Idols and Grammies

Nominees were announced today for the The 50th Grammy Awards to be held on Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. I counted no less than fifteen nominations across eleven categories among Idol alums! Their vocals, lyrics, melodies, and musical licks are shoulder to shoulder with some of the most notable names in music history like Bruce Springsteen, Alison Krauss, Alicia Keys, Tricia Yearwood, Bon Jovi, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, U2.....wowee. Now I wonder....who among them will perform? Who will present? Idol will be in the house that night.

Chris Daughtry co-leads the Idol Alum Grammy Pack with four nominations: his 2006 debut album Daughtry is nominated for Best Rock Album, while two singles on it are also nominated...."Home" for Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal, and "It's Not Over" for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and for Best Rock Song...WOW. (By the way, can something be both pop and rock at the same time? HHHmmm......). Congrats, Chris....you showed 'em for sure (the naysayers, that is). And don't forget Ace Young, who gets songwriting credit on "It's Not Over." Wow! Guess he's more than just a pretty face.

Carrie Underwood also gets four nods, three for the hit single "Before He Cheats" (Best Country Song, Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and the granddaddy award, Song of the Year) but was also nominated for her duet with cutie Brad Paisley on the lovely "Oh Love" in the category Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. I'll say.

Fantasia has an amazing three nominations. I thought she was too busy on Broadway to be doing much else, but her sophomore album Fantasia is nominated for Best Contemporary R & B Album. The hit single "When I See U" is nominated for Best Female R & B Vocal Performance and for Best R & B song...I'd better pull that one up and give a listen!

Miss Jennifer Hudson keeps the Academy star shining now with two Grammy nominations, both "Dreamgirl" related, in the categories Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media and for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, yada yada (that's a mouthfull.) Now, I know she would like to be here again this time next year representing her debut CD.

Remember Mandisa? How could we forget that smile and that huge voice. She should be VERY proud (especially since Barry Manilow didn't make good on his promise to hire her as a back up singer) because her CD True Beauty is nominated in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category. Can I get an Amen?

And Kelly, Kelly....the original Idol brings her powerhouse vocals to the Grammy table again this year on that haunting countrified remake of her hit single,"Because of You" with Reba, nominated also for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (and therefore competing with the Brad/Carrie duet....that's a toughie!!)

All I can say is, wow. For all of those people out there still insisting that Idol is a gimmick, this should convince otherwise!

Jordin's first Spark commentaries

I did buy Jordin Sparks self-titled debut CD last week and gave it one spin through. Meanwhile, my husband saw it and actually said, WHY did you buy this?? And my response was that it’s Idol, it’s clean, she’s 17 and I want to support her career and give my girls, both aspiring singers ages 5 and 10 someone to listen to and maybe even look up to….reason enough, says moi.

I wasn't holding out much hope of anything great, thinking that her winning Idol anthem "This Is My Now" made we hope that was her"Then", even after her effervescent performance this summer during Idols Live...and it's been noted that Jordin Sparks is the lowest-debuting Idol CD in Idol history, beating out Fantasia's 2004 debut album, Free Yourself (and not in a good way).

Since I don't feel like I've spent enough time with it to cough up any meaningful commentary or opinion, I've hobbled together a quickie compilation of reviews for you, which gives a pretty good idea of what this album offers....overall, it's being well-received and she should be proud!

Entertainment Weekly graded this album a B+, which on their scale is quite good (keep in mind that Some Hearts was given a C when it was first reviewed, saying that it “under whelmed”! ha!) EW described it as “R & B flavored, froth-pop, embellished with just enough vocal flourish” and called it “effervescent fun.”

Rolling Stone gave this CD three and a half stars out of four, deciding it was “hip hop-flavored R & B” and described Spark’s voice as being ”funked out without pushing too far into adulthood” (which I can agree on) but softened to say that her voice isn’t as strong as it was on the show.

USA Today’s Idol Chatter wrote that Jordin’s debut CD played to her strengths, citing her “clear, appealing vocals and bubbly enthusiasm” in a “consistently captivating sequence of songs.” Hmmm.

MSNBC (yes, they apparently do music reviews) called the album “tame” but “upbeat” and liked Jordin’s wholesome appeal, likening that appeal to Disney Channel stars like that of Hannah Montana.

Finally, Billboard called Jordin’s debut CD “sophisticated teen pop marked by innocent good cheer and harmony-laden vocal arrangements” which I think says it all.

So, will you buy her CD? Time will tell how it stands up against other Idol efforts...

