American Idol 2010.crystal Didn’t Win,no Worries!

 Strange how the dominoes  fall,last year most of Idol viewers were bracing for the announcement of Adam Lambert as the new American Idol ,which of course didn’t happen. Stirring up a trail of controversy , doubts , question-marks and remarks  of foul play by fans of Adam and even amongst the viewers  of the show. Did the voting really swing in the favour of Kris Allen or was the decision already made even before the votes were tabulated? Just a token gesture , all a show , like the quiz shows from decades past where the winners were decided by the network rather than the correct answers to the questions!

  In a weird way, if one were to look at the 2 finalist of 2009, Kris and Adam, you get the feeling that , perhaps it ought to be that way. Adam Lambert has way more shiny appeal and as an artiste or talent is one of those who are able to generate a momentum all by itself and take on a life of its own merely by being his provocative self ,he has got that  In your face oomph, a powerful innate  presence as an artiste , which from the perspectives of the shows producers,probably reasoned that  his commercial value won’t be affected much and whether he becomes the Idol or not is a moot point, he doesn’t need the Idol crown as much as Kris Allen whose appeal hasn’t as much strength or perhaps staying power and genuinely risk losing his appeal when all the dust settles after the finals.

   So in a strange way it kinds of makes sense and justification , seeing as how all with vested interests will gain from the results.  And what do you know? If anything , events of the past year involving these 2 performers , this line of reasoning has indeed come to past. American Idol or not , Adam Lambert has gone on to show the world what he is made off ! Indeed , extraordinarily gifted , electrifying to watch albeit controversial , which goes to show,beyond doubt that he can without problem play with the giants and emerge with a identity he can claim as his own ,not a rehashed copied version of another great.

    And Kris hasn’t done too badly for himself either , his laid back manner ,evocative of a mild mannered gentle personality, his charm as a performer, his style, fashion sense, a total contrast with Adam ,as night is to day. Kris Allen  is one of those artiste that needs a bit of time  to grow on you, you get fonder of him and be charmed in a more subtle manner, it cannot be rushed to develop an appreciation for his style as a performer and image,it is more of a acquired taste , and he does have the talent to justify his crown, so if things were to be viewed in that perspective , its a win , win  ,, nobody lost , it is just a title, someone has to be named winner and thus , it is not so much as who deserves to win as to who ought to be named American Idol !

   And well, is it the same scenario all over again this year? Maybe not as controversial as Kris and Adam debacle ,but it does have reminders of the same scenes. similarities of underdog in Lee Dewyze triumphing over the favourite front  runner Crystal Bowersox. If judging by the respective performances during the final , there has to be a global consensus over which are the more powerfully presented and evocative performances.  It cannot be in good conscience deny Crystal Bowersox the quality of her performance in rendering the chosen songs in comparison to Lee Dewyze presentations , there is a very noticeable gap between the two performances. Both extremely strong in their own right ,but with an added dimension in Crystal’s rendition.

    Not so much as brilliant or mind blowing or anything like that , but it is just so different . Just watching her sing , you forget for a moment that it is a competition,you are just carried along with the moment , that brief minutes she is singing , the emotions she is trying to project , it is felt , and you are brought into that moment with her. Again ,its the style, her way of presenting her performances ,that voice and that sense of uniqueness that she projects, it is a complete package , distinctive and easily distinguishable from the rest of the other contestants. It is hard to define ,but you just sense it whenever you see Crystal on stage, it just emanates from her very naturally and instinctively. It’s is not something one can create in front of a mirror, it has to be innate , which I am sure it is with her. Everything about her,the way she sings , her guitar playing ,her voice and her interpretation of the songs,it always seems to come out stamped with her very own distinctiveness in presenting them, so much so that you tend to identify the song with her rather than the other way around,after she has applied that Crystal touch to it, she takes it , rearranges it and puts a spin to it and soon as she performs it ,she doesn’t need to claim it, it is given to her,not many artistes have that dimension to them . All that comes in a unique little package. In a class of her own , a league of her own , I don’t think that Ellen DeGeneres was merely saying those just for the sake of saying them, you can tell she meant every word and it is with unanimous agreement with not only the judges but audience as well.

 Therefore with Crystal Bowersox ,to win the American Idol or not is another moot point, it doesn’t matter , its as if its not relevant to where she is now and what she has created for herself. The only direction for her now is up and up. American Idol the competition was the  platform for her to launch from, albeit a much quicker means, otherwise it may have been some time before she is known , if at all, so thank the Idol competition for that. 

   Whether she deserves to be American Idol is besides the point. The viewers shouldn’t worry nor feel injustice that she didn’t win the Idol crown. In the 1st place , she seemed to be like a displaced contestant all through the competition, she had been in  her own category , competing with herself during the competition.

 She is not brilliant or super talented but her talent and style just felt so different from the rest, it has been a while since the likes of a Janis or Alanis or Sheryl came along. She can easily fit in those shoes and carved out a niche all to herself.

 Will she be a superstar ? She doesn’t have to be , but definitely she will ,with her raw talent and uniqueness that is defining her presence as a gifted musician in her own right will indelibly imprint her presence into the psyche of millions who like her style and her music.

  Lee Dewyze is very much a likable dude , along the likes of Kris Allen. Perhaps with a more commercially marketable voice and image. He does have that nice guy personality about him that endears him to the masses. And his singing voice , it has  very pleasing raspy tone , Joe Cocker reminded us of that during the show. Probably why he was invited to perform. Rod Stewart , Joe Cocker and now introducing Lee Dewyze.

 So history repeats within a year, same questions , cynicism and doubts. Still, no big deal, no major injustice. As it is ,I think it turned out well. Lee definitely has the stuff needed to carry the Idol mantle and giving more opportunities to Crystal to charm the Bowersox out of the rest. Within a year , nobody is going to care who is American Idol 2010 but  more importantly we will get much more acquainted with  Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox and ensure these guys are going to be around for as long as they can entertain us.