Idol Headlines for 07/03/09

Here is an article about David Cook:
http://www.galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=6609ce0a4dee2ad2

Nigel and Mary are going to be on Rachael Ray in a few minutes, for those that might be interested!

From twitter

billboardmusic: NEWS: Kelly Clarkson will RELEASE “Already Gone” (produced by @RyanTedder) video next week.

love those David Cook articles. Here’s another one:
http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2009/07/03/bam-column-david-cook-plays-tulsas-gray-snail-performing-tonight-in-thackerville/
It is so nice to have one place to come for past and present Idol news.

Danny needs to talk to Nigel about how to start up and run a foundation. A food and clothing drive…really? Others have said it before, Danny needs to pick an established charity to endorse in his wife’s memory.

ETA: And Sarver is just hilarious… “I reached song number 900 over this last week. My short-term goal is to write 1,000 songs. ” :lol_tb:

Those fancast interviews with Matt/Anoop and Lil/Scott are fun. Looking forward to seeing the other ones (Danny/Michael, Adam/Megan, Kris/Allison) posted soon!

Crying Girl has to advance at least to Hollywood. She would make the absolutely best sympathetic diva in the history of the show.

Crying Girl is already history…Thank god.

Oh hallelujah! Crying girl evidently did NOT make it past the 1st round. I’m sorry, she’s even more annoying than Tatiana. Sympathetic???…I don’t think so…annoying as hell is not sympathetic!

Awww crying girl didn’t make it! That’s to bad.

Unfortunately, Ferl’s dreams were dashed as Access Hollywood has learned that she did not make it past the first round.

We’re assuming she left in tears.

Why can’t I stop laughing? :devil_tb:

Crying girl is eligible for Idol? For some reason that makes me feel old… I thought she was 9, maybe 10.

I’m glad Kelly’s next single is Already Gone, I think it’s her best on the album. But, wow are they burning through singles. While I realize CHR usually churns em’ and burns em’, this seems a little fast.

I finally have a long-time (and forgotten until I read the article) question answered. When I read the MJ linked David Cook article, I remembered a long ago interview with Cook (I don’t recollect where now) right after he won Idol, where he said that after making the finals he and his brother Andrew talked and figured he would come in sixth – and then Billie Jean happened and changed the competition. I always wondered who he thought would have finished ahead of him. Well, now I have my answer.

That was the one thing that kept me in it,’  he said. ‘I was not the best singer on the show that season. Carly (Smithson) and Syesha (Mercado) and David (Archuleta) and Brooke (White) and Michael (Johns), they have better voices than I do. They did more with their instruments than I did, but I knew what kind of music I could do, what my niche was, so it was just a matter of catering songs to that.’ 

Why does EOnline have to be so cruel and ask “What’s up with the others?” I found that article extremely uncomfortable to read. Talk about rubbing salt in a wound.

David seriously under-values his own voice. He has an amazing “instrument” (after Paula called it that, for some reason it sounds dirty).

Cowell signs fan’s boobs

:help_tb:

It is interesting how Cook seems to be in the press as much as he was when he first won Idol.

David Cook realistically his cd sales are headed downward the bump in sales from AI is gone …Yes it would help to have a -hit in the pop top 40..I reckon American Idol thought deep down he would be the next Daughtry or they tried to make him similair..The problem he is not at all…I enjoy Davids Cooks vocals more..IMO the record industry is in trouble it maybe hard for newbies to crack the ranks.Yes I do believe payola is a live and well.

I am sad sort of that Crying Girl did not make it than again think of how AI would play it out not good..

Why does EOnline have to be so cruel and ask ‘What’s up with the others?’ 

Why is it cruel? Nothing in life is a guarantee and these “kids” knew that going into the show. They weren’t promised anything. And now the fans that they have collected during the show want to know what’s happening and if they’ve been lucky. That is what they signed up for and that is reality and they need to answer the question. These 10 are making a nice hefty salary for their time on Idol and the Tour…More than most of us make in a year. So a couple of uncomfortable interview questions are just part of the “job”, nothing more.

David Cook knew who he was musically just like Kris did this year. They each know how to make something their own and I think that’s why I’ve been drawn to them both. I hope Kris gets the attention/help on his album like DC did last yr.

I love reading articles about DC. Thanks for all of the posts/links!

One of the best (to me wisest) things DC said was that someone doesn’t become the ‘King of Pop’ on a whim. re: Michael Jackson. MJ, was so much more than a singer/performance, he literally breathed music.

X Factor, America’s Got Talent, Nashville Star, Can You Duet, American Idol…. too much. Just too much. Help!

David undervalues his voice because in my humble opinion he sings better than all of the idols that he competed with. Now as far as record sales David Cook is doing very well this year. He has sold more than 1 million albums and with only the biggest names doing that this year and some not even getting there I would say he is a success.

I went to a rehearsal, in Season 7, that crying girl was at. I got the distinct impression from Debbie, the stage manager, that Idol was more than a little tired of her.

ITA with 123abc456. David definitely is undervaluing himself.

Also, so glad the crying girl did not make it through to Hollywood. Her 5 minutes of fame were up when Sanjaya left.

Nice little blurb about David A. in Tulsa World…

Demi and the demigod

Disney’s shining star Demi Lovato already has more than 1 million downloads of her first three singles, “Get Back,” “La La Land” and “Don’t Forget.” She’s also working on new material for her sophomore solo album, “Here We Go Again,” due in July.

But the star of this show may be the opening act. Archie, aka David Archuleta, was the runner-up to David Cook on the seventh season of “American Idol.” His debut album has been certified gold with over 500,000 albums sold since its November 2008 release.

