Danny Gokey – Yahoo Interview – VIDEO

Lady Antebellum is an example of modern soul country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUhsKSIHKKo

Darius Rucker is similar as well.

Danny is actually growing on me little by little. I am actually beginning to like him and his attitude much better than Adam, go figure. Anyway, I found this to be a better interview of Danny that I have seen, he appears to be growing and is a bit more expressive of his music and is gaining better understanding of the music world.

I wish there was an interview of him where he did not mention (plug) his foundation, but even that seems like a part of his persona now, and it annoys me a lttle less that constant reference to it.

Now Danny is no Matt Giraud, but he is Ok : )

*IS* there a modern soul/country thing? Guess I’ve missed that. Thank God.

I wish Danny would stop talking bout his “message”. To me, “message” equals preaching, and the last thing I really want to hear in music is preaching. I usually end up running from the room screaming with my hands over my ears.

Other than that, this was a pretty good interview. Danny seemed more at ease than he has in some previous itnerviews.

I wish Danny would stop talking bout his ‘message’ .

Yup…the minute he said “I’m a man of faith” I was done ’cause I knew the preaching and I want to be an inspiration, and my late wife’s foundation were going to be the next words he spoke. I am sure these are very important to him but he has said them enough…and it does make some of us uncomfortable. If he is going to stick around he, undoubtedly, needs a really good PR person that will give him the old “Bull Durham” tutelage.

maybe he should just do a whole cover album of Rascal Flatts? heh. I think it’ll be pretty funny if he does go country.. imagine the country media outlets asking him about why he wanted to do country or even what his favorite artists are.

Peeps, is there anybody on the country charts representing this modern/soul country thing? Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish maybe?

Not that I can find. There were some artists in the 1960′s and 1970′s who did Country Soul. Country Soul fuses Gospel, Soul and Country music so I can see the fit with Danny. From Wiki:

Country Soul is a music genre that fuses Southern soul music with country music. Ray Charles is often seen as being a pioneer of the style, and other country soul artists include Solomon Burke, Arthur Alexander and Mavis Staples.

I can actually can see Danny doing music that is an updated version of Ray Charles/Mavis Staples. And, although that isn’t like music that is selling right now, Danny has a loyal fanbase, there are a ton of Country and Inspitational radio stations that would play it and I think it makes some sense.

I don’t know what Danny thinks “Modern Soul” music is. As far as I know “Modern Soul’ was developed in Northern England in the 1970′s — and was primarily dance music — pretty much wiped out by disco. “Modern” was used to distinguish it from Motown music. Luther Vandross and Terence Trent D’Arby have recorded some Modern Soul songs. But most of this music is over 30 years old.

Nice interview! I like a good message, now and again (not all the time though) and Danny’s message of “love” is the best there is, whatever one’s faith or lack of it. More power to his aims.

Modern soul/country? I’m trying to imagine that. I suppose any melancholy sounding country lyrics can be sung with soul if the singer has the right tones – which Danny does have. I remember Kris Kristofferson once replying to a heckler in his audience who asked “is that country or not?” with
“If it sounds country man….that’s what it is!” So I guess then “if Danny sounds country/soul, that’s what it will be”

Ugh! Listening to him speak makes me itch. What in god’s name is modern soul/country? He just makes things up as he goes along . He has no idea what he’s talking about. He’s basically saying he’ll do whatever kind of music that will get him a contract.

I like Danny and I enjoyed the interview. His mentioning of his “message” is fine by me. I’m agnostic, and pretty much anti organized religion, but you know, that’s just me, and I realize it’s not him. Obviously he considers his religion to to be a major part of who he is, and that’s okay.

Besides, I think when he says message, what he means is he wants to sing songs that are uplifting and positive (by and large). When/if Danny puts out an album, and I buy it, he can’t deliver any kind of message that I’m not willing to get from it. I’ll listen to the music and take whatever from it that I do. Music moves everyone in different ways, even if it’s the uplifting, positive, hopeful stuff.

