Kelly Clarkson - My December (snippets)

The countdown has begun until the release of Kelly Clarkson's third album, My December. June 26, 2007 is when you can get your hands on the CD but for this moment we have a few snippets available on AOL Music to whet our appetites.

My personal favorite is "Sober".

Kelly said this was her favorite song on the album because "musically, it's almost hypnotic. You just get lost in it, it's just so beautiful. This song is about surviving something you think you can get past or over. I'm not an alcoholic; that's not what it's about. It's just a metaphor. Everyone has something they are addicted to that they can do without in their life, so it could be about whatever your addiction is."

CLICK HERE to listen to "Sober" and three other tracks from the album.

Idol Run-In

Yep, that's me and American Idol: Season 5's Paris Bennett (or now I guess it's Princess P). While attending Gay Day at Great America I had the pleasure to see Paris, Frenchie Davis and Kimberley Locke all perform live. It was fantastic! I was so giddy because I have never been to an Idol taping so other than the tour (which is a different feeling) and these girls delivered a really great show. They each sang a couple of songs and talked for a few minutes about their lives.

Do you want me to post some more pictures?

Jordin Sparks Wins

I'm bored.

Finale!! Lewis vs. Sparks

So here it is, the final showdown between Blake Lewis, the beatboxer, versus Jordin Sparks, the 17 year old vocal phenom. This is actually the finale that I was hoping for since around the Top 7 or so. I didnt think that Melinda would actually get knocked off so I had no hope of actually seeing this finale happen. But then last week was a huge shock and here we are. I think tonite will be very interesting because we have style vs substance. Blake is a good singer, but not a great singer. He's made a name for himself because of his unusual song choices, great stage performance, and of course the beat boxing and song arrangements. Jordin is obviously a brilliant singer that has really grown throughout the competition. So who wins? We'll find out tonite, and I think it's going to come down to the Idol single. Whoever performs it better will be your winner. Having listened to the song choice on the American Idol website I have to say, I'm not really happy with it. The song is pure cheese and it's designed to be a "singers" song; meaning that someone with vocal chops should do well with it. It will be interesting to see what Blake does with it. If he puts his own spin on it that could make all the difference.

Blake - You Give Love a Bad Name. I'm glad he chose to do this song again. This was easily the best and most talked about performance of the season. He really made it his own. He starts the song off well (didn't miss his cue this time) and carries it throughout the whole performance. He looks so comfortable on stage and is moving around and having fun. He's engaging the audience. This is an arena type song and he's doing his best to make it sound like one. His beatboxing totally works for this song. Overall it was an excellent way to start the final night. Good for him! Grade A

Jordin - Fighter. Whoa I'm really surprised that Jordin is going for a Christina song. She's got the voice but doesn't really have the soul that Christina does. Fighter is kind of a tough song as well. It'll be interesting to see how she does. Well, vocally she's handling it pretty well. She does sound good but it's hard to hear this without hearing Christina sing it. Also, Jordin needs to do more with the song. She just walks up to the front of the stage and sings. The song is about being a fighter, being a strong woman, being tough. She should show that in the performance. She should move around and try to engage the audience. Instead, she's just standing there in the middle of the stage, as if she was singing a soft ballad. Vocally it was good but performance-wise she could have done so much more. Grade A-

Blake - She Will Be Loved. Well he seems to have found his comfort zone in Maroon5 and I can't blame him. This is the type of music that his voice works well with. He starts off alright, no major problems. The song does fit his voice quite nicely. When he goes for the falsetto notes in the chorus we finally hear him strain a little. I'm not sure if he can't sing falsetto or if the note is just a little too high for him but he never hits it. He falls just under that note every single time. Otherwise it would be a good performance. Singing the song straight shows off his nice voice but not being able to showcase the falsetto really shows how weak of a singer he is when compared to Jordin. Grade A-

Jordin - Broken Wing. This was a good song choice for Jordin. After I Who Have Nothing I think this was my 2nd favorite performance of hers. She starts off the song quietly and tells the story of the song while quietly building a crescendo. When the chorus finally comes she's in total control of her voice and everything sounds so effortless. However once again she's just standing at the front of the stage and singing the song. Although this song doesn't really call for much stage performance it would have been nice to see something different. She did really, really well with this one. I think it was one of her best performances. Grade A

