Music Review

It might be heresy but I can say truthfully, I have never watched American Idol. Why haven't I watched it? Because I don't own a tv. Can't I afford a tv (how poor are you ditto)? Yes, I can afford to buy a tv but, I don't care to own one. I think a lot of the stuff put out these days is junk. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I'm able to get all the latest news I want. Movie wise, I can rent a movie from Blockbuster. I have been tempted to get a tv thanks to all the cool channels offered on cable BUT the price of cable service has done wonders for cooling my desire to be able to watch Fox News, ESPN, A&E and the History channel (a typical case of Ditto cheapness). Still, I have heard of American Idol. It's hard not to considering what a big hit it is. Also, the radio stations have played the music of those who won like that Ruben fellow and those who didn't Clay Aiken (I hope I have that last name right, I don't want to mix it up with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback). Because of this, when I saw the American Idol Season 5 Encores CD on sale at BMG music club, I decided to buy it and give it a listen. This review is on that CD.

The CD has the following songs:

Melissa McGhee - What About Love
Bucky Covington - Superstition
Mandisa - I'm Every Woman
Chris Daughtry - Wanted Dead Or Alive
Ace Young - Father Figure
Taylor Hicks - Takin It To The Streets
Lisa Tucker - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
Kellie Pickler - Walkin' After Midnight
Elliot Yamin - Moody's Mood For Love
Katharine McPhee - Think
Paris Bennett - Midnight Train To Georgia
Kevin Covais - When I Fall In Love

Of the songs available on the CD, I thought the best ones were McGhee's What About Love, Daughtry's Wanted Dead Or Alive,Young's Father Figure with an honorable mention for Mandisa's I'm Every Woman. The only reason I didn't rate Mandisa's work comparable with the others is because I don't care for the song itself. However, I thought she did an excellent version of it.

Concerning McGhee's What About Love, I thought she a very good job with it and sounded a lot like the group HEART however, I'd swear I could hear some country in the lady's voice and at times, it came through.

Daughtry's version of Bonjovi's great hit Wanted Dead Or Alive is great. I heard Daughtry was a true rock singer and it shows in Wanted Dead Or Alive. He gives the song all the intensity it deserves and hammers home every note. It is very comparable to Bonjovi's great work.

Lastly, Young does an equally great job on George Michael's hit Father Figure. His voice is equally smooth and very comparable to Michael's. The song itself is superbly composed and clearly was a good fit with the singer.

I'm not going to do a Simon (forget his last name) and start ripping into the other artists. I just didn't find the other songs as good. I particularly felt that Bennett's version of Georgia came no where close to the great version done by Gladys Knight and the Pips. I also didn't care for Pickler's Walkin' After Midnight though if she was the blond in the contest then, the song suited her looks. I just don't care for that kind of song.

Overall, I thought it was a nice CD. I suspect it would be a must for any American Idol fan. For other music listeners, it depends on what you pay for it. I would be willing to pay $10 for it but I wouldn't pay $20. It isn't THAT good. If you find it on sale, you might want to buy it. If nothing else, you'll get to see if some of the contestants are any good. Based on this CD, some of them clearly are.