April 20, 2012 
Oh American Idol. What is happening to you? And, more important, what are your doing to these talented, dedicated singers who just want to “sing” from their hearts in a relaxed and accommodating atmosphere.
This video (featured above) showcases Jessica Sanchez and Joshua Ledet in their acclaimed duet, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” during the Top 8 Performance Show.
What a great performance from these two talented young singers. They looked relaxed, the singing was, well singing save for Joshua’s little scream segment at the end. We were treated to the sound of two exceptionally gifted singers performing with vocal ease and artistry.
And, if you think that duet was great, check out the video below featuring Hollie Cavanagh and DeAndre Brackensick singing “I’m So Excited” during the Top 8 Performance show. In my opinion, it was better than Jessica and Joshua’s.
The harmonies were perfectly executed and omni-present. Hollie and DeAndre’s harmonic vocals were pitch perfect and wonderfully realized. Listen to DeAndre’s vocal part – he adds gorgeous falsetto, choral runs, rich mid-range vocals, all the time not missing a step in his choreography.
How could American Idol not rally around these four talented individuals is beyond me. Yes, the producers are on the Jessica and Joshua train but they have been sabotaging DeAndre and Hollie from the very beginning.
I am sorry, but this stinks to high heaven. And they wonder why the show is losing credibility? When the very best singers are either sent home or stuck in the Bottom Three each week?
I am going to stop typing now before I say something I regret. Just press play above and below and enjoy what might have been!
You are cordially invited to finish my thought process in the comments section.
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MCL, Deandre was go great in that duet and in so many of his performances yet he was sabotaged from the start not having any face-time before the live shows and then always being placed first. Has any contestant been first more than Deandre. We all know the first few performances get lost in the shuffle as voters tend to remember and vote for later performances.
But Deandre did not scream or screech or bellow so voted out. *sobs* I for one, really enjoyed listening to a new genre that has not appeared on AI before. But besides the lack of face-time and early performance slots, Deandre picked songs most of America did not know so another blow.
While we all claim that we dislike hearing the same songs over and over voters tend to not vote for songs they do not know. It is odd to me.
MCL you always heard what I heard in Deandre. You saw a budding young star as do I. Yet Jimmy was hell bent to get him off the show?
while all of these contestants are good singers, most lack that special quality to be a star. Most do not have the kind of voices that sells records. The booming diva voice is passee.
One would think Lovine and company would know this vs mentoring all these kids to yell at us vs sing to us week after week.
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Aubry – we are living in a very lazy, fast-cash-driven society. These record producers want to make money quickly and know what sells.
DeAndre’s music is new and different, so they have no idea how to promote his special brand of music. That would take work and creativity.
So, on a show like Idol, it’s all about the bottom line, unfortunately. Sad but true.
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While I greatly respect your opinion, TPTB at Idol or on these singing shows do not know what sells. Jimmy was all about Pia and she was never going to sell. Hollie and Jessica in Idol Diva mode will not sell. Let them be more who they were pre-idol and yep they will sell. I though Haley would sell and she is not.
I think is LA Reid would sign and mentor DeAndre he would take off in a big way. Dre has the voice, looks, style and dance ability.
Where is Melanie Amaro? She has that big Diva voice but she lacks the look, style and all illusive IT factor. Phil2 lacks the big booming voice and range but he has that all illusive IT in spades. If he makes a record it will sell well.
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Aubry – yes, it is hard to determine who will sell. But, at the end of the day, it comes down to the package. And DeAndre and Jessica have that package wrapped up very nicely.
Now, if they were surrounded by mentors who could judiciously guide them toward success – David Foster perhaps? – we could be witnessing the beginning of two future superstars.
Hollie, to me, is a modern day torch singer a la Judy Garland. This is where her strengths lie and she could be a huge star, resurrecting a genre of music that has been cast by the wayside. I’d rather look at her than Adele any day of the week.
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yes and both MaryJ and Stefani told Jimmy that Deandre had it and he ignored them. Jimmy seems very rigid in his musical tastes. From the jump I thought Final 4 should be Jessica, Deandre, Hollie and Phillip. I also figured Colton would be in the mix. Now I am quite sure Jessica, Hollie will be out, Deandre and Colton are already out. Finale will probably be Phil vs Skylar.
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I’m done with Idol this season. From the auditions, I said to myself “the day Colton gets sent home, I’m through watching this year. ta da – see you next season…MAYBE.
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I am with you Linda, I think I am also done.
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BTW, did you see when Colton turned and ‘apologized’ to the voters for his song intrepretations after he was sent home last nite? IMO, he should NEVER have apologized for his artisitic vision. I like how he tries to be different and unique each time he sings. Methinks Mr. Iovine is a little too set in his ways.
