When the first single off of Lee DeWyze’s major label debut Live It Up, “Sweet Serendipity” premiered on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show this past Wednesday, my initial reaction was confusion: I couldn’t figure out if I liked it or not. When the piano kicked in at the beginning of  the song (and continued throughout) it was very strange and irritating. I knew I wasn’t expecting a soulful ballad like “Annabelle” or a tender tune like “Flower Child” (which is my favorite of his pre-Idol songs) but I didn’t think I would be getting too much production and autotune. The chorus felt rushed with “in the nic of time… cause the worst ain’t happened yet”.  This is pure pop confection at its finest, leaning toward Jason Mraz ”I’m Yours”/”The Remedy”  in sound along with The Script’s “Breakeven”, and also strangely reminded me of the Barenaked Ladies ”One Week”.

Lee’s raw and affecting voice is also missed here. I right away recognized his voice, as it’s very distinctive, though the autotune almost made him sound metallic. Only toward the end where he growls sweet serendipity did I hear that natural gruff voice that I love. The lyrics might be predictable, but they are at least solid.  Let me say that I don’t think this was Lee’s doing, and that he didn’t necessarily “sell out” with this song. I understand RCA’s reasons to choose this as the first single: It’s catchy enough, definitely radio-friendly, has potential to do well,  and is not offensive at all, which is what Top 40 radio stations eat up now. There is nothing wrong with this happy go-lucky tune and I’m sure that  the rest of Lee’s album will not sound exactly like it.

After listening to the song a few times, my final say on the song is that, although I prefer Lee’s soulful, folk sound more than an over-produced autotuned single, I do like “Sweet Serendipity”. I already had the “oh oh ohs” stuck in my head when my local radio station played the song recently. So if catchy and addictive is what RCA was going with this to lead off as his first single for his album, then they succeeded.

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Today on Ryan Seacrest’s KISS FM radio show, Lee DeWyze debuted the first single off his November 16^th release (Live it Up), a three-minute track entitled Sweet Serendipity. Besides the obvious John Cusack references I could make, I will say that I was impressed, albeit initially a little confused by this first glimpse into DeWyze’s post-Idol career.

This strong track, for the most part, errs heavily on the side of the soft rock/pop trend that permeates the radio these days. Comparisons to Jason Mraz (particularly in the vein of his sophomore album, Mr. A-Z), Matt Nathanson (more Some Mad Hope than At The Point), and Pete Yorn (I’m hearing Life on a Chain, but WAY more pop-leaning) are not entirely inappropriate, though I would like to mention that the track seemed to blatantly rip off the rhythm/piano line of Breakeven by The Script (fun fact number two: Kris Allen’s debut single, Live Like We’re Dying, was originally a Script song. Coincidence? I think not.) Oddly, I was reminded distinctly of a more rock-oriented version of the Ballas Hough Band’s song Together Faraway, which is something that intrigues me greatly as to what’s to come on the rest of DeWyze’s album.

Lyrically, the song is solid, though somewhat obvious. The concept of serendipity is time-honored and decidedly uplifting, which makes it perfect for the current onslaught of positive music on the radio. One wonders if this particular track was picked to fit in the same vein as other Idol winner’s first singles, as it has all the lyrical hallmarks of a first post-Idol track. While I don’t find the words to be anything particularly excellent in a market filled with stronger lyricists (I’m looking at you, Sara Bareilles and Paramore), it stands as a strong lyrical start for a debut single from a lesser-known artist (I should also mention that DeWyze was stronger lyrically on his previous albums, which leads me to believe that he wasn’t at the helm lyrically here).

Query 1: Is this song exemplary of the Lee DeWyze we’ve come to know and love both through his pre-Idol recordings and his tenure on Season 9? Patently not: DeWyze has always had a strongly folk-rock edge, but always erred on the side of folk, something decidedly missing from this particular cut. I personally missed the twang that he showcased throughout his Slumberland effort, which was lost amongst the somewhat overproduced background vocals and quick-paced lyrics (he didn’t manage to pull them off in the same way Jason Mraz does). Vocally, this is also not DeWyze at his best (a product of the type of song more than the ability of the artist), though really, can we honestly say that vocally strong songs make it as radio hits these days? I think the answer is a resounding no, which is why many artists leave their more vocally compelling songs to the LPs and away from the mercy of fickle radio DJs. Besides, the track is strong enough to stand on its own, especially with those people who are not familiar with DeWyze’s slightly southern croon.

Query 2: Is all of the above a bad thing? Also patently not. It’s not surprising to me that RCA chose to go such a well-treaded soft rock/pop route with Lee’s first single. With artists like The Fray, The Script, Jason Mraz and Maroon 5 dominating the non-R&B/hip-hop market, why wouldn’t a struggling label (really, every label is struggling at this point) double-down their odds with a great tune in a well-established genre? It just makes good sense in a world that doesn’t consume music in the broad way it used to. Almost every artist who becomes a hit composes and performs in a way similar to a previous Top 40 artist, and RCA has both the right (and, I would posit, the responsibility) to make sure its newer talent produces and airs singles that can appeal to that musically stunted populous.

I suppose it would irresponsible to not mention that DeWyze and RCA made the decision to switch out the track Live it Up for Sweet Serendipity at the last minute. Now, there are all sorts of conspiracy theories out there on why the change was made (my gut tells me that Live it Up may have been considered commercially inviable* by some music critics), but it’s safe to say that it was certainly a good choice to put out a single that wasn’t an unfortunate Name Twin to Live Like We’re Dying.

In short, I think this song is a great first track from a strong recording artist. Is it exactly what the fans expected? Sadly, no. But in the long run, that may prove to be the best thing for DeWyze’s career.

FINAL GRADE: B+

* Note that ‘commercially inviable’ is different from not being a good track: Many musical tracks are excellent, but would not be a commercial radio success.

NOTE: This review was written in response to the AOL Radio stream of The Other Side of Down.

On his 2008 major label release, Archuleta allowed himself to be led by solid song writers and an unwavering focus on the positive. There was a simplicity about  the album that was appropriate for someone as young and as naive as Archuleta, who was only seventeen at the time of the release. So while the album was nothing ground-breaking, there was very clearly something his fans from Idol could grasp onto.

