Reed Grimm – American Idol 11 Preview (VIDEO)

He has a long neck.

Here is my problem with these kind of contestants…What are you going do with them? How are they going to market them? He is clearly very talented, but I feel what I pretty much think of Casey Abrams and Blake Lewis: He should be more of a producer than a singer. I could apply that to even some of my fave contestants…

Seems like a good TCShow.
Hard to tell on a few videos but he seems a little too out there and quirky to actually win the competition.

There seem to be 3 “WGWG’s” listed in the spoilers this year: Reed Grimm, Philip Phillips, and Scott Dangerfield.  

To be fair, they are all more unconventional than the typical AI WGWG. But maybe casting unconventional WGWGs who are too quirky to win is an intentional strategy on TPTB’s part. Worked last year for Paul McDonald.

Back to the post: I think I prefer Philip and Scott’s voices to Reed’s.

His music seems to be too good for the average idols fans. He’ll not win, for sure. He’s very talented to win.

Obviously has a good voice, but he’s stiff and doesn’t have much control.  He doesn’t know when to dial back at all.

He’s pretty good, I can see TOP TEN for him.

Seems to be a good musician, but his singing is meh.

Yep, TPTB are casting “unconventional” WGWGs. I don’t think he is really a wgwg more of a (like mentioned aboved) Casey and Blake type. And idol has become more of a way to get exposure for these types of contestants. I really don’t think the more quirkier male contestants go on the show to win IMO. Paul was an example who never seemed in it to win it but to gain exposure for his band.

Kill it.  Kill it now.  He seems like the type of contestant that’s cute and charming and could go pretty deep in the show for being fun and likable. BUT he has absoulutely ZERO prospects of making it out in the REAL world of music.  I HATE contestants like that.

He’s a little too Taylor Hicks-ey for me.

I like him. Even if the really multi-talented contestants like Casey A & this guy can’t win and may not be as marketable as a middle of the road type person–it still is great for them to be featured in the top 12. Makes for a much better show. Plus, maybe pop music will take a turn for the better and talent will count for something one of these days

Does Scott Dangerfield play guitar?  I’ve seen videos of him singing sitting NEXT to dudes playing guitar but not him playing guitar.  I wouldn’t put him in that category.  He’s got a soulful James Morrison vibe to him that I dig.  I was sad when he dropped out last year.  I luvs me a cute nerd.

For a show that’ll probably lay on the female contestants thick yet again this year,  I wonder why so many of the promos are of males….

How about … NO?

Looking like Nigel is taking a page from Simon’s playbook, casting a WGWG-type that is entertaining, but unconventional enough not to win. I do see the Casey comparison, this one could be a mid-round shocker elim. Let’s just hope they don’t waste the save on him.

I like him.  Not a great singer for sure, but he has a better voice than Blake Lewis or Casey Abrams.  Certainly won’t mind him in the Top 12, but don’t see him in the Top 4. 

The guy made me laugh. Not because of his singing, but because of his personality on stage. His singing is ok and he would be entertaining, so I don’t mind if he’s put through the live shows. 

The “real world of music” won’t be found on the pop charts.  The pop charts are reserved for entertainers who entertain the easily entertained.  Singing and being instrumentalists not required in today’s pop world, unfortunately.

This kid/drummer/singer reminds me nothing of Taylor Hicks.  Taylor Hicks is a real musician who jams with other real musicians. 

A better comparison would be to a kid like Justin Bieber, actually.

don’t think he can win, but he made me smile for some reason :) …

Scott dangerfield does play the guiter, but who cares, he’s so good. He also reminds me of james morrison cause they both have the blue-eyed soul thing going on. 

If he can defeat all the boredom that emanates from Jessica Sanchez’s body, he can leave in top 10 and he’s already my idol.

I always thought shows like American Idol weren’t about the best vocal (u can find much better vocalists in classical music and doing backing vocals for big pop artists), but about THE BEST ENTERTAINER frontman. Now, reading some comments, I really can see that some people just want to see a young cover of Celine Dion over and over again. 

The guy has the charm factor. Doesn’t have that great of a singing voice but I love me some quirky fun guys. Especially quirky fun guys who aren’t only hot but play a bunch of musical instruments as well. 

Scott Dangerfield is still my guy. I’ve waited for months to see him on tv again. 

Scott plays the guitar but he uses the harmonica more in his music videos.

He’s super talented and has a personality, so I’m all for it.

Lord knows I don’t want no Celine Dion type.  I don’t think Jessica is like that.  She’s more Beyonce/Rihanna to me.

But this Reed dude, he’s entertaining, and would probably make for a few good TV moments but he his NOT viable pop star material.  I can’t see him doing well in any type of profitable genre.  If he makes Top 12 and ends up outlasting someone who IS real pop star material, I will RAGE.

I know TPTB are casting for ~entertainment, and variety and yada yada. But I really would hope that, by now, they know better than to let anyone into the voting rounds who won’t make a legit, relevant, marketable winner. Cuz anything can happen once the voters are in charge. So as ~entertaining as this guy may be, I hope he’s cut before voting rounds.

Or as previously stated, kill it now. Lol.

“Lord knows I don’t want no Celine Dion type.  I don’t think Jessica is like that.  She’s more Beyonce/Rihanna to me.”
LOL. That’s even worse.

“Lord knows I don’t want no Celine Dion type.  I don’t think Jessica is like that.  She’s more Beyonce/Rihanna to me.”
LOL. That’s even worse.

I hate the term WGWG…just thought I’d put that out there.  Reed Grimm…not my type at all, but I wasn’t a big Taylor or Casey fan either.  They remind me of slap stick (sp) comedians who have to use physical comedy to make someone laugh.  