Crying girl is eligible for Idol? For some reason that makes me feel old’ ¦ I thought she was 9, maybe 10.

She behaved as if she were 9 or 10. But no, she was 13 when she cried and cried and cried for Sanjaya.

Disney’s shining star Demi Lovato already has more than 1 million downloads of her first three singles

Seriously, Is that figure something you want to lead your story with? Not very impressive. Although the phrasing looks like an attempt to mislead the readers into thinking she sold a million of each of the three singles.

I feel bad for the ones who have not gotten any interest from labels yet. I believe even if Adam had came in 4th he would have been signed by now. 19E really should have signed Danny before Allison especially when they were pushing him as front runner for most of the show. He must have stepped on some toes for them to disregard him like this.

someone above noted that David Cook is in the press a lot – I think that’s because of his tour. That may be self-evident, but I think he (and that hot band) are working very hard, and often hard work will gain rewards. They’ve been on the road with only short breaks since Feb (and before that were in the Middle East for the USO) and will be touring through October.

MJ should hold a poll on when Adam will hit 100K followers on twitter ;p

Ive been thinking Danny must have had a chat with 19E but he just wasnt wild about the direction they wanted to take with him and his music? I do hope for his sake theres a label out there that will sign him.

You know what, I don’t think DC really sees himself as a singer per se, hence that comment. I agree with this. To me, at least, he’s a musician first and foremost. That’s why he’s most effective with the songs he had a hand in creating. He won’t sing just any song. This is probably why he retired Magic Rainbow from his live shows for good. It isn’t him, and I don’t think he likes it very much. Heh.

She behaved as if she were 9 or 10. But no, she was 13 when she cried and cried and cried for Sanjaya.

I know! And she wore her hair in pigtails every week. What was that all about!

She behaved as if she were 9 or 10. But no, she was 13 when she cried and cried and cried for Sanjaya.

I know! And she wore her hair in pigtails every week. What was that all about!

Seriously!

David undervalues his voice because in my humble opinion he sings better than all of the idols that he competed with.

I thought so too. However, Cook has a very masculine (and occasionally raspy) voice that might not appeal to everyone. It reminds me of when I was a kid and heard Bruce Springsteen for the first time. At that time, I always thought that the clearer the voice, the better the singer and IMO, Springsteen was the worst singer on this planet. My taste is different now, and I get the Springsteen love (sort of), but these boards have definitely shown me how subjective we all are when it comes to even chosing which criteria to use when judging a singer! For me, Cook and Fantasia are the best singers that have come through idol. They’re extremely different, but they both give me chills when they sing and they both can interpret the hell out of any song. Fantasia is possibly the least successful of all the female winners, but it still doesn’t change my opinion.

Billboard videos of the finalist speaking about song choices Kris Allen’s first, I didn’t see one for Adam. MJ delete if this not where this should go.

Kris

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/video-american-idol-top-10-ready-to-hit-1003987484.story

Anoop

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/video-american-idol-top-10-ready-to-hit-1003987484.story?pn=2

Matt

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/video-american-idol-top-10-ready-to-hit-1003987484.story?pn=3

Megan

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/video-american-idol-top-10-ready-to-hit-1003987484.story?pn=4

Michael

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/feature/video-american-idol-top-10-ready-to-hit-1003987484.story?pn=5

Here is a video of DA singing ‘Medley’ on his show with Demi in Little Rock, Arkansas.

They said that he replaced APOLOGIZE for THE MEDLEY because Kris Allen performed APOLOGIZE on Idol and Arkansas is his land. To respect Kris, he avoided to sing the song although he performed it more than 50 times last year during the Idol tour. He is such a thoughtful guy. His already resonant voice sounds so strong on this video.

Here are two Billboard interviews for Adam. Both interesting:

http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3736036

Bonus: http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3736041

As far as Danny goes, I just think it demonstrates the disconnect between Idol and the real world. Not every popular Idol contestant is going to be commercial.

They’ve been on the road with only short breaks since Feb (and before that were in the Middle East for the USO) and will be touring through October.

Actually I saw a date appear the other day for something in November now. It’s like the never ending tour :laugh_tb:

He’s playing the Borgata in Atlantic City again on 9/26, and this time they booked him in the large Event Center. I’ll be curious to see how he sells.

Am I seeing things or is David A. starting to sprout up a few inches?

Sorry. :smile_wp:

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

Am I seeing things or is David A. starting to sprout up a few inches?

I think he has grown a few inches. Rickey from Rickey.org says he has and even has a PICTURE to prove it. Rickey used to be taller than him, but not any more.

I first suspected it when I saw him at the Kids Choice Awards with Paula. At the season 7 finale, there was a picture of him and David Cook kissing Paula on the cheek together. Archie seemed to almost have to be on tiptoe to reach up to her face. But at the Kids Choice Awards, he was definitely taller than her. And when he returned to the AI stage in May, he seemed to be almost at equal height with Ryan Seacrest.

http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3736036

Bonus: http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3736041

I love how open Adam is in his interviews. I wonder if Robert Plant saw his WLL performance?

Well lest we forget Daughtry did not sell those 4 million albums in one year, that was over a few years, OK he sold 3 million in a year, I correct myself but that last million took some time, bwah and in a far more positive economic environment so I think Cookie is doing AOK.