The Other Side of Down is a extremely strong, albeit somewhat safe effort on Archuleta’s part. Sure, there’s a certain amount of je ne sais quoi missing that would have taken the album from great to positively fabulous, but overall, David more than makes the grade with this album. Of course, the truest Archie fans will probably be thrilled with the release no matter the few-and-far between flaws: There’s enough whimsy reminiscent of his eponymous debut release to bring previous listeners back into the fray, and yet enough new material to keep the game interesting. I myself was truly blown away by how much David appears to have matured both emotionally and musically on this disc, and I’m excited to see where he heads next.

To elaborate, I offer you this track-by-track breakdown:

The Pretty Darn Great Songs

Archuleta sounds most like himself on My Kind of Perfect, the last song on the record. A piano-driven ballad in the vein of an up-tempo To Be With You from his debut album, My Kind of Perfect chronicles the oft-clichéd “imperfectly perfect” sort of girl that every slightly self-loathing teenager can relate to. And while I normally find that blatant kind of appeal a little cheap, it somehow works with somebody like Archuleta, who is probably the last person in the world who actually believes the message of the song **** (see note at the end). Not only does Archuleta’s awesome voice control the tune in precisely the way that it was meant to, the heartfelt aspect makes this a song worth downloading.

Stomping the Roses sounds like a song you already know, but just can’t put your finger on. Arguably the strongest of all the upbeat tracks on the album (and easily my favorite), this track features one of the strongest bass lines on the album, and is probably the most radio-friendly of the bunch. While there’s some unnecessary auto-tuning, the modern twist is welcome in the mix of heavy guitar and pseudo-synth sounds that makes this song a plausible foray for Archuleta to delve into at a later date.

Archuleta’s current single, Elevator, is another stand-out track. Elevator has the sort of flirty-fun attitude that I find very appealing when juxtaposed correctly with David’s crisp tone. I actually prefer the acoustic version that Archuleta has used during recent radio performances, perhaps because I like the airy quality of his vocals of the falsetto-laced chorus. I think Elevator is elevated (sorry, I had to do it) above the other tracks mainly because it doesn’t take itself too seriously: There’s no bigger theme, no underlying message that can come off preachy and unwarranted (a common misstep for a young artist with David’s credits.) However, I will say that this was an odd choice for David’s second single, as it doesn’t have the normal “hooks” that you hear on Top 40 radio.

The Pretty Darn Good Songs

Falling Stars is an extremely simple song that proves that you don’t need to go big to have an emotional homerun. My major complaint here is how strained Archuleta sounds on the chorus, which is exactly the opposite of how I remember Archuleta’s vocals on his previous LP. There’s also an odd use of reverb on the second verse (a glaringly bad juxtaposition to the acoustic-based first verse) which threw me off for a couple measures. Of course, that’s all secondary to the bittersweet end result to the song, which is probably one of the most emotionally mature of the cuts on the album.

It was perhaps an odd choice to back Archuleta up an entire gospel chorus on Things Are Gonna Get Better. I give David and his producers credit for trying something new an interesting, but I wonder if this song (which was previewed by Archuleta during the MDA marathon a few weeks ago) would have been stronger had Archuleta stripped it down to himself and a guitar (giving the voice-and-piano-only gig a break).

The Pretty Darn Nice Songs

The assumedly autobiographical Who I Am is nothing particularly special on the album, but by no means is it unlistenable. I’m not sure how I feel about David doing his own backing vocals on this song (I personally think he could have done something pretty special with a baritone vocal in the background), but I suppose when you have such a strong lead vocalist, trying to compile strong voices in the background becomes somewhat of an overkill.

Another more generic cut from the album is Complain, which, while slightly over processed in places, encompasses the hopeful and exuberant chorus lines that Archuleta so masterfully executed on his first album. This is also probably the most honest of the tracks on the album: It feels both like something that Archuleta may himself have written, and can also empathize with. While I would argue that the song isn’t particularly special amongst Top 40 hits, and certainly lacks the underlying melody to become a true hit,  I think this is really where Archuleta needs to be focusing his efforts: retro-pop with a little zing.

Parachutes and Airplanes is an odd song that also makes overuse of the auto tune (we’re sensing a theme here, I think.) I did appreciate the light piano drive in the background which, when not completely obliterated by overuse of synth, gave the song an almost Fray-esque feeling. This was another more mature cut from the album, and, had the producers erred on the side of sounding more piano-driven (I’m thinking Script’s Before the Worst, but with less snare), this easily could have been one of the strongest tunes on the record.

In the title track of the album, The Other Side of Down, Archuleta attempts a Jason Mraz-type mastery of the spoken word on the verses, and falls short to the point of sounding a hair sloppy. However, this is one of the more upbeat and compelling songs, which essentially saved it from going into my final category. “Gonna keep fighting until I make it to the other side of down” does mark some of the more clever lyricism on David’s part, and gives me hope that he will, in fact, reach the level of lyricism he did back on My Hands from his debut disc (albeit, I’m told, though he did not write the lyrics himself). This song has a definite nineties vibe to it, annd I think older listeners might really appreciate that.

The Pretty Darn Not-As-Good Songs

It’s really very little wonder that Archuleta’s first single from the album, Something About Love, flopped big-time on Top 40. There’s just no substance here to hold onto. The auto tuning is overwhelming, the bizarre chorus isn’t catchy, the lyrics are bland, and the vocals are a little off (which begs the question as to why they bothered with the auto-tune in the first place). I (hesitantly) compare this song to Archie’s previous cut, Zero Gravity (which appeared on a special “Fan Pack”, released in June 2009), which, while employing some of the same instrumentation techniques, managed to come off as easy and light-hearted. There’s something terribly overdramatic about this cut, and it does no justice to David’s talent.

Good Place is like Forever 21: There are a lot of seemingly cool, inexpensive duds there, but a whole lot of truly tragic outfits that shouldn’t be allowed on the shelf. Good Place just toes the line between pretty good and not good at all. It tries really, really hard to be “cool” by using a very chill, almost R&B-esque pulse, but the track never comes together because of the underlying message (a quiet lament about, again, being unsure of one’s place in the world). The track also sounds suspiciously like Sarah McLachlan’s Adia, which…well, worked pretty well for her, but not so much for David, who gets lost amongst the nineties-inspired feel.

