American Idol and MJ.

Ok, so it's loathsome to blog about American Idol, . . but I thought after last night's show a few things needed to be said moving forward.

1) We forget, before he went crazy, how many great, great songs Michael Jackson wrote and sang. Even last night. . . PYT, Human Nature (one of the most under-rated songs of the 80's), Black or White, Remember the Time, etc. . .
And, no one even sang "Man in the Mirror" last night, one of the best. It's really sad what happened to MJ, because he's a legend. Incredible music. . . . .

2) Adam Lambert: Ok, I have to be honest, I'm not a fan. Here's why: Everyone seems so "surprised" every time he sings and Paula is shedding tears, Simon is gushing, etc. . The fact is, this guy was in the national touring production of "Wicked" (a broadway play), and has a ton of performing experience. It's like being surprised that Ricky and the band play so well each week (really incredible this year). They're professionals, that's what they're supposed to do. I just don't get the reaction to him.

Vocally: I know it sounds really impressive,. . .but all of the screaming is not really that amazing. He's really just singing in falsetto and adding some dirt to his tone, . . . like if I was going to sing like an operatic soprano right now (go ahead, imagine that) that's all he's doing, with some tone modifications. Notice how he has to stick his tongue out everytime he does that. . .that's how he changes his vocal apparatus to get that tone. It's a trick, it's kind of "fake", almost. On Broadway, they do this alot, I remember "Phantom of the Opera" had alot of "scream" singing in it. I'm not impressed. And, I would like to see him get through one week just singing, no screaming,. . . please, just once.

3) Megan Corkery: This is a sore spot for me as well. This is the worst example of the judges pushing their agenda onto the show that we've ever seen. They want to put out a "quirky" artist at some point, and not just a pop puppet (david archuleta, ruben, clay, etc. . . ). They found a girl who kind of sounds like the "new jazz" movement, (Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Norah Jones, etc) and so they keep propping her up.
One problem: she's not that good. She really is just yelling at us all the time, I think. Maybe if, like Paula said, she shows some nuance and different style in the coming weeks, I'll change my opinion. But, I thought she was the worst last night, and I don't think she should've been in the top 13. The judges seem to "want it" too much in her case.

Beyond Megan, I thought everyone sang really well last night. It'll be interesting to see who else gets kicked off. . . . Megan should go first though, unless the judges put her through :).

Danny Gokey is the jam

Aaron