I think what helped Daughtry and would help Cook is if he hooked up as an opening act with a big name that is complimentary to his band’s music, I firmly believe Daughtry picked up a lot of Nickelback fans and that’s major, probably even some Bon Jovi fans but I could see him being more the Nickelback fan cup of tea [Bon Jovi fans like pretty rockstars] and now that Chris and Chad have worked together on this new album or at least one song, that’s also major

It will be interesting to see how the new Daughtry album fares in the current economic times – hardcore fans don’t care so it just depends how many of that four million are hard core vs casual vs get on the bandwagon. How is the new single doing? My sense is it isn’t electrifying the charts like previous Daughtry singles. I actually didn’t like the preview but it sounds much better on the radio. I just know it hasn’t cracked the Top 30 of the station I listen to and I am a bit surprised since they featured the song on their weekly New Music Poll quite a few weeks ago, and got a good response – and they cannot get enough Nickelback round here.

Haha! More Archie and Brooke singing Twitter fun…

David Archuleta: We currently have a flat tire and are on the side of the road lol. (about 1 hour ago from txt)

Brooke White: @DavidArchie the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and …. flat

David Archuleta: @realbrookewhite Hahaha. Round and Round, Round and bump bump bumpity bump then flat.

David Archuleta: Wooo back on the road! Continuing on our way to Houston! Forward march! or I guess roll? or drive.. Forward Marchrolldrive!

So WTF were they doing pimping Danny so hard for so long, when now they’re dragging their feet re signing the guy? What would they have done with him if he’d won?

I think David Cook has a very clear voice but he modifies to suit the song. Sweet and clear or ruff and gruff as required. Springsteen always had the more smokey bar seasoned voice and he has always been more mumbly than most people except Bob Dylan maybe, bwah.

Yes I don’t think many artists have reached platinum this year and I am not sure how many did in 2008 vs 2007 and be interesting to see how many fewer artists are reaching platinum in first half of 2009 vs first half of 2008.

Wonder if RIAA keeps a running list of the 2009 gold & platinum certifications vs having to search each artist.

although not one to listen to DA to often, I really loved that medley

So WTF were they doing pimping Danny so hard for so long, when now they’re dragging their feet re signing the guy? What would they have done with him if he’d won?

They were manipulating us. It’s a sleight of hand trick, magicians use it as a diversion tactic all the time. We’ve been had.

Okay looking at the platinum certifications for the first half of 2009, and keeping in mind it takes time for RIAA to certify albums, sometimes a few months, I think Danny Gokey has figured out maybe Latin in the way to go, holy Latin music going multi platinum Batman. Yep it’s an otherwise small list and a lot of those are older albums that have built up to platinum.

PS There is a Sony Latin label I see but that can’t be who Gokey is referring to.

ghl, thanks for that link! Archie did a great job with that medley! That sure was fun!

And this from his bro, DC, is a HOT one! I’ve heard him perform this song a couple of times before and never really appreciated it, until I found this video. I swear, he gets better and better. He owns this song, now! I can’t even count the number of times I’ve watched it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5uVg-cESr4

There are a few posters on that billboard.com site going apesh** that the video interview with Danny isn’t posted yet. Quite funny! He certainly does have his fans!

Here are two Billboard interviews for Adam. Both interesting:

http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3736036

Bonus: http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3736041

Adam gives great and interesting sound bytes and interviews. I could listen to him talk for days. Plus he’s beautiful to look at!

I enjoyed his behind the scenes confessional on why/how he picked “Believe” at Hollywood week.

Thanks for the BB interview. It was interesting hearing Adam talk about how Led Zepp came to be, and also take us through what was going on in his head as he contemplated the last Hollywood song and how “Believe” came to be. He is one fascinating fellow, I never get tired hearing him speak.

Post o rama!

David Cook realistically his cd sales are headed downward the bump in sales from AI is gone ‘ ¦Yes it would help to have a -hit in the pop top 40.

Eh. He’s been selling in the 7-8 thousand range since before idol ended (on weeks he didn’t perform). Idol has been over for a month and a half and he’s still plugging away in the same range. I think its time to let the “he’s only selling because of Idol” thing go. LOL.

Also, so glad the crying girl did not make it through to Hollywood. Her 5 minutes of fame were up when Sanjaya left.

You know Simon would have kept her in just for the drama had she made it through. I think we dodged a serious bullet here, folks.

19E really should have signed Danny before Allison especially when they were pushing him as front runner for most of the show. He must have stepped on some toes for them to disregard him like this.

Danny’s delay could be for many reasons, including it just taking longer to find a label that fits. We know Jive was waiting to pounce on Allison, so as far as we know they’ve had been negotiating something since the night she was voted off.

It will be interesting to see how the new Daughtry album fares in the current economic times

I think they may not hit 4 mil again, but they’ll be among the top sellers for this time frame. Even if they only retain half their old audience, that’s 2 million records… a blockbuster in this market. And the buzz on the album is good.

Heart, thanks for the link to the Adam interviews. The Bonus Interview on Believe is just great. I always figured that Adam must have come up with that arrangement but I think this is the first time that has been confirmed.

Megan: And I heard a rumor that Stevie Nicks was maybe wanting me to play her in her movie. I really want that to be true.”

Megan would be a great choice to play Stevie Nicks — as long as they use Stevie’s vocals. But she looks like a pretty version of Stevie.

And this from his bro, DC, is a HOT one! I’ve heard him perform this song a couple of times before and never really appreciated it, until I found this video. I swear, he gets better and better. He owns this song, now! I can’t even count the number of times I’ve watched it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5uVg-cESr4

Wow waffle, that version of ‘Til I’m Blue is EPIC. I think it gets lost in an outdoor venue, it is so intimate. I know Cookie is all about progression but I would love to see ‘Til I’m Blue, Anodyne and stripped down versions of The Truth and Silver (his voice has come so far since Analog Heart, and I thought some of the instrumental choices were a bit busy and jarring) on the next album. All such great songs, both lyrically and melodically.

Kris tweeted a very nice compliment to the people of Portland!