Blake - This Is My Now. Well, with a title like that you can't really expect a good song out of it. We'll see if Blake did something new or just sings it straight through. And it looks like he opted to just sing. Right off the bat you can tell that he doesn't like the song. It's not his style and doesn't fit his voice at all. He seems completely uncomfortable with it. He's bopping around and interacting with the audience in the 2nd verse but he seems to have just given up. This song just doesn't work for him at all. That was really bad. I feel sad for him and he looks so defeated. Grade D

Jordin - This Is My Now. Interesting that the producers made both of them sing the same song as their last. It's like they wanted to make sure everyone knew that Jordin is the better singer and are putting the two next to each other for comparison. We'll see if she can make this craptastic song sound any better. Well right off the bat you can tell that this is loads better than what Blake did. Since it's a singers song, Jordin is able to use the different emotions in her voice and make the song come alive. This song suddenly doesn't sound so bad after all. The "tears" at the end look so fake though. She's breaking down like she's crying but there are no tears at all. It looks like she's trying to play the emotional card to get some votes. However, she doesn't need them. She blew Blake out of the water on this song. Grade A.

So there you have it. The competition is officially over this year and all that's left is to count up the votes. We'll find out tomorrow who the new American Idol is going to be. Going into tonite's show I was rooting for Blake to win. All along I have said that he's the first true male pop star to be on Idol and I think he would be unique enough to do well after the show. However, after tonite I think that Jordin will be your winner. She is definitely the better singer of the two and deserves to win based on tonite's performances. Hands down she had the better night tonite and that's most likely what America will be voting on. I will be very surprised if Blake pulls off an upset victory and takes the title tomorrow. Either way, I think both will have a deal with a record label and will be successful in their own rights.

Congratulations Jordin Sparks, American Idol 2007!

Shocked and Stunned

Well, the shocker elimination of the season finally happened last night and Melinda was eliminated from the show. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I sat there staring at the TV with my jaw on the floor throughout all of Melinda's montage footage. I could not believe that the producers actually let her go. I think that she's just too "mature" for Idol. She is already a first-class performer and singer and it seems like there is no more growth for her. She's going to have a great career so she shouldn't have to worry about that. I just think that American tends to like people that actually grow while on the show so we can see their confidence boost every week and watch their performances get better and better. We didn't get that with Melinda but we did with Blake and especially with Jordin. As stunned as I am that Melinda is gone, I am actually pretty excited with the Blake/Jordin finale. It was what I was hoping for as we started coming down the home stretch. I really think that it's an even playing field right now and both have a good chance of winning. As for me, I'm voting for Blake.

Carrie Underwood, Queen of Country

Congratulations goes out to Carrie Underwood for winning 3 American Country Music (ACM) awards last night. She won for Best Video (Before He Cheats), Best Country Album, and Best Female Vocalist! I think it's safe to say that Carrie is firmly rooted in Nashville now and will be a huge country star once it's all said and done.

In other ACM news, Kellie Pickler was nominated for Best New Female Vocalist (but lost to Miranda Lambert, who has actually been nominated for ACM awards before so I'm not sure how she's suddenly a new vocalist). Chris Young (winner of Nashville Star 4) was nominated for Best New Male Vocalist but lost (very sad about that. He's great!) . And finally, Kelly Clarkson made an appearance to debut her new duet with Reba McIntire that will be on Reba's new duet album in Sept. Reba decided to remake "Because of You" with Kelly and I gotta say, it was AWESOME! Reba added a whole new dimension to the story aspect of the song and it sounded very heartfelt. And of course, hearing Reba and Kelly singing over, under and all around each other was just great. The crowd went crazy when the song was done. Listen for it on your country station as it went out to radio yesterday. I think it's going to be a huge hit.

Top 3

Well, I wrote an entire review and was getting ready to post it when the computer froze and everything was erased. So rather than writing everything up again I figured I would just skip to the part that you want to hear.