Also, IMO, Colton has MUCH better vocal quality than Joshua. Interesting–thanks, MCL–that I–with my lightly trained ears–could pick up the raspiness and hoarseness in the vocals of Joshua and even some tiredness in his vocals. Plus the fact that his perfs are boring me since they alwyas sound and look the same.
And ley us refrain from discussin how the big honchos would PROMOTE and DEVELOP these artists.
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James Colton is way better than Joshua. Colton has a beautiful tone where as Joshua grates. The AI PTB expect the winners to hit the ground running with no need for development. Those who are successful have figured out how to promote themselves. Like Adam lining up his own radio promo tour. If you sit and wait for the label to do it. HAHA think again.
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Please don’t forget that Colton may have a beautiful tone to you and Joshua a grating tone to you, but there are some of us who prefer Joshua’s sound.
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I preferred Deandre most of all and yes I realize it is me. I will also wager that either Colton or Deandre if signed would sell more and have a shot on top 40 or HAC radio but Joshua would not. At best he would maybe be play on Gospel radio.
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Aubry,
I agree with you about Joshua. Even though I really like his voice, I fully realize that he would probably not be a big selling artist. I think Colton will sell in the Christian rock area. I’m not so sure about Deandre. I loved Deandre’s voice too. But there was just something missing about Deandre and I could never put my finger on it. I think part of it is that they criticized him a lot and he didn’t seem very confident. But I actually even loved his falsetto, although I’ve read that many people did not.
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MCL,
I have a question about “screaming.” What is the difference between the screaming that Adam Lambert, Siobhan Magnus, and James Durbin did and the screaming that Joshua does?
I don’t remember everyone complaining about screaming when these contestants did it.
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Colton’s performances Wed evening were painful. He had one performance that I enjoyed where he showed improvement in his enunciation. I enjoyed his duets with Skylar. He regressed Wed evening. At this point of the competition. a contestant cannot have a bad night. Colton said he was trying for a standing ovation from the judges. It was mistake of the judges to give standing ovations to begin with. They should stop it.
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First, I have to stand up for Joshua. Vocally he is far superior to Colton as far as I am concerned. Colton was off key at time, had trouble with his lower register but had a good voice. Not great. He picked the wrong song both for his voice and for his fanbase. I do think that singing “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga did offend his Christian fans. However, there were other factors involved in him being eliminated. His first performance alienated his core audience and also didn’t play to his strengths. This was way out of his comfort zone. It was a bad fit. Then his second performance managed to alienate everyone who remembers and loves the great EWF iconic song “September”. He destroyed the song completely. It was a trainwreck. He had so many other good choices that would have worked so well. You have to know when/if to mess with the melody of a great song. He went too far.
Joshua has a phenomenal voice. That’s why I get concerned with all that raspy shouting in his performances. It will damage his voice, because he’s not using the correct technique. That is the only issue I have with him and it’s one more of concern. The quality and tone of his vocals is unquestioned for me.
I can try to answer the question about the difference between Joshua’s shouting and Siobhan and Adam’s so-called shouting. What they do is called power falsetto singing. If done with correct technique, it can be powerful and moving. If it’s done incorrectly that type of singing will also come across sounding terrible. Think of Danny Gokey on “Dream On”. Remember the screaming at the end? That’s when it is done poorly. The sound is quite unpleasant.
People did complain about Adam, Siobhan and James. Even when done correctly, it can be very polarizing. Some people will hear that as shouting or screaming. It can come down to personal taste in the end.
Poor vocal technique always needs to be addressed. With the power falsetto singing, I think it should be used sparingly so as not to overwhelm the audience or overdo it.
When anyone here makes a definitive statement as to what is or is not “good” or “beautiful” or “better”, that’s when trouble happens. It’s all about personal taste. What is beautiful or pleasing to one person, can be terrible or unpleasant to someone else.
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Louise – there is no difference really. Screaming is screaming. Although, with Adam, I always felt there was an element of diaphragmatic support attached to it. With Siobhan as well. But, in the long run, it is a desperate way for singers to adopt in terms of being passionately expressive.
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Louise – one more thing. With this show, they have pushed the singers to sing unnaturally – to just go crazy with their vocals without the proper technical support in an effort to make them connect with their audience. So ridiculous.
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Thanks Mindy and MCL. I very much appreciate your responses.
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Mindy – I never heard of “power falsetto screaming”. But, my training is based in the classical method and screaming was always a no-no.
I like to hear the anguish come through the actual inflection in the singing voice rather than abandon the vocal sound and just blatantly scream. Just seems like a cop-out to me.
