Hey Sam Stone, interesting comments re Adam and the country song issue. I do think there is some middle ground (like David Cook’s “Little Sparrow” last year. It was true to him and to the country genre) but it’s hard to pull off. Have to admire Adam for going for “true to himself” if he couldn’t find that middle ground that wasn’t too compromising.
Adam may dress strange, but his musical sense is 1000% musical theater. America loves that crap, as evidenced by his popularity. He wasn’t some rebel trying to buck the system this week, he was a desperate contestant trying to find a strange arrangement within a genre that he doesn’t like.
Here’s the problem I have with Adam, and Simon nailed it- he’s self indulgent. Not every song is improved by breaking into the higher registers and showing off his admittedly impressive range- if the song requires range from a singer, by all means, you have the chops so go for it. But most don’t, or at least not to the extent he employs it. Instead, they may require other, more subtle nuances or interpretation, but he’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
That’s not what AI wants. There’s a place for Adam in music, and he’ll probably have a successful career, but AI isn’t the right place for him. You may like or dislike what AI is trying to do, but they have been pretty clear about what they’re looking for. Adam isn’t malleable enough, and he’s too impressed with himself. Even David Cook was able to dial it back when necessary and play the part, even though his creativity was bursting at the seams.
I get a real sense from Adam that he’s really smug and arrogant- not necessarily bad traits in the music business, but again, he doesn’t fit the mold.
Can someone explain to me where Adam all of a sudden is starting to be “true to himself”? This is the first week he’s done anything that was an obvious clear departure from the original song he sang. When he did “Black or White” and “Satisfaction,” they were re-canned versions of how MJ and the Stones sang them. Is it a coincidence he changed it up on country week? I don’t think so.
And I don’t buy the excuse that he’s thumbing his nose at producers and the show. What’s the logic there? That he’s going to martyr himself for the sake of his craft, and give up the opportunity to win the whole thing? Again, I don’t think so.
I think he’s talented, but I think he blew it this week. Just because it’s different, doesn’t make it good.
Idol exists to make Idol successful. It is a cash cow and they will do anything to keep it going. Being truthful to yourself just gets in the way. Do what they tell you to.
They need their singers to have big careers. Hudson at the Oscars, Underwood at the Emmys, good. A singer pissing off a sector of the population, bad.
I was really hoping that after Paisley’s peformance he would stand at the edge of he stage and have Simon say, “my favorite part was when the song stopped” a la the video for “Celebrity.”
They have competing requirements, though - one is to turn out singers who have big popularity. You’re right about that. American Idol wouldn’t be very interesting if the winners always just fell off the radar and vanished. Rock Star Supernova would still be on the air as Rock Star <next band> had Supernova sold 5 million copies of their album. But they didn’t, and they became a joke and the show died with them.
But on the other hand, the show also has to be entertaining. The problem comes in when the need to produce some bland marketable ‘star’ overshadows the need to produce a TV show that’s actually compelling to watch. And I can tell you that if all this show highlighted were clones of Carrie Underwood and Fantasia, I’d stop watching. I want to see something a little more interesting than that.
I will have to give it to Adam: he was memorable. I don’t remember half of the songs from last week, but I feel like his latest piece will linger.
But it’s like… If the genres don’t really mean anything (would all the contestants get away with Gothy Cash numbers?), then they might just as well do free associations: The theme is “animal”. Go!
If the theme is “Motown” and you pick Marvin Gaye’s “I heard it through the grapewine” but sing it backwards, standing on your head and in the style of Radiohead’s “Fitter happier” – are you then still playing by the rules?
This has got to be the most boring season ever!
First all, didn’t half of these yahoos forget the lyrics during Hollywood week? What happened to, “Forget the lyrics and you’re out.”
I got sick of the judges picking people because they “have that bluesy voice.”
Anyone who was entertaining at all was dismissed by the judges. No one with an ounce of charisma was given a wild card chance.
I only care about 4 of the contestants and one of them just got booted
I think I have to turn in my membership card for the Adam hate club. I thought he was a souless media-whore. But now he seems to be doing his thing, and I think his thing is kind of fun.
His performance was the only performance this season that I’ve gone back to watch again. Yeah, it was totally theatrical. But it was entertaining. And it was fully formed- it felt like he was singing a real song that he would actually sing. And I love how he didn’t back down from the cheese factor. He did what he does and did it all the way. Everyone else so far just sounds like they are singing over someone else’s song.
As for genre days, why would I want to watch a bunch of people uncomfortably singing songs in a style they aren’t good at? The fun part of genre days is watching how a talented artist can take a song they wouldn’t normally sing it in their style. I say bring on the cross-genre action!
They have a lot of good stuff to work with next week; Motown.
Hah, I hope Adam pulls off a goth version of “Baby love”.
I’m hoping for Alice Cooper week. Gokey can sing “I love the dead before they’re cold”
Exactly. I felt rather sheepish admitting to my boyfriend (who missed the performance show) that I kind of liked Adam this week, after the weeks of drubbing we’d given him, comparing him to this guy and such.
I still don’t think I can forgive his cringeworthy rendition of “Satisfaction,” but I did enjoy him this week, and on results shows (sans costume and posturing) he seems fairly likeable.
This would definitely make an AI fan outta me. 
Adams version of" Ring of Fire" has been an intermittent ear worm for me all week. I sort of liked it but still think he should have taken an honest shot at the genre.
Watched for the first time in a while this week on the DVR. And I’m one of the people who doesn’t like country week cause he likes country.
I hated Ring of Fire, it was a cheap copout, and I wouldn’t have like it if Lil went R&B - she played it straight and gave it a good try.
I liked the second performance of Jolene better than the first, lots more soul and oomph from the words matching what she felt. It was technically worse, but I liked it more.
Did anyone else think that Alexis looks somewhat like a younger, ah, ‘big contract’-less Dolly Parton (and the hair is shorter)? The family was commenting on it.
Why? Any smart competitor should turn the genre in their favor. There is nothing to be gained by “taking an honest shot” and failing – as we saw happen with a couple contestants this week. Idol isn’t just about singing, it’s about being smart – and it would by no means have been smart for Adam to try singing country music!
He did take an honest shot at the genre.
India is a country, right?