. Then again, I like the edge of Miss Bette Davis Eyes girl, Jesse, too. And, Nick. We gotta have Nick! So my favorites are Nick, Kris and Allison, but I'm not sure that's how America will go.

Paula says: Too many judges on Idol

Paula Abdul, in the NY Post, says four judges on Idol is too much. We tried it before (between seasons 1 and 2 with DJ Angie Martinez who bolted before show aired) and it didn't work she said. I agree. So go home, already, Paula.

Idol's 2nd batch of 12 semifinalists perform

Idol's second batch of 12 semifinalists (out of 36) give it a go tonight for two hours at 8. Results show airs Thursday this week.

Wild Card a lock for Anoop?

Anoop Desai supposedly came within 20,000 votes of making it into the Top 12 last week so does this guarantee a return performance March 5 to perform in the Wild Card show? 

No word, yet. Idol producers have suggested that after the top male, female and then 3rd top vote getter each week go thru into the finals, the fourth top vote getter could then advance into the Wild Card round of 12 who will have to perform for the judges who will have final say.

That means it would seem Anoop could get another shot, but nothing officially has been released that he was, indeed, No. 4 last week. The judges can get their say by retrieving a favored contestant who might not have polled high in their performance week and give them another shot.

Famous Wild Card returnees from the first three seasons include Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, George Huff and, ick, Jon Peter Lewis.