Louise – you are most welcome. Great question, by the way.
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Adam was beaten up continuously by other fanbases for so called Screeching, Screaming etc so much so the earliest fanbase of Adams was not called Glamberts but rather the loyal minions of the Dark Lord Screamova. LOL The difference for me was Adam did scream at times but other times Mad World, Tracks of My Tears etc he did not. Joshua has yet to just sit and sing without what I call Goselizing a song. I also happen to enjoy Adam’s tone when in a scream to my ears Joshua grates. I much prefered Adam’s A Change is Gonna Come to Joshua’s. Yes Mindy, I realize different people feel differently and hear different and enjoy different genres.
As for Deandre all that was missing IMO was confidence and experience. While very comfortable on stage and a wonderful performer he was very uncomfortable with the camera’s. His discomfort made it sometimes uncomfortable for the viewer to watch him it seemed. He should have taken a page out of Coltons and Phillips handbook and played to the camera. I believe this alone kept Deandre from connection more with viewers. He also picked a very bad song to start the voting rounds “Reasons’. That song needs more than a minute to build and it is all Falsetto. Falsetto is a polarizing singing style it seems. Reasons was not a good choice. But mostly I think going first, wrong song choices and not receiving acurate critiques (IMO Endless Love and Only the Good Die Young were vocally very good) did Deandre in. When he did pick the right song, Deandre was magical. Master Blaster, I Like it, Sometimes I Cry and Womens work are masterful and beautiful. If you haven’t done so listen to Deandre’s studio recordings. His voice is beautiful recorded and that isn’t always the case.
Colton also records well and he sounds much like others in his genre who are successful. I like him and I wish him well. I would buy his music.
I would also but Phillips music. He does not have the best voice and his range is limited. Yet there is something about how Philip morphs into a song when singing a song. I think he is really special in a ” Beautifuly Awkward” way.
I also really enjoy Hollie and Jessica. Hollie like Deandre went into the voting rounds with zero face time. Both Hollie and Jessica have not been mentored to sing current songs and have fun. I wish the themes would go away. I think both will have stellar careers.
Whether I enjoy the voice of an idol contestant or not, I wish them well. I know this is their dream and they have such high hopes.
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MCL, I think an awesome mentor for Deandre would be LA Ried. He understands R&B and has an amazing stable of artists to work with Dre. I have said from the jump that I wished Deandre auditioned for XFactor. I think a mentor would have helped him work with the camera.
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Aubry – DeAndre was doomed from Day One. He is a star plain and simple. I will be blogging more about him because I am disgusted with the way Idol has treated him over the course of the competition.
In DeAndre, they had a new, refreshing sound and look. With the correct song material and coaching he should have been in the Top 2.
If they are really trying to find unique, innovate artists, then they missed the boat with DeAndre. Missed a yacht, in fact.
I have worked with so many young singers over the years and his talent stands alone. He has a sound and look that is truly special.
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I have a feeling Colton came into the competition thinking that putting his religious faith on public display would help him, but this turned out to be a mistake.
It probably turned off a lot of people who aren’t religious. And his performance of the Lady Gaga song appears to have offended many of his Christian fans.
For contestants for whom religious faith is an important part of their lives, I think Kris Allen established the best and smartest way to handle the issue:
Don’t make an issue of it. Don’t mention it. Don’t bring it up.
The information will get out there in various ways without you talking about. Among those who will be more inclined to support a religious person, you will benefit.
And those who don’t care for PDR (public displays of religiosity) will appreciate your keeping quiet about it.
Is Philip a devout Christian like Colton? If so, he is smart to be following the Kris Allen strategy.
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Malden – both David Archuleta, Jason Castro and Brooke White were religious but never made a big production about it. This always bothered me about Colton. And I am religious, by the way.
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A little bit of Idol humor for you:
Some of you may have heard about the famous “Kristy Lee Cook prophecy.”
Kristy was a finalist on season 7.
After David COOK won season 7 and KRIS Allen won season 8, people began saying that Kristy’s name was destined to predict the future Idol winners.
Sure enough, the following year the winner was LEE Dewyse.
And the year after that winner was ScotTY McCreery.
After Scotty won, Idol fans were saying the Kristy Lee Cook prophecy was finally completed, and it was time to move on to a new chapter in Idol history with a different type of winner (namely, a female.)
But wait…maybe the prophecy is not yet complete.
What city did Kristy audition in?
PHILadelphia !!!
Kristy just will not let go!
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Malden – this is just way too funny. Who starts these funny analogies? Made my night. Thanks so much!
