Idol Chatter

Kris Allen, Daughtry to play Hershey in August

Kris Allen announced new tour dates on his Web site today.

And one is certain to interest his fans in south-central Pennsylvania.

According to the site, Kris will open for Daughtry — that’s right, Chris and the guys — on Aug. 6 at the Hershey Pavillion.

No information about the show has been posted on the Hersey site yet, and there’s no listing yet under Ticketmaster either.

But it’s one of two Pennsylvania shows currently listed on Kris’ site. On Sept. 9, he’ll open for Keith Urban at the Great Allentown Fair.

(Hear that, York Fair folks. Here’s another Idol, along with Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, who will be touring in September.)

The Hershey date isn’t listed on Daughtry’s site yet. But Chris and his band aren’t exactly strangers to the region.

In fact, they’ll play the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore on March 18 and they’re scheduled to perform at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State on March 31.

As soon as ticket information is available for the Hershey show, I’ll be sure to pass it along.

Both guys are doing well on the charts lately.

Kris’ first single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” is up all the way to number 18 on Billboard’s Hot 100. His download of “Let It Be” from the Idol results show two weeks ago debuted at 63 on that chart.

Daughtry’s second single from the band’s second album — “Life After You” — is still climbing on the Hot 100. As of Thursday, it stood at number 41.

Go here for a complete rundown of Idols on the music charts.

Ranking American Idol’s remaining guys

I sense a whole lot more suspense surrounding this week’s girls’ results than the guys.

Does anyone think the top five on the list below aren’t going to cruise into the finals?

That leaves three guys — Tim Urban, Alex Lambert and Todrick Hall — battling it out for the remaining spot in the finals.

The fun begins Wednesday night at 8 p.m. and will last for an American Idol hour, which might translate into an hour and 5 minutes or so.

Keep the critiques short and sweet judges.

Or what was a suggestion I saw on one site? Only Simon speaks. Everyone else is thumbs up or down.

What? No Kara blather?

Sounds good to me.

You find the girls’ rankings here. The number in parenthesis is last week’s ranking.

1. Lee DeWyze (2): This guy has a great original song called “Princess.” Among these guys, he’s proving to be a prince. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. And I won’t say I told you so about how good this guy is.

2. Michael Lynche (3): Big Mike took a giant step in the right direction in week two. Keep the sharp-dressed man look and ditch the guitar and plaid shirts. A broad dash of R&B helps too.

3. Casey James (4): Hey, Mr. Eye Candy, real rockers do not play baby blue guitars. Ah, that’s right, the guitar matched your eyes. Surprised Kara didn’t point that out.

4. Andrew Garcia (1): It’s been straight down since the acoustic “Straight Up” for this 23-year-old dad from Moreno Valley, Calif. But his down would be a major victory for some guys on this list.

5. Aaron Kelly (5): Cute young guy plus decent voice equals a sure spot in the finals, and you can tell the judges want him there. Gotta pull in those young female viewers, you know.

6. Tim Urban (7): Watch Tim Urban make the finals. Watch Chris Golightly’s hair curl. Oops, it already did.

7. Alex Lambert (9): Do you think Idol voters are confused? I mean, I found myself typing Adam Lambert a couple of times last week.

8. Todrick Hall (10): The wonderful wizard of butchered songs and canceled Oz performances is just one step away from the finals. Don’t let it happen, America.

Ranking American Idol’s remaining ladies

Barring a medical emergency, the girls go first this week on American Idol.

And here’s cause for celebration — Idol is going to try to squeeze eight singers into a one-hour show.

Did last week’s show seem to drag? Little wonder. The way I figure it, we got 1 minute of singing for every 6 minutes of TV time.

Pretty pathetic ratio for a singing competition, huh?

Still, I wouldn’t bet a nickel that Tuesday’s show will end on time.

Enough complaining. On to this week’s rankings.

1. Crystal Bowersox (1): Take away her show-opening performance and I would have thought the audio on my TV had gone off pitch for the first half of last Wednesday’s show. Finals bound, for sure.

2. Lilly Scott (3): I get the feeling nothing flusters Miss Lilly. Well, disco night might. But no might about it, Lilly’s another sure thing for the finals.

3. Katelyn Epperly (4): So what if “The Scientist” was a little sleepy? It was on key, a major accomplishment Wednesday night. And Katelyn looked so much more wholesome following Kara’s advice. I hate it when that woman’s right.