Look Around features an almost Goldfrapp-esque background instrumentation (think Ooh-La-La, but lighter) that seems somewhat out of place with the rest of the album. Oddly, if the song featured more lyrics about hot girls, the tune would not be out of place at a club around midnight (right before the patrons are buzzed enough to think Ke$sha is one heck of a vocalist). Unfortunately, the lyrics are almost unintelligible given the heavy synth on the chorus line, and the undeniably pure message (“if you live your life right, what you need will always be there”) is lost on an audience overwhelmed with strange white noise in the background.

Summing It Up

Archuleta still possesses the most inspirational instrument the show has seen: It’s now up to his management to pick uniformly excellent songs to show the world just how awesome he is.

Grade: B+/A-

**** – It’s becoming more apparent to me that people are misreading my statement about ‘My Kind of Perfect’. My statement that “[David's] probably the last person in the world who actually believes the message of the song” is, very simply, indicating that I think that David’s actually DOES believe in the “imperfectly perfect” standard . At no point did I ever express that I believe he did not genuinely feel that way.  Just wanted to clear that up. It’s definitely a tricky sentence

Last night, I ventured with two of my favorite people in the world to the always-epic Roxy in Hollywood to watch Alex Lambert do a short set with his new band, the Lights (or some other name that I didn’t quite hear properly). The show lasted for about half an hour, and consisted of six or seven of Lambert’s original songs and favorite covers

There is no doubt in my mind that Alex Lambert was the most gifted vocalist that Season 9 of American Idol had to offer. While his pipes undoubtedly call to mind a younger James Morrison, there’s something soft, almost a little angelic about the strength with which he takes on his upper register. It was not completely off base to compare his vocals to that of R&B superstar, John Legend, when he got into his highly blues-influenced cover of Sunday Morning. Lambert also made good with his self-penned song I Didn’t Know, which was far and away the most enjoyable tune of the evening, and has all the hallmarks of today’s most popular Top 40 hits. Based on his vocals and writing skills along, Alex Lambert has a real shot at being a strong local or regional touring artist in the coming years.

Of course, as is the general rule with musicians who lack experience in the way Lambert does, there are some areas of his showmanship that require some fine-tuning before he can reasonably expect to “make it” as a legitimate artist. Perhaps most basically (and most easily remedied), Lambert needs to find his “groove” with his backing band. While the four-piece group seemed socially at ease with Lambert’s lead, there’s still some hesitance musically between Lambert and his two guitarists (bass and rhythm). Nowhere was that more evident than his final song of the evening, entitled Imperfectly Perfect, which featured an overpowering bass and rhythm line that drowned out Lambert’s sincere lyrics and vocal prowess. I would attribute this musical discomfort to lack of time together (I assume that Lambert hasn’t been fronting this band for very long), so any concern here is terribly minimal.

Not surprisingly, Lambert’s biggest struggle remains his desperate lack of stage presence. Even in a venue filled with folks who Lambert appears to have a friendly relationship with (he chatted with a fair few of them prior to the show), Lambert still comes off as if he’s caught in Madison Square Garden with a broken microphone. Of course, Lambert’s vocals alone are enough to overcome most of the self-induced stage fright that plagued his performance, but in a venue as small as the Roxy (and with a crowd as limited as the one filling it last night), there’s really little excuse for not being able to connect more to the audience.

Most discomfortingly, Lambert still clearly nurses a little chip on his shoulder from his Idol rejection. More than once, he made mention of his untimely departure from last season’s show, and it was more than apparent from the somber tone of most of his set that his writing has been influenced by what appears to have been the most traumatic experience of his life. While he absolutely has every right to still be sore over the whole situation, one of my companions noted correctly that he should have “just sang”, as he’s now in a post-Idol phase where he needs to appeal to those who never knew him through the show’s platform. This rings especially true when you think of Lambert’s current gig on the If I Can Dream internet show (notably, a number of camera persons filmed the entire set for what I can only assume is next week’s episode), where he is expected to make it on his own outside of the Idol sphere’s influence.

As I told my roommate when we got home last night, you want somebody like Alex Lambert to make it big. He seems like a great guy, a fantastic musician, and someone who sincerely appreciates every break he has been given in life. I truly think that all the building blocks of musical greatness are there: Now, it’s just about Alex Lambert’s ability to construct.

EDITED TO ADD

View the video package of the night here.

i. David Cook – Always Be My Baby

Ryan Seacrest summed it up perfectly when he noted that we’d never expected to hear David Cook cover Mariah Carey. But this epic arrangement probably cemented Cook as the one to beat during his Season 7 run. His gruff voice paired with the light strings on the chorus made for the perfect juxtaposition and musical treat. Perhaps, however, what was so remarkable about this performance was the newfound knowledge it brought that Always Be My Baby, at it’s heart, is about a batshit crazy ex who might just kill you if you ever decide to date somebody else.

ii. Chris Daughtry – What A Wonderful World

It really seemed like Chris Daughtry was going to be struck when Rod Stewart mentored Season 5′s crew on The Standards. But Daughtry did something delightful with the Louis Armstrong classic. Rather than try to remix it into something unrecognizeable as he did when he chose Live’s version of I Walk The Line, Chris embraced the simple, Big Band arrangement and allowed his unique vocals to be a dark contrast and create an entirely new musical experience.

iii. Allison Iraheta – Someone To Watch Over Me

Allison was truly the Rocker of Season 8, and it seemed almost impossible for someone who had Joplin and Jett so deeply ingrained in her blood to pull off Big Band week with any minuscule success. Viewers were especially wary when she picked Someone To Watch Over Me, a song that seemed vastly too mature for such a young woman. However, when Allison chose to channel her relationship with her parents rather than the oft-touted romantic relationship of all the Great American Standards, she brought tears to America’s eyes and was rewarded as one of the top two contestants of the week.

iv. Kris Allen – She Works Hard For The Money

Kris Allen clearly wasn’t sure how he was going to handle Disco Week during Season 8, but his Latin twist on this Donna Summer dance tune was the thing of Idol legend. Kris brought his A-game by picking a key that accentuated his Jason Mraz-like vocals, and by looking more at ease than he ever had. Kris also gets bonus points for completely rearranging a song without losing the meaning behind the words (a tragedy that has befallen many a recent contestant.)