I hope/think what Danny means when he says modern soul country is the type of songs that he sang on the show sung the way he sang them on the show. Songs like “What Hurts the Most” (which he has classified as his favorite), and “I Hope You Dance” would be two examples. I know some here consider those songs to be lame “dreck.” But many people like those types of songs and I think that the “message” in the songs appeals to Danny. There is a market for it, if he can get some GOOD songs. That’s the hard part.

I do love Danny’s voice, and I really hope he gets a record deal. He has lots of fans and we want to hear him sing. Good luck, Danny!

UGH!! He needs to stop talking about his message and do something. Kris has done more to show how true Christians behave. Treat people with kindness, think of others and Kris actually went and helped needy people overseas and doesn’t talk about insesently.

Danny’s set will definetiley be my washroom break during the concert so I’ll be ready for Kradam.

Treat people with kindness, think of others and Kris actually went and helped needy people overseas and doesn’t talk about insesently.

Danny has done tons of volunteer work right in his own backyard. He volunteered for years at a place called Journey House to work with underprivlidged kids. You don’t get to go out and explore different parts of the world that way….just sayin. And, I ve never heard him mention it before. I’ve only read about it in other sources.

I had lots of students that went on a mission to South America last summer, and some of them were just in it for the trip to a new place and the social aspect of it. I’m not saying that this was Kris AT ALL. I do think that to volunteer on a regular basis in your own hometown would be a little less exciting, though. And for all I know Kris could have done this type of work, too.

If you don’t read information about Danny, and I know that most people dont here, you wouldn’t know the type of work he’s done…..and he has done A LOT of it. I just wanted to put the facts out there.

This is one of Danny’s better interviews.

I enjoy Danny’s voice, but I have to say, I think he is going to get this post-Idol thing completely wrong. From what I heard, he wants to do this whole post Idol thing really fast, which could end okay like a lot of the winners CDs, but could also end badly (See Kristy Lee Cook) whereas people who waited, like Carly Smithson, benefited more.

I don’t think he has a clue about what genre to go into. Sure, he probably could do anything but record producers want to box every artist into a genre. I don’t think he is a country singer by ANY means. He should definitely stick with the soul with maybe a rock edge because he has that really nice part of his voice that could do that.

Ugh! Listening to him speak makes me itch. What in god’s name is modern soul/country? He just makes things up as he goes along . He has no idea what he’s talking about.

I think that option of doing a “modern soul country” album was pitched to Danny by a record company. Especially since he says he’s open to doing that type of album. I think that someone from a record company that was interested in signing him pitched that idea to him.

And I think they did that, because they think he has a soulful voice and because he has done some country performances on the show this season, which I believe were well received. I think that his “What Hurts The Most” performance was well received by a lot of people. And he ended up singing that song on his media week after he was eliminated.

Plus 19 put his version of the country artist Mickey Gilley’s cover of “Stand By Me” on the Season 8 CD, which I thought was odd at first.

Because I thought that he had better performances to choose from that could have been put on that CD instead. But I think maybe 19 put it up there, as part of their plan to try and push/market him in the country direction. And Danny mentioned wanting to possibly record in Nashville well over a month ago.

So I think that the idea of him possibly doing a modern soul country album has been out there for a while now. And I think that it was suggested to him from a record company that was interested in signing him. And thought that he could do well singing that type of music.

I’m not quite sure what that type of music is. Maybe it’s just singing country music with a soulful edge in his voice. Which is what he did on the show when he sung country songs.

I would love for Danny, who admits that he doesn’t know a lot about or listen to secular music, to be asked which modern/soul country artists does he like. Or, to make it easier, which modern/soul country songs does he like. The hemming and hawing that will ensue would be so funny.

One of his better interviews, however it kinda turns me off to hear him think his music, whatever it will be, will become a “movement” Not knowing what kind of music he wants to sing is not making any labels jump at a chance to record w/him. It takes more than a nice voice to make a return in an investment. I just don’t see him as being very marketable even tho he has a wonderful voice.

Danny definitely seems isolated from Kradison and the “odd one out” of the top 4. Is he even good friends with them?

Danny definitely seems isolated from Kradison and the ‘odd one out’  of the top 4. Is he even good friends with them?