#People in Portland are so nice….maybe too nice……..nah#
13 minutes ago from TwitterFon

Michael tweeted that they are in rehearsals again, so it may be quiet on the tweeting/news front for awhile…

David Archuleta’s Touch My Hand is currently Number #1 in FIVE of the Philippines’ music charts…

MYX Hit Chart
MYX Daily Top 10
MYX International Top 20
Mobile MYX Top Picks
MTV Gimme 10

MYX is a music television channel in the Philippines.
:thumbup_tb:

Here are videos of recent, partial, totally off-the-cuff versions of The truth and Silver. Illustrates what pretty songs they are.

The Truth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGtzZy1gYeg

Silver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMD_zAp9WL8

Can anyone tell me why kris is going to be on the tonight show again? what’s the purpose?

To promote the tour? That would be my guess.

Can anyone tell me why kris is going to be on the tonight show again? what’s the purpose?

I imagine that he is going on the show to promote himself and the projects he is currently working on. It’s the same purpose most artists have for going on television shows, being interviewed by radio stations and/or participating in magazine articles.

I imagine that Conan is having Kris on the Tonight Show because he believes that viewers will tune in the show to watch Kris which will improve his ratings which improves the amount of revenue his show can earn which improves his chances of staying employed.

Am I missing something here?

I suspect that this time, Kris will sing something (hopefully, not “No Boundaries”, but it probably will be). Last time, he just had a sit-down interview. He will be in town for the tour, so it’s convenient for him to do the show.

Kind of fun for Kris to have been on during one of Leno’s last days and now he gets to go on the show with Conan too.

Thanks Kirsten. I am just surprised since he won’t be promoting a single or album. Hopefully he got invited back again when his album drops.

I am just surprised since he won’t be promoting a single or album.

Well, maybe the Idolsphere will get lucky and Kris will have a single to release in July. LOL. Okay, it’s a bit early for that.

(lucky, because we’ll have someting new to discuss. By that time, the tour will be old hat).

Hopefully he got invited back again when his album drops.

Should be. I can’t think of an Idol winner that hasn’t been invited back to the Tonight Show when their album drops.

You know what, I don’t think DC really sees himself as a singer per se, hence that comment. I agree with this. To me, at least, he’s a musician first and foremost.

It’s interesting that you say that because to me he’s barely even an adequate musician (i.e. guitar player). On the other hand, he’s a very good singer, and it does become annoying to hear him undersell himself so often in that area.

I recall hearing old GNR fans talk about Axl Rose having “three different voices” that he could use to sing in. Well, DC’s got at least four regular ones and possibly more.

1. normal (tenor): Lie; 2. husky: most of Analog Heart; 3. gritty: Sharp Dressed Man; 4. raspy: I’m Alive

(And, yes, there is a distinct difference between husky, gritty, and raspy). But, then what about the Eddie-Vedder-bastardized Axium voice– do we count that one separately too? Well, that’s five.

And how the hell would you describe his vocal style in Music Of The Night? Because I’ve never heard a sound like that come out of his mouth before or since that performance. So is that his “theatrical voice”? Then that’s six. (And I’m tempted to add “growly” as a seventh, which would be one of his main five then, but I’m unsure whether that’s a “new” separate voice or a form of one of husky, raspy, or gritty.

And one other reason why I say Cook doesn’t give himself enough credit as a singer is because I’ve been a frontman myself, and there are subtle things he does with his voice that most people wouldn’t notice. There is a reason why they say, next to opera, rock is the hardest type of music to sing. Just one example– try holding a glory note for close to ten seconds and then slide down at the end. Trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds. But, DC does it routinely.

Anyway, I stop short of calling him a “great” singer, but he is a very good one, and he does not appreciate his own talent at all. (The tag of “great” rock singers I reserve for the likes of the lead singer of Cross-Blade or, interestingly enough, Jared Leto of 30 Seconds To Mars– you may know him better as “Jordan Catelano” from My So Called Life)….

Well, maybe the Idolsphere will get lucky and Kris will have a single to release in July. LOL. Okay, it’s a bit early for that.

No, I’d rather not, after “Crush” peaking too early last year for Archie’s album release. Although I doubt Kris’ first single can rise as fast as Crush in pop radio, I think mid or later Aug is a better month to drop a single, even September is also good.

Kris’s purpose on going on Tonight Show is to make fans like me happy. hehe =)

It most likely is for the tour but are they going to make him sing No Boundaries?

When is Kris going to be on Conan show?

On the Global Track Chart, Michael Jackson holds 11 out of the top 40 spots.

On the Global Album Chart, Michael Jackson holds 6 out of the top 40 spots. Incredible.

No, I’d rather not, after ‘Crush’  peaking too early last year for Archie’s album release.

Well, they could adopt the strategy of dropping his album on the second single. BEP released “Boom Boom Pow” weeks ago (is it twelve or something?) and had a new single for the album release.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift was releasing a new single to iTunes every second week before her album came out.

I think mid or later Aug is a better month to drop a single, even September is also good.

That is probably what they will do. I’m just searching for new topics for mid-July.

Squirrely: 19E really should have signed Danny before Allison especially when they were pushing him as front runner for most of the show.

Why? Other than the winner’s guarantee of a contract, a contestant’s shot at getting signed doesn’t have to have anything to do with how they were treated on the show (or even where they finished, although there’s going to be a pretty good correlation there, of course). The show and a recording career are two different things. If a label thinks a contestant has good commercial potential, they’re going to go after that contestant. If they don’t think so (as will be the case with almost all contestants), then they won’t go after them.

