It seems like a lifetime ago that Taylor Hicks was being crowned the champion of “American Idol” in its fifth season back in 2006. And while America clearly fell in love with this gray-haired wonder, Simon Cowell didn’t get it and neither did many critics, but Hicks’ debut album went platinum anyway. And while yours truly was a big fan of the material on that debut, the same can’t be said for Hicks’ latest, The Distance, released on his own Modern Whomp Records. There is no doubt this guy can sing with a trademark Joe Cocker-ish bluesy growl, but it’s pretty obvious that the recording budget was substantially less this time around, and the songs are mostly mediocre with performances at times reminiscent of cruise ship karaoke. Nevertheless, a few tracks do stand out, and Hicks is at his best when he tones things down for piano ballads – “What’s Right Is Right” and “Nineteen” are both heartfelt and destined for light rock radio repetition. And “Woman’s Got to Have It,” with fellow Idol alum Elliot Yamin, is a soulful and catchy closer. (LABEL: Modern Whomp)

Taylor Hicks MySpace Page

Ferras is the first name of a dude with a last name that’s hard to pronounce. Hence, the moniker. But let’s talk about his music, because Ferras’ debut, Aliens & Rainbows, is pure adrenaline-drenched pop driven by his own keyboard playing. Ferras got his big break much the same way Daniel Powter did a few years back, landing an “exit song” spot on “American Idol.” That song, “Hollywood’s Not America,” is not just perfect for the role — it’s a brutally honest yet powerful track in its own right. But Ferras, inspired by the likes of David Bowie and Elton John, uses his knack for melody equally well on rockers such as “Liberation Day” and “Blame, Blame, Blame” as he does on ballads like the title track, or the riveting “Take My Lips.” Ferras’ nasal tenor is closer to some of the Warped Tour vocal fare, but his music bears so much substance that you won’t mind. This is definitely an artist worth keeping on your radar, if he’s not on it already. (LABEL: Capitol)

Ferras MySpace page

The first edition of this compilation of former “American Idol” contestants was pretty bad, and while Volume 2 is itself pretty bland, the songs as a whole are a little better this time around. This round of singers is also moderately talented, but you can’t listen to this album without feeling like you’re hearing glorified karaoke. Maybe it’s the production, maybe it’s the arrangements, or maybe it’s the talent compared to everything else being released in the pop world, but there is just something missing. Alaina Alexander from Season 6 delivers three tracks that probably won’t have you humming along, and her voice isn’t all that memorable either. Rudy Cardenas, also from last season, has three distinct styles on here — R&B/pop/Jason Mraz, rock, and sappy ballad — and the third one is so bad that it evens out the fact that the first two songs are pretty decent. Then there is Sarah Mather from Season 4, who has a decent enough voice, but the songs are only average. Finally, Gedeon McKinney chose to write all of his own material, which was not a good idea. McKinney’s material is very amateurish, and brought the rating of this whole set down a full half-star. So we’re halfway with these four Volumes, and by this time next year, it’s likely that you’ll all have forgotten about these four singers from Volume 2 the same way you did when their seasons on “Idol” ended. (LABEL: Artists Addiction/Rocket Science)

Website: www.artistsaddiction.com

Just when I was fearing the worst, America stepped up its game last night much the way the “American Idol” finalists stepped up theirs on Tuesday night. They got it right for a change.

It kicked off with another awful group number, Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5.” Can someone please stick a fork in these group numbers? They are just, um, not very entertaining. That’s too nice…they are bordering on pure agony, okay?

Anyway, straight to business. Michael Johns, safe. David Archuleta, safe. Carly…a moment of Ryan Seacrest making her dangle, then safe. Commercial break….and oddly enough, Syesha Mercado was in this commercial for some technical institute, and I did a double take…like maybe it was one of those “Saturday Night Live” commercials, but it was real! She is, after all, an actress when she isn’t a finalist on the biggest show in America.

Then they took some callers, and the best question was when some woman asked Simon why he apologizes after criticizing someone. Simon smiled and replied “I like you!”