I don’t think he seems isolated from them. They have just been recording their albums and Danny, obviously, has not.

Allison just said in an interview we saw yesterday that what inspired her to get up in the morning was a phone call from Danny Gokey saying she was late. She also joked/ragged on him on Twitter the other day, and ended it with “you know I love you”.

My sister just told me yesterday about something she had read online about Kris and Danny…..said that Kris would take out his guitar and they would sing gospel together. She also said that it said that the two of them prayed together. (I didn’t read that myself, however) . But I know that Kris has said that Danny was like a brother to him and that Danny was funny and that he loved to pick at him. He said Danny was cool because he never got upset.

Adam also called Danny a friend, and the reporter talked about them sitting and laughing together. Adam has said that Danny has a big heart and that they hit it off right away.

I know that Danny is closest with Matt and Anoop….that has pretty much been established….but it seems he is friends with these guys, too.

I wonder if white-boy country soul is much easier to market than white-boy soul, period. I’m skeptical of that genre.

Darius Rucker gets mentioned, but he’s soulish mainly becase he sings like a black guy, and because he’s a black guy being soul is okay and people will buy it. \

Danny’s not a black guy, so soul becomes a problematic sell for him, seems to me. And at this point he doesn’t have any twang that I can discern, and without a twang *country* becomes a problematic sell for him, too, doesn’t it?

He’s going to have to do a real makeover to transform himself into that country-soul person (whatever a country-soul person is…), I would think. I guess his gospel-ness can help. But still. It’ll take more than covering Rascal Flatts songs. Somebody upthread mentioned his cover of I Hope You Dance. But I don’t remember anything soulish either about that song or about Danny’s cover of it. So making that soul-country would require a pretty big revamp, if you ask me.

I Really think he signed with the 2nd label

if he signed with sony nashville it would of been announced by now

but Pickler’s deal was announced during the tour so you never know

Danny is actually growing on me little by little.

Sorry, that won’t happen for me. I think he can’t control what comes out of his mouth. Here’s an article where he indicates that he would have beaten Adam if he were in the final. He also says he “doesn’t mind” all the attention Adam is getting. I don’t think it’s any of his business how much attention Adam’s getting.

http://www.columbian.com/article/20090703/LIVING11/707039994

Sorry, that won’t happen for me. I think he can’t control what comes out of his mouth. Here’s an article where he indicates that he would have beaten Adam if he were in the final. He also says he ‘doesn’t mind’  all the attention Adam is getting. I don’t think it’s any of his business how much attention Adam’s getting.

http://www.columbian.com/article/20090703/LIVING11/707039994

IMO, all he said in this article about possibly beating Adam in the finale, is what he’s said in a quite a few of his post Idol interviews. Is that he thinks that he and Kris drew a lot of the same people, and that he believes some of those people might have voted for him instead of Adam, had he advanced over Kris. I don’t think that he was insulting Adam (or Kris) in any way.

Also, I think when he says he doesn’t mind the attention that Adam is getting, he means exactly that. He doesn’t mind that Adam is getting a lot of attention, and he complimented Adam by saying that he thinks that Adam stands out. And he said that he was happy for Adam.

And I also I believe that whoever interviewed him asked him about how he felt about all of the attention that Adam was getting. The article did mention the amount of attention that Danny, Kris and Adam were getting, before Danny said anything about the attention that Adam gets.

I think that whoever interviewed Danny asked him about the attention that Adam is getting, and he answered. I do think that he has noticed the amount of attention Adam has gotten, but I don’t think that’s he’s concerned/worried about it.

I think that whoever interviewed Danny asked him about the attention that Adam is getting, and he answered.
I do think that he has noticed the amount of attention Adam has gotten, but I don’t think that’s he’s concerned/worried about it.

Yeah, I’m sure they have all noticed the attention that Adam has been getting. We all have. Danny has ALWAYS said that he was happy for Adam and for Kris. He has also said that he admires them both.

