I’ve watched all of 2 episodes this year of American Idol.  Last night was the 2nd.  And I was absolutely impressed.  By David Cook.  And he won.  As I was watching it, I honestly hoped he’d take the crown. I was thrilled when he did. He’s got an incredible voice and a more incredible personality.

I believe David Cook has the potential to be the first male winner of the show to truly excel to the superstardom ranks of Kelly and Carrie.  And I wish him all the successes and happiness as he crosses the next stone on the path to that ultimate superstardom.  Well deserved!  Well deserved.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=MtD7h2wwaK0[/youtube]


“After 4 months of holding my breath, I can finally exhale.” (David Cook)

My advice to David, and the others - stay true to your roots, enjoy the shit out of the journey - and don’t ever lose sight of the ground beneath you.  Without it, the fall is steep. Oh, and get a camera to record the journey to look back on it when the whirlwind has settled.  Otherwise, you may forget the little things that made it special.

Congratulations - looking forward to following your career path.

As far as the finale - there were some awesome, outrageous pair-ups and performances.  By far, the best they’ve done yet. Here’s my take on them:

Update: January 17, 2006: Congratulations to Taylor! Taylor Hicks - the debut release is Platinum.

Taylor Hicks emerged as the favorite in Season 5 of American Idol (AI), wanting only to have his voice heard. To that end, he was heard - being coronated the victor in May, 2006.

Since Season 5 ended, Taylor has been on a whirlwind roller coaster ride -

• promoting the obligatory winner’s mini-CD,
• preparing for and then touring the US (via tour bus - a dream come true for Taylor) on a coast-to-coast [expanded] 60-city lineup with the other AI Top 10 contestants, and then
• (as he stated himself) sleeping on the floor of the recording studio to record his music, his way.

Pushing the release back a month from that originally expected (from November to December, 2006) allowed Taylor to do just that - record his music, his way.

What is the end result of all the hard work?

Not surprising - and to the delight of his fans, Taylor stays true to himself and delivers thirteen handpicked tracks - some new, and some ‘old soul’ revisited - of “whomp” music - a blend of soul, funk, jazz, and blues.

The delay in releasing the album was a smart move, and it proves to the industry what the fans already knew - Taylor can deliver the goods. Taylor has stated he was fortunate to have a wealth of songs to choose from, and handpicked those to be included, creating speculation that it is, indeed, Taylor who is in charge of his path to success - not management trying to mold him into something he’s not (as was done with previous AI winners). By forging a collaborative approach, this offering showcases exactly why Taylor won in the first place - his versatility and likeability.

Throughout the album, Taylor (et al) infuses a dynamically full spectrum of sound to compliment the whiskey tenor voice and styling unique to his passion - ‘old soul’ - simplistic, feel it in your bones funk, with a dose of good ol’ southern groove - sampled in Heaven Knows, Gonna Move, and Give Me Tonight.

In addition to the unreleased and cover material, Taylor has included three new versions of his own compositions - Soul Thing, The Deal, and a bonus track - Hell of a Day.

I’ve been baptized in the Church of Taylor Hicks, and re-emerged with a cleansed soul.

The Ryman show was an almost two-hour non-stop, energy-filled, sweat-dripping revival of the soul. When it was over, Taylor gained a new fan - my Mother, who accompanied me to the show, along with my brother, sister-in-law, and 7-year old niece.

We started out at the Melting Pot for a fabulous 4-course fondue dinner (and I DO mean fabulous!); then walked the couple of blocks over to the Ryman. I hadn’t been back in the Ryman since my first husband’s band was showcased back in the early 80’s, so it was a welcome reunion. (For those who’ve never been there - be sure to check out more information about the auditorium - it’s history is luminous, to say the least.)

The opening band, The Greyhounds, was great. They had a Zydeco flavor to their music - upbeat and foot-tapping. Almost 45 minutes’ worth of entertainment that primed us for Taylor’s performance.

I was expecting Taylor to come strutting through the audience, but he surprised me coming out from the sidestage instead. His first number was Gonna Move, which segued into what I think were about 3-5 different songs before he finally stopped to catch his breath.

A little later, Taylor launched into a jazzy, soulful medley of Hold On to Your Love > Man’s World > Jesus is Just Alright > Can’t Trust Your Neighbor that absolutely brought the house down! To me, it was the best performance in the set. Other highlights included Supertramp’s Goodbye Stranger - which he said was a new one they were working into the show.

Ok. I admit it. I’m guilty. I’ve been sucked into - along with the millions of other fans - the new season of American Idol.