Then the Clark Brothers performed…these kids have some mad skills on their instruments, but that singer is scary….like he was shouting the entire song.

Okay, back to what we came here for….David Cook, safe, after he assured America that his hospital visit the night before was purely precautionary and that it was blown out of proportion. Dude has high blood pressure is all. Ramiel, Bottom 3. Hooray, America knows what it’s doing! Kristy Lee Cook, who held a piece of paper that said “Bottom 3,” practically willed herself there, and she was right. Wow, America, nice work.

Then they did some profiles of Idol alum from Nashville, since Dolly Parton was the theme of this week. Bucky Covington, Phil Stacey and Bo Bice were each featured, and are all having nice little careers after the show. I know Carrie Underwood is a mega-star right now, but I still think Bo was ROBBED.

Syesha, safe, which meant Brooke or Jason. Jason, safe, Brooke to the Bottom 3. So it was down to Ramiel, Kristy and Brooke. But first Dolly Parton performed her new single, “Jesus and Gravity.” If you don’t like Dolly Parton, there is seriously something wrong with you….she is one of the most infectiously happy performers I’ve ever seen, and she spreads that to the audience.

Okay, finally the grueling hour was coming to a close. Brooke, back to safety…..holy crap, America is smart! Mrs. Mike had predicted Ramiel earlier in the hour, and she has not been wrong yet. And she’s still not wrong…Kristy, safe, Ramiel, you’re outta here. You know, she has a nice voice but this competition is heating up and she just doesn’t have the mad skills of some of the others remaining.

Here are my power rankings:

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Michael Johns
4. Brooke White
5. Carly Smithson
6. Syesha Mercado
7. Jason Castro
8. Kristy Lee Cook

I still like Brooke more than Carly, though America may not agree….but hey, that’s why they play the games. See you all next week…

So after dumbass host Ryan Seacrest told America that “American Idol” was being postponed due to some writer’s strike, pulling a fairly predictable April Fool’s joke, it was on to business. For a split second though, I forgot it was April 1, and thought “Awesome, I can go back to watching the Mets/Marlins game,” but no dice.

The mentor this week was Dolly Parton, and the remaining nine contestants were asked to sing something from Dolly’s catalog. This could go a few different ways for these singers, and you might expect just a few of them to do well. But what happened was that many of them stepped up their game, some in surprising fashion. Here we go….

THE GOOD

David Cook came clean before his performance, saying that some of his previous arrangements Read the rest of this entry »

Remember how bad Ramiel was on “American Idol” Tuesday? Remember how I wrote yesterday that she was just about a lock to go home? Well, she wasn’t even in the bottom 3 in last night’s results show. I know there are always surprises, but geez. Anyway, here is how the show went down.

30 million votes, blah blah blah. Group song, blah blah blah. Recap of Tuesday, blah blah blah.

Chikezie, bottom 3….I didn’t think he was all that bad but apparently America did. Brooke White, safe. Carly Smithson, safe. Then a break, blah blah blah.

David Archuleta, safe. David Cook , and we find out he didn’t arrange that cool version of “Billie Jean”…it was in fact Chris Cornell, who Ryan Seacrest had to mention called in to the show and said he loved Cook’s version of his version. Anyway, David, very safe. Syesha Mercado, Bottom 3. What? She was amazing on Tuesday, so America in my mind right now is not a great judge of talent. Michael Johns, safe.

“Idol Gives Back,” blah blah blah. Dolly Parton mentoring next week, blah blah blah.

Then Season 2’s Kimberly Locke performed her song, “Fall.” She looked great and has an incredibly powerfull voice, but this song was as bland as a plain potato. The music industry suits need to start letting real songs back in instead of formulaic crap, or it’s all going to blow up in their faces.

Then they took some phone calls….and this was pretty funny last night, as one of the callers asked Simon Cowell if he thought it would be easy for her to eventually take Ryan Seacrest’s job. Then another caller asked David Archuleta why he picked that awful song, “You’re the Voice,” on Tuesday.
David claimed that it’s one of his favorite songs, and he was hoping he would get to perform it at some point. Um, dude, your musical taste is um, not very good.