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I was actually surprised this season that people didn’t seem to be taken with Deandre. I guess it was mainly the falsetto that turned them off. He was certainly a good looking guy. Plus he didn’t have very much support from the “judges.” Too bad. The first time I saw him, I thought he would be one of the favorites.
As for Colton’s religion, I suspect it turned off some people. I know that I never like anyone who proselytizes in any area of my life. There have certainly been lots of religious people on Idol who don’t do that. That’s why I could never see Colton being anything other than a Christian rock singer. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but if that’s where he’s headed, he shouldn’t have been on Idol.
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Totally agree about Colton, Louise. And, yes, so strange about DeAndre, isn’t it? I thought the girls would fall in love with I’m and his cool look and voice. I was really surprised. Dismayed. Puzzled. Take your pick. 🙂
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For a tidbit that might upset you more Masterclass Lady, at least in terms of behind the scenes machinations and all that, there was an interview with DeAndre from the night of this performance show where he said that TPTB or someone decided to change his duet with Hollie that Tuesday, the day before the live show. Originally they were supposed to sing “That’s What Friends Are For”, so also to Hollie and DeAndre’s credit they seemingly pulled this together with less rehearsal time. In the interview Dre gave mind you, he seemed to give the impression that the last minute change was a bit stressful, but he was ultimately happy with it as he thought this song was more fun and fit them better as a duo. Hollie has also said on her twitter that this was one of her favorite performances as well.
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Lynn – aha! So the plot thickens. But TPTB didn’t count on the stellar musicianship of both Hollie and DeAndre. They pulled that song off like pros!
You know, somewhere I read an interview from a singer or singers from past Idol seasons. They did say that, during the course of the show, certain singers – producers’ favorites – received special treatment via special coaching, song selection etc. I believe them – even without the interview I already suspected this.
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Well, there are all sorts of stories of Idol folks who have had songs and etc. changed on them at the last minute, so it’s certainly nothing new in the name of Idol. In this case, I think it worked out better for DeAndre and Hollie in the long run, even if he went home the next night.
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Listen to Deandre’s interview with Michael Slezac again, in it Deandre causualy says that he had wanted to sing a certain song but then it was turned into the group song so he had to pick another song.
MCL, As Deandre had no face time many idol watchers had already picked favs. He was picking up favor when the bus was heading for him.
If Deandre was show during auditions and in Hollywood as Colton, P2 and Heejun were he would have gone deep. The few clips I can find of Dre from Hollywood he was crazy good.
MCL. I would really like to blog about Deandre. He of all contestants all season was deep sixed from the jump. Why, seeing him talk in interviews he is a nice kid not cocky or mean. Why even let him make the show if they did not want to give him a chance?
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Your final question Aubry is the $64,000 question that has been plaguing me as well. It is very baffling.
And, yes, the Billy Joel song he originally wanted to sing (can’t remember the name) was a good one.. He was going to add a reggae twist to it which would have been outstanding. Aargh. Makes me angry!!
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MCL,
Are you being funny? Or sardonic? Because I never heard of power falsetto screaming either. I wasn’t sure what you meant.
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this is american idol, where favorites instead of the best singers, usually, win. everything is subjective but it’s also undeniable when those few singers each season are a step above the rest but eliminated.
MCL- as a deandre fan i’m glad you are still discussing him. i loved the MJ trio- no one’s voice has reminded me more of michael jackson. there are a number of reasons why he was eliminated, not just one thing. not showing him enough, his vocal style, jimmy’s comments, going first- it’s probably all of those. and deandre couldn’t really change any of that. i’m just trying to remember his take on it, that everything happens for a reason, and that better things are coming from him.
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James,
I don’t think Colton was apologizing so much for his performances – I think he was apologizing for the actual Lady GaGa song choice. The song isn’t representative of what Colton has worked so hard to show that he stands for, and he realized, he most likely turned off his strongest supporters – the Christian fanbase.
In thinking about his progression on the show – something changed with him this week, and it wasn’t necessarily a positive thing. He went ‘strange’. His look became extreme (in the past few weeks, he’s been alternative in his appearance, but Wednesday night, he was almost androgynous) and he tried way too hard to be “original”.
I wish that Colton would have followed in the same path as Matt Cardle on X Factor UK, last year. Something like Matt’s “Baby, One More Time” would of been perfect for Colton, and, even “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. There were so many fantastic songs Colton could have done this past week, but he needs to learn that sometimes ‘less is more’.
When he was apologizing, I think he was apologizing for the song choice and the extremity of the actual performance. He knows he was over the top. Unfortunately, his final performance, the reprise of his song ‘Everything’, was exactly who Colton should be and more.