v. Crystal Bowersox – Maybe I’m Amazed

I personally was terrified to see Crystal try to hit Paul McCartney’s high notes on this Wings standard. But Ellen, unwitting genius that she is, picked the perfect song to push Crystal right to the limits of her voice without stepping over the fine line. While Crystal certainly lacked some polish in performance that evening, she ultimately brought it home with her powerful wails, which the audience had been missing during the previous weeks.

vi. David Cook – The Music Of The Night

Maybe it’s less of a surprise that David Cook did well during the Andrew Lloyd Webber week on Season 7, as he has a strong musical theatre background (PS, who else wants to see him tackle The Engineer from Miss Saigon someday?) But I don’t think anybody was prepared for just how well he would do with The Music of the Night. With just the right amount of vocal edge and raw creepiness (which seemed to be a running theme through Cook’s performances), David continued his domination of the 2008 season.

vii. Lee DeWyze – That’s Life

Frank Sinatra night during Season 9 was terrible. Seriously. TERRIBLE. (The glorious) Harry Connick Jr. did his best to bring each and every remaining singer up to his sky-high standard, but each of the first four contestants of the night pulled a Hindenburg. Then came Mr. DeWyze, whose spin on That’s Life complemented his rough-and-tumble vocals and his (usually) stiff stage performance. Sure, he looked a little like a drunk frat boy near the middle of the song, but Lee managed to charm a national audience and show swagger against immense odds.

viii. Blake Lewis – You Give Love A Bad Name

Jon Bon Jovi has, perhaps, one of the strongest, most recognizable voices in the history of rock, and every song in the Bon Jovi repetoire is reliant on that strong vocal backbone. Thus, Bon Jovi music week seemed like it would be an ill fit for the weakest vocalist on Season 6, the eventual runner-up, Blake Lewis. Lewis chose to rearrange the song to fit his limited vocal range, and highlight his special skill, old-school beatboxing. What should have surely been a trainwreck ended up being one of the most memorable performances on Idol ever.

ix. Aaron Kelly – Angie

There was something fairly hilarious about imagining Aaron Kelly tackle a Rolling Stones song. Most of us were sure he would get the boot after the first week based on theme alone. But his passionate take on one of very few Stones ballads proved to be just what the doctor ordered. While Kelly perhaps lacked the requisite experience to really understand the meaning of the song (a problem he dueled with throughout his tenure on the show), he managed to cover up his inexperience with stellar vocals and a lot of heart.

x. Carrie Underwood – Alone

Almost everyone was leery of Carrie Underwood during Season 4. While she had a strong voice and good, wholesome looks, there was something off-putting about what appeared to be a complete lack of connection to the songs she sang. Of course, we all winced initially when we heard that she would be tackling this Heart tune, as singing a Heart song has always been 50/50 vocals and emotional depth. However, with her stunning vulnerability and awesome voice, Underwood proved that there was much, much more behind the pretty blonde locks.

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i./ii. Jason Castro – Mr. Tambourine Man/I Shot The Sheriff

Top Four night on Season 7 was nothing short of a disaster for everyone’s favorite Castro brother. All seemed well initially, as Jason picked perhaps the two most laid-back songs in the expansive “Songs That Influenced Rock-n’-Roll” category, but something clearly wasn’t sitting well with Castro on performance night. Not only was his normal, slightly stoned charm gone, leaving a totally tweaked doppelgänger in its place, he botched and mangled the words to both songs. Perhaps Jason was just suffering from low self-esteem after the previous week’s bizarre critique from Paula Abdul, but even the most potent Castro fans weren’t able to save the guitar-toting crooner from elimination the next night.

iii. Crystal Bowersox – Come To My Window

Hypothetically, Crystal Bowersox singing a seminal Melissa Etheridge song sounds just about perfect. However, her ill-fated attempt at infusing a little harmonica solo at the beginning of the song, sluggish guitar playing from the band, and lazy execution on the high notes that resulted in some serious screeching ended up making the whole performance a bit of a mess. Startlingly, Bowersox is currently performing this song as part of her summer tour set (with no better results).

iv. David Cook – Baba O’Reilly

David Cook’s one-trick-pony arranging game came to a screeching halt when he reworked the greatest of all The Who classics. While his rearrangement of the first verse seemed like a good idea initially (his voice probably wouldn’t have been able to sustain the higher notes sung by Roger Daltrey), the entire performance came off as superficial and insipid due to the incredibly slow tempo and belabored buildup. While Cook was probably unstoppable at that point anyway, it’s hard to imagine that any other contestant could have gotten away with murdering such a classic.

v. David Archuleta – With You

After he regaled us with endless oldies-but-goodies, it was high time that David Archuleta gave the viewers something from the past twenty years to scream over. However, it was never more obvious that Archuleta was more emotionally immature than any contestant the show has ever seen, as he struggled to connect to the subject matter of the song. This was especially strange, as the Chris Brown-penned tune spoke of probably the most generic type of teenage romance around. Props to Archuleta, however, for giving us the hilarity of watching him sing “boo” over and over again, without a clue as to the word’s meaning.

vi. Brooke White – Jolene

It’s absolutely criminal that Brooke White was allowed to do what she did with the most touching song from the Dolly Parton collection. Though all seemed well in theory (White’s pipes have the wispy singer-songwriter vibe that Parton is noted for), Brooke hit rough patch after rough patch, and was unable to wipe the never-ending smile off her face while pleading for her lover’s heart. She was rightfully ripped by the judges, and ended up making her debut in the Bottom 3 that week.

vii. Carrie Underwood – Love Is A Battlefield

After her (arguably show-winning) performance of Heart’s Alone, it seemed like Carrie Underwood could do no wrong on rock standards. However, when she forgot the anthemic words to Love is a Battlefield, everyone raised an eyebrow. Carrie, who also hadn’t quite developed her stage legs at that point, proceeded to look very much like a girl who had been caught with her skirt half-up after coming out of the bathroom, and didn’t manage to get her confidence back before the song concluded.

viii. Adam Lambert – Cryin’