At least he is entertaining. I hope they get to sing some of their own material this year.

I’m not crazy about him but he does give off a Dave Mathews Band type vibe and there is a huge market out there for progressive guys with a folk twist. Not Top 40, more AC/HAC but successful nonetheless. I’ll have to wait till the live shows to see how he comes across. 

I’m with you on Jessica, can see she will be a polarizing contestant already, I think her live show performances were anything but boring. 

I understand both sides of people who either complain or like him.
He’s obviously not very marketable, but his musical quality is undeniable.
If I had to choose between both extrems, I honestly rather have a strong, incredible talented but not very marketable  top 13 than a top 13 filled with “current” performers like Katy Perry, Kesha, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomes etc etc etc.
I’d rather see an old fashioned Crystal Bowersox winning than a current, Justin-Bieber-like Tim Urban.

But thank God everything can be dosed, lol. So Hopefully idol will have talented AND relevant/current singers this time around. I can see it in people like Erika, Bailey, Scott and some others.

A curiosity: People like Michael Buble, Adele, Jamie Cullum,Sara Bareilles, Ray LaMontagne would be criticised with they were on idol because they wouldn’t be “current” enough, lol.
I kind of miss season five, when people like Ellitt and Kath went far and people didn’t care it they fit or not in current music, but things change…

He alright for me. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in the top 10 this year. He’d be great on tour. Good Luck Reed!

I dunno.  I think I would have gone bananas for Adele if she showed up on Idol.  And Buble showed up doing his usual Buble thing, I would “get” it and his potential market.  Not familiar enough with the rest to comment.

For me there are 2 types that get through on Idol.  Ones that make “good TV” and ones that make “good music artists”.  Reed falls into the “good TV” category for me.  He’s clearly talented but with ZERO marketability.

He seems to have a little Taylor Hicks type showmanship and Haley Reinhart’s knee lift.

I agree withe poster above — he has a very long neck! Also his facial expressions are kinda weird.

planting the seed for progressive folk rock….

Not my cup of tea… Local coffee shop kinda guy… and I agree with above posters he will get deep into the show and I don’t want to be subjected to him week after week lol

Not my style of music, so hard for me to judge, but he seems kind of dorky.
But hell, The Big Bang Theory is a popular show right now, he could go far.

Just because there are some people that don’t care for another mild-manner thinned-voice white guy again, does not mean we all want another diva belting out more Celine Dion songs. I know I don’t

Michael Buble, Adele, Jamie Cullum,Sara Bareilles, Ray LaMontagne are the types I would not criticize and I LOVE Elliot, he is my fave reality show contestant EVER, he is fantastic, and is the epitome of what this show is about in finding undiscovered talent. But those type of artists on idol, to be honest, I tend to find so unimpressive. The only ones similar to the artists you mentioned, Kris, David, Crystal and Brooke, are the only ones I only truly cared for. When Paul McDonald gets compared to say, Ray LaMontagne, my head spins. I’m like, “HAH! You wish!”. Plus, I am very much about vocals, and Adele and Sara are great vocalists. And majority of these singer-songwriters on idol have the kind of voices that don’t really grab me. But there is Scott Dangerfield, who is awesome, and that is a WGWG I can get behind! :) 

he’ll probably end up like casey abrams….get heavily pimped…give a few legitimitly good performances…and then get cut around top 8/9 because he scares people and is crazy…then he’ll be saved by the judges b/c he’s “super talented”…then he’ll come back next week and without the craziness and the judges will orgasam over it…then he’ll stay “not-crazy” for a few weeks, knock off a few better singers, and ultimitly end up in 7/6 th place

he doesn’t have that awwww schuckssss moment. he should do country

Thank you Tess for just coming out and saying it.  I too hate the the WGWG acronym.  Does that mean Javier Colon is black guy with guitar (BGWG) or black latin guy with guitar (BLGWG) and do we lump him in with all the WGsWGs?  Is Scotty no longer considered a WGWG because he’s ditched his guitar now that he has a band??  Too pejorative a term and too easy just to label, label, label . . . yuk.

Producers should bring someone like this.  Remember, AI is a TV show first, and the guy seems pretty entertaining. 

MJ, do you have a HQ version of this AI11 promo that features Reed Grimm singing Family Matter theme song? I guess he’s going to go far if he’s featured in a commercial…but then again, I usually don’t notice commercials so I wouldn’t know.

Reed Grimm LQ AI11 Promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAkcWgYif-M

I liked the original song. He looks like he’ll be an interesting contestant and will be fun to watch.

Count me in as one who hates the pejorative use of WGWG. Only within the limited confines of the Idol bubble would the ability to play a musical instrument be considered a negative attribute. Also only within that bubble is it ok to discriminate based on color or gender, I suppose. I suppose I should throw in religion too.

Hit the nail on the head. It’s Casey meets Blake with a bit of John Mayer thrown in there. After 10 seasons, my AI-dar is pretty good and it’s going AWOL right now. I got it Right with the Crystal Bowersox, Adam Lambert & Scotty McCreery preview spoilers and I’m getting it now with Reed. Watch out for this one.

After watching more than 10 of his videos, I changed my mind…I like him!  Better voice than Casey and Blake.  A little Jason Mraz-y. 

Hope he makes it to the live shows to balance out the pageantbots!

curious…..what is “the REAL world of music”?…..please enlighten me! LOL

One of his videos from his band Shoeless Revolution, highlights his vocal range better than previous videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW6YGzRoc9o&list=PL9B4D309DB433691C&index=4&feature=plpp_video

 Great singer and hope he makes it into top 12.

I know Reed.   You have not seen anything yet.

i like him!  i think he could go all the way if they give him a chance