Mindy—I can’t speak for anyone else here, but can tell you that it isn’t that I want to say “I told you so.” Really, it isn’t. But by the same token I’m not going to lie and tell you that there was not some small degree of satisfaction in this. There is a sense of vindication after reading over and over and over that…..”We didn’t get it.” But feeling vindicated doesn’t mean wanting to be vindictive. Know what I mean?

It was fairly apparent to me very early on in the competition that Adam was “performance” more than “musically” driven. What always baffled me was how others couldn’t see it. But as I stated at the time, and have always felt to be true is when people defer to their emotions rather than letting objective judgment be their guide, it often leads to them overlooking the obvious. That’s just the way it is. Having said all this, let me say too, that I’m not trying to take away from Adam’s vocal abilities and skills, because his singing prowess has always been apparent to me. But honestly, I was not at all surprised by what he did at the AMA. That, I believe, is his nature. He said himself that he was going to “shock” people, so that tells me shocking, and not entertaining, is what was foremost in his mind. Now had his intent been to run the risk to shock for arts’ sake; that would have been one thing. But his final gesture to his audience told us this was undoubtedly done for personal reasons; which to me is what is really sad about the whole thing. Here again, we have a situation where emotions took precedence over objectivity. And in the end, I think it will prove itself to be more costly for him then he thought.

I can’t help but revert to my original thoughts….that this was nothing more than exhibitionism and self-indulgence. As one writer put it, “I felt like I was watching the beginning and the ending of his career simultaneously.” Sadly, he may be right.

I wish I knew what to say…The I told you so’ers who didn’t want to see Adam succeed on AI, will come out of the wood work now, and that’s fine, I don’t blame them.

I really don’t want to give up on him, I’m hoping that he will see the er of his ways and try to redeem himself on the next couple of shows that he has coming up, however, if he does not redeem himself and continues to defend that mess as “artistic”, then I can’t remain a fan…I will move on to my next two favs, Jason and Kings of Leon!!!

I am devastated just as you are, after watching what unfolded on the AMA’s last night. I feel so betrayed. Some here are kind of saying I told you so. Well, maybe they are right. I just don’t know what to think right now. That’s why I waited to post my thoughts. I think I was in shock.

I guess the Adam I fell in love with on Idol is not the Adam we will be seeing. He did have a choice and he made the choice to be vulgar, obscene, self-indulgent and just stupid. His vocals were off pitch throughout most of the song. I don’t know that I have ever heard him sing this badly. With all that clutter up choreography, how could he concentrate on his singing? He blamed it on sound issues, but that is only part of the story. What on earth was he thinking? Has it all gone to his head?

I think Adam has forgotten that he had yet to sell a record before he performed as the last act on the AMA’s. It was a golden opportunity for him to showcase his stellar voice, that incredible talent that has given him such a huge following. This was his chance to show everyone who and what he was. If what I saw last night is any indication, then count me out. If Adam just played it down on Idol and then thought he could come out and do whatever he felt like doing, well all I can say is that he was sadly mistaken. I think this performance or debacle, which is what it really was, could hurt him enormously. Why risk offending many people who just might have checked out his album? This wasn’t even a performance, it was a trainwreck of the first order.

I am sitting here in stunned disbelief. Maybe Adam’s ego is out of control or the hype has him thinking he can push the boundaries as far as he wants. I don’t know that I will ever feel the same about him.

Had he stood on that stage and delivered a “Mad World” song…today the headlines would have been so much different. I’m afraid he’s going to have a long road ahead of him now!

rickylee and skid…I so agree with your posts, what a sad day! Adam made a choice last night as to what audience he wants to target and play to. His venue’s will be very small and limited. He could have very easily been the break through artist of this decade, but I don’t see that happening now. I had pre-ordered his album, but I don’t want it now!

Adam and 19 should be very happy there is such a thing as pre-ordering because after this I think he has seriously damaged his sales potential. I have noticed that over the last few weeks with every “edgy” interview in the press and with his actual recordings becoming available online the ardor from his fans has been cooling. Where once hundreds of his fan would blog on a site featuring an Adamn article and praise him now just a handful do …not a good sign as your release date nears. Judging from the reaction online…after the AMAs the …the negative reaction is about 9 out of 10 with most of those saying they no longer are going to buy the cd after being big fans. What a sad mess he has created.

Apart from the concept of the AMA appearance the actual singing would make a first time viewer wonder what all the was about, it even made me wonder after months of not hearing him sing wonder what I liked about his voice in the first place. Was it out of tune/pitch..don’t know the technical terms..wide goat like vibrato…and again very shrieky…just seemed like all his worst mannerisms with little of his redeeming qualities.

The whole AMA was mess also…can anyone just come on and show us singing chops instead of a bunch of needless spectacle to hold our attention or divert us from the fact that many the acts cannot sing live. Just watched Susan Boyle on the Today Show and how refreshing after lastnight …standing alone on a stage in daylight no production value at all and using that beautiful voice to hold a crowd rapt with attention. Now that is a cd I will be buying today and giving as gifs this christmas.

I stayed up to watch and really wished that I hadn’t! My question; Why? He could have had the world by the tail…but now!!!

I’m so disappointed!

You sweet thing! It’s so true, isn’t it? We really do think alike. Online soul mates for sure!

