Idol Thought: Upcoming 2009 Finale

I know that it has been a long time since I’ve blogged on American Idol. It has been a busy time lately, but I’ve been watching and enjoying as usual. Tonight the two finalists were announced, and I’m still digesting the result. Instead of the expected face off between Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey, it’ll be Lambert versus Kris Allen. Wow! But such is the way with American Idol. Two seasons ago, the amazing Melinda Doolittle did not make it to the finale, and Jordan Sparks ended up smoking poor Blake Lewis (who I loved but did not expect to win). Chris Daughtry didn’t make the finale either three years ago, and he has since made huge success for himself. But, I digress…

Though the talent was a little less thrilling this year than last year, there were some terrific people with some great voices. The biggest revelation in talent this year was definitely Adam Lambert. Okay, I talked about Adam in the past, and my feelings are still the same. He has unbelievable pipes. I don’t think that there has been a more unique and impressive vocalist in this competition – period. I mean, really. This guy has an amazing range, from a solid tenor all the way up to soprano. Heck, he’s practically a contralto (as high as a man can go, and it usually required castration to achieve that). His technique is practically perfect and his control, when he chooses to use it, is out of this world. If you need proof, listen to the following YouTube recording. It’s amazing. (Skip to the last minute if you’re short on time.)


One night after a show I said, “Man, what can’t the guy sing? Well…other than bass (very low).”

Adam would make the late Freddy Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, humble. In this video of Mercury, notice the similar energy and charisma (which some might find creepy), and yet Mercury doesn’t appear to have the vocal stamina to nail the high notes written into the end of the song. Lambert would probably have a more resilient voice with that amazing technique.



Here’s the problem with Adam, though. Like Mercury, he has amazing range, energy, and showmanship; but Mercury was completely over the top. The same can be said for Adam. I don’t really like his vocal styling. With most of his songs, he would start the song with comfortable, smooth vocals, and then halfway through he’d go wild with riffs and rock screams. Vocalists and musicians are saying “wow,” but many audience members are saying “enough already!” I’ve been blown away with the judges, but I also think that watching Adam has been like going to the opera. You might not love what you hear, but it’s pretty amazing that they can do it.

As for Kris, I think he’s great. He has a nice voice and has given some really solid, moving performances. He’s well rounded, playing both the piano and the guitar (though the guitar is his stronger instrument), and he is smart with this song picks. He stays true to his own flavor at all times. He wasn’t one of the strongest vocalists, to be honest. He has had a few bum notes here and there, and yet you can’t help but love him. He has almost a Brooke White factor – multi-talented, extremely likeable, modest appearance, yet attractive, married with a cute spouse, humble, etc. I imagine that even those who didn’t vote him into the finals must have a hard time not cheering for such an underdog.

What can I say about Danny Gokey? We’ll miss him. He might not have had the charisma that many previous Idol winners have had, but he had a terrific, strong, sexy voice and a whole lot of soul. He seemed genuinely grateful for the success he had, and he had that Oprah factor that I previously mentioned (a recent widower – how could you not get attached to this guy?). I really had hoped he’d win. Even now, I hope he has a good career in music on some level. He’s talented and seems like such a good person. Here's an ironic embed:



So it’s now up to the voters to decide who will win the finale, and to be honest, I think Kris will be the upset. Despite Danny’s more impressive vocals, Kris still got more votes than him. This guy has devoted fans. We don’t know who had the most votes. We could assume it was Adam, because the judges go ballistic every week over his voice, but for all we know, Kris might’ve been the one with a million votes more. Also, the chances of a majority of Danny Gokey fans switching their vote to Adam Lambert are pretty slim. So, unless Gokey fans are bitter and decide to stick it to Kris by voting for Adam, next week’s new Idol will likely be Kris Allen. BUT, we’ll just have to wait and see about that, won’t we?