It’s a good thing that Steven Tyler wasn’t chilling behind the judge’s table when Adam Lambert maimed this Aerosmith classic. Truth be told, it probably wasn’t entire Lambert’s fault for the catastrophe that was Cryin‘: In fact, most of the failure can probably be attributed to terrible sound mixing and the insistence of the background singers on being the highlight of the number. However, Lambert himself gave his worst vocal performance (which, comparatively, still ranked miles above many other Idol finalists’ best shots), and, just perhaps, his loss can be attributed to his weak Top 3 evening.

ix. Bo Bice – Free Bird

Lynyrd Skynyrd has never been a sure bet on Idol (just recall the drastic difference in reception between the two performances of Simple Man by Bucky Covington and Lee DeWyze), but Bo Bice takes the cake for worst performance from the Confederate-flag toting group’s songbook. Nowhere was it more obvious that a single singer generally can’t carry a band tune in the Idol arena. Bice looked more uncomfortable than he ever had, seemingly trying to balance some level of performance with pitch (neither succeeded). Bice arguably would have done much better with the Season 4 ban on instruments lifted, and one wonders if his rock-’n'-roll soul died a little when David Cook and his Gibson came around.

x. Adam Lambert – One

There’s nothing quite like a U2 song to separate the men from the boys (I’m looking at you, David Cook and Lee DeWyze). From the weird denim outfit that looked like a 90′s boutique reject and overly emotive (to the point of being disgustingly fake) glances at the camera, Lambert lost a lot of what him so phenomenal with this performance. Add in the strangely stripped down musical arrangement (plain piano for U2? Seriously?) and the lost message behind Bono’s lyrics and you have the epic failure of a number that should have been spectacular.

BACKGROUND

The Shoreline Amphitheatre is a mid-sized, outdoor arena with a lot of history (Peter Frampton did some amazing gigs there back in the day). What’s particularly special about the arena is that the stadium isn’t very deep, so even if you’re in the dead back, you’re not far away from the stage (as my mother said, “every seat in the house is good”.) I went with my folks and my teen-aged brother, the latter of whom believed himself too cool to be there (he’s totally not, which was obvious when he rocked out to Siobhan’s entire set). We had seats near the back (in front of the lawn), but right near the center, and the view was mainly unobstructed. The seating area was about sixty percent full when the show started, and, after intermission, probably topped ninety percent for final four performers (though the lawn remained remarkably bare, despite the $10 deals on tickets that Idol ran this summer). It was obvious that the Idols sincerely appreciated the dramatically larger-than-average crowd that filled the Shoreline, and the plethora of enthusiasm they brought.

GENERAL PEEVES

The Fog Machine Dude was clearly hitting the good stuff during the concert, because the smoke was out of control. Seriously. I feel like the people near the front (and Siobhan, who was clouded in a dark haze during the bulk of her set) were probably close to death about ten minutes into the concert. This wouldn’t have bothered me so much if I didn’t feel that the smoke played merry hell with the sound quality from the acoustic guitars (which was particularly noticeable during both Crystal and Lee’s sets). I also had a big problem with the overall “cheap” feeling of the stage set. It was never more obvious to me that the wallets behind Idol want this season to die a slow, painful death than when the “surprise” entrances from the performers consisted of them entering from somewhere other than upstage center (a far cry from the elegant trap doors of the last few Idol tours.)

BREAKDOWN OF THE PERFORMERS

I really, really want to like Didi Benami. Sure, I had some problems with her incessant crying on the show, but I think there’s a real chance to make something very Sheryl Crow out of her. Unfortunately, Didi didn’t exactly go out of her way to pick songs that complement her lovely tone. I also questioned her choice of heavy instrumentation on Terrified. I understand why doing an entirely acoustic rendition would have been difficult outside of a small venue, but it feels like there was some happy medium in between the hypothetical Didi and Her Guitar and the reality of Didi, Her Guitar, And The Really Loud Bass Player Who Drowned Out Didi And Her Guitar.

Andrew Garcia pleasantly surprised me. I suppose this might have to do with my exceedingly low expectations, but Andrew seemed more at home on stage than many of his Idol counterparts. While the almost reggae feel to Straight Up was more than a little strange (I suffered an unintentional flashback to Under My Thumb in the process), his delightfully understated take on Sunday Morning was a real treat. I hope to see him pursue something along the acoustic Maroon 5 path in the future, because I think he has a real shot at being a decent regional artist if he does.

Perhaps I missed the memo, but Katie Stevens clearly thinks she’s a lot older than she is. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. In fact, her very mature take on Fighter proved to me that she deserved to go much father in the competition than she did. Katie’s vocals are arguably much stronger overall than Crystal’s (though Crystal was clearly more self-assured), which should serve her well in her search for a label. Of course, her outfit was just a hint more revealing than some parents would have liked (I distinctly heard somebody say “we’ll pretend she’s eighteen tonight”), but Katie is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with when she actually sings the right songs.

Tim Urban is pretty. Like, ridiculously pretty. This ended up being fortunate, because his singing during the show? Not so pretty. To be fair, I think Tim’s plentiful problems with pitch and tone were more a result of poor song choice than actual vocal (in)capabilities. Out of all the contestants, I felt Tim had the worst picks for his two numbers (Johnny Rzeznik, who Tim appears to be channeling with his rocking new hairdo, probably cries himself to sleep every time Tim butchers Better Days). What makes me truly upset is that I thought Tim would have positioned himself better as some sort of singer-songwriter for his post-Idol career. Alas, I wonder whether that particular ship has already set sail without our favorite mop-top wonderboy onboard.

I should confess this: I was never a big Siobhan Magnus fan. I’m not saying that she doesn’t have a powerful instrument, I just don’t happen to like the tone of said instrument. Tonight was no exception. On an entirely superficially level, it took awhile for me to take her seriously with that outfit (who else thinks it resembles the Hot Topic-friendly version of the getup Sandra Bullock wore for the talent portion in Miss Congeniality?), but her appearance aside, there were deeper issues in Siobhan’s set. While Paint It Black proved to be the same raw, delicious spectacle it was during the show, Spiderwebs was vocally out of her considerable range, and Stockholm Syndrome was just plain painful on a vocal and theatrical level. As my brother said, it was a little sad watching someone trying so hard to be a rocker and failing so miserably. Due props to Siobhan, however, for doing something dramatically different and actually enjoying herself during the show. Even though I see her as a failed rocker, I’ll take failed rocker over the brand of mellow acoustic singer-songwriter that too many of the performers went overboard with.