Like I said last week; He got his standing ovation. I wasn’t wrong there.
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Can I also just say; comparing Joshua to Colton is like comparing apples to oranges. There are no similarities in their voices, their tones, their phrasing, or, their ranges. They are two completely different types of voices. For the type of music Joshua wants to sing, his voice is perfectly suited. For the type of music that Colton will do, his voice is perfectly suited. All of the performer’s, even Phillip, have a distinctive ‘sound’ that is to each their own, but to try and say that one is better than the other depends on your particular ear.
It’s like comparing Celine Dion to Stevie Nicks, or Stevie Nicks to Olivia Newton-John. It’s impossible. The three ladies have superb, natural voices, but there is absolutely no similarities whatsoever, but they’ve each sold millions, and, you immediately know them when you hear them.
Joshua fans will think Joshua sounds like the second Elvis, whether the Colton fans agree or not, and, vice versa. It’s personal taste.
Neither have perfect voices, and, that’s probably a good thing, because, if they did, it would come off boring.
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On Colton’s religious views; If you look at any of his videos from the past (pre-Idol), any of his Facebook pages, or, his Twitter account from even a year ago, Colton is very vocal, very passionate about his beliefs. There’s no reason why that belief wouldn’t of transcended to the Idol stage when he was on it. It’s who he is.
I remember Fantastia thanking Jesus continually, as did Reuben, Archie and many others. Loving God is not something we need to hide, and I don’t think Colton used God as a route to popularity. God is just in his nature. That’s my opinion. To me it just isn’t an issue.
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Chad,
My question is this–since Colton has such a deep faith and obviously sings Christian rock so well, why would he even WANT to be on Idol to win a recording contract which we can all presume would never have allowed him to sing Christian songs. Afterall, TPTB are in this to make money from the masses, not just Christians. I’m not criticising Colton for singing Christian songs because I know there is a large market for it. But there are other religions in this country, so it is limiting in its appeal.
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I love the way so many people on here post their opinions as facts; “Colton is way better than Joshua” etc. etc. In your opinion, maybe. In mine, I am so glad that hideous faux-emo Colton is gone. And I absolutely adore Joshua and would buy anything he put out.
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Mindy. So sorry. I meant power falsetto singing. Never heard of that term. Lol
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All I see here are people stating opinions. No one is saying it is fact that Colton is better than Joshua. This is what drives me crazy about blogging. If I am typing it, it is my opinion. I do not expect everyone to agree or to hear the idols as I do. When I read others opinions, I take it as it is their opinion and not fact.
As for religion, I am a spiritual person vs religious person but I do get my dander up when people find fault with those like Tebow or Colton giving praise. We in this society are faced with so many truly offensive behaviors and statements etc and nothing is said but someone makes the sign of the cross and people get angry. IMO let them be. It doesn’t hurt or effect anyone in the least. If it makes them feel good so be it.
MCL, I think Deandre got caught in the manipulation game. They wanted to marginalize him so he could not get the momentum to become a threat th Jessica. I really believe that is who they want to win and that they will bus anyone in her way. Deandre was getting better and the next week was CURRENT. IMO Deandre would have taken off if there that week. I do live in the knoll and I do think that massive manipulation happens if not down right clausing. Deandre’s treatment reminds me of Casey James . They did everything to get him out but he is country and those country voters vote. They wanted Crytsal and by the time they realized how difficult she was it was too late, Casey was out, they told the world how Crystal did not want to be there so they derailed her and bingo you have WGWG #3 Lee. They never really wanted Lee. Then they proceeded to totally treat Lee badly, not promote him, etc. (ALL MY Opinion) Also my opinion, Casey had it all and I am not a country music fan. Looks, charm charisma, backstory and his cd is amazing. Also my opinion. Lee’s cd not so good. Poor guy was not even given a new coronation song. That season in my opinion was ruined by behind the scenes manipulation. This season hopefully does not suffer the same fate.
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Manipulation or not, Colton is now he’s saying, “nothing against Bad Romance or Gaga … but i could have chosen a song with a better message for my fans”. So it’s his fans’ fault for being anti-Gaga.
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Malee,
I think what he was referring to was the actual lyrical content of the song. This song is about a co-dependent, sadomasochistic, obsessive relationship, and I assume that was what Colton was referring to as far as ‘message’ goes. I don’t think at any time he blamed the fans at all, if anything, he apologized to them.