Melinda was the best last night. She did Whitney and Tina proud. But we did finally find her weakness, the high falsetto. She went for it in the Whitney song and it was ok but definitely not what I was expecting. And then I realized that we never really heard sing anything in falsetto; she mostly belts everything. I just thought it was interesting.

Blake was the next best. I loved his Maroon5 song. That's the perfect type of song for him. It had some funk to it and it fit his voice perfectly. I also thought he did Roxanne very well. And, I actually liked the Robin Thicke song. It was nice to actually hear one of his songs since you can't understand a word he says while he's singing. I thought the beatboxing added a nice touch to the songs and didn't overpower them.

Jordin was just ok. She sounded great but her performances were just boring. She just stood there and sang the songs. Plus, her last song wasn't as good as it was the first time she performed it on the show, but was her best performance of the night.

That being said, Blake is the one going home tonite. There's no way they can deny Melinda being in the finale when she's been the best all season long. And they've been pimping Jordin so much that they won't back down now. So it's going to be a Melinda/Jordin finale. I'm not sure who I am going to vote for. I think I like Jordin better but Melinda is such a better singer and has been so consistant that I can't deny her thought. We're back to the TayTay/Diana finale. TayTay can saaaaaaaaaaang and Diana was just more personable. I think it's going to end up the same way and Melinda is going to win. It's all going to come down to who can sell the new single better. And when it comes to selling a song, it's going to be Melinda that pulls ahead.

Predict the Winner at AOL.com

CLICK HERE to vote at AOL.com for who you think will win American Idol Season 6.

More Obsessed Than I Am (Which Is Difficult To Do)

Via MSNBC.com:

Melinda Doolittle, 29, graduated from Belmont with a music degree in 1999. Everyone in the crowd was certain she’d prevail over rivals Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis.

“She’s very talented, and she’s also very sweet and personable,” said Susan Belsante of Charlotte, N.C.

Belsante has a daughter at Belmont and a son graduating from nearby Vanderbilt University. She felt a little guilty about it, but she skipped the commencement speech at her son’s graduation so she could come cheer Doolittle.

“I went ‘Let’s see,”’ she said, holding up both hands like a scale, “commencement speech or Melinda Doolittle.’

“I had to go with Melinda Doolittle.”

Simon's Choice

Apparently I DO think too deeply about American Idol because today I started thinking about Tuesday's Top 3 showdown. More specifically, each contestant will be singing three songs: one they choose for themselves, one chosen by a judge (Randy, Paula or Simon) and one chosen by Clive Davis. Historically speaking, Simon pairs up with the contestant most likely to win (or at least gives them the song with the most potential to help them win).

So Idol fans, who will gain the power behind SIMON'S CHOICE?

Strategy?

Maybe I over-analyze these things, but how much do you think the contestants (especially now six seasons into this show/contest) strategize throughout the competition?

Comments have been made about certain contestants peaking too soon or conversely really turning the heat up at different points in the competition. I guess I wonder if these "kids" are really more savvy then we might think.

Consider these two ideas then discuss on the message boards...

What if Melinda has been waiting to unleash some more "WOW" performances until she is sure to be in the final? Consistent, good performances have gotten her this far and maybe she wants to blow everyone else away in the end? It seems to me that this would be right time to have an "off" night, gain some sympathy votes, slide into the Top 3 and then snap back to her semi-final quality performances.

Why has Blake started beat-boxing again? Does he realize that he needs that differentiation amongst the finalists now, more than before? Will he stop again if he makes the Top 3?

Final Four - Boogie Night/Barry Gibb

So now that we're down to the final four it's going to be an exciting competition. Well really, it's been that way since the final 6 but everyone is curious to see who the final 2 will be out of this group. I think it's a good bet that Blake and Jordin will be in the finale, but Melinda is so damn good that she could easily make it in. LaKisha is the least likely to make it in but she can saaaaaang so anything is possible. Tonite will be interesting because I think it's going to be disco night (which we already had with Diana Ross). Who knows if they'll be able to pull it off. And away we go.

