First, the good news: each of the final three American Idol contestants are guaranteed record deals and a music career. The bad news? I have this awful feeling in my stomach, the way I sometimes feel after eating too many potato chips, that David Cook is going to win the whole thing. That would be a shame.
I know that there are a lot of Cook fans out there, but I'm wondering: have you noticed that he sings just like 88% of the bands you hear on the radio right now? I don't want to call him a poseur, but I'm curious if he has that voice and style because that's how other successful, current singers sing. Don't we already have a Chris Daughtry?*
Take a listen again to Cook's performances last night. The Switchfoot song was a safe song for him, yet he still butchered it. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was just, um, weird. And it really makes me uncomfortable when we get to that point where the song becomes "Cook-ed," where he changes it to sound like it was being sung by Lifehouse/Creed. People can say that David Archuleta is boring, but at least he's actually singing well. With Cook I feel like a lot of the performances are really, really forced. (According to this poll, however, I'm very much in the minority.) On a side note, Cowell is probably the most honest and astute of the three judges (at least his criticisms go beyond "dawg check it out" and "you look amazing tonight," though I think that people sometimes confuse "honesty" with "truth" - when you get right down to it, honesty is just an opinion), but sometimes he just baffles me with his lack of taste. In the same night that he insulted Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" (I wonder if he even knows the song), he called that damn song from Armageddon one of the great songs in history. Gah!
I've never understood this "theme week" stuff anyway. Who cares if Syesha can sing a Dolly Parton song or a Neil Diamond song or something by Eminem or Debby Boone? Is this about finding someone with a good voice who can sing their songs or some novelty act show?
Back to Archuleta: why do people find him boring? He sings certain songs really well and has a niche? Yeah, most do. That's why you never saw Dean Martin singing Foghat. But last night's performance of the Chris Brown song I thought was handled rather well, and definitely showed he could do contemporary pop with a groove.
I'd like to see it come down to Syesha and David Archuleta. Hey, third is a pretty good place for Cook. He can be the third place winner out of a gazillion contestantss who tried out for Idol yet still be far enough from the top spot to keep that edgy rocker cred that fans think he has.
But he probably won't be going home tonight. We're down to a popularity contest now (they really need to change the voting structure). I would guess that Syesha is going home tonight, even though her three songs last night were pretty steady. If anything, we probably need a David Cook and David Archuleta head to head, just so Ryan Seacrest can announce in the finals, "And the winner of American Idol is David...and we'll find out his last name right after this commercial break!"
* Daughtry's album is quite good, by the way.
The Cheers episode Ken Levine's still writing in his head
Giveaway Tuesday: Fastlane - The Complete Series
Giveaway Monday: The X-Files: Revelations on DVD
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
5-14-2008 @ 11:15AM
Keith McDuffee said...
I hope Cook loses because I'd rather he get his career going than stick around for all the Idol BS the winner has to deal with. He's locked in for deals I'm sure, so may as well get started sooner than later.
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 1:59PM
Peg said...
David Cook sounds like 88% of the artists on the radio and you say that is the reason he should not win. Do you realize how silly of a statement that is? They are on the radio because the records are selling/vice versa. David Cook is he only one who will sell to what 88% of the cd buying population is listening too. This is not "discover someone who will not sell" this is about who will sell the most and you just said it. David Cook is the only one on the show who appeals to the masses buying and listening to music.
5-14-2008 @ 11:48AM
Scott K. said...
I disagree with you. I have been a David Cook fan for most of the season and thought his first song was really well done (my wife disagreed). His performance of Switchfoot was safe and uninspired, however. I do agree that the Armageddon song is held in too high regard by Cowell and thought the performance was iffy and predictable. Yet his is still the only album I am interested in hearing.
David A, on the other hand, is boring to me. His first performance last night was good, but I didn't care for the rest. I admit he has a great voice, but it can sound so calculated and clinical to me. And most of his performances seem overly intentional, to the point of being awkward. I've even found I like them more if I'm only listening and not watching. Maybe it's his youth, but unless it's a Christmas album, I'm not interested. (And after his performance of Imagine in the beginning, I was a huge fan... for one week.)
Syesha, on the other hand, did well, though I don't think the song choices helped her (except for the Alicia Keys song).
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 11:49AM
spg28 said...
Bob, I hear what you are saying about the similarities between David Cook and other male rockers (Daughtry, Creed, Live, etc.) but I think the same can be said for all three remaining contestants. Syesha has already been compared to Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and other big-voiced divas. David Archuletta seems to only have that one niche where he can sing soft-rock sensitive ballads. Honestly, I agreed with Simon and Randy last night- hearing Archuletta sing a Chris Brown song was just weird.
I think people are expecting too much from these contestants- they're not going to reinvent the wheel- aka create a new genre of music or a wholly unique sound. But that has always been the case- see Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard. This doesn't take anything away from any of their talents- it's just that perhaps we are expecting a level of uniqueness that isn't possible.
That being said, I happen to love David Cook :)
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 11:52AM
Michelle said...
Bob, I just have to comment here. I really enjoy reading your pieces on TV Squad because a lot of times you have a very different opinion from what is "popular" or the "mainstream" opinion, and I love that you just put it out there, I really do. I frequent this site, and I have seen the attacks commenters have when they disagree with the blogger. Sometimes I agree with you, and think to myself "I am SO glad someone said what I was thinking, and sometimes I don't, but I enjoy it either way.
Of course, I have to say, this is one of those cases where I totally disagree with something you said above. I personally think that David Cook deserves to win the season of AI, but I also agree with Keith above that I kinda hope he doesn't, as he would probably make a better album that way.