So, maybe the labels just don’t see as much commercial potential in Danny as they do in Allison. If we switch from considering commercial potential to considering talent, of course it’s no contest, as she has more talent in her little toe than he has altogether. :biggrin_wp:

GeminiDolly:

Kris will be on with Conan on July 15th

Kris being on Conan seems part of the AI winner appearances that they all do on the Tonight Show. Last year David Cook was on right after the win, then came back around tour time to sing Rainbow at the outdoor concert, and then again in Nov to promote the album release.

Thanks Girlygirl!!

I love this group. They are such goofballs.

AnoopDoggDesai@mgiraudoffical hey dude. what’s up? how’s it going? long time, no see.

MGiraudOfficial@AnoopDoggDesai I’m sitting right next to you. wow..we’re lame. So are you ready for the first dress rehearsal on the big stage??

Allison4Realzzz@MGiraudOfficial u and anoop r dorks

Excellent analysis Noctem, except that I would put Jared Leto in the category of very good singer and Cook in the category of great singer. Check out from 2:25 in HQ of that Til I’m Blue video – that’s some pretty delicate and controlled phrasing to pull-out in the middle of a rock song. Unfortunately the last minute where he pulls out the glory notes is distorted by the louder music. Also, strangely enough in that notorious Creep video, where he puts on his poor man’s Scott Stapp voice, when he hits the runs – that is some GREAT singing right there. Man in the Box also really highlights his voice, IMO. It’s all about the right songs. Next album. Although I have enjoyed this one, don’t get me wrong.

The tour program

http://americanidols.fanfire.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Store.woa/wa/product?sourceCode=AILWEB&sku=AIL47031

Kelly on Access Hollywood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJld4dCUz8k

Kelly starts her mini summer tour tonight
http://www.kellyclarkson.com/?content=tour_dates

Maybe it’s just too small, but those pictures don’t look very good and Kris? Poor guy.

JohnM: So, maybe the labels just don’t see as much commercial potential in Danny as they do in Allison. If we switch from considering commercial potential to considering talent, of course it’s no contest, as she has more talent in her little toe than he has altogether. :biggrin_wp:

I don’t see him as very marketable either but, they were blowing smoke up his butt the whole season and Allison very rarely got love from the judges – I would take it as a slap in the face if I were in Danny shoes.

leome Jul 3rd, 2009 at 5:35 pm

Maybe it’s just too small, but those pictures don’t look very good and Kris? Poor guy.

If you click on the picture it will enlarge, but even enlarged it’s not a great picture.

I wonder what all the Idols (besides the top 10 this past season on tour) are doing for July 4th, and how many are performing?

So, maybe the labels just don’t see as much commercial potential in Danny as they do in Allison. If we switch from considering commercial potential to considering talent, of course it’s no contest, as she has more talent in her little toe than he has altogether. :biggrin_wp:

I agree!

Maybe the judges knew deep down that the only way Danny would get signed was if he won and he HAD to be given a contract. Hence the over-pimping. Personally, I don’t think he’s ready for a music career and I don’t think the music industry and listening public at large is ready for him either. Otherwise he’d have been signed sooner. I don’t think he has what it takes right now (doesn’t remember lyrics, isn’t very familiar with pop, country, or music in general other than christian). Maybe someday…. but I won’t be holding my breath.

It’s interesting that you say that because to me he’s barely even an adequate musician (i.e. guitar player).

I consider DC a musician first, but not b/c he’s a particularly good instrumentalist. I think a singer who doesn’t play any instruments can be a musician first and singer second, because being a musician encompasses all the other things that encompasses what DC does with music: the songwriting, the arrangements, the setlists, the performance aspects… I’m not articulating this well, but what I’m trying to say, I guess, is that I think the fact that DC is a well-rounded musician and good at various aspects of music, that is what makes him brilliant, and not just a good vocalist.

DC’s got at least four regular ones and possibly more.

Noctem, have you seen the video of DC starting Ryan Star’s Breathe from the Grey Snail? It was a really gorgeous lower register that was more breathy (heh) than growly, and not the Axium faux Eddie Vedder voice. It was like a morph between the Axium voice and his “natural” voice. I know he was goofing off imitating Ryan, but I like it. I hope he’ll use it more.

Love your analysis on the multiple personalities of the David Cook vocal chords noctem seizure a more eloquent extrapolation of what I was trying to say.

When you mentioned DC’s guitar playing I was reminded that most people forget Bono plays guitar but with The Edge and Clayton he doesn’t have to. In the documentary about the making of Unforgettable Fire with Daniel Lanois, Bono is all excited, that’s me on guitar, yes me, I play guitar, people forget that. And whatever song that was had Daniel Lanois playing the mandolin too. So cool to have a producer who is also a singer songwriter musician, rather than just a technician. But I digress.

Now I have to listen to Jared Leto,I am intrigued.

Now I am not privy to the record company’s strategy, it seems the standard procedure is to release the second single when the first single peaks, if the first single is doing well that is, and if the release of the second single happens to coincide with the album release great, but Boom Boom Pow I think must have rocketed up to No. 1 faster than any BEP single ever so hey, let’s go for the 1 – 2 punch which is exactly what BEP has this week.

The Idols are evidently going through a full dress rehearsal today (at least that’s what I inferred from one of Matt’s tweets).

And someone gave Scott a very cute gift. (I guess).

http://twitpic.com/97ff6

FYI, the blurb from The Oregonian:

http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/07/pop_talk_idols_live_buffy_vs_e.html

Sounds like there are still tickets available.

lavender1960 Jul 3rd, 2009 at 7:24 pm

Now I have to listen to Jared Leto,I am intrigued.

30 Seconds to Mars is really good.

Wow, I didn’t know people thought DC was a shitty guitar player. I’ve never thought he was great or anything, but certainly thought he was more than adequate. So is that a consensus or just a handful of peeps here who think that?