Somebody upthread mentioned his cover of I Hope You Dance. But I don’t remember anything soulish either about that song or about Danny’s cover of it

He actually did add a soulful vibe to the song when he sang it. But he sang it in Hollywood, so many may not remember. Of course, when you talk about singing with “soul”, people all have their own opinions of what “soulful” is. I believe Danny is talking about adding this type of vibe to a modern (non traditional non twangy) country song, which he considers to be soulful. I consider it to be soulful also.

Modern soul country. Hmm. Maybe like John Hiatt? Not sure if he’d be considered a true country artist. I could hear Danny singing this (don’t laugh. ok, you can laugh):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RWEseP-ouk&feature=related

Danny just doesn’t get it does he? He absolutely has no clue what the hell he wants to do.

He’s going to let people figure that out for him. What does it matter? He has a message to promote/preach.

Latin/R&b to Country/Soul is an absolute HUGE difference musically.

CLUELESS.

This is why he won’t sell a damn thing really(I mean I’m sure people will buy but it won’t break any records a minor blip on the musical spectrum) because he has no conviction in who he is as an artist.

I don’t buy it.

John Hiatt isn’t country. He’s one of the most underrated songwriters that I know of…absolutely love him do I…but he’s NOT country.

I don’t follow John Hiatt, but I did look him up. This is from his Wiki. Evidently at least some people consider him to have done some country.

John Hiatt (born August 20, 1952 in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including New Wave, blues and country.

re: columbian.com article :rolleyes_wp: :wallbash_tb:

Besides, I think when he says message, what he means is he wants to sing songs that are uplifting and positive (by and large). When/if Danny puts out an album, and I buy it, he can’t deliver any kind of message that I’m not willing to get from it. I’ll listen to the music and take whatever from it that I do. Music moves everyone in different ways, even if it’s the uplifting, positive, hopeful stuff.

Well said. I would take the uplifting, positive and hopeful any day over a lot of the other stuff, which for me is negative and depressing for the most part. With all the struggles I have going on in my life, I look to my faith, and I love hearing the songs that can strengthen me. So kudos to Danny for wanting to offer that message. It is the same that Phil Stacey, my season 6 favorite, has tried to convey through his first cd and will continue to do in his next one.

I liked this interview. I think a lot of artists have messages (all different kinds) in their music. It seems like Danny has good intentions and is hoping to do something positive.

This was the first interview with Danny that wasn’t constantly like fingernails down a chalkboard for me. (for you, for me)

Sounds like he’s getting a little better at giving answers that don’t devolve into a drive down a long, winding country road. I think he’s absorbed a little of Adam, as well, with that whole part about Idol being a platform to open opportunities.

Danny just doesn’t get it does he? He absolutely has no clue what the hell he wants to do.

He’s going to let people figure that out for him. What does it matter? He has a message to promote/preach.

Latin/R&b to Country/Soul is an absolute HUGE difference musically.

CLUELESS.

I can’t disagree, and wonder if he’ll end up signing with whoever will take him and singing whatever they put in front of him. He’s said on more than one occasion that he doesn’t know much about modern pop music, and that he didn’t know most of the songs he sang on Idol until he had to chose them.

My guess would be that he heard “modern soul country” from someone at one of his meetings, and that sounded good, and current, so now he uses it in interviews.

The problem that Danny has is that he was not really plugged into current music, so when he tries to talk about what he wants to do, or where he’s going musically, he doesn’t really have a foundation to build on. It often feels like he’s reaching during interviews…. just keeps talking and talking, thinking or hoping that the more words he uses, the more people will understand. Honestly, I feel for him, because he seems like someone who could easily be taken advantage of.

As far as his message…. everyone who writes or sings a song has a message, so that part doesn’t bother me at all. Wanting to create a movement? A little ambitious, but it’s good to have something to work toward, isn’t it? He seems to be a decent guy with good intentions.

He’s just not that great at the interview or getting his message across to those who don’t already think he’s awesome.

I have softened a bit on Danny too. This interview is an improvement over prior ones. Yes, he talks about his foundation, but it’s almost like a reflex action where you sense he knows that as long as some press person has a mic in his face, he must “sell” or “promote” the foundation – to help get it off the ground.