4. Siobhan Magnus (7): Wonder if her pre-performance lip tricks have caught on after the way the judges raved over that big note last week. It overshadowed lots of imperfections in her performance.

5. Didi Benami (5):  Wonder what Kara DioGuardi song she’ll dust off to improve her chance of making the finals? Please, don’t pick “No Boundaries.” Pretty please, Didi.

6. Katie Stevens (6): Pretty Katie can say “kiss me” in six languages. For just 17, she also seems pretty poised on stage.

7. Paige Miles (8): I thought she might go away after butchering Kelly Clarkson’s “Walk Away.” The judges were way too forgiving.

8. Lacey Brown (9): They must be voting like crazy at Victory Chuch in Amarillo. No matter. Three stinkers and you’re out, or at least should be, Lucky Lacey.

Editor’s Note: Go here for rankings on the American Idol guys. The number in parenthesis above indicates where each singer was ranked a week ago.

Scott MacIntyre album comes out Thursday

Scott MacIntyre and Matt Giraud will be the guest stars on this week’s American Idol results show.

And on the same day he appears on American Idol, Scott will release his first post-Idol CD, titled “Heartstrings.”

The independently-released album will be available for download on iTunes and on Scott’s Web site.

The lead single is the title track. The album will feature 11 other originals, including “Stars,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Autumn Leaves,” “The Sun Still Shines” and “I’ll Take Tom.”

“I’ll Take Tom” — a great song — and “Autumn Leaves” can be heard now on Scott’s MySpace page, along with a “Heartstrings” sampler. To here to check them out.

Scott, the first visually-impaired finalist on Idol, finished eighth on season eight and has a host of pre-Idol music available as well, both on his own and with the MacIntrye Family Singers.

Idol contestants reveal their animal instincts

Can you picture lovely Michelle Delamor as an elephant?

How about Janell Wheeler as a pelican, carrying her purse and cell phone in her beak?

In their never-ending quest to probe the pysche of contestants, American Idol video interviewers posed a series of questions to the 24 semifinalists.

Among them: If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?

Silly, sure. But why not have a little fun before we get down to the serious business of selecting this year’s finalists.

So, just in case you didn’t take time to watch 24 Idol videos (available at americanidol.com), here are the contestants’ answers.

My favorite responses come from Lacey Brown and Michael Lynche.
Later today: Idol Chatter’s final semifinal rankings for the guys and the gals.

Hmm, wonder if Simon would have been so snippy last week, if it had been a lion and not John Park standing on stage.

The Girls

Ashley Rodriguez: Says she’d be a dolphin, or some sort of sea creature. “I love swimming. I love being in water.”

Crystal Bowersox: Says she’d be a lion, in part because of that dreadlocked hair. In part because she really is a Leo.

Didi Benami: Says she’d be a tiger because she is one — on the Chinese calendar.

Haeley Vaughn: Says she’d be a butterfly. “They’re really pretty, and they can fly away when they need to when everything gets too much.”

Janell Wheeler: Says she’d be a bird, “because then I wouldn’t have to get on a plane. I could just fly and be in control of the situation.” What type of bird? Maybe a pelican, she says, so she could live by the sea and store stuff in her beak, like her purse and cell phone.

Lilly Scott: Says she’d be a panther, because they’re mysterious and interesting.

Katelyn Epperly: Another lion. She’s got the mane already, she notes, indicating her thick, curly hair. “Also, they’re very independent and can do anything they want on their own.”

Katie Stevens: A kangaroo, because they can hop high and they’re really fast.

Lacey Brown: A show horse. “They must be the most well-taken-care-of animals in the world. They’re kind of like divas. They get waited on hand and foot because they’ve got to look beautiful.”

Michele Delamor: Says she’d be an elephant, because “they’re so sweet … They just walk so slow and carefree. I’m totally hyper. So that’s the opposite of me. ”

Paige Miles: Says she would be a dog. “I think they are the most intelligent, smartest creatures on the planet. And they are loyal and loving. And I would like someone to take care of me rather than living out in the wild, or an animal that hunts for their food. I like the whole idea of someone buying the food at the store, putting it in a dish. Then I know I’m going to eat.”

Siobhan Magnus: “A cat because they’re so lucky. When I think of my cat, she’s my princess. She’s spoiled and fat. She just flops down, like ‘Rub my belly, please.’ And I do it.”