By the way, smallie, I agree with you with regard to your views regarding what makes a musician vs. a good instrumentalist.

I consider DC a musician first, but not b/c he’s a particularly good instrumentalist. I think a singer who doesn’t play any instruments can be a musician first and singer second, because being a musician encompasses all the other things that encompasses what DC does with music: the songwriting, the arrangements, the setlists, the performance aspects’ ¦

Good distinction between “musician” and “instrumentalist”. Because if you broaden the definition of “musician” to include composing, lyric writing, arranging, performing, etc.– then, yeah, he’s excellent overall, despite his pedestrian instrumental skills.

So, I see what you mean about seeing himself as a “musician” first above being a simple “singer”– the label “musician” basically encompassing everything he’s been doing in bands since high school that is involved with the creation and performance of music. However, as we’ve all been saying, he still doesn’t give himself nearly enough respect for how good he is at the purely vocal aspect of what he does.

I’d put David Cook in the same category as Jared Leto.

By the way, for those that watch Kelly’s Access Hollywood interview, the interviewer was asking for questions through twitter, and I asked her to ask Kelly about the duet with Chris Daughtry and why it wasn’t on the album! Yay me! haha. I think she kinda dissed Kara though because she said the song wasn’t that great (it’s going to end up as a duet with Nick Lachey and Kara now). It sounds like their might be a better kelly/chris duet in the future!

Maybe it’s me but I totally think that Kelly can pull off a duet with any of the idols because she is so versatile! Something like “Ready” with Kris and “All I Ever Wanted” with Adam.

‘That was the one thing that kept me in it,’  he said. ‘I was not the best singer on the show that season. Carly (Smithson) and Syesha (Mercado) and David (Archuleta) and Brooke (White) and Michael (Johns), they have better voices than I do. They did more with their instruments than I did, but I knew what kind of music I could do, what my niche was, so it was just a matter of catering songs to that.’ 

Very late to the party here, but I just have to say, David is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I would have to respectfully disagree with him, at least as far as the five he mentions here are concerned. Syesha had a bigger range, but a better singer? Not by a longshot. Nor were the others, IMHO. Some (especially David Archuleta) arguably had prettier voices, but I much prefer Cook’s voice, in all its various presentations.

And while he’s certainly not notable as a guitarist, I don’t think he’s a bad one. I do imagine that his early musical training on the violin, even if he never really accomplished anything noteworthy, had to have enhanced his overall musicianship. (Much as I would imagine Kris Allen’s viola playing helped make him a better guitarist and singer.)

The voice is a musical instrument. David Cook was blessed with something that, from my vantage point, has the qualities of an old cello. David Archuleta’s, for me, is more like a flute. Not sure what Adam Lambert’s is (something brass?), but he sure does know how to play it! They’re all lovely instruments, and have their diehhard fans, but I love the tone of David Cook’s voice and how he uses it. As endearing as I find him personally, I don’t think I’d be nearly as interested in him if he didn’t have that voice and he didn’t use it the way that he does.

David is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I would have to respectfully disagree with him, at least as far as the five he mentions here are concerned. Syesha had a bigger range, but a better singer? Not by a longshot. Nor were the others, IMHO. Some (especially David Archuleta) arguably had prettier voices, but I much prefer Cook’s voice, in all its various presentations.

I concur. Syesha has more range. Carly has more power. Archie has more vocal purity/ pristineness (and he has more of this than most singers on the planet). Michael Johns has a better lower register.

But, when you look at all these aspects together along with with vocal versatility, vocal interpretation, phrasing etc., Cook is the best singer overall of the group, in my opinion, not just the best “package artist” (tm Kara). And that’s also why he won.

But, when you look at all these aspects together along with with vocal versatility, vocal interpretation, phrasing etc., Cook is the best singer overall of the group, in my opinion, not just the best ‘package artist’  (tm Kara). And that’s also why he won.

Oh wow, noctem I respect your opinion and like reading your posts, but I disagree with you here. I would put Cook in the “good” category of singer when compared with the guys in Nickelback, Lifehouse (whose voice sounds exactly like Cooks, IMO), and other similar bands. He does have a good voice but I don’t see anything too unique or memorable about it, and it’s certainly not a great voice, IMO. If it was, he wouldn’t struggle hitting big notes a cappella like he did when he sang the National Anthem last year. I think Cook won the competition because of his re-arrangements, “cool rocker” image, pretty good voice, guitar playing and of course…the cougars :cool_wp:

Ok – this is for the David Cook lovers – Ryan Star has been the opening act for Cookie’s tour up to now. Tonight they are playing in Thackerville, OK, & its Star’s last night (I think) as the opener. So he called DC out on stage and sang “Time of My Life” to him. Cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd7kAGNdhi8

oh – and Cook can’t just sit & listen so he gets up to play the drums. Enjoy.

I wonder what other vocal tricks David Cook has up his sleeves. We didn’t even talk about his tender falsetto on Little Sparrow (studio track especially), and what about his gospel stylings on Shout to the Lord and his RB/Disco vibe on Please Don’t Stop The Music (I remember thinking how in the Hell did he do THAT). Haven’t heard him sing country yet, but I’m sure he would do that well also. Boy is a gifted mimic, even in terms of his speaking voice(s) (Bill Paxton, Dr. Phil, David Archuleta, Simon, Sweet David, Bossy David, etc..)

I wish the AI Tour coverage was a bit more about everyone and not so focused on Adam — and I am an Adam fan.

The Oregonian article is just one of many pieces in Portland about the upcoming concert that almost completely focus on Adam.