Melinda - Once again, she's done an amazing job of taking a song and making it her own. She's doing a great job at singing and performing the song. She has total control over the stage. Will she ever give a bad performance?

Grade A-

Blake - "You Should Be Dancing". Blake is showing some nice falsettos. Some of the beatboxing techniques sound a little odd in the middle of the chorus. It sounds like some gay remix. However the beatboxing stuff in the breakdown section work perfectly. Hes having a lot of fun on stage and looks really comfortable. It looks like after last week's performance he knows he can win this thing. Good job.

Grade A-

LaKisha - "Staying Alive". Again, after last week she's finally starting to show some personality that we've been looking for all season. The performance is ok but nothing is really blowing me away. She's doing her own thing during the chorus but nothing is really "wow". It was just ok.

Grade B

Jordin - "To Love Somebody". Clay and Josh Gracin both sang this song on their season. It'll be interesting to see how different Jordin does it. It's different. There's more of a sense of urgency in her performance, especially near the end. I really liked it.

Grade A

Intermission: Is it just me or does Barry Gibb sound like Sean Connery? Also, I can't understand a word he's saying because he's mumbling so much. Looking at his mouth he looks like he's got new dentures in or something and he's not used to them. It's weird.

So it looks like the producers really want Jordin in the finale. This is the 3rd time she's gotten the pimp spot this season. And 2nd time in 3 weeks. I think they're really hoping for a Blake/Jordin finale like I am.

Melinda - "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". Well the song starts out sounding a lot like Barbra Streisand. The middle section sounds great but is boring. The last 3rd she really makes it her own again and throws that Melinda growl into it. She really brings it home with that. Good job.

Grade A-

Blake - "This Is Where I Came In". The song sucks. It's not a wonder why this wasn't a hit. However, Blake makes it sound like something that Jason Mraz would sing. I don't like the performance though. He sounds fine but this song is such crap that it's really hurting him. I don't think beatboxing really added anything to it.

Grade B-

LaKisha - "Run To Me". Horrible dress. She really needs a new stylist. Simon will probably talk about her shouting. it seemed to really affect her this time because she lost her voice at the end of the song. It was a good song choice for her.

Grade B+

Jordin - "Woman In Love". She's missing some notes here and there but Jordin is really learning how to interpret a song and that's what is making her do so well. She can use the softness in her voice or belt the hell out of a song. She has really grown in the competition.

Grade B

Well I agree with Simon and LaKisha and Blake are in the bottom 2 tonite. I think it's finally LaKisha's time to go. It's not going to be the shocker that I predicted but it's definitely her tomorrow. If she does stay then that will be the big shocker because the other 3 are the ones that deserve to be in the final 3.

All Hail Princess P!

Paris Bennett's debut album is now streaming this week on AOL Music. You can listen to it before you buy it tomorrow. Let us know what you think.

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Yet Another Reason Why Taylor Hicks Sucks

I was never a fan of Taylor Hicks last year. Sure, he's a hell of a performer but that doesn't translate to a CD. He's someone you have to see live to understand because if you just listen to him it's nothing special. It's pretty easy to see why he's the least successful out of all of the winners. But the Orange County Register recently did an interview with him and they claimed it's like pulling teeth to get a decent answer out of the guy. It's just another reason of why I hate him. He thinks that he's the best thing that has ever happened to the show when, in fact, he's nothing but a joke. You can read the whole article here

Good Point

"Some observers also wonder if partnering exclusively with Cingular has influenced the show's results. According to NPD Group, 44% of Cingular subscribers are in the South. All five former Idol winners hail from below the Mason-Dixon line."

--via Forbes.com

Idol Updates

• The cast of Broadway's 'RENT' will be adding American Idol, Season 1 finalist Tamyra Gray to their family. She will start performing on May 29th in the role of Mimi.
• Carrie Underwood's charity single "I'll Stand By You" set a record this week as the first ever digitally-released track to debut in the Billboard Top 10 (#6, to be specific) and without any radio airplay!
• Elliott Yamin will return to the Idol stage on May 16th to perform.
  