The Guys

Aaron Kelly: Says he’d be a bird. “I love parrots. I have one at home. Just to see the world through their eyes.”

Alex Lambert: Says he’d be a cheetah, because he can run fast.

Andrew Garcia: Says he’d be a lion, just because they’re cool looking and tough.

Casey James: Says he’d be a dog. After all, when Casey was asked what he misses most about being home, he names his dogs.

Jermaine Sellers: Says he’d be a glowworm, because he likes to shine.

Joe Munoz: Says he’d be an eagle, “just because they’re so free and so far from everything.”

John Park: Yet another fan of lions. “I love to sleep, and I love meat.”

Lee DeWyze: Says he’d be a bird. “Maybe a hawk, so I wouldn’t get eaten by a bigger bird.”

Michael Lynche:  Says he too would be a lion. “He’s the king of his whole domain. He gets all the women there. They do all the hunting. And he just gets to be the king of it. I just think the lion’s the man.”

Tim Urban: Says he’d be an eagle. “They get to fly. I’ve always thought that would be awesome.”

Todrick Hall: Says he’d be a platypus. “No one really knows what they are. They have a beak, but they also have a beaver’s tail, and I like to build things.”

Tyler Grady: Believe it or not, the rocker from Pa. dodged the question. “I’ll have to get back to you. There are a lot of great animals out there.”

CD Review: Danny Gokey’s country by convenience should thrill his fans

Danny Gokey “My Best Days” 1. My Best Days Are Ahead of Me 2. Like That’s a Bad Thing 3. I Still Believe 4. Tiny Life 5. Get Away 6. It’s Only 7. Life on Ya 8. Crazy Not To 9. Be Somebody 10. I Will Not Say Goodbye

Editor’s Note: Warning to all fans of Danny Gokey. You might want to jump to the middle of this blog. I’ve marked the spot. You won’t like the intro. Pretty much guaranteed.

Here’s my problem with Danny Gokey’s debut album, “My Best Days.” It’s a little matter of authenticity.

Danny Gokey is not a country artist. I mean, check out what he told American Idol at the start of season eight.

Given a choice of any song to sing on Idol, he would have chosen a gospel song by Marvin Sapp.

Ask who he’d like to perform with if he could chose anyone, he picked singing salsa with Marc Anthony.

Asked to name his musical influences, he listed seven, including Mariah Carey, Lauren Hill and Dark Latin Groove. Nary a country artist among them.

Check out the songwriting credits on the rather skimpy selection of 10 songs on Danny’s debut album. You won’t see his name once.

Listen to the lyrics of those songs. Two have Danny playing the part of raucous rebel.

Blake Shelton? That’d be believable. Danny Gokey? The gospel guy with the funky glasses? Give me a break.

It’s as though someone at 19 Entertainment said, “Gee, you know what. Danny sang ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ pretty well. And country music is popular right now. Let’s go country with Gokey.”

Which really irks me, because it’s not as though season eight didn’t have its share of legitimate country artists. They just didn’t get nearly the airtime or over-the-top reviews from the judges that Danny did.

I mean, Kara and Paula were gaga over Gokey even when some of his early performances were only mediocre.

Editor’s note: Danny Gokey fans should start reading here.

Having said all of that, “My Best Days” is a decent country-pop album.

That’s not surprising. Danny had the guiding hand of Mark Bright producing it. That name might not be familiar, but he’s the guy who produced “Carnival Ride,” ”Play On” and several songs on “Some Hearts” for Carrie Underwood.

And Danny was handed a selection of songs with which it would be hard to miss, especially given his vocal portfolio, which includes a touch of soul, a hint of grit and tons of passion.

I’ve had the lead single, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” stuck in my head since I bought Danny’s album on Tuesday. And I’m not at all annoyed that it’s stuck in my head. It’s a great song; so is Danny’s vocal on it.

In the number two hole, we’re served up “Like That’s a Bad Thing,” which is nearly as addictive.

And if a couple of the songs on the album don’t seem to fit the Danny Gokey we came to know on Idol, others certainly do. Like the ballad “It’s Only” and its let’s-help-the-downtrodden message.

And closing the album with “I Will Not Say Goodbye” was a stroke of genius. The reference to Danny’s deceased wife is clear; it might be his most passionate performance among the 10.