Back to the results. Ramiel, safe. Here we go….I mean, she’s cute and all, and has a decent voice…but better than Syesha? No way. Did Danny Noriega call 5000 times to vote for his pal? Kristy Lee Cook, safe…and that was no surprise, because she really did a very smart thing by grabbing all the red state votes with “God Bless the U.S.A.” What’s that, Ryan Seacrest? Lee Greenwood also called in and said he loved it? Lee also says thank you for the royalty check. Oh, and if Dolly Parton is the mentor this coming week, can we assume country music theme? If so, Kristy just got another free pass. So it was Jason Castro in the bottom 3 along with Syesha and Chikezie, but he was almost instantly sent back to safety.

So down to Syesha and Chikezie. Mrs. Mike said Chikezie, and she said it as soon as he was sent to the bottom 3. Well, she has been right for 2 weeks in a row, so no reason to doubt her, and she called it AGAIN. So no more Chikezie on Idol, but I know this guy is going to find a recording niche as a young Luther Vandross type.

So now, my power rankings for the remaining nine:

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Brooke White
4. Michael Johns
5. Carly Smithson
6. Syesha Mercado
7. Jason Castro
8. Ramiel Mallubay
9. Kristy Lee Cook

There you go….eight more weeks of Idol, or maybe nine if you include “Idol Gives Back”…remember, last year no one was eliminated on that show. See you next week, I’m going back to watching the NCAA tournament tonight.

Last night’s “American Idol” featured the Top 10 finalists, and with it only being 90 minutes, it’s like Fox handed me change back from a $20 bill. Good stuff. Anyway, the contestants had to sing a song from the year they were born, and most of them really stepped up their game. But it’s also worth mentioning this…..that it had to make most of us feel REALLY OLD seeing years like 1987 and 1990 come up.

Anyway, here is the recap…

THE REALLY GOOD

That sound you just heard was David Cook stamping his ticket to superstardom. He closed out the show last night with a grungy version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” What, you say? Just how far can Mr. Cook push the envelope with his song choices? Well, he saw the ball coming and hit it clear around the world. It was that good, and dare I say one of the best performances I’ve ever seen on the show. I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it. I turned to Mrs. Mike and said, “There is your winner,” and then the judges agreed with me. Randy said “You might be the winner” and used the term “molten hot.” Paula said it was brave and brilliant. And Simon, who rarely uses such words, uttered this one: “Amazing.” This is clearly David’s competition to lose.

THE GOOD

Syesha Mercado was born in 1987, and sang Stephanie Mills’ “If I Were Your Woman,” and it was, for me, her best performance yet Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s “American Idol” results show proved one thing….that you shouldn’t always indulge yourself, thinking you are indulging your fans in the process. More on that in a bit.

First, they announced the mentors for this season….Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Neil Diamond…pretty diverse bunch, no? Then the remaining 11 did their second Beatles medley in as many weeks. It was watered down, bland, and none of them looked like they were having any fun whatsoever.

Okay, on to the results. Brooke White, safe. Carly Smithson, Bottom 3. What????? I know Simon thought it was a bad song choice (”Blackbird”), but come on…she wasn’t worse than 8 other contestants. David Archuleta, safe. Michael Johns, safe.

Then a break, then a video about shooting the latest Ford commercial. Okay, really, this show should and could be 30 minutes instead of 60.

David Cook, safe. Kristy Lee Cook, Bottom 3….well, duh. Jason Castro, safe. Ramiel Mallubay, safe.
That left Syesha, Chikezie and Amanda….Mrs. Mike said it was going to be Amanda and that she was going home.

Then Ryan Seacrest took some phone calls…..how’d you like to be one of the judges or contestants who have to answer some crazy fan’s question on national TV on the spot? I think I would start coughing uncontrollably so as to bow out.

Then Idol alum Kellie Pickler sang her new single, “Red High Heels.” The song was bland and boring, like most Country radio is, but Kellie looked great….and her boobs were not out in front this time for all to see. I have to say, I like her a whole lot more as an artist than Carrie Underwood.

