FTR, Usher is a multi-talented singer/dancer/actor. He has been in the business for more than a decade, loads of mainstream hits on American radio. No, he’s not Smokey or Stevie, but maybe that’s the point. Oh and yes, he has something to sell, but then isn’t that the point of idol anyway?

I remember reading something about how one of the singer/songwriters from Gnarles Barkley refuses to grant rights to AI to use “Crazy” so they can never show any of the contestants singing it, even though apparently there have been some notable performances of it during auditions (Adam Lambert) or Hollywood week (Jason Castro).

side note… there is also a david a performance of “Crazy” done during hollywood week in s7 that’s never seen the light of day… what we’ve gleaned over the years is that it was fan-tastic, though it’s doubtful we will see it if gnarl barkley refuses to grant ai those rights… closest we’ve got is this version taped on the sly during his vip session with fans during his tour last summer w/demi lovato.. i want to hear the ai hollywood version too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qED-zCBWao&feature=related

rnb still requires its artists to be able to really sing, and emotionally connect and sell the song… that’s as old school as they come, but the good ones out there now have updated their sound, and made it relevant for today… … idol has just never gotten the memo that there is more to rnb than those ”comfort food”- like classics everyone is most familiar with. i love them as much as anyone, love hearing them sung, but there’s some real good rnb out there now – on the airwaves, on the charts, and it’s selling… maybe the perception some have of the genre would have been different if artists like usher, robin thicke and others had been given equal time on to mentor and sing in seasons gone by…

Okay, I can agree with some of this, but it may more of a rights issue. I get the impression that (a) some artists won’t license their music for use on AI for any reason, and (b) AI wants the broadest rights to the music for the least (or no) cost. I remember reading something about how one of the singer/songwriters from Gnarles Barkley refuses to grant rights to AI to use “Crazy” so they can never show any of the contestants singing it, even though apparently there have been some notable performances of it during auditions (Adam Lambert) or Hollywood week (Jason Castro).

Of course, there is a real value to the artists who do allow their music to be used on American Idol, and the are starting to understand how an audience of 30 million is a good way to get their music out there. It wasn’t until Dolly Parton had a new record out that she agreed to mentor the contestants, allow her music to used on American Idol and perform on the show herself. Before that she famously said something like “I’d love the work with the kids, but you don’t get something for nothing.”

anyhoo… rnb music gets a lot of stick, and what i think is disrespect by lots of people on this board, and i can’t see why – rnb is a broad genre, many different artists and styles to suit any taste, but if you’ve never been exposed to anything in it past a certain decade, or if one looks no further than what idol has presented to be rnb, [or what they consider to be relevant music], then i guess i’d look at the new wave of rnb artists in the industry and go ”huh”… kesha and her ilk don’t count – she is one example of what’s wrong with the current music business… style over real substance… rnb still requires its artists to be able to really sing, and emotionally connect and sell the song… that’s as old school as they come, but the good ones out there now have updated their sound, and made it relevant for today… … idol has just never gotten the memo that there is more to rnb than those ”comfort food”- like classics everyone is most familiar with. i love them as much as anyone, love hearing them sung, but there’s some real good rnb out there now – on the airwaves, on the charts, and it’s selling… maybe the perception some have of the genre would have been different if artists like usher, robin thicke and others had been given equal time on to mentor and sing in seasons gone by…

…. idol is to relevant music in the 2000’s what the lawrence welk show was to relevant music in the 1970’s…

I’m not sure what your point is. Those of us who prefer non “relevant” music are fans of old-fogie music? What?

We were just “treated” to relevant (i.e. sells boatloads of singles) sensation Ke$ha on Wednesday. If that’s relevant then I’m irrelevant because I think her music sucks. Most of the current musicians I listen to, whose music I buy and get invested in wouldn’t get played on “current” Top 40 radio but the older songs are more familiar and “well-loved” by the masses which is why they still work 30, 40 years later.

Aww, I wasn’t bashing Anoop, just meant to say the show didn’t treat him all that well, and it has not, historically, given much of a shot to young guys who want to sing *current* R&B. I would have liked to have Anoop bust out more Ne Yo! I’m sick of the endless retreads of 1965-1975 R&B oldies.

While I appreciate the desire to have some more current artists mentor the kids, the demographic for American Idol is older and I’m not sure how familiar Usher’s music is to the AI audience… it’s a general R&B theme rather than an Usher theme then that would could be really good.

…. idol is to relevant music in the 2000′s what the lawrence welk show was to relevant music in the 1970′s... that thought has run through my head about idol, its audience, it’s future for some time. i guess it comes down to whether you are invested as fan of music, or a fan of the show. i think i’m a music fan 1st, and an idol fan 2nd, so i have always been confuzzled by a lot of the song choices, themes, mentors, etc the show has subjected us to, after keeping an eye firmly glued on pop culture, the music industry, billboard, and all the other real music world stuff i used to think the show cared about… silly me, lolol… i’ve disabused myself of the notion that this show will ever be remotely relevant, or mirror the trends in the business their ”graduates” soon enter.

I love r&b. But I just find Usher boring.

Me too. I guess I’m just an old fart because Smoky Robinson is more to my tastes. Having said that, Usher sounds more promising as a “current” artist mentor than Gwen Stefani.

While I appreciate the desire to have some more current artists mentor the kids, the demographic for American Idol is older and I’m not sure how familiar Usher’s music is to the AI audience… it’s a general R&B theme rather than an Usher theme then that would could be really good.

Or, perhaps Usher will teach Tim about the fine art of on-stage shirtlessness. Bring on the baby oil and pelvic rolls!

There is THAT. Usher is a beautiful man, no doubt about it.

imo, the majority of these contestants need to come out of their comfort zones, and perhaps the idol viewing audience does as well. the disconnect between the relevancy of the music sung on the show, and the music that is sung and sells in the current industry is wide, grand canyon wide. these contestants need to segue into the relevant a little more if they want to have a better shot at making it outside the idol bubble – in the real music world, where it really counts. i say it’s about time the contestants are challenged with singing songs in a style that is very much relevant to today’s industry.

singing rnb and singing it well [for some of them, maybe not] should pose no more a challenge for them than any contestant singing songs not in their home genre. if you can sing, you should be able to adapt to the theme and deliver. can’t wait to see how they handle it.