Bottom line: There’s plenty here to delight fans of Danny Gokey. I won’t be surprised if the album debuts near the top of the Billboard 200.

But forgive me if I’m more excited about upcoming releases from Josh Gracin and Bucky Covington. And for the fact that I hold, oh, let’s say, Miranda Lambert’s “Revolution” in much higher regard.

Their country music isn’t country by convenience.

Grade: B-

Other reviews:

AllMusic.com: Gives Danny 2 stars out of 5
EW.com: Gives Danny a B-
Miami Herald: Gives Danny 2.5 stars out of 5
Philly.com: Gives Danny a B+

Music charts: Another good week for the Idols

Adam Lambert and Blake Lewis both have singles in the top 20 on the Billboard club play chart.

Allison Iraheta returns to the Billboard 200 for the first time in a month.

Four Idol singles — from Adam, Kris Allen, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry — hit new peaks on the Hot 100.

Perhaps it’s a coincidence.

But good things seem to happen for former American Idol contestants when the show returns to TV each year.

Next week, we get to find out how Danny Gokey’s album debuts. It was number one on the list of most downloaded albums on iTunes this morning.

Here’s a look at how Idols did on the charts this week.

Kris Allen: A good week on the music charts for Kris. “Live Like We’re Dying” hits a new peak of 18 on the Hot 100, up one spot. It advances two spots to number 12 on the pop songs chart.

His debut album jumpes frm 154 to 82 on the Billboard 200; that’s the highest it’s been in at least a month. And the download of “Let It Be” from Idol debuts at number 63 on the Hot 100.

Kelly Clarkson: She’s released the fabulous “All I Ever Wanted” as a single. Let’s see what it does on the charts. Meanwhile, ” Already Gone” is still around, hanging in at number 42 on the Hot 100, the same spot it held last week.

Daughtry: “Life After You” moves up to a new high of number 41 on the Hot 100, a five-spot jump from last week. The album “Leave This Town” moves up one spot, from 57 to 56 on the Billboard 200. The band’s debut album is number 146 on the same chart.

Allison Iraheta:  Idol’s fourth-place finisher returned to the Billboard 200 this week for the first time since early January — on the heels of her appearance on Idol, of course. “Just Like You” re-enters the chart at number 186.

Adam Lambert: Well, Glambert has a club play hit on his hands. The “For Your Entertainment” single is number six on Billboard’s dance club chart, up from eight last week. The album is still number 54.

Single number two, “Whataya Want From Me,” has done even better. It’s up to 24 on the Hot 100, a four-spot jump from one week ago.

Blake Lewis: “Heartbreak on Vinyl,” Blake’s second single from the CD of the same name, is now number 19 on the dance club charts, up from 26. It’s been on the chart for five weeks.

Kellie Pickler: “Didn’t You Know How Much I Love You” holds steady on the country singles chart at number 14 for the third straight week. Kellie’s second album drops from 31 to 33 on the country album chart.

Ruben Studdard: After a big drop last week (9 spots), Ruben’s “Don’t Make ‘Em Like U No More” moves up two spots, from 43 to 41, on the Billboard R&B singles chart.

Carrie Underwood: “Temporary Home,” Carrie’s latest single, stalls this week on the county singles chart at number seven. It moves up two spots to 52 on the Hot 100.

“Play On” drops from five to six on the country albums chart and from 20 to 21 on the Billboard 200. “Some Hearts,” her first album, is number 152.

Jermaine Sellers insists: ‘I’m not diva-ish’

Jermaine Sellers did a lot of talking on American Idol, from proclaiming that he wasn’t meant to sing in a group to inviting Simon to church to hear him sing gospel music.

He admitted Friday he worries that he left people with the wrong impression.

“Sometimes the camera can make you look more arrogant and diva-ish,” he said Friday, the day after being eliminated from Idol. “Anybody that knows me knows that I’m like the coolest guy. I like to make people laugh. I honestly do wear onesies to bed, the whole nine yards.

“I hated that I was made out to look like something I’m not” he added. “But it’s television. I felt like every night I went out there, I sang from my heart.

“And the part that really messes me up the most is that I couldn’t focus because I was so scared about what was going to be said each week about my singing, or oversinging too much.

“I let fear conquer me.”