I hope that all 10 are great on Sunday so that there is a bit more balance in the coverage. OK 9 — I just can’t quite root for Sarver because IMVHO he has Alexis’ spot. And I know that Alexis did it to herself by just oversigning.

I’m also a little late to the party, but just had to say that I agree that David Cook is too hard on himself about his voice. I downloaded most of his tracks from AI last year (vids and studio version) and he sounded AMAZING on all of them (including the live tracks, which can be a better test of who actually sings well without any of the studio wizardry at work).

The others all had strengths in their own way (Archie had a very sweet, fine voice, Carly had a powerful belter voice), but Cook is an excellent, excellent singer.

If it was, he wouldn’t struggle hitting big notes a cappella like he did when he sang the National Anthem last year.

David didn’t struggle hitting those big notes. The beginning of the song may have been shaking, but the big notes were all there and well done.
David’s main problem was his low register and he has improved a lot there. Btw, he sings a cappella sometimes in his tour and it’s pretty amazing.

Tonight they are playing in Thackerville, OK, & its Star’s last night (I think) as the opener.

Tomorrow is the last night, I think.

David didn’t struggle hitting those big notes. The beginning of the song may have been shaking, but the big notes were all there and well done.

Well, IMO he struggled througout the whole thing. I thought it was kind of an uncomfortable performance all around…

LOL, the National Anthem, the poor guy was a nervous wreck – he looked like he was going to puke at any moment. I wouldn’t hold that up as an example of how he sings .

Thanks for bringing over that video of Ryan Star singing TOML – too cute. Ryan opened for David at the show I went to in Radford and he was really awesome, and a super nice guy who spends a ton of time signing autographs and meeting fans. Even my mom liked him, lol. (I also love David’s comment at the end about not having to sing TOML since they already heard it – he’s definitely way, way over that song).

And ‘Til I’m Blue… wow. I love the original, and I LOVE David’s take on it. David, if you’re lurking (hehe)… can I pretty please have that song at Birchmere? And I think I asked nicely before for an acoustic set but I’m not sure you got the message

Another tweet from Matt G:

#So I twirked on stage today. Ha And were making some changes on my wardrobe cuz these pants are TIIIIGHT. Ha ha. BG’s would like it though#about 1 hour ago from TwitterFon

Ok, should we worry about possible wardrobe malfunctions during Matt’s set?

I looked up “twirk” on urandictionary.com, and …uh-huh…pretty much what I thought it meant, LOL!

someone above noted that David Cook is in the press a lot – I think that’s because of his tour. That may be self-evident, but I think he (and that hot band) are working very hard, and often hard work will gain rewards.

Definitely, the touring is a big reason for the press he’s still getting. My guess is that he made a lot of friendly press contacts after Idol and during that tour by being good with the press and giving them good interviews. He really seems to be an interviewers dream… open, tells stories, can be funny, etc.

I really love that he still feels like he’s paying his dues, touring with the band, and trying to build his audience,

I finally get to seem him perform live in August for the first time since last year’s Idol tour, and I can’t wait to see the difference in him. I’ve seen a lot on YouTube, but it’s just not the same.

I haven’t seen this article posted here. Danny interview in The Columbian

“Third place is the charm for “Idol” Gokey”
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090703/LIVING11/707039994

Just when I was starting to like Danny, he says this:

But Gokey he suspects he was much closer to winning it all than many people assume. While most observers (not to mention the “Idol” judges) expected Lambert ‘” with his big voice, flashy goth clothes and makeup and his strong stage presence ‘” to win easily, Gokey thinks his main competition was Allen, whose smoother mainstream pop sound and boy-next-door image carried him to the upset win over Lambert.

Had he beaten out Allen to reach the finals, Gokey thinks he might well be wearing the “Idol” crown.

I guess Danny is just being Danny — Instead of realizing that he was lucky to get past his weak performance in Final 7 of “Endless Love” or even more luckier to survive the Final 4 “Sream On” fiasco.

Sounds like they wanted to put a Michael Jackson into the tour — but it didn’t work out.

Anoop just tweeted:

#so we tried to work in a short MJ tribute to the end of the show today during rehearsal but it didn’t work out logistically, unfortunately#1 minute ago from web

regarding what Q3 posted: uhh.. what?! I’ll look at the positive (at least for me)- I’m assuming that Danny thinks that Kris would have won no matter who he went against? hehe.. I was going to write more but I don’t want to rehash old stuff.

wellhesback Jul 3rd, 2009 at 11:31 pm

Ok – this is for the David Cook lovers – Ryan Star has been the opening act for Cookie’s tour up to now. Tonight they are playing in Thackerville, OK, & its Star’s last night (I think) as the opener. So he called DC out on stage and sang ‘Time of My Life’  to him. Cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd7kAGNdhi8

oh – and Cook can’t just sit & listen so he gets up to play the drums. Enjoy.

Wow, thank you wellhesback! lol. These are the moments I know DC will always be my favorite AI!!! For Ryan Star to do this, you have to know that DC has impacted him in such a great way! And I can’t stop smiling. lol. Even though the sound sucked.

smallie, I too appreciate how you (earlier on) distinguished the difference between a great musician and an instrumentalist. DC is not a great guitarist by far (and I honestly think he’d agree), but his vocals and how he interprets a song make him a great musician.