But, what drove me to comment was when you said "But last night's performance of the Chris Brown song was handled rather well, and definetly showed he could do contemporary pop, with a groove." I am shocked! I thought it was painful to watch. I am not a big David Archuleta fan, but I felt bad for him. I thought it was embarrasing. I could barely watch it because it was so awful!
Anyways, thanks for the honest opinions!
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 1:39PM
toutlaguerre said...
I quite agree with you about the Davids. David Archuletta has a sweetish personality but he is not as good as people keep saying he is. I think it should be a Syesha, David Cook final. I do not think David Archie should win and if he does it will leave a poor taste in my mouth about American Idol!
5-14-2008 @ 2:28PM
ORKMommy said...
Michelle: I couldn't agree with you more! When you said David A. was painful to watch I was nodding my head in agreement. Not only was it painful, but he completely faltered on his words about 1/4 of the way through. At this stage in the competition, nobody should be faltering!
5-14-2008 @ 10:54PM
Karen said...
I completely agree watching David Archuletta is an embarrassing event. On the other hand David Cook commands attention and gets it. I think he will do well. Sayesha I think will build confidence over time but not have the immediate take-off I forsee Cook having. Hats off to David Cook for a great season. Hope to purchase his album when it is out.
5-19-2008 @ 12:06PM
vermeer said...
No need to feel bad for David Archuleta for his performance of the Chris Brown song just because YOU somehow found it embarrassing or awful, because that is your perception and your opinion, not to be confused with "truth". Obviously Bob for one, and I for another, felt he did it well and showed he could totally do contemporary pop.
It is very laughable that Simon comments on someone's dancing as he did in his review of this performance, because the guy can't dance, has no idea what good dance moves are anymore than he can discern bad dance moves. DA looked just fine and completely fits the teenager mode.
5-14-2008 @ 11:54AM
Billy said...
Someone is always going to be compared to being like someone else. How many artists can you think of right now that are actually original and popular?
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 12:02PM
Jag said...
David Archuleta is boring. The same nasally singing every week. David Cook is unique. Lets see David Archuleta take a song and make it his own. The reason why David Cook has some bad weeks is he tries to change things up. Archuleta sings the same way week after week. Nothing new. Oh ya, he sang Chris Brown last night and he sucked.
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 12:04PM
Jag said...
I would love to see a David Cook/ Syesha final.
"Hey, third is a pretty good place for Archuleta. He can be the third place winner out of a gazillion contestantss who tried out for Idol yet still be far enough from the top spot to keep that edgy Manilow cred that fans think he has."
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 1:43PM
sequoia said...
You took the words right out of my mouth!
5-14-2008 @ 12:06PM
Jere said...
How could you say that Archuleta "showed he could do contemporary pop with a groove." Are you kidding. That was as bad as Pat Boone's covers of Little Richard's songs in the 60's. I had not heard anything as grooveless as Pat's Tutti Frutti cover. Archuleta can sing, he can sing well; however, he can not leave the ballad section of the music catalog. Every stumble he has had, happened with a more uptempo song. It is not what he can do well. And how can he be a pop star without pop. Archuleta, or his dad, even slowed down more uptempo songs to fit his style, which for the competion is brilliant. Will a crooner actually sell records.
Reply
5-19-2008 @ 12:09PM
vermeer said...
It is really tiresome to see people repeating that David Archuleta can only sing ballads and can not do faster tempo songs. Obviously, they missed week 1 of the competition when he sang Shop Around which made Simon say his performance was the best of the night by a "comfortable mile"!! Enough already with assessments that can not even be backed by anything real.
To all who insists DA is boring or mechanical or "clinical" or incapable of having emotion in his singing, I suppose you are better experts than Dolly Parton who said he has "a voice of someone who is going to be a great great singer", or Andrew Lloyd Webber who said "little David really has a musical soul", or Neil Diamond who said David is a "kind of prodigy", in other words, not your dime or dozen! His voice is extremely unique and distinctive besides being beautiful and I know I will always recognize it instantly whereas Cook's voice will sound like so many others, good as it may be.
5-14-2008 @ 12:11PM
Leota said...
I totally agree with you. Honestly he reminds me of the guy in the early rounds who couldn't sing without sounding like he was imitating Nickelback, so the judges told him to come back and sing Dancing Queen to prove he could do something different... and he made it sound exactly the same.
But I'm actually hoping David Cook wins just because so many of his fans are worried about him getting locked into the AI contract. Nobody twisted his arm to appear on this show, nobody is forcing his fans to vote for him week after week. If he wins the final, it will be just what he deserves... for better and for worse.
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 12:15PM
antonio81 said...
i have to disagree with yoru David A. comment about the Chris Brown song, it sound extremely awkward and the dancing...oh the dancing...from the first "boo" i was lost, and i actually had to look away from the tv....he's an amazing singer though and will prob win it all based on popularity...syesha...did ok...but that last song the producers doomed her
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 12:20PM
Carole said...
I've liked David Cook since his first audition. I didn't like the second song but I loved his version of "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing"! Dianne Warren is one of my favourite songwriters and to have her sitting there would've been nervewracking for anyone. It's about time that a rocker won! I love Daughtry, bo bice and now David Cook!
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 12:28PM
C C said...
My conspiracy theory, strange as it sounds, is that they're going to give it to David Cook this year to make up for Chris Daughtry NOT winning Idol a couple of years ago.
Reply
5-14-2008 @ 12:30PM
Ian said...
David Cook is the only David with a personality. Archuletta needs to age a few more years so he can find out who he is, while Cook knows who he is. A rocker with an amazing voice. So yes, Cook should win!
Reply