After hearing Aaron Kelly live, it literally astounds me that he hasn’t been signed yet. I mean, quite honestly, Aaron (high!) schooled each and every one of the performers before and after him. While the sway of his hips is more than a little disconcerting (I really hope he figures out how to dance one of these days), Aaron easily has the most marketable voice of the Touring Ten. He’s also the only person besides Casey who seemed to realize that up-tempo songs are friends, not foes on the Idol tour. Each and every one of his numbers showcased different elements of his vocals (which were beyond flawless, something not achieved by any other performer during the evening), and I appreciated the effort he put into making each number crowd-friendly. I expect big things from this kid in the very near future.

The group version of The Climb was unintentionally amusing. It hurts me to say this, but Miley does it better. Ouch.

Big Michael Lynche’s set can only be described as a hot mess, which is really too bad because I expected so much more from him. While Woman’s Work was sung just as flawlessly as it was during his time on Idol, that particular emotional moment has more than been expended. The intimate Kate Bush classic just seemed cheesy when sung to such a large and impersonal audience. While Ready for Love was a better pick, the lighting setup made it a little hard to take seriously, and you could hear the audience getting a restless as the song progressed. My Love was probably the worst choice of the bunch, because it doesn’t suit Mike’s range at all (though the rap was hilarious, and I always appreciate a little hilarity at a concert.) Overall, the effort was valiant, but things just didn’t mesh for the fourth-place finisher.

Mr. Pretty (Big Mike’s choice of words to describe Casey James, not mine) was exactly how you expect him to be: A freaking fantastic guitar player who also happens to sing. Perhaps this isn’t giving Casey his due credit, as his vocals were stronger than they ever managed to be on the show. I applaud Casey for divorcing himself from the negative criticism he received on the show for being too “jam band”, because the band-like quality is exactly what endeared him to the audience. I will say that I was slightly thrown off by the interjection of Don’t, but I suppose Casey’s fingers  were owed a well-due rest after the bombastic electric guitar playing they did on the Black Keys number. Kudos to Casey for picking my favorite song of the evening, It’s All Over Now, which every over-forty member of the audience screamed along to (including my starstruck mother).

Second confession: I gave Crystal Bowersox a lot of flack while she was on the show. And while I stand by my firm belief that she’s never going to be marketable in the say way that some of the lesser vocalists in the group will be (I’m looking at you, Tim Urban), that didn’t stop me from immensely enjoying Crystal’s set. Up To the Mountain was absolutely stunning. I came close to tears during the final chorus. Same goes for her take on What’s Up, which the audience seemed to get the biggest kick of out. However, it baffles me that she chose to reprise Come to My Window, which she once again struggled to connect to emotionally and vocally. I also think the arrangement on Piece of My Heart was poor, as it felt like it took about three-quarters of the song before the real fun began (probably because of the acoustic-over-electric choice Bowersox made). Overall, Crystal gave the most uneven set of the evening, but she still managed to shine.

Lee DeWyze’s set suffered from obvious David Cook envy (or was it blatant David Cook adoration?). Lee took it upon himself to rearrange each and every song to pay homage to Cook’s debut album. Now, while I love Cook, it was odd to me to hear Lee, who I have always thought of as being akin to early Jackson Browne, trying to do the pseudo-grunge thing. The Cook-esque style was especially ill-fitting on Rocket Man (the oddly placed Pink Floyd Welcome To The Machine mashup in the middle threw me for a bit of a loop) and his belabored version of Hallelujah, which he seemed emphatically unenthusiastic about singing despite his earlier comments to the contrary. That being said, while the Cook vibe threw me off, I still enjoyed his set. Lee’s strongest performance was clearly his twisted remix of Treat Her like a Lady (not coincidentally, my favorite performance of his during the show), though his maiming of the lyrics lead to some odd sentences that were both grammatically incorrect and downright physically impossible.

The final group song, as expected, was trainwrecky in the best of ways. On the one hand, everything got so violently out of tune that I came pretty darn close to leaving early to save myself some money on a future hearing aid.  On the other hand, it gave me the oppourtunity to shout Kelly Clarkson at the top of my lungs and annoy the heck out of the guy next to me, so we’ll call it a draw.

All things being considered, Aaron was the standout performer of the evening, followed closely by Casey, and then trailed slightly by Lee and Crystal. For the most part, the audience seemed to agree, though Siobhan did manage to wrangle some mighty loud cheers at the end of her set.

AFTER THE SHOW

My family and I stuck around for the autograph session (which was ridiculously crowded, as the walkway to the parking lot bottlenecked in about two minutes flat). As expected, the crazies were out in full force (leftovers from Friday the 13^th, I believe). While the Top 3 were shoved around by their respective handlers in a manner akin to a child being forced by his mother through the supermarket, I was personally surprised at the affability of the remaining contestants. Each one seems to know exactly how much support he or she is going to need in order to extend his/her fifteen minutes of fame. I was especially impressed with Tim, Aaron, and Mike, who seemed all too excited to give out hugs and to any person willing to be on the receiving end of one. I hope that time and effort will pay off for them in the near future.

SUMMING IT UP

Overall, I had a fantastic time at the show. Sure, there was a lack of polish and some iffy song choices, but there was definitely something special in the air last. Each performer, despite his or her shortcomings, seemed to give 110 percent to the crowd, and it was thoroughly appreciated by every member of the audience.

i. LEE DEWYZE GETS IN TOUCH WITH HIS SCOTTISH SIDE

We all knew that Lee DeWyze was a bit of an odd duck, but I don’t we had any clue just how odd he was until he busted out a fully costumed bagpiper during his performance of Hey Jude. At the beginning of the last reprise, with little to no warning, the bagpiper decended the legendary Idol staircase and proceeded to groove and jam with DeWyze until the end of the tune. With no apology or irony when Simon questioned his musical choice, DeWyze noted that the bagpiper was his idea entirely, and when Ryan proceeded to ask him why, Lee pointed at the showstopping spectacle and blurted out “why not?”