Carrie's Carnival Ride

I love to purchase CDs from favorite artists the day they are released and enjoy each and every track like a Christmas gift .....and this was no exception. I had high expectations of Carrie's sophomore effort and with good reason: Some Hearts was an amazing debut album I count among my favorites. But instead of turning out a "review" of this CD after spinning it once or twice, I've played it over and over in the minivan for the last 2 weeks, mostly alone, and let it sink in and really edge it's way into my inner soundtrack. And instead of talking about each of the 13 tracks, I offer to you my take on three of my favorites, songs I personally think stand out and make this disc one we'll be hearing from for a while.

You've heard it by now, but if you haven't, you're in for a treat. The first single released ("So Small") had me hooked at the first line: "What you got if you ain't got love..." I love the message of hope this song brings. The video brings that message home with simplicity and beauty, and I must say...it's common sense, but even I need to hear it now and again. Co-penned by Carrie herself, under the banner of her new song publishing gig with a cool name, Carrie-Okie Music! LOL!

My next fav is track 6: Crazy Dreams. I think this is the perfect country song! You've got banjo, guitar, fiddle...and upbeat track and inspiring message (I sense a theme here) that I really just love....and I count myself among those hairbrush singers, wild bloomless magnolias and firefly chasers! LOVE IT.

Finally, since I decided to limit myself to three tracks, I have to call out number 10. I love reading liner notes, one main reason I still buy CDs instead of downloading tracks electronically......I love knowing who composed the song, who played what instruments, who produced, etc....and because of this, I learned before even listening that Randy Travis penned this tune and that none other than Vince Gill sang backup...and I knew I loved it before the first listen! And it didn't disappoint. What a classic country "hook" we can all relate to (I told you so!) with beautiful harmonies.

I can't stop here without adding that it was tough to limit myself to just 3 songs...I also love the roof-raising romp that opens the CD ("Flat on the Floor"), the haunting "I Know You Won't", and "The More Boys I Meet (the More I Love My Dog)". And even though I really tried not to compare this album to Carrie's first, it's tough not to listen to "Last Name" without thinking of "Before He Cheats"...the lyrics don't jive with that sweet, Southern Carrie we fell in love with on Idol....no tire-slashing in this one, but a drunken road trip to Vegas after a night of too much tequila! This song will be a hit! Along with easily 3 or 4 others, following in the footsteps of BillBoard blockbustering that Some Hearts paved....

Carrie's in for another wild ride!

Why Isn't Anybody Watching The Next Great American Band?

I actually like this show, I have my TiVo set to record it and then enjoy it at my leisure over the weekend if need be.....maybe I'm just addicted to the Idol Franchise, but I quite enjoy seeing the bands perform, I love Sixwire (okay cuz maybe I'm a housewife!) but I also like the bunch o' kids (Hanson, anyone?)

I guess the Friday night spot is a deathwish for ratings, BUT the show does bridge that need I have for an off-season trio of jidges including one with an accent that says way mean (but spot-on) things, a dark-haired lady in the middle who has _maybe_ passed her musical prime, and an ego-laden rock 'star' with liberal props....

If you don't watch, why not? Just curious....enlighten me.

What's going on?

Someone had the nerve to ask me the other day, how can there be anything about American Idol for you to write when the show isn't even on?? I just about coughed up my Coca Cola.

The truth is, and you know this since you are reading this blog :) with 6 seasons so far there is LOTS going on with ex-Idols, with albums, follow up albums, holiday albums, concert tours, TV appearances, Broadway shows, charity events/causes, gossip :) PLUS, the spin-off shows are great fodder: So You Think You Can Dance this summer, Don't Forget the Lyrics! and most recently, The Next Great American Band (which I haven't even gotten around to weighing in on yet...but I love it! Go Sixwire!) There is lots to write about! And discuss amongst ourselves :)

January will be here before we know it!

Kelly Clarkson still a star

Kelly played a sold out show this week here at the Chicago Theatre and from the review published today, it sounds like it was a great show. (I like Greg Kot's style...you can read his review here.) Sounds like it was a great show with lots of old and new favorites. Yes, My December hasn't see the commercial success her earlier efforts enjoyed, but hey people -- she was just keeping it real and making it her own! Can't fault her for that!

While Carrie has recently edged past her in terms of overall CD sales (sorry, Kelly), the original American Idol has nothing but blue skies ahead. I can't wait to hear what comes next!

Yuletide Yamin!