Then after a 5-minute clip about the upcoming “Idol Gives Back” episode that featured former contestants Elliott Yamin and Fantasia (season 3 champ!), it was back to business.

Syesha Mercado, safe. Chikezie and Amanda….Chikezie, safe. Amanda, Bottom 3.

So the Bottom 3 was Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer. Carly looked like she absolutely didn’t belong, and she was sent back to safety first. Then, so was Kristy AGAIN, as Amanda was eliminated. Mrs. Mike called it two weeks in a row.

Here is my thought…first of all, Amanda went first, and that’s never a good thing unless you are a contender to win it all. Then, she sang “Back in the USSR,” and she proved that the same type of song at the same tempo week after week is not smart, because it makes you one-dimensional. The judges kept warning her about that. Amanda, though, made some comment that she gets 90 seconds to entertain America each week and she wants them to have a glimpse into what her live concert would be all about. Yeah, about that Amanda…..you’ll get to try and start proving it as of today because you are no longer an “Idol” finalist.

Meanwhile, Kristy Lee Cook keeps pulling this MacGuyver act. She has not had a good performance since her rendition of “Amazing Grace” in the initial audition, but she is clearly getting votes based on her All-American good looks. Hey America, what is WRONG with you?

Oh well, that’s why they play the games. Speaking of which, it’s NCAA tournament time…so I won’t tell your boss that you are faking being sick to watch basketball all day. See you next week…

Too much of a good thing can be too much of a good thing. Much the same way that your second doughnut does not taste nearly as good as the first one, two straight weeks of “American Idol” contestants singing Beatles songs was a bit, say, watered down? Or maybe they all just chose the wrong songs. However you slice it, last night was a bit disappointing. Let’s go to the recap….

THE GOOD

David Archuleta was very good last night, and back to form, but I was not nearly as impressed as Simon Cowell was. David sang “The Long and Winding Road” and it was about an 8 out of 10 on my Archuleta scale. Randy said David was back to his game but that it was a bit safe, Paula said David is identifiable, and Simon said that while last week David’s performance was a mess, this week he was “amazing.” Seriously, I was practically insulted by that…but still, this kid is really good.

David Cook was once again “amazing”…sorry, Simon. He sang “Day Tripper” and strapped on his guitar Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s “American Idol” results show came down to a bottom 3 of Syesha, Kristy Lee Cook and David Hernandez. Simon Cowell thought that America got the voting “spot on,” and I can’t say I disagree with him or with America. Nice going.

Anyway, before that we were tortured with an hour-long show. They talked about next week being another Beatles week…which is never a bad thing. But first, a Beatles medley by the remaining 12. As you might expect, it was excruciating.

Then, pretty early on, it was on to the results. Carly Smithson, safe. Michael Johns, safe. Jason Castro, safe. Syesha, bottom 3. Then, after Simon said she belonged there, Syesha seemed genuinely pissed off. Ryan Seacrest handed her the microphone and had her perform, even though there was a 2 in 3 chance Syesha was staying.

After the break, Chikezie, safe. Amanda Overmyer, safe. David Cook, safe. Then Kristy Lee Cook in the bottom 3. Yikes, I just realized there are two people with the last name “Cook” in this thing. Well, probably not for long!

After Kristy did her horrendous version of “8 Days a Week” again, they invited Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee to perform George Harrison’s “Something” along with producer/pianist David Foster. Note that after Kat lost her record deal because her pop/R&B album, um, sucked balls, Foster swooped in and is producing her next project. Look, she is very easy on the eyes, but still is not the greatest vocalist in the world…but Foster will do his best to try and polish that turd.

Then it was back to business. David Archuleta, safe. Brooke White, safe. Down to David Hernandez and Ramiel. Ramiel, safe, but probably barely. David Hernandez, after telling Ryan the Bottom 3 doesn’t mean the Bottom 1, sings his ridiculous version of “I Saw Her Standing There” again.