Lyrics;
I want your ugly
I want your disease
I want your everything
As long as it’s free
I want your love
I want your drama
The touch of your hand
I want you leather studded kiss in the sand
And I want your love
You know that I want you
And you know that I need you
I want your loving
And I want your revenge
I want your horror
I want your design
‘Cause you’re a criminal
As long as your mine
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Louise,
Perhaps he (Colton) wanted to win Idol so that he could be the first devout Christian Rock artist the show produced.
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Hi Chad, Colton would not be the first devout Christian Rock artist Idol has produced. Chris Daughtry is devout and the underlying message of some of his music is love of god and love of self. Jason Castro is very devout and currently a staple on Christian Radio. His music is usually about God. Jason always wore his cross proudly on Idol. Colton has been the first to be very vocal about it.
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nearly all or all of the top 13 contestants are “religious” or appear to be Christians. From Heejun always saying “all for God, by God” to DeAndre. retweeting a bible verse and thanking a fan for a bible, to Joshua. Colton is just the one talking about it the most- which I think is fine- but it doesn’t mean the others have any less faith than he does.
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Aubry,
Thanks. That’s actually what I meant to say – the first winner who is very vocal and clearly identified as such – I know that Chris, Jason, Kris, Reuben & Archie are as well.
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IJ,
I’m not saying that the other contestants aren’t spiritual. The point I was addressing is this; Colton was criticized for being as vocal as he was about his personal beliefs, so in answering the question, I said that perhaps he was looking forward to being the first Christian winner who would go on to record and promote, strictly, Christian music. That’s all I was inferring. Sorry if it came across as I said he was the only one with any spiritual foundation. That was not my intent.
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I wanted to share this video with all of you. I hope it works. In keeping on topic about falsetto, sound, quality and control, I have to say this. This performance is probably one of the most, if not “the”, most outstanding display of ‘head voice’ I have ever witnessed on any talent show. This is for all of you. Every time I hear it/watch it, I get chills. The judges comments at the end only reinforce what an amazing talent that Matt truly is.
Matt Cardle – The X Factor UK – 2010
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
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Sorry, if the above video says “embedding disabled by request”, just click on the “Watch on YouTube”.
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Matt is something Chad. Beautiful Voice. I was pleased when so many of Matt’s fans liked Deandre and told Deandre to come to the UK because he would be appreciated there. Thanks for sharing. I have watched that before and it was great to watch and listen again.
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Aubry, what do you think of this? 🙂
As Simon would say…”Stunning”.
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That is lovely, Matt’s voice and tone etc reminds me more of Adam Lambets. Both are almost metzo Sophrano’s to my ears. At times their natual register could be an alto females. They have very high pitched voices naturally. Deandre on the other hand does not have a naturally high voice. I do not even think his natural singing voice is Tenor. Maybe Baritone. What ye say MCL. I would be very very curious to know what Deandres range is. I think probably one of the best ranges ever on AI.
The the other thing about Dre’s voice as someone who has a friend who sings barbershop is he has a natural ring in his voice. Such a nice resonance. He has both the falsetto but also a natural grit which is highly unusual. (MY OPINION ALL OF IT)
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I honestly didn’t pay enough attention to Colton to be bothered by any religious references made by him, however, I read somewhere that TPTB were telling him to tone it down in that regard. So this doesn’t make me think that TPTB would have been wiling to have him record a record that included Christian songs. And I can’t imagine that any of these contestants would be naive enough to think that they could do that.
I was raised as a Christian, however, in my adult life I’ve tried very hard to be welcoming of all religions. I have a Buddhist son-in-law, Jewish friends, and some acquaintances who are Muslim, as well as Christian friends, and atheists and agnostics too. Not one of these persons is better than the other. Please think about how you would feel if a Jewish or Muslim contestant sang their own popular religious songs on Idol? My guess is that many people would complain In my opinion, it’s just better to keep religion out of a popular culture event that is shared by people of many religions.
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MCL,
If the term I used is inaccurate, could you enlighten me? I would appreciate it.
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Mindy – no – it may not be inaccurate. It’s just a term I never heard before. I am going to research it. 🙂
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Rosanne-Thanks for this post about Deandre. He was one of my very favorites this season, and feel it was a travesty how he was treated by Jimmy. I remember performances of his that were stellar, and the judges would praise him, but then Jimmy wouldn’t have one good thing to say about it. It made me sick. Deandre’s falsetto is so beautiful, and his range incredible. He can sing circles around Phillip, Skyler, and even Colton for that matter. I remember when the Judges decided not to save him, and one of his family members just broke down. I didn’t blame her. To dismiss what Deandre brought to AI as nothing special was outrageous! I’ve been getting angrier and angrier just thinking about it!
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Aubry – thank you for sending this video link. It is now a blog topic. I credited you at the end of the article. 🙂
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I am thrilled you posted that tubie MCL. I am glad you appreciate Dre’s unique voice.
