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  • More Than Jordin Beats Blake, Music In May

    Paul Simon with guitarJordin beat Blake. You should know that. Melinda will cut a great R&B (or gospel, if she feels so inclined album). Jordin will sing some big AC ballads. Blake will have a 10-20 year run on the charts. But there was much more to music this month than American Idol, even if Fox would hae you believe otherwise.

    Here are some quick hits on music news that happened in May that you should know:

    Here come The Police! Fans of the British trio that made Sting a household name opened up their world tour in Vancouver — their first show in 20 years. Speaking of 20, that’s about how many dates there are in North America, so get your tickets now! Remember, they’ve not only broken up once, but guitarist Andy Summers is 64 years old. At some point, he is just as likely to decide he doesn’t want to tour after collecting this tour’s bazillion.

    Lindsay Lohan hit a curb, then got hit with an arrest when Beverly Hill Cops who looked nothing like Judge Reinhold or Eddie Murphy popped her for various charges. Looking especially bad for the rehabbing Lohan was a substance media reports identified as cocaine in the vehicle.

    From young diva to old diva: Barbara Streisand bailed on a concert in Rome, citing tour production delays. The fact that Italian consumer groups were protesting ticket prices in the hundreds of dollars had nothing to do with anything according to Babs’ spokespeople. You won’t find her in Rome, however. Good going, Italian muckrakers. The Streisand opens in Zurich. And like Andy Summers, she is no spring chicken, so if you haven’t seen Streisand live, one of these days is going to be the last possible day.

    Paul Simon (above) has been honored as the first ever winner of The Gershwin Prize, an award from the United States Library of Congress to celebrate “popular song”. DC saw his concert live last week while the rest of the country can tune in to the special, including duets with ambivalent partner Art Garfunkel, later this summer.

    And finally, if your name isn’t Akon, JT or you’re not from American Idol, you’re just not happening on the charts right now. A couple of exceptions: Maroon 5 (who still enjoyed their AI connection through Blake Lewis and a performance on the show), Avril Lavigne and new releases from Fall Out Boy and Ne-Yo. You read it here first: Ne-Yo is going to win Grammy hardware in February.

    Spinning In The CD:
    I’m like Maroon 5’s new single, Makes Me Wonder. Adam Levine has grown by leaps and bounds since his Kara’s Flowers days.

  • It’s Blake vs. Jordin with Dolittle Cast Aside

    To be perfectly frank, my projection from at least the 12, if not earlier, was a Blake-Melinda final. Jordin came on strong the last few weeks (wow, she’s only 17 doesn’t count in pop music), but if anything the final is okay.

    The two most salable singers in the contest are Jordin and Blake. They’re in the finals. That makes sense. As I told a Help Web publisher tonight, everyone watches the show, but it’s the under 35 crowd who votes. Sure, some may have thought Melinda was safe, but ultimately today’s audiences want Beyonce, not Tina Turner, much less a goody-goody Tina.

    Jordin’s biggest disadvantage is the same thing. When asked about jamming with Sir Mix-A-Lot, Blake casually shrugged off the show saying they had played together before. Blake, like everyone else in the group every year, is not an amateur. He’s a local artist who does okay. Jordin is as close to amateur status as anyone.

    But even were Jordin to win American Idol, her competition would no longer be Melinda Dolittle or Haley Scarnato but Beyonce, Shakira and Mary J. Blige. Bo Bice never learned that lesson. Neither did Chris Daughtry, even if last year’s results were just horribly jumbled up. Carrie Underwood could go pro while Bo Bice could play in a bar band. Taylor Hicks may join him for vocals one night. Both are entertaining — neither is a star.

    Blake Lewis can be a star of the Kelly Clarkson / Carrie Underwood variety — someone who comes out of the chute and sells millions of CDs. He should be the next Idol. What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!

    Spinning In The CD Tonight:

    Elliott Yamin’s album is back on after watching the now-shaggy haired singer command a stage. Last year’s most salable artist finished third. Pity that.

  • Chesney, Brooks and Dunn Lead ACM Awards

    Perhaps putting the telecast of the Academy of Country Music Awards up against American Idol was thought to be a way to neutralize the television juggernaut. Instead, country music fans simply waited to flip from Fox to CBS to watch the coverage of same old, same old.

    Pop singer hiding under a cowboy hat Kenny Chesney won a third straight award, and perhaps the second he deserved, for Entertainer of the Year. George Strait and Brooks & Dunn also were honored with the country duo winning their 14th consecutive award as best duo. That means the last time someone else won the award was in 1993, and if you think country hasn’t changed since then, it’s worth noting that Billy Ray Cyrus notched song #11 on Billboard’s year end country charts. Yes, Billy Ray was still relevant…or at least still moved units.

    Former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood was appropriately honored for her smash Some Hearts, while Underwood wannabe Kellie Pickler was frozen out. The clock is ticking on Ms. Pickler, and she appears to be at minute 16 of the 15 she was allotted. Buh-bye, Kellie and remember to take your red shoes.

    Country is on an up cycle again, and if you find your joy in cool beats or in alt-guitar pop, you might want to listen to some country going on. Gretchen Wilson (out this month with a new album) rocks as hard as Melissa Etheridge, with just a twang’s difference, while Chesney channels everyone from 1970s singer-songwriters to Jimmy Buffett. Country is mainstream and worth a listen.

    Spinning In the CD:

    I am grooving to Maroon 5’s new single, Makes Me Wonder. Little Adam has grown up since his Kara’s Flowers days and is showing the world that the band was no one-hit wonder. You’ll be listening to Makes Me Wonder for the rest of the summer if you go near a radio dial.