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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: American Idol

  • Singing "Hallelujah"

    So it’s been established before that when songs are performed by the “American Idol” contestants, there is a bump in sales for the original recording, but at no point has this been more evident than this past week.
    After contestant Jason Castro sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (whose most popular version was recorded by the late Jeff Buckley), sales went apeshit.
    Buckley’s nearly 15-year old rendition of the song zoomed to the top of iTunes’ digital singles chart, with over 177,000 people downloading the song in the past week. Meanwhile, “Grace”, the Buckley album that features “Hallelujah” (and the only album Buckley completed in his lifetime), scanned 6,521 units last week, which would have been enough to place it on the Top 200 albums chart (indeed, it re-enters the catalog albums chart at #10). This, after scanning less than 500 units last week.
    “Grace” has truly been a story of a classic album and word of mouth. The album, which never peaked higher than #149 on the Billboard Albums chart, has scanned in excess of 800,000 units in the years since. Of course, much of this can directly be attributed to the mystery of Buckley’s drowning death and the legacy he left, but a lot of it is just ’cause the music is good!
    And for all folks say to down “American Idol”, you’ve gotta give props when something like this happens.
    Here’s the video for “Hallelujah”

  • New Releases 3/11/08: Snoop, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, "Now 27" and More!!!

    Hey, what do ya know? A pretty decent-sized week for releases!! Sorry for missing out on last week, when Alan Jackson, The Black Crowes and Michael McDonald all released highly anticipated albums. But moving on…
    Remember when Snoop Dogg was just a young pup? Well, Long Beach’s #1 gangsta is releasing his 10th album today. “Ego Trippin’” is preceded by the smash hit “Sensual Seduction”, which finds the D-O-Double G singing T-Pain style over an Eighties-tastic groove (if you haven’t seen the video yet, hit YouTube now)! “Trippin’” features no involvement from Snoop’s longtime mentor Dr. Dre, but is executive produced by New Jack Swing founder Teddy Riley, so there’s a good chance that the results will be more interesting than 2006’s underwhelming “Blue Carpet Treatment”.
    Hip-hop fans will also delight (maybe) in new releases by NYC hardcore stalwart Fat Joe (the album’s called “The Elephant In The Room” and I refuse to make the obvious joke here) and similarly rotund Miami rapper Rick Ross (“Trilla”). Neither is my cup of tea, but hey, both guys sell records, so what do I know?
    With “American Idol” mania in full swing, it was only a matter of time before one of the judges released an album, and today brings the release of “Randy Jackson’s Music Club Vol. 1”. This compilation contains a who’s-who of pop music, from the long-awaited (I’m being sarcastic in case you couldn’t tell) return of Paula Abdul to “Idol” finalists Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin to pop royalty like Mariah Carey. Should be an interesting listen.
    “Now That’s What I Call Music” has become a musical institution in the past 10 years or so, and the 27th installment in the series arrives today. It features the latest hits by Rihanna, Chris Brown, Janet Jackson, Taylor Swift and many more. A wise choice if current Top 40 radio is your thing. As a companion piece, “Now That’s What I Call Music-80’s” also arrives today, bringing you classic smashes ranging from “Billie Jean” to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”.

    Also hitting stores today, singer/songwriter Kaki King, 2-disc greatest hits compilations from Barry White and The Cranberries, and the return of mid-Nineties two hit wonders The Presidents of the United States of America!! I’m in if they remake that “Peaches” song!!
    A full list of this week’s new releases can be found here:

  • Vital Idol: The Season 7 Top 12

    In the “go home” show before the real season starts, four more contestants were sent packing to try and fulfill their dreams without the American Idol branding. On the girls’ side, Asia’h Epperson and Kady Malloy were given the boot while Luke “Perry” Menard and “Boy Danny” Noreiaga also had bad days Daniel Powter style. That leaves us with the following folks in top 12.

    Amanda Overmyer
    Brooke White
    Carly Smithson
    Chikezie
    David Archuleta
    David Cook
    David Hernandez
    Jason Castro
    Kristy Lee Cook
    Michael Johns
    Ramiele Malubay
    Syesha Mercado

    I think the singing talent is there this year, but my main worry is that there aren’t enough standout players. I’m not sure there’s a “total package” in the group, but there are definitely a few who seemed to bring their A games to the final cut downs. As it is, I think David Archuleta, David Hernandez, and Carly Smithson have the best shots, but truly, this is a crap shoot.

    Here are some other thoughts:

    • If this was “Britney Spears Impersonation Idol”, Kady Malloy would’ve won hands down.
    • Amanda Overmyer shouted her way into the finals.
    • David “The Stripper” Hernandez made it rain during the last two weeks.
    • If there was Johnny Gill night, Chikezie could make them all say, “My, my, my.”
    • I think the nerves will eventually get to Big Dave Archuleta.
    • Poor Asia’h Epperson lost the Whitney Houston challenge.
    • To show how stressful this show must be, Kristy Lee Cook used to smile.
    • I bet the first thing that came into Lionel Richie’s mind when he saw David Cook run through Hello was, “Outrageous!”

    Next week, it happens for real.