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My pleasure Anita. It is upsetting. But, we have no choice except to promote him to the end of time. If someone doesn’t sign him, I would be very surprised. He is incredible.
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Rosanne-I wish Deandre all the success in the world, and will certainly be promoting him. I thank both you and Aubry for posting his video of I’m Your Puppet. He sure is an incredible, very special talent. This video makes AI look soooo stupid!!
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Hmmmm! Reading all of the posts about religion…I am a Christian, and do not have a problem with any singer who is out spoken about their faith or one’s who are christians who choose to hide it, while I wish they wouldn’t feel the need to hide their faith, I do understand!
My problem is this…so many complain about country singers winning or rock singers or whatever kind of singer. This is American Idol, it is not American Pop Idol, that is why there is such a diverse group each year, American Idol covers all GENRES, not just pop!
If a country singer wins every year, it shouldn’t matter it is still American music, if a christian rock singer wins one year…Awesome! But that singer should be able to sing whatever style music they want so that America can see what kind of artist they want to be and get rid of theses silly themes that cater to only pop singers!!!
And that’s all I have to say about that!!! 🙂
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It was unfortunate that Deandre didn’t have a big enough fanbase to create a voting backlash the way it happened with Hollie. I supported Deandre all the way, but he was very shabbily treated by the show. In speaking about what happened to Hollie, in no way did I mean to disregard what happened to Deandre and also Erika. They got away with it, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t disgusting to watch.
I know that Deandre said in his post-show interviews that he let it go over his head. He seems like a very positive person. He never argued with the judges at all. The worst thing for me was when Jimmy had the gall to say on performance night, before Deandre even sang one note, that he would be in the bottom three! That just struck me as so cruel. heartless and also dishonest. That is one thing that can give the appearance of “fixing” the show and the results. I thought it was truly appalling and in extremely bad taste and lacking in judgement.
I was proud of Deandre for coming out there and singing so well and just being himself. I do think he has a very bright future ahead of him. I am also happy that there was a blog created on his behalf! He deserves it!
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Vonnie, you are certainly correct when you say that any genre should be able to win Idol. It’s just my opinion that I don’t want to see another country singer win this year. I’m not a fan of country music generally, however, I voted for Scotty last year. But with last year’s runnerup being a country singer too, it’s just becoming too much for my taste. But obviously the majority of Americans don’t agree with me! That’s what is great about being an American! 🙂
I also found an article about religion and American Idol that you might find interesting. There have been many contestants on Idol through all seasons who have been Christians and probably some who never made it known, although this article also mentions Elliot Yamin who is Jewish. http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/TV/2008/09/American-Idol-Religion.aspx
I realize that the majority of Americans are Christian, but I work with many people of different faiths so it has made me intensely aware of the fact that sometimes Christians assume their faith is the only faith and it is so special to them that they think it is okay to use any forum to show it. I always try very hard to be respectful of others faiths, but sometimes I mess up too. Recently a student wished me “Happy Easter,” and my immediate was response was “You too.” As soon as I said it, I realized that he is Jewish and I should have wished him a good Passover. But by that time, he had hung up the phone. It was thoughtless of me and I felt terrible. So I hope you can see where I’m coming from. I’d just like others to be thoughtful about respecting religious differences too. It shouldn’t always be about “me.”
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Mindy, I will never understand why Jimmy wanted Deandre off the show so badly. To put him first and then tell voters before he even sang don’t vote for him he will be B3 was so wrong. Mattered not that IMO Dre was best of the night so many voters vote how they are told to. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Louise, I have always dispised themes. They only serve to box the contestant into singing something they otherwise never would. Let them sing in there chosen genre and let the chips fall where they may. When they make a cd it will be all one genre. Let them sell what they can do now on the show.
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Louise,
I agree with you on several points, I loved Scotty last year, but like you I am not a big fan of country music, and I would be sad to see Skylar win this year, mainly because I do not think she is the best singer, however I think TPTB are seeing dollar signs with her because of the marketability in country music these days!
As far as the religion, I think from the beginning of idol it should not have to be a secret if you want to pursue a singing career in christian music, country music, pop, rock, R&B, gospel, doo-wop, jazz…you get my point, lol.
I think, get rid of the themes and let these people choose songs from the genre they want to sing and let it go from there…if there is a jewish singer who wants to sing jazz, then he should sing jazz, if a christian singer wants to sing contemp christian, then he should and so on…it shouldn’t be about the faith…it should be about the music they want to sing!
Does that make sense, lol, I am horrible at trying to say what I want to say, it never comes out the way I want it too!