ii. RYAN SEACREST LOSES HIS SHIT

It was no secret that Ryan had been getting on the wrong side of both the viewers and the judges since the beginning of the season. His post-show interviews with contestants had begun to border on abusive (see: Didi Benami during Soul week) and his once-cute tiffs with Simon appeared to be getting close to the point of physical blows. But during Elvis Week, Ryan finally crossed the line from slightly bizarre to truly offensive. From noting that his tongue was not as talented as Adam Lambert’s, to dancing with one of Lee DeWyze’s posse members during Tim Urban‘s rendition of Can’t Help Falling In Love With You, Ryan acted all sorts of strange and cruel that night, with little to no explanation in the following weeks.

iii. ELLEN DEGENERES + TIM URBAN = COMEDY GOLD

Tim Urban may have been the unfortunate butt of most Season 9 jokes, but Ellen had arguably her best moment of the season when she described Tim as being like one of her favorite alcoholic beverages after his Elvis week performance: “You know Tim, the first time I took a shot of tequila, I didn’t know if I’d like it or not. Then I took another, then I took another, then I took another, and I really enjoyed it. That’s how I feel about you.”

iv. CRYSTAL BOWERSOX GETS ALL CHOKED UP

A lot of us felt that Crystal Bowersox bordered on frigid prior to her performance of People Get Ready. Despite picking emotionally deep songs, there was always a disconnect between her words and her performance. But when she saw her father in the front row and just broke down before the end of the song, we were treated to the melting of this year’s ice princess, and found somebody truly beautiful underneath.

v. BRET MICHAELS UPS THE BADASS ANTE ON ‘IDOL’

Two weeks after suffering a stoke, and a couple months after fighting back against a life-threatening brain hemmorage, Bret Michaels lit up the Idol stage with his signature smile and swagger during the Season 9 finale. Not only did he manage to bring his duetting parter, Casey James, into his rockstar world for the whole of their awesome rendition of Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Michaels reminded us at home what it means to be a true badass. I salute you, Bret.

vi. CASEY JAMES SHOWS THE GOODS

Okay, so he didn’t have washboard abs and perfectly tanned chest, but when Casey James pulled off his shirts for Victoria Beckham and Kara DioGuardi, every cougar and cougar-in-training in America took notice. Perhaps it was Casey’s desperation to make Hollywood that had us initially intrigued, but I’m happy to say that it was all uphill from his Denver audition for this season’s John Mayer vocal doppleganger.

vii. TIM URBAN SLIDES TO SAFETY

Tim Urban was the contestant that we loved to hate in the early rounds of the finals. But it became quite impossible to hate him after he topped off a lukewarm performance of Crazy Little Thing Called Love with a slide straight out of Wrigley Field toward the audience. Of course, it didn’t exactly enhance his vocal skills (on the contrary, it actually seemed to harm him in that department), but Tim’s continuing shenanigans probably gave him his seventh-place finish.

viii. THE MANY BROMANCES OF LEE DEWYZE

Lee DeWyze was a man of many hats this season, but he wore none as poignantly as his “bromantic” beanie. From his Danny Gokey babies-inducing bromance with fellow contestant Andrew Garcia, to his buddying up to the MOST AWESOME MENTOR EVER, Harry Connick Jr., Lee was the hot commodity in the male friendship department.

ix. AARON KELLY DEDICATES A SONG TO HIS MOM

Aaron Kelly can pretty much thank his Top 5 finish to his pronouncement that he changed the lyrics of the intimate Shania Twain song You’ve Got A Way to describe his relationship with his mother rather than a relationship with a lover. Not only did Aaron get major votes that night for his adorable confession, he gave perhap the most emotionally honest performance of his journey, something he’ll be thankful for once the 19E labels get around to doling out recording contracts.

x. LEE DEWYZE WINS SEASON 9

I’ll admit that I had written a “Crystal Bowersox Wins Season 9″ blurb a couple days ago when I first thought about putting this list together. But, after watching Lee fall to emotinal pieces after Ryan announced that he would be following in the proud footsteps of David Cook and Kris Allen, I was reminded exactly why I’ve been rooting for Lee ever since his raspy Chicago audition. Lee progressed and grew in ways we haven’t seen any other contestant in Idol’s nine-year history do, and, tonight, I think we truly witnessed the birth of the next great musical star.

8:01 PM: “What started in Chicago…ends tonight!”

8:01 PM: By the by, my lovely father will be interjecting his opinions every so often, so be excited for that.

8:03 PM: Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze come out wearing parochial school outfits. Cue dirty school girl/boy jokes.

8:04 PM: The Top 12 are singing School’s Out. Orianthi is playing guitar, and looks fine again. She’s so much better than her single leads you to believe.

8:06 PM: Siobhan Magnus is slutting it up tonight with her midriff-bearing apparel. Good to have you back, Evil One.

8:06 PM: ALICE FUCKING COOPER IS IN THE HOUSE, FOLKS!

8:07 PM: I’m sort of grooving on the weird choreography. It works in a strange way.

8:07 PM: Never mind. You can tell how much Alice Cooper hates himself right now.

8:12 PM: Kris Allen is performing his new single, The Truth. This was totally my jam for about ten minutes.

8:12 PM: PS, did anybody else notice the hilarious sound issues at the beginning of the song? Yikes.

8:13 PM: “I can’t really decide if I really like him or not. I just can’t decide!” My dad, re: Kris Allen

8:14 PM: Kris sounds awful tonight, and it’s totally not his fault. #thepersondoingsoundisstonerightnow

8:15 PM: First tribute to Simon Cowell.

8:16 PM: “Were there any highlights?” “There were lowlights.”

8:17 PM: Oh,the night can only go uphill from that hot mess of a video.

8:18 PM: Siobhan and my hypothetical BFF, Aaron Kelly, are duetting with BeeGees. And hey, they actually don’t suck!

8:19 PM: AARON KELLY IS MY HERO!

8:19 PM: What a docile audience they have at the Nokia tonight…

8:20 PM: Barry Gibbs is such a sweetheart. He almost made me forget how much I dislike Siobhan.

8:21 PM: This duet is pretty fucking awesome. #aaronkellywasrobbed

8:23 PM: So that may have been my favorite finale performance of all time. And it involved THE EVIL ONE. What has the world come to?

8:25 PM: Michael Lynche is singing with the incomparable Michael McDonald.

8:27 PM: I’m loving this, but it might be because I have a big fat crush on my Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits album.