Okay, I know that Elliott Yamin is Jewish, but that isn't stopping me from loving his new CD of Christmas music. I deal with the same thing when I listen to Barry Manilow at Christmas....some of my favorite holiday music! Honest!

You can only get Elliot's Christmas CD at Target, and you'll want to pick it up as it has lots of old favorites with Elliot's special spin on them including "Little Drummer Boy;" "Merry Christmas, Baby;" "The Christmas Song;" and "Jingle Bells." You'll also get Elliot crooning "A Very Merry Christmas," "Let's be Naughty (And Save Santa the Trip)," as well as "Warm Me Up" -- three original songs recorded exclusively for the CD. My personal favorite? "This Christmas" , a Donny Hathaway standard, gets the CD going with trademark Elliot. What's not to like? And a pricetag at $6.99 means even Scrooge can afford it!

Cover Girl Carrie

Check out the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly to see a gorgeous Carrie Underwood on the cover and a wonderful interview inside, or read it online at

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20057685_20057687_20152857,00.html

In the interview, Carrie reveals that at 24, she has reached an age none of the other women in her family reached before getting married, that she would rather go bowling than go to a club, and that the songs on her sophomore album will remove any doubt that she is a country girl...yee haw!

Elliot Kicks off Fall Tour in Chicago (and we were there)

I should subtitle this post "What a difference ice cream makes"...Elliot didn't take the stage until two (quite fabulous) other bands had played.... after the first band, my husband realized it was going to be another hour (at least) before Elliot performed, so he offered to take the kids next door for ice cream, while I sat on my keister and sipped my beer....which I thought was a fabulous idea :))

I go to the ladies room 20 minutes after they leave, and only then do I hear my cell phone beeping to tell me I've missed a call. I check, and I've missed three, all from my husband, and all within a span of about 4 minutes....something is up. I'm thinking, major problem, accident, injury, vomit, something....so I call, only to hear that they just met Elliot, standing around outside the tour bus. Quite accidentally. And, he's really nice....stops to chat with them, all FIVE of them....poses for pictures (taken with a cell phone and too dark to post, since I had the real camera in my purse)...gives my daughter a hug, my other daughter a high-five, and encourages my son to keep taking drum lessons. Really spent time talking with them. Kids are amazed and grateful. I am, too! What a really cool encounter with a cool guy.

The show itself was short, only 12 songs, but it was packed with power, musicianship I honestly wasn't expecting, and a LOT of heart from Elliot Yamin. He opened the show with "Alright" from his self-titled CD, and it was on from there with all of our favorite tracks as well as a few treats interspersed. One treat was a cover of the 70's classic "Sharing the Night"...wow, what fun. The other treat was enjoying Jose "Sway" Penala (Season 5 Idol alum) providing background vocals and percussion, and looking like he was enjoying every minute!

I am absolutely convinced that Elliot is the true star from Season 5, and know that we've only seen the beginning of what he can do! And he's a nice guy to boot ;)

Now, if only I'd gone for that ice cream.....

Elliot!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Elliot Yamin to the Windy City for a show next Friday night...will post a review of the show and a picture, if I'm lucky enough to snap one worth sharing!

Idol Alum Activity

I start with Jordan's single, "Tatoo" , which I took a listen to...and while it's innocuous and catchy, I was totally distracted by the "yelping" in the beginning...it reminded me of what my puppy Holly might sound like if she'd gotten her leg caught in the VCR....seriously....maybe I'm just outta that Loop.

Shout out to my gal Fantasia!

So happy to read that Fantasia is making Oprah and the rest of us proud tearing up Broadway as Celie in The Color Purple, and getting praise from fans (who had no doubt she could do it) as well as critics. Congratulations, Fantasia! Read the news piece here.

Constantine's debut!

Like many other fans of Constantine, I eagerly anticipated the release of his solo album. Beaten to the charts by most (if not all) of this current season as well as Season 5's peers, we had to wait extra long. And given all of his artistic pursuits since Idol days went idle for him (hosting Idol Extra!, numerous appearances on Good Day New York, two stints on Broadway, a tour with his -former- band PFTSOB....) I had to wonder, WHAT will he come up with ?