I suspect he and Adam get along well enough. They will never be besties like Kris and Adam. I doubt Danny will ever have the tolerant worldview Kris has and I wonder if Danny doesn’t feel a bit like an outsider around the tight Kradison trio. Plus, Danny is super competitive and was positioned by the show as Adam’s arch nemesis. Still, as others have pointed out, Danny does seem to be liked by the other Idols and I just don’t think that would be the case if, fundamentally, he was a jerk and a hater.

Of course, certain of his close relatives are a bunch of ignorant bigots, but hopefully Danny gave Adam a private apology for those hateful comments on his cousin’s myspace page.

What I liked about this interview: Danny seemed to leave the yahoo interviewer speechless at the end. lol. She thinks, lol, to know it all, but doesn’t imo. But then what do I know.

As far as message goes, a lot of (if not most) music has a message behind it. Some is just fun. However, people usually sing lyrics they believe in, (ie, Adam’s B&W).

Having said that, I still find Danny fumbling for his musical identity. I think he has enough fans to sell whatever he does fairly well, but will it go past that? IDK.

NOW PLAYING:

Danny Gokey’s “The Love Message”. You’ll be inspired with uplifting music, scintillating dance moves, and Danny’s truly inimitable latin/soul/non-twangy-country mix!

Get Ret-ty for Danny to pelvic thrust “The Love Message” into Your Heart and Your Soul — Forever!

He’s just not that great at the interview or getting his message across to those who don’t already think he’s awesome.

I actually have the opposite point of view, I think that people who aren’t already invested in disliking him would watch this video and see a likeable person. No way to prove one way or the other until he gets out there in the marketplace. Assuming he gets a deal and releases a record (I think he will), the people on the radio will not give a flying you-know-what about AI fan squabbles. They will just hear that voice and they’ll either like it or they won’t. I think that a lot of people will like it very well, but we’ll see.

Danny will be washed up within a year…he does not stand out as an artist, has nothing to give to his audience that we can’t get from others..I would not spend a dime on his music…hope the record companies won’t let him sing Dream on…he should have been voted off way before he was……

and says he’d like to start a movement with his music.

Oh please spare us. Not a crusader.

Of course those who like “message music” can buy his cds. The rest of us don’t have to.

I would take the uplifting, positive and hopeful any day over a lot of the other stuff, which for me is negative and depressing for the most part.

But what is the “other stuff” that is negative and depressing? Sure there is that, and I also avoid that kind of music, which to me is rap for starters. But there is a wide grey area between negative music on one hand, and “music that is starting a movement” as the other extreme. Most music falls somewhere in between. Those aren’t the only two choices, negative or Danny.

I don’t think that most modern music is negative or depressing, but ymmv. I mean, take artists like Jason Mratz or Jack Johnson. Their music is far from negative, but they don’t have an agenda and aren’t trying to start a movement.

I steer far clear of anyone who is trying to further an agenda or sees themselves as some sort of movement leader. It almost sounds like a messianic complex. This kind of talk reminds me of Clay Aiken and his “vanilla revolution” and “I have to be a role model” stchick. Honestly, I think that some people get mixed up by religion and can’t think outside the box there.

I think that’s why people keep asking him if he is going to do Christian music. If he wants to do secular music, he probably shouldn’t keep talking about messages and movements. Heh. He seems like a sincere guy, but he also seems prone to bite off more than he can chew. He should focus on getting his career established before scattering his energies into other areas. After all, he’ll need his career to be able to do everything he wants to do (with regard to his charity work). He may be able to do it all, just not all at the same time.

Danny probably wants to sing message songs that are non-gospel. Currently these kinds of songs are not the flavour of the month and I’m not even sure what they would be categorized as.

I’m thinking of the stuff Cat Stevens sang in the 70′s. These were message songs such as Where will the children play and they were very good stuff. Cat Stevens actually just resurfaced with a new album Roadsinger and a new name Yusaf Islam after disappearing for a while. Just found that out myself.

Now Danny does not remind me of Cat Stevens in his musical style but more in wanting to do something with a broader and heartfelt message. And also in his streak of what I see as fanaticism.