8:28 PM: Michael-squared rocked it. Not as good as the BeeGees medley, but still.

8:29 PM: Why is Dane Cook blemishing my plasma television screen?

8:29 PM: On a hilarious note: I totally put out a random Facebook status begging someone to go to the San Diego David Cook concert with me last summer, and one of my friends said “sure, I’d love to go! He’s so funny!” Turns out she thought I meant Dane Cook. Awkwardddddd.

8:34 PM: Lacey Brown is really hot. Unfortunately, no amount of hotness can makeup for her singing voice.

8:34 PM: Didi Benami’s shirt was…saucy. And by saucy, I mean I was a little concerned about a nip slip.

8:35 PM: Katie Stevens was ROBBED, I say! Robbed!

8:36 PM: Paige Miles has a pretty fucking amazing voice. Why did we never hear it on the show?

8:26 PM: Hot mess alert, triggered partially by Siobhan’s pants.

8:38 PM: Please tell me this isn’t Christina Aguilera’s new single. Because it blows even more that Keeps Getting Better.

8:39 PM: “Is she wearing sparkly see-through pants?”

8:39 PM: Christina needs to stop pretending that she’s Gaga.

8:41 PM: There’s something seriously wrong with the sound tonight.

8:42 PM: Ricky Gervais satellite call. “Do I get paid for this, yeah?”

8:47 PM: Lee kicks off the boy’s medley of Hall and Oates classics. And Andrew Garcia single-handedly ruins one of my favorite H+O songs ever.

8:48 PM: Tim Urban just gets cuter and cuter. Why hasn’t he been cast on Glee yet?

8:48 PM: Of course Casey James is singing Maneater. Kid will never live down the Kara thing.

8:50 PM: My dad and I may have stood up for a dance break when You Make My Dreams Come True started playing.  MAY HAVE.

8:51 PM: I love Crystal’s dad

8:53 PM: OMG IRONIC. I’m having flashbacks to seventh grade.

8:54 PM: Alanis Morisette! My middle school self is totally freaking out.

8:54 PM: Hahahaha, they changed the line about oral in the theatre. Smart choice. Idol, though perhaps slightly untimely, given the whole “every inch of my life” debacle with Adam Lambert last year.

8:55 PM: Alanis is looking fierce tonight, isn’t she?

8:56 PM: Slightly underwhelming duet. Too bad they couldn’t swing the Melissa Etheridge thing for Mamasox.

9:01 PM: Carrie Underwood is singing the fuck out of Undo It.

9:01 PM: Girlfriend still has the stage presence of a six-year-old.

9:02 PM: Also, I forsee an entry on Go Fug Yourself tomorrow re: Carrie’s vest.

9:02 PM: Casey James is duetting with BRET FUCKING MICHAELS.

9:07 PM: I’m trying to picture Casey’s face when they told him he’d be duetting with Bret tonight. It’s a great mental image.

9:08 PM: New favorite moment of the season – Casey and Bret rocking out at the end of Every Rose Has Its Thorns.

9:11 PM: Bret Michaels is a god. NO BRAIN ANEURYSM OR STROKE WILL KEEP HIM OFF THE STAGE!

9:14 PM: Chicago without Peter Cetera? Sorry, but no.

9:14 PM: They seriously couldn’t get somebody better for Lee to duet with tonight? Not that I don’t love Chicago, but…really.

9:15 PM: Wow, Lee. This medley is right up there with Chasing Cars re: pitch problems.

9:18 PM: “Let’s get back to Simon’s favorite subject…himself.”

9:19 PM: “Is Simon a flirt? Yeah. If you’re a mirror.”

9:21 PM: General Larry Platt is rocking out to Pants on the Ground. Folks, this might just be the biggest song of the season.

9:22 PM: William Hung is on the Idol stage. I have no words.

9:29 PM: Paula Abdul is back on the Idol, folks!

9:31 PM: Simon montage sent to My Way.

9:34 PM: You guys, how is Idol going to go on with Mr. Cowell? I mean, for real, yo.

9:35 PM: All the winners are coming out to do a send-off song. David Cook is noticeably gone from the lineup, but I’m hearing word that he had some charity event to do tonight.

9:36 PM: Really awesome send-off speech from Cowell.

9:46 PM: I’m loving Janet’s Sinead O’Connor-esque ‘do tonight.

9:48 PM: I always forget how much Janet sounds like her brother.

9:52 PM: ALL YOU NASTY BOYSSSSS.

9:53 PM: “I’m twenty-three, and this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

9:54 PM: Joe Cocker medley. Cue the preachers, baby.

9:54 PM: “What would you do if I sang out of tune?” Well, Lee, we’d say it was a normal day.

9:55 PM: Joe Cocker is like, ten million years old, but he can still have his way with a microphone.

9:55 PM: Dude, Lee totally botched his lyrics. Hilarious, since I’ve seen him do a whole fucking Joe Cocker medley.

9:56 PM: Crystal is WORKING IT. Lee looks star struck and continues to forget his words. Of course, the show hasn’t been about them since Paula strutted out twenty minutes ago.

9:57 PM: In the words of my brother: “Haha, failed cues make me smile inside.”

10:07 PM: Lee DeWyze just won American Idol.

10:07 PM: No, seriously.

10:07 PM: I mean.

10:08 PM: HE WON.

10:08 PM: I’ve never picked a winner before.

10:08 PM: I’m totally not crying right now.

10:08 PM: …okay, I totally am.

10:08 PM: LEE DEWYZE IS YOUR 2010 AMERICAN IDOL, FOLKS!

10:13 PM: Thanks for a kickass season, folks

Despite DialIdol’s prediction to the contrary, I can’t see  this thing going any other way. Crystal performed better overall (though I still think she was vastly overrated by disgustingly biased judges), she emoted in a non-offensive way throughout the evening, and she went second, which has usually turned into the winning spot. Oh yeah, and the judges threw poor Lee DeWyze in front of an oncoming freight train.

That being said, Crystal has done remarkably well this year, and while I don’t personally think she’s going to make much of an impact on the Billboard Charts, I respect her deeply for her musical talent and commitment. I wish her the best of luck on her first record.

Stay tuned for my West Coast liveblog, starting at 8:00 PM PST.