You will not get pounded by me for your comment about Adam being in a class by himself. I don’t think anyone has come along in even more than a decade that can even come close to him vocally. That’s why I was so excited when I first heard him. I am sure I said this in one of my many posts here during Idol, but it bears repeating – I have lived long enough to know a once in a generation voice when I hear it. I compared him to Elvis and Freddie Mercury! I have never done that before, ever. That’s about as good as it gets.

I guess the pressure to be successful in today’s music market precludes Adam from doing what he does better than anybody – sing his heart out on that stage with very little accompaniment. It’s such a shame. He has a truly unique gift, a rare instrument. It moved me to the very depth of my soul. But I fear that we will never see that Adam again. I pray that it won’t be true.

You are a kindred spirit and it’s a delight to chat with you!

When I listen to Mad World and One on my i-pod, it shakes me to my very soul. What a voice!!! As I have said here before, why can’t it be all about the voice…there is no other artist on the scene right now or even in the last decade or maybe even longer who can compare to him vocally, I know I’m gonna get pounded for that comment, but I truly believe he stands alone. What I would pay to go see him in a solo concert without the gimmicks, that baby grand, soft strings and him sitting on a stool, in soft lighting…just singing, AAHHH!

You are absolutely reading my mind! You said everything I have been thinking. Yes, you do make so much sense when you say that this style and overprocessed voice is not the real Adam.

I happened to see a clip of Adam’s rehearsal footage for his American Music Awards performance of FYE. I found myself thinking, where is the Adam of Mad World, Tracks of My Tears and One? Where is the stripped down, spare image of Adam without all the makeup and crazy outfits, just sitting on the stage in a classic, elegant suit, hair combed back off his face, just Adam and very little accompaniment. That is the Adam I want to see.

The only thing I can think of is that Adam felt he had to be as commercially viable as possible, while still including some songs that would show off his incredible vocals. I listened to some of them again and I have to say that songs like Soaked, A Loaded Smile, Sleepwalker and my personal favorite, Broken Open, really do show off Adam at his very best. There are some thrilling notes that run up and down the scales. Some of the album feels like filler, but there is enough there to make it worthwhile.

I would really like to see the scaled back Adam, just the way you described it. There is no Mad World here, but there are a few songs that are haunting enough to stay with you.

I will most definitely let you know what I think of Adam’s CD…I can’t wait! I have went from not wanting to buy it, mainly because of FYI, and then I heard “Whataya Want From Me”, NOW, I want that CD! I will be at my local coffee shop on Monday downloading my CD!

I really am hoping that Adam settles into his new found fame and relaxes! Meaning; I hope he finds out who he is as an artist outside of the “theatrical” Adam. I’m not completely convinced that this style and overprossesed voice is what Adam should build his career on! Does that make sense? Would love for him to do a softer side of Adam CD…complete with our baby grand and soft strings, singing all of the “Mad Worlds” and “One” songs that he can find!!!

I would love to see him expand his horizons and be creative in the way he markets himself…he is so capable of crossing all genre’s of music!

You will not be disappointed! I am not saying that you will love every song, but I am confident that there will be more than enough to make you happy.

Oh, what would I give to hear Adam sing with just a baby grand piano, a few soft strings and THAT VOICE! Yes, that is what I want in my heart of hearts. Unfortunately, that is not what sells these days. I could not agree more about Whataya Want From Me. That should have been his first single. Think of it as a teaser for what is to come on this album.

Once you get the cd, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I have already listened the songs I loved after my first listening. I intend to go back to Adam’s MySpace page and listen to them again. I have at least six that I absolutely love, but the others are also good in their own way.

Adam is the one singer who really doesn’t need that overproduced, synthesized stuff that is so popular these days. But I realize that they have to include some of that to make the album commercial. I can live with it, but I will always prefer Adam will little or no accompaniment.

I guess I should get over to itunes and pre-order it.

What can I say? Great minds think alike! I don’t even think I read your post before I wrote mine. Now that I have gone back and read it, yes, it is indeed virtually identical to the beginning of yours.

Beth,

I have just finished listening to all of the songs on Adam’s album. It’s interesting that your two favorites are the two that I liked the most – Soaked and Broken Open. I thought Broken Open was another Ring of Fire. It was haunting, beautiful, with mindblowing power falsetto notes.

I am happy to say that there is much to like among all the songs. I already heard Whataya Want From Me. I loved it. I made a few notes of the others that I really liked – A Loaded Smile, Pick U Up, and Sleepwalker, Aftermath and the first two I already mentioned. I am still on the fence about Strut. I listened to it twice. Sometimes I find it helps to give the songs more than one listen.

gumbogirl,

Yes, now that I have listened to the songs on Adam’s MySpace page, I am really excited! I agree that none of the others has as much of that dance synthetic sound that I don’t love. There are a number of songs on which Adam’s brilliant voice shines. I am going to listen a few more times to get a better sense of how I feel about each song. I know that I loved A Loaded Smile. I jotted that one down as soon as I heard it.

I will definitely be buying Adam’s cd. He has more than enough in it to satisfy me. I knew that he would have to be a little more commercial than maybe I would like, but I am okay with that. If I had my way, every song would have as little background instrumentation and as much of Adam’s pure voice as possible. But I think this is a very worthy and exciting debut album.

Wow! I think you’ll enjoy his voice! (Nothing is as dancy-synthy as the single FYE.)