Thoughts on the American Idol finale
I used to scorn American Idol, but I got sucked in this season after seeing Adam Lambert's performance of Tracks of my Tears.
Adam was one of the two finalists last night, along with Kris something, who is a very forgettable performer. Adam's brilliance was in making radical changes to the melodies of the songs he would perform that still managed to convey the same emotional message. I don't believe I was alone in this assessment, as Adam was pretty much universally acclaimed. However, Kris won last night.
Some say that perhaps its homophobia that cost Lambert the title. I am more inclined to believe that all the teenyboppers who are glued to their cell phones love the humble, shy, handsome country boy Kris. Even Kris was dumbfounded at winning, declaring that Adam should have won immediately after receiving his trophy.
But regardless of the reasons why a fickle American public decided to elevate the mediocre Kris to victory, I cheered when it happened. I hoonestly could not bear the thought of Adam Lambert's first single being vomit-inducing pop drivel written by judge Kara DioGuardi. I was forced to listen to both singers perform it on Tuesday night, and to Kris do it again last night. This song would ruin any chance of Lambert being taken seriously as an alternative artist. But it is perfect for Kris, who can thrive off Idol fame for a year with this kind of garbage, and then be rightfully forgotten.
Lambert is obviously a very smart and talented guy. The other contestants even stood in awe at the risks he was willing to take in changing up the songs he performed. His voice was amazing and very much in the modern emo style, with effortless falsettos. He carried himself better than the others on stage and showed he could even dance while singing. And now, he is free of the American idol machine and can still capitalize on his newfound fame, while maintaining some measure of integrity.
I have some advice for Adam. First of all, do not sign any deal with anyone even remotely related to American Idol. You should be doing alternative rock, emo, dirty rock n roll, something along these lines. Join an existing, hardworking, talented band in need of a lead singer and do not rename it "Lambert". I've been thinking about this. In an ideal world, you would join a band like A Perfect Circle, which is really suffering with former lead singer Maynard Keenan back with Tool for the foreseeable future. Or even go a little less mainstream with a metal band like macHinehead, whos lead singer frankly sucks. There are so many talented metal acts out there today, but most of them are hurting themselves by substituting grunting and screaming for singing real melodies. Five Finger Death Punch is a notable exception to this rule, and this band is poised to break out huge as a result.