A talent pool that has changed Recent years have seen more established stars in search of a stepping stone By Alex Strachan, Canwest News Service March 30, 2010 Enough with the hand-wringing.Ratings are down, catcalls are up and the Idolosphere is a-twitter over how this season's American Idol talent pool is wallowing in the shallow end.A four-page lament in Friday's edition of Entertainment Weekly, headlined Why Can't The New Idols Sing?, blames the dearth of ability on everything from too much guitar strumming to a tired songbook to a surfeit of style at the expense of substance and good-old-fashioned singing ability. It's all true.But American Idol, at its core, has always been about finding that one diamond in the rough. Preferably a diamond that is uncut and unpolished.In recent seasons, Idol has become not so much a proving ground for untried, untested talent as it has been a stepping-stone-to-stardom for already established, professional performers such as Adam Lambert.Lambert played Joshua in The Ten Commandments: The Musical at Hollywood's cavernous Kodak Theatre alongside Val Kilmer long before he tried out for Idol, and 2008 winner David Cook toured with the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Midwest Kings, aka MWK, before auditioning for Idol on a last-minute whim.(Cook didn't intend to try out, and simply appeared at the auditions to support his younger brother, who didn't make it.)Carly Smithson, an Irish soul-rock singer with an absolutely gorgeous voice, opened for Bryan Adams once in Dublin, before moving to America, changing her name (from Hennesy) and trying out for Idol. (Smithson is now the lead singer for We Are the Fallen, whose debut album, Tear the World Down, will be released in May.)Compare that with raw, inexperienced ingenues such as this season's Katie Stevens, 17, a Middlebury, Conn., high-school kid who posted on Idol's website that, "If I were to be eliminated tomorrow, I'd leave happy because I've made it further than a lot of other people," and Aaron Kelly, 16, a Sonestown, Pa., high-school kid who said, "I'm young, and I just want to make other people happy with my music."Here's the reality.This season's Idol is a throwback to the show's innocent early years, when young, raw, green hopefuls tried out and, over time, became seasoned, grew in confidence and, in a handful of cases, blossomed into bona fide recording artists.The last week of March is a little early to be panicking over a meagre talent pool in an off-key season.It's worth remembering that Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee emerged from what seemed like a mediocre Top 12 field in 2006.The 2007 winner Jordin Sparks was rated a 32-1 long shot in that year's Top 12, ahead of only Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato.The point is that the singer who wins American Idol is not always the one who jumps out at the beginning, but rather the singer who grows over time.There are exceptions. Carrie Underwood was the runaway favourite her season, virtually from the moment she plugged in a pair of earbuds and sat hunched in a chair, concentrating on her music, as she waited outside the judges' room at her audition in St. Louis.Underwood is the exception, though. The rule is Clay Aiken, a neophyte who seemed in completely over his head when he first auditioned, and who grew in confidence and ability over time.What's wrong with American Idol this season? Nothing.Not yet, anyway.If Crystal Bowersox or Siobhan Magnus go home before Tim Urban or Casey James, there'll be hell to pay. Until then, though ...
American Idol: Save The Theme Weeks, Save The SeasonPart of: The Fifth JudgeAuthor: Kirsten Coachman — Published: Mar 29, 2010 at 4:01 pmThis week on American Idol the Top 10 will be performing R&B and soul songs for "R&B Week." Being that this is the first time this theme has been done on Idol, I'm pretty stoked about it. I believe that mixing it up this year and doing away with passe themes such as "Country Week," "Songs From The Year You Were Born" or "Disco Week" could do this season a huge favor. That said, I brainstormed nine possible theme weeks for Idol to consider for the final nine weeks of competition. ......This is the first of two repeating themes in my list that could help save this season. The last time "'60s Week" was done well was back in season two of Idol. I just think that there is so much fantastic music that came out of that decade, it could even make lackluster singing talent sparkle just a bit. My favorite performance from "60's Week" during season two was Clay Aiken's "Build Me Up Buttercup." That performance reminds me of how good Idol contestants can be when given great music to work with. ...
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