Apparently, oversinging was a common criticism Jermaine heard when he performed for the judges. The 27-year-old from Joliet, Ill., was used to cutting loose with his vocals. He’s been singing in church since childhood.

On Idol, he found himself pulling back, cutting out runs, cutting out riffs, hoping he was cutting back enough to satisfy Simon and company.

“I felt if I pulled back any more, I would have been basically whispering to them,” he said.

“When you are there, and you have millions of people watching you and you’re so scared of what the judges are going to say to you, you tend to lose focus. And that focus is what you need to show the sincerity in your voice.”

He has another theory about why he didn’t wind up with the votes needed to stay in the competition — he sang older songs. In the semifinals, he went with Oleta Adams’ “Get Here,” from 1991, and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” from 1971.

“American Idol is for teeny boppers, you know. There’s a lot of young people,” Jermaine said. “They want to hear more current stuff. They want to hear Keri Hilson, ‘Knock You Down,’ type stuff. 

“That’s not where my soul is. I’m more of a, ‘Let’s talk about reality. Let’s talk about what’s going on right now.’”

For instance, he said he chose to sing “What’s Going On” because he wishes people would focus more attention on the recent disasters in Chile and Haiti — areas where relief is needed right now.

Jermaine plans to continue to pursue singing and ministering with his music. But he said that doesn’t mean he can’t be a successful cross-over artist.

“I see myself being a contemporary artist. My style is very much what BeBe & CeCe Winans did years ago. How they sang songs like ‘Heaven’ and ‘I’m Lost Without You’ and it was still marketable where you would set it on MTV or BET, stations that didn’t only show gospel stuff.”

As for his Idol experience … it might have ended short of the finals, but he’s sure it will work out.

“Sometimes you lose just to win again.”
 

John Park: He’ll always have that memorable audition

Even if he never records another song, John Park will likely be remembered for that audition.

You know, the one in Chicago. The one where guest judge Shania Twain not only complimented his singing, but his “nice lips” and his “beautiful bottom end.”

Unfortunately, the 21-year-old from Evanston, Ill. — the guy who looked like an early frontrunner in season nine of American Idol — wasn’t heard from again until the semifinals.

And when he returned to the TV screen, what viewers heard wasn’t up to par. Even John Park will admit that.

“I just think I was too distracted during the top 24,” he said Friday, after lackluster versions of “God Bless This Child” and “Gravity” lead to his Thursday night ouster on Idol.

“I think it was mostly song choice and nerves. I definitely got distracted by the cameras and the fact that the judges were going to criticize me in front of 30 million people on live TV.

“That kind of took away from my concentration on just singing the song honestly,” John said. ”I couldn’t do my best to interpret the song my own way.”

John considers an earlier version of “God Bless This Child,” performed before a much smaller audience in the first round of Hollywood Week as his best Idol effort. Of course, home viewers didn’t get to see it; the song wasn’t included in the Hollywood Week episodes.

What’s next for John?

He admits, frankly, that he hasn’t charted a definite career path.

He plans to head back to Chicago and “see what kind of open doors there will be for me.”

If he winds up pursuing a career as a singer, he sees himself recording pop or neo-soul music, something in the vein of a John Legan, John Mayer or Gavin DeGraw.

He definitely plans to return to Northwestern University, where he’s a junior, to complete his education.

And he says he’s certain now of what line of study he plans to pursue. During his Idol audition segment, he mentioned that his parents, at least at one point, weren’t keen on his decision to apply for voice programs out of high school, preferring that he go to college and study for a real job instead.

Well, whatever real job John lands, he’s pretty sure it will have something to do with music.

“This experience definitely made me realize I want to pursue music instead of going back to school and studying economics and going in that direction,” he said.

“When I go back to school, I’ll probably study something that’s going to be more relevant to the music industry. And even if it’s not performing, I would like to have a career in the music industry, whether it’s in management, songwriting or what not.”

One other thing. Yes, Simon, Purple Haze — Northwestern’s a cappella group — is getting its lead singer back.

Simon predicted they just might, after John performed on Tuesday’s show.

John says he wasn’t offended.

“He was basically saying I might go home this week. He, of course, dramaticizes it so the people at home watching can get a kick out of it,” John said.

“That’s the way he is on TV. After the elimination happened and I sang my last song, he came up to me and shook my hand and said, ‘Good job coming this far.’ He’s not that mean of a guy, actually.”