News that Connie decided to fund the record himself by forming his own publishing company (Sixth Place Records) was a little disheartening.....I couldn't figure out why the likes of Bucky Covington, Kellie Pickler among others had managed to procure record deals while Connie (clearly the stand-out non-winner of Season 4) had to dig through his couch cushions to produce something we could listen to baffled me. Granted, he shot out of the post-AI cannon with a flash....fueled most notably with news of a Kelsey Grammar-speared sitcom in the works? but many another public sitings to boot (okay, I admit....I TiVo'ed Bold and the Beautiful!!!) Could his 15 minutes have parlayed itself in about 27 minutes, only to fizzle completely? I was convinced that only I had seen and heard the great Connie, and that when his CD materialized, the world would surely share my view that Connie had been robbed.

Well....the CD isn't very good. Granted, it's not horrible....I didn't wince when I played it and managed to keep all 4 tires of the minivan squarely in my lane....but, it lacks a finesse, a power, a punch, a what the French call, "I don't know what." Some of the tunes are quite catchy, I like the first 2 a lot...but has a juvenile-sounding quality that I, for one, will attribute solely to production and not to talent....we'll save that analysis for his sophomore effort (if there is one). It also jumps all over the map in terms of genres.....pop, rock, ballad, country.....kind of like a season of AI will....so in that sense, it's the Connie we know and love....but in the end, it just doesn't work for a CD and I think, does NOT show the world what Constantine is capable of. It's just too hard to compare the debut of Elliot with Constantine, since the former totally SMOKES him in terms of the CD....

The one good thing is that unlike the PFTSOB CD I ordered from Amazon, this effort by Constantine does NOT have an 'explicit lyrics' sticker and is therefore minivan-worthy :)

AllStar Idols at the AllState Arena

We totally enjoyed this year’s Idols Live show this week. We went after Season 4 finished (cuz I just had to see Constantine!!) and while it was good, this year was GREAT. What you are dying to know, but too afraid to ask:

Yes, Haley wore every single skirt way too short, Sanjaya had multiple hairdo’s throughout the evening (but no ponyhawk, thank goodness), and Blake beatboxed. But what surprised me? Well, for starters, Chris Richardson beatboxed, too! And played drums! Quite good at both. In fact, this is a very musical bunch…Jordin, Blake, and Chris Sligh all accompanied themselves on guitar while Phil Stacey played keyboards, and I spotted Sligh at least one other time in the background playing guitar while someone else sang, which was cool. I was also surprised at how good everyone was….no duds in this bunch. And a (surprise?) marriage proposal on stage from hometown Gina's boyfriend was a special moment shared with 20,000 new friends!

The show was way longer than in ’05 (almost 3 hours with a 20 minute intermission) and included songs done on the show, of course, but also lots of new ones…whereas in ’05 the Idols basically did what they had already done on the show and in predictable order (10^th place, 9^th place…..winner, etc.) This year, it was all over the place, with different people paired up for different songs, in no particular order. The songs, too, spanned multiple decades with classics from Motown, Michael Jackson (that was Sanjaya) and of course, Bon Jovi but also contemporary songs I didn’t know and had to consult the 10 year old I went with! LOL!! So a delightful mixed-bag of tunes. The pace was quick, with little time between songs, which kept everyone hopping. Personal favs were LaKisha's "I Will Always Love You", that Whitney classic she could have never sang on the show because Simon would have eaten her alive, but was delivered perfectly here...and everything Melinda sang.

Jordin was pretty much absent from the first three-quarters of the show (other than the opening number). I read that Carrie Underwood spent a lot of time traveling back and forth between the concert tour and LA to record her debut album, so I figure this is what Jordin is doing..... but she appeared near the end to do a mini-set of 4 or 5 songs, ending with her winning song, “This Is My Now” – not necessarily a fav tune of mine, but hey – it does fit the chick. And since her hair was straight for the opening number but curly at the end, I think that 2 hours must have been spent shampooing. (grin)

Finally, while it’s not really my “thing”, I must mention that the costumes, lighting and stage setup were far superior to the 2005 show. This year’s production included video footage of this season’s show, including performance highs and audition lows, which still brought a chuckle. Cheesy, yes , but it served as a reminder of just how far we've come!

The stage sprawled the width of the floor, and included catwalks on either side to permit the Idols a quick handshake or photo op with fans lucky enough to be down front. And the crowd? We were in good company with lots of parents and kids….we left with t-shirt in hand and memories of a pretty good season!

You can read the Chicago Tribune's review of the show here !

Here we go!

So....my friends and family have been bugging me to move my cheers, jeers, rants and raves about American Idol off email and into the Blogsphere....so here I am!

My latest inspiration came from going to see the American Idols Live tour last evening here in Chicago with my 'tween daughter along with two other moms and their 'tween sons ....review of the the show forthcoming to kick off this blog, baby!