Kelly set list for her summer shows

Intro (You Shook Me All Night Long)
All I Ever Wanted (with Sax/Trombone players)
Miss Independent
I Do Not Hook Up
Some Girls Have All The Luck (“Rod Stewart” Cover)
Don’t Let Me Stop You
Breakaway
If I Can’t Have You
Never Again
Behind These Hazel Eyes (Acoustic)
Walking After Midnight (“Patsy Cline” Cover) (Acoustic)
Cry (New arrangement-> Jill – Guitar, Cory – Violin)
I Want You
Whyyawannabringmedown
Because Of You
Walk Away (with Sax and trombone)
Since U Been Gone
Already Gone
If (“Janet Jackson” Cover)
My Life Would Suck Without You

The folks over at ONTD_AI apparently disagree with Cook as well:

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_ai/899577.html

I love their headline: David Cook Smokes Crack, Talks Nonsense. Hee.

ETA: Thanks dv. That’s a great setlist. Is it the same one for each concert or is this the full list of songs she sings on her tour and she does a smaller subset from the list (say, 15-17 songs) each night? A Kelly concert sounds like it would be awesome.

LOL, all this Cookie voice talk sent me scurrying back to YouTube to watch some of his Idol performances again — supposed to be proofreading, very distracted . Did I mention how much I loved All I Really Need Is You? Loved.

That’s a cool setlist for Kelly… I’ve never seen her perform live, might have to catch a show one of these days.

Did I mention how much I loved All I Really Need Is You? Loved.

LOL, do you know how much I wished I would have downloaded this when I had the chance? It wasn’t my fav. DC at the time, but oy, it was wonderful!

Keel: thanks for the livejournal link. The first poster had a pic. of Kris Allen and said,

I HAVE A KINK FOR MODEST DUDES WHO ARE ACTUALLY REALLY AWESOME

Yep, that’s me!

OK. That ’til I’m blue performance is unbelievable and I’m not even crazy about the actual song. I swear his voice gets richer and richer. DC definitely has 5 voices. I love all of them but the ’til I’m blue voice is my favorite. His voice sort of resonates like a bell whenever he sings that way. Very unique. Very cool.

I love their headline: David Cook Smokes Crack, Talks Nonsense. Hee.

LOL. I could not have phrased it more eloquently.

Ryan serenading David? A classic. I generally don’t pay that much attention to all the bromance stuff, but if I had to pick my favorite pairing it would be David and Ryan because they’re like a comedic act. Ryan constantly “embarasses” David by being slightly over the top and David’s reactions are usually priceless. My favorite would be the pre-Avalanche moment where Ryan sort of killed it for David:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gd2L0KEYJY&NR=1

Thanks dv. That’s a great setlist. Is it the same one for each concert or is this the full list of songs she sings on her tour and she does a smaller subset from the list (say, 15-17 songs) each night? A Kelly concert sounds like it would be awesome.

thats the full set list for each concert but Kelly may change a song or 2 depending on how shes feeling or crowd reaction.

Oh wow, noctem I respect your opinion and like reading your posts, but I disagree with you here. I would put Cook in the ‘good’  category of singer when compared with the guys in Nickelback, Lifehouse (whose voice sounds exactly like Cooks, IMO), and other similar bands. He does have a good voice but I don’t see anything too unique or memorable about it, and it’s certainly not a great voice, IMO.

Actually, if you read my first post in this thread, I said I stop short of calling Cook a “great” singer. Calling somebody “great” is not only relative– it’s relative to context. People might tell the soloist at your local church that she’s “great”.

In my view, the list of truly “great” singers AI has produced is extremely limited: Kelly, Jennifer, Melinda…. after that MAYBE Clay. Adam is on this level too when it comes to technical proficiency, but he loses it for me when it comes to song interpretation and emotional connection, the latter perhaps being an extra-vocal type of ability rather than a purely vocal one.

Now as far as comparing Cook to Chad Kroeger and other “rock vocalists”, try to imagine, as examples, Chad, Austin of Hinder, or– dare I say it– Chris D., pulling off “Music Of The Night”. I rest my case.

(Incidentally, I do agree with you about the national anthem. That was a mess of a performance. However, I don’t think it reflects Cook’s ability to sing a capella overall. He’s done part of Lie a capella on tour, and it was actually kind of chilling….)

The folks over at ONTD_AI apparently disagree with Cook as well:

http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_ai/899577.html

I love their headline: David Cook Smokes Crack, Talks Nonsense. Hee.

What’s irritating about him incessantly repeating this soundbyte (about his perception of his own vocal inferiority compared to some of his fellow contestants) is that whenever he does it, the interviewer alway puts the quote in print. And that feeds into the “undeserved winner”/ “glorified bar singer” assessment that a few media outlets promulgated….

In actuality, in my days in local music scenes I did come across one (and only one) bar/ club singer who smokes Cook vocally. But, that guy would have certainly “made it” by now (he and his former band were getting really close), except for that nasty heroin addiction of his….

30 Seconds to Mars is really good.

Back on Mr. Leto for a second, last night I googled the band to see what they’re up to currently (supposedly a third album is in the works, but Jared is also up for some roles right now). Anyway, apparently the lead singer for Death Cab To Cutie recently singled him out to call out, basically saying he was just an actor and was a poseur as far as music goes.

My initial observation was that when the front guy for Death Cab can sing like Jared Leto then he can talk. (It is amusing to me that the guy who is, in my opinion, one of the best singers in rock is, in fact, an actor). Although, I can see how the “poseur” tag has legitimacy in one sense, because Jared does “overcompensate” as far as how far he goes to effect the rock frontman “image”.

But, my second observation came from reading the comments section. Apparently, a Jared fanboard must have gotten wind of the article because there were five pages of posts denouncing the Death Cab guy’s comment. So it was refreshing to see that it’s not just Idols who have crazy fandoms!

(ETA: If anyone was confused, or cares, much earlier in this thread I mentioned another band whose lead singer I consider to be on the “great” level. And for some reason, I wrote the band’s name down as “Crossblade”. But, their actual name is Crossfade.)