Aussie sent home and other Idol-atry

There are too many headlines today calling Michael Johns being sent home on American Idol a "shocker". As much as I liked his voice, he had too many weeks of bland performances not to see the writing on the wall.

Of course, the entire group of singers presented nothing but bland performances this week so sending any of them home this week wouldn't have shocked me. "Idol Gives Back" week was a dud (and I am NOT referring to the Idol-Aid show on Wednesday night).

As for the remaining singers:

DAVID COOK
Cook is the clear frontrunner at this point, thanks to several weeks of kickass performances, not the least of which was his innovative take on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", which is already being lauded as one of the greatest Idol performances in the history of the show.

On the downside, he has set the bar pretty high.

JASON CASTRO
Watching Castro, and the judges' glowing assessments of him, and the fact he has only made the bottom three once that I can recall, makes me feel like I am not from this universe. This guy is LAME!

Take his ukelele version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow from Tuesday night. The judges, including Simon Cowell, gushed over him for it. Taking one of the most beautiful slow songs of all time, increasing the tempo, and adding a ukelele, is NOT a great idea, and Castro's performance showed it. No one can come close to Judy Garland's version of it.

As for Castro, all I can figure is that he is a pretty boy with decent vocal abilities. Simon described my feelings about Castro best earlier this season: If I heard him on the radio, I would change the station.

KRISTY LEE COOK
Kristy is no Carrie Underwood. However, as the only remaining country presence in the show, Kristy could go far if she doesn't stumble.

DAVID ARCHULETA
David could sing the phone book and it would sound good. But Idol's wunderkind is not flawless.

In recent weeks, I have noticed him singing more than enunciating song words. That's wonderful if you're doing opera, where no one expects to understand the words. Not so good for American Idol.

That said, his version of John Lennon's Imagine earlier this season still stands out for me as the best version of the song ever done, including Lennon's version.

But David has had trouble with uptempo songs after his disastrous version of Shop Around earlier this season.

CARLY SMITHSON
Whether Carly wins or not, I am a fan. She had me when she did Shadow of Your Smile back in the beginning. That is one of my favorite songs, and she nailed it.

She has done some good songs since then, although this week's rendition of Queen's The Show Must Go On was a bit of a head scratcher for me. Undoubtedly it was the reason she ended up in the bottom three in the voting.

I still believe she is capable of winning the whole contest, but she will need a huge performance next week.

SYESHA MERCADO
One thing I have to give Syesha credit for is guts. She doesn't back down from any challenging song. Some people think she is too cocky, but I find her to be refreshing, especially because she has the pipes to take on just about any song.

Two songs she's done this season stand out for me: The Beatles Yesterday, which she performed flawlessly, and Dolly Parton/Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, which I absolutely despise, but she nailed it.

But she is in the same boat as Carly Smithson. She will need a strong performance next week to stick around. This week, Syesha's performance of Fantasia's I Believe was forgettable, mostly because the song itself is forgettable. Her bottom three finish was testament to that.

BROOKE WHITE
Brooke can be very good, and she tends to be consistent, but she never quite outshines her competition.

Take her rendition of The Beatle's Let It Be. While it was outstanding, David Archuleta's Imagine outshines it. That's basically her story: Every week a bridesmaid, never the bride.

She is the only Idol contestant I can look at and say she will definitely not win.

And When I Die: "Blood, Sweat & Tears" and David Clayton-Thomas

Last year on American Idol, contestant Melinda Doolittle reminded me of Gladys Knight. That is the great thing about American Idol for someone like me who used to work as a DJ: Hearing a new vocalist who brings back the memories of another great vocalist.

Last night, another contestant (I think his name was Michael Johns) reminded me of a vocalist I haven't heard in years: David Clayton-Thomas, former lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, which was one of the most unique bands to come out of the 60's. Most people have heard their standard hits, such as "And When I Die", "You've Made Me So Very Happy", and "Spinning Wheel". Between the band's unique fusion of multiple musical styles, including big band, rock, pop, and jazz, and Clayton-Thomas's strong vocal style, Blood, Sweat & Tears was a one-of-a-kind band. I won't call them the best of all-time, but I cannot honestly say I have ever heard anyone do what they did, as well as they did it. They certainly deserve kudos as a band that stands out in the history of music.

Consider this: How many other bands could take "And When I Die", and make it fun, without turning it into satire?

The key, in my opinion, was Clayton-Thomas. The band was good, but his voice gave the music the "gravitas" it needed.

For example, check out this video from 1972, with Jerry Fisher doing the lead vocals on "And When I Die":


Now check out this performance from 1970, with Clayton-Thomas doing the lead vocals:


Even considering the poor quality of the second video, the difference is obvious. Clayton-Thomas's "lounge singer with a growl" vocals were sorely needed to make the song work.

But don't get me wrong. Clayton-Thomas can't do ANY song and make it work. On the following video, from 1993, he does Carole King's "Hi-De-Ho", and it's pretty bad. Personally, I recommend skipping to about 6:27 into the video, where there is a good quality copy of "And When I Die":


From that video, Clayton-Thomas has lost a little of the power in his vocals, but he is still better than most vocalists today. But his voice is still unique among vocalists.

And if another vocalist makes it on American Idol with Clayton-Thomas's sound, I won't shed a tear (or any blood and sweat).

P.S. If you're interested, here are some links to other butchered versions of "And When I Die" by different "artists" (and I use the term VERY loosely): link, link, and link. It is amazing what people will shamelessly put on Youtube.

(Hat tip to Youtube.com for the videos.)

The "Idol" on "American Idol"

It is rare that you will hear me recommend a tv show, and even rarer to hear me recommend something as popular as "American Idol". Why would I bother to recommend a show which continually tops the ratings?

Two words: Melinda Doolittle.

I can appreciate there are people out there who do not watch the show because the talent is generally unworthy of anyone's attention. Occasionally, a mediocre talent will put on a great performance, otherwise known as a "blind pig finding an acorn". Only twice can I recall examples of an American Idol contestant/winner worthy of a cd purchase or MP3 download (Kelly Clarkson and Bo Bice).

But this year, they have hit a gold mine. Melinda Doolittle is head and shoulders above, not only this year's contestants, but ALL the contestants the show has EVER had.

Earlier this season, after one of her performances, I turned to my wife and said, "She reminded me of Gladys Knight." Then Simon Cowell proceeded to compare her to a "young Gladys Knight". My wife gave me a look which said, "How did you do that?"

Seriously, Melinda's vocals are comparable to Gladys Knight or Aretha Franklin. She is pitch perfect. On top of that, she "feels" the songs. By that I mean she performs the songs with the feelings inherent within the lyrics. Last night, she did the old standard I Got Rhythm, which I always thought was kind of a silly song. She corrected me of that misinterpretation, by showing that it is a song of happiness about life. THAT is the art of singing.

If you are looking for a sexy singer, look somewhere else. Melinda is NOT sexy, but she is a rare talent.

Frankly, it has been too long since there has been ANY singer come onto the musical scene with the whole package like Ms. Doolittle. There have been singers with great voices, and singers who could perform great, but none that I recall who could match Ms. Doolittle.

I suggest you watch the show just once to hear Melinda Doolittle. It may be a few decades before another talent like her comes along.