Appropriate Analogy

Via Reality Remix Blog:

"Nasal is a form of singing the way crashing is a form of driving." (Referencing Chris Richardson's retort to Simon Cowell about his singing technique)

Top 6 - Bon Jovi Night

I am definitely excited for this week. I love Bon Jovi and it'll be very interesting to see how they all adapt to the rock theme of the week. I definitely think the women are going to have a tough time with it but we shall see what happens.

Phil - "Blades of Glory". If Phil doesn't rock it out tonite then he's gone for sure. His voice is the one that lends itself to Bon Jovi more than any other left in the competition. This song is perfect for him because it combines the country side with the rock side. This should hopefully be good. I like seeing him in the audience and interacting with the crowd. He's definitely having fun with the song and yes, his voice fits perfectly with it. He is definitely nailing it. I really liked this one. Grade A-

Jordin - "Living On a Prayer". Well, for someone that has grown up on Bon Jovi and knows all their stuff she really seems nervous about singing the song. This is a really tough one because of the octave jump in the chorus but she should be able to pull it off. However, from her first note you can see that she's scared about it. I think we may have finally found her weakness and that's the low register. We know she's great when she hits the higher notes but having to sing an entire verse in her low register is killing her. The key should have been raised a little. She's handling the octave jumps well but everytime she goes back down it's a struggle for her. This is a really shaky performance. Well, at least she admits that this was not her week. Good for her. Grade C

LaKisha - "This Ain't a Love Song". Well it's nice to see LaKisha actually showing some personality tonite. I loved her little comment about the camera showing her slim side. So I have never heard this song before but I'm glad she decided to do a ballad because she for sure would have been gone with any other song. This song, however, seemed to fit her to the T. She threw herself into and really sang it. Finally, there was no shouting in the middle of the song. Finally she showed some emotion in her voice and in her stage presence. Finally we got the LaKisha back from the semis. It was a great performance. Grade A

Blake - "You Give Love A Bad Name". So Blake is going to change it up and do something daring huh? I'm very curious to see what he does with such a well known song. Well, the opening beatbox stuff is hot. Great way to start out the song. His vocals actually sound stronger than they have in the past, that's impressive. However, he's still lifting his head at the end of every phrase. I'm getting tired of seeing that. I wish he'd just keep his head still. Oooooooh, I LOVE the beatbox breakdown in the middle of the song. He is having so much fun with this. He completely made the song his and got the crowd to buy into it as well. What an awesome job! This was the most original performance on Idol out of every season! Grade A+

Chris - "Wanted Dead or Alive". I'm very nervous for Chris with this choice. After Chris Daughtry killed it last year I think everyone is going to be comparing the two. Chris R. doesn't have the same kind of voice and I think his voice is too thin for this song. I gotta say though, his opening has really impressed me. If he can keep his voice in this lower register he might actually be able to pull it off. Hm, in the 2nd verse he started losing it a little. The vocals are fine but there's no life to the performance. He's just singing it. It's a shame because he actually did pull it off vocally. His vocals were way better than I thought he was going to be. Grade B-

Melinda - "Have A Nice Day". Finally we get to see Melinda rock out a little bit. Haha, she's so funny in her interview segment. She admits that she has no idea how to rock out or be a rocker. I like her song choice because it's so different from her character. If she throws in the right attitude she could pull it off. She seems to be doing a really good job with the song. For not being a rocker she is actually doing well and having fun with it. I love the attitude that she's throwing into it. That's what is needed to make this song work. Of course, vocally she is still superb. I liked the performance. Grade A-

Overall, this was a great night. I really liked this theme and we had some great performances. People really stepped it up tonite. If I was to choose the bottom 2 for tonite it would be Jordin and Chris. As for who is going home, I have no idea. Since everything is going to be combined with last week's votes it's all up in the air. Sadly, I do think that Chris will be one of the two going. For that last spot I just don't know. I'm going to be very nervous for the next 24 hours.

Kelly Clarkson - Never Again

Wow! Kelly is back and channelling her inner 'Alanis'. She is pissed! How can someone be so hot and so scary as hell at the same time? This is an intense video and I think it's probably Kelly's best. I love it!