So it was down to this: Syesha, Kristy, and David H. Syesha was the first sent back to safety, and I was happy for her, because she is clearly better than the other two, or at least she was this week. Then Kristy was told she was safe, prompting this response from Hernandez: “Wow.” Um, dude, get over yourself….not only was America disappointed to find out you once worked as a stripper in a gay bar, but you were AWFUL on Tuesday night. I mean, it was one small notch above Luke Menard. So that’s it…we’re down to the final 11, and I’m going to offer my power rankings based on overall talent and on this past week’s performances:

1. David Cook
2. Carly Smithson
3. David Archuleta
4. Brooke White
5. Chikezie
6. Amanda Overmyer
7. Michael Johns
8. Jason Castro
9. Syesha Mercado
10. Ramiel
11. Kristy Lee Cook

What do you all think? Let me know, and I’ll see you next week…..

Why do I say “baker’s dozen?” Because there are 12 contestants remaining on “American Idol,” meaning the finals began last night. But host Ryan Seacrest keeps trying to hog the camera and the attention, like he’s the thirteenth contestant or something. Dude has been pretty low-key lately, but now he’s become annoying again, and the banter with Simon just makes everyone uncomfortable….dude, EAAAA-SY.

With that, let’s talk about the performances. The producers finally cracked the code to open The Beatles’ catalog, and with those songs, you know you’re at least going to be entertained. Here we go….

THE GOOD

Chikezie gave the performance of his life. I mean, his version Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s “American Idol” results show was a grueling hour long, but at last, we are down to the final 12. As they have been doing the last few seasons, they had 12 seats and filled them one by one, slowly working their way to who was being eliminated this week.

But first, last season’s runner-up, Blake Lewis, performed his new single, “How Many Words.” As you would expect, it was heavy on the beatboxing. But the song’s chorus absolutely soars. Then, after giving some love to Paula Abdul for having the #1 song on iTunes right now, it was on to the lengthy recaps of the last two nights.

Finally, Ryan Seacrest faced the guys and started to swing the axe. First up, David Cook, who sang that great version of Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello” on Tuesday. Seacrest said he spoke to Ritchie, who admitted he loved David’s version of the song. Cook was Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, the ladies took the stage on “American Idol” and for the most part, were a bit disappointing when compared to the guys the night before. Simon Cowell said it at the end of the show, and he’s absolutely right. Still, a couple of them stood out and should have no problem advancing this week. Here is how it went down….

THE GOOD

Amanda Overmyer is back. No more light-socket hair, ridiculous outfits or over-the-top-sausage-fest classic rock. Amanda sang Joan Jett’s “Hate Myself For Loving You,” and it was maybe her best performance on the show to date. She even looked really good. I’m telling you people, this girl is a rock star if she holds it together. Anyway, Randy said “that’s the Amanda we know and love,” Paula said she picked the right song, and Simon said it was “fantastic” and one of his favorites of the first few rounds so far. And remember, dude was not a fan last week.

Brooke White did an acoustic Read the rest of this entry »

Last night kicked off this week’s installment of “American Idol” with the guys going first, and the theme was ’80’s music. There have certainly been some surprise song choices the first few rounds, but last night almost every choice was out of left field. And some of the guys sounded awesome, while others did not….at least two of the Davids will sail through, but you already knew that.

And they did a bit about the contestants’ most embarrassing moments before they sang…but aside from David Hernandez’ giant booger story, they were all forgettable, so we’ll leave that alone. With that, let’s go to the videotape…..

THE GOOD

David Archuleta proved that he is mortal Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s “American Idol” results show was less fluff than usual, more results…but two of the results were surprising, one bordering on shocking, at least to me. That can only mean that those idiots who purposely mess with the voting are at it again (you losers know who you are). Either that, or America is just ignorant.

So first they did some bit on Simon Cowell blatantly flashing the “L” for loser sign to either Ryan Seacrest or various others during the auditions. Whatever…we all know he’s a wiseass.

Then came the ’70s medley, which did one thing in particular…it exposed how bad some of these singers really are.

Okay, on to the results Read the rest of this entry »