What I am trying to say is I agree with you…I too try to be sensitive to other faiths, but don’ t believe that one should hush themselves because they are afraid to offend someone else! Those who get offended will be offended not matter what, and those who do not get offended will just jump passed it, and those who don’t really care one way or another but who just don’ t want to hear it, will still just not want to hear it and complain cause they don’t want to hear it!
I’ll shut up now, I think my toes are now passed my tonsils…!!! 🙂
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Hi, Vonnie,
I very much appreciate your response, because I understand that this is a very touchy subject that people usually feel very strongly about. I agree with the point of giving up on having the contestants sing outside of their genres–it never made sense to me. But what I don’t agree with is saying that Jewish people can sing jazz, and Christians can sing Christian rock. Jazz has nothing to do with religion, but Christian rock does. I don’t think we can look at Christian rock like it’s just another genre like pop, rock, blues, etc. It’s religious music. If people do that, I think it’s the same as some people who celebrate Christmas without paying any attention to the religious significance of the season. I hope that makes sense. Others might not see it that way, but that’s how I see it.
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Louise,
If some one can’ t sing christian rock on the idol stage because it is about religion, then why is contemp christian music on the list of Grammy’s…should idol follow that list, you can’t discrimminate against one but allow all of the others!
The idol stage should be open to all genre’s of music that the grammy’s recognizes…pop, country, rock, blues, dance, hard rock, metal, alternative, new age, jazz, gosepl, contemporary christian, latin, reginal mexican, banda, tropical latin,americana, bluegrass, folk, opera…and the list goes on!!!
I can assure you that idol counts every dime that Jason, Mandisa, and who else has gone on to sing contemp christian music earns.
All that I am saying is that contemporary christian music is a recognized genre of music, but if idol wants to discredit it because it is about someone’s faith then this is not a show that I should be watching!
I know that sometimes when we write posts we don’t mean for them to be snippy, but sometimes they sound that way to the person who is reading them…so I pray that this post does not sound snippy, because I truley enjoy your posts and love chatting with you! Please know that there is no sharpness intended in this post…I do get very passionate about my faith!
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Hi, Vonnie,
No snippiness taken! 🙂 I have a lot of respect for you, Vonnie. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t watch the Grammys so I was not even aware that Christian rock has it’s own separate genre there. You made a very good point. But I still don’t believe that Idol would be willing to invest so much money into a contestant in that category because it’s limiting and their goal is to make money. But I’m certainly not the expert on Idol. I didn’t think they would be so willing to support country singers either, but I was mistaken about that, and I could easily be mistaken about this too. I guess country music has grown to the point where it’s one of the most popular music genres in America so they see the cash they can make. But honestly, if they start blurring the lines of Idol with religion, I’d be done with it too. There are churches for religion and specific shows about religion, religious concerts, etc., and there are musical shows just about the music and I truly do not believe that Idol should be doing anything that ultimately promotes one religious faith over another. I wish I could just say that I agree with you completely Vonnie, because I think you’re a really neat person who brings a lot of humor, insight, etc. to this site. But this is just one of those times when I feel as passionate about this as you, so I hope we can simply agree to disagree on this one.
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Louise,
Yeppers! Agreeing to disagree always agrees with me! For this very same reason at family get togethers we sure do seem to talk alot about the weather….!!! 😉
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You know, while I liked Joshua & Jessica – when Joshua isn’t forcing/screaming, he’s actually quite good – Deandre & Hollie were SO much better & especially Deandre – so much control to basically sing under Hollie for a good bit of the song & stay right with her. Loved it!! I think TPTB knew that Deandre could actually win & they were so invested in a female winner (at that point anyway, in the early going) that they did everything they possibly could to undermind him & make his solo performances less than they could have been. He’s a star & they knew it. I’ll be following his career with great interest from now on. What a charmer!!
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Darlene. Yes! You see what we all see here. I have never – ever – felt so strongly about the horrible treatment of any AI contestant than I do about DeAndre. Nonsense. They want a female winner? Who cares? Jessica should be the winner and it’s still not working for AI even though DeAndre is gone. If Jessica doesn’t win, it better be Hollie.
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I actually suggested that Billy Joel song (The Longest Time) for DeAndre on another forum when I found out what the theme was, and it’s a shame they changed it to the group song and he had to pick something else. I thought it was perfect for him. I wonder if it was another example of TPTB’s shenanigans to get him out quickly?
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thetomboy of course it was an example of TPTB shenanigans! Generally speaking the contestants pick songs first and then the group song is selected. Dre picked for the Longest Time was practicing it and then it became the group song.
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