Idol Results, With No Result!

Clockwise: Lana Del Rey; Demi Lovato; and Daughtry.

While I am away at a show listening the the music of Tom Goss and Stewart Lewis, many of you will be watching the Results show for American Idol. At this point, we don't really know if someone will be sent home or not, but we have heard they have three guests coming all, to support new releases. In fact, one guest already played a role tonight, when Chris Daughtry had dinner and a TwitPic with Colton, and gave him some advice. Chris will front the Band Daughtry as they come on the show to play their released just earlier this week. Give a listen to Outta My Head.



Many will remember Chris from his time on Idol in 2006, where he was a frontrunner and surprise elimination in fourth place. Outta My Head is off the album Break The Spell, is available on iTunes and Amazon. It might be tough to find someone in the world who hasn't heard of Demi Lovato. It comes as no surprise Demi will be a featured performances on Idol. I am sure the producers are hoping she and the others guests give a boost the the ratings, which have faltered a bit as of late. She will be on to perform Give Your Heart A Break.



I sure this will keep many of the kids happy who are watching the show. Give Your Heart A Break is the followup to her megasuccessful single, Skyscraper. Both can be found on the album Unbroken. You can purchase Unbroken from iTunes and Amazon. And finally, they will also have singer Lana Del Ray on the show. The singer made quite the controversy when she sang Blue Jeans on Saturday Night Live, So again it does not surprise me that she was invited on American Idol, for the sheer suspense of her performing.



Blue Jeans is a single off the Born To Die album. You can purchase it on both iTunes and Amazon. As to who is going home this week on Idol, the only definite is that Jermaine already did. The only other definite I know is that I will be having a wonderful time. Hope you have a great time, too!

American Idol Season 5 Take 2

As we approach the competition starting up on the most recent season of American Idol, it allows me to do something the other similar shows can't do. That is to look back over the last decade of the show, and visit with the performers I really thought were due another look and listen. Hard to believe it has been a decade, but this summer, it will be 10 years since Fox aired the show that caught the imagination of the viewers.

As I said in yesterday's post, it could easily be argued that Season 5 of American Idol is the most successful of all ten completed season. While there certainly been individuals with much greater success, the sheer number of artists continuing to work in the industry is impressive. Yesterday, I featured the music of Bucky Covington, Mandisa and Kellie Pickler, as well as offering a few insights into some other contestants. Today we get to look at the remaining Season 5 veterans, beginning with the most successful of the lot.



Chris Daughtry might have been the shocking elimination in fourth place this season, it certainly didn't spell the end of his career. On tour, he often stole the show rockin' Led Zeppelin, and was quickly signed to a music contract. By the end of 2006, he had released a single and an album, and both were flying off the shelves. His first single was It's Not Over, written by Greg Wattenberg and Mark Wilkerson, with additional work by Daughtry and his good friend, Ace Young. The song went on the earn the #4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and went on to be nominated for Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.



The album proved to be more successful than anyone could have dreamed. Daughtry sold just shy of five million copies in the US alone. In fact, Daughtry earned two more Grammy nominations, for Best Rock Album and for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group on the song Home. The band also went on to win three American Music Awards and six Billboard Music Awards in 2007. They were not the last for the band either. In 2009, the band released Leave This Town, and at the end of 2011, they offered Break The Spell. The first single off that album is Crawling Back To You.



While it is true that neither the second or third album had the same sales numbers as the first, Daughtry continued to get good airplay, and keep the record company happy. For more about Chris Daughtry and his band, check out their official website here. You can also find their latest album, Break The Spell, on iTunes and Amazon.



While the season went on, Elliott Yamin proved to be a tough one for the judges to get. Well, for Simon, anyway. But his quiet charm and steady performances really caught the attention of the audiences, who liked his jazz-tinged stylings, his R&B flavor. He completed the season in third, in what might be seen as the closest vote of the the final four, separated by fractions of a percent. After the show, many assumed he would be scooped up by a label, but that was not the case. He went the independent route, and released an eponymous first album, which did remarkably well for an indie release. With success of singles like Wait For You, it seemed like Elliott was getting more radio play than winner Taylor Hicks. By 2010, Billboard.Com put together a list of indie releases for the decade, and Elliott Yamin placed #39. In 2009, Elliott released Fight For Love, but the marketplace had changed. It was far tougher to break the hold major labels held on radio, and with no airplay, sales were definitely hurt. Just a few weeks ago, Elliott released a new single on a new label. This is the video for 3 Words.



3 Words debuted at #29 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. For more about Elliott, check out his official website here. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. You can also find his latest single, 3 Words, on iTunes and Amazon.



Interestingly enough, the final two were really the lightning rods of the season, starting with the runner up, Katharine McPhee. She had a roller coaster of a season, at times shining bright, while at other times barely glowing. Her fans were stalwart in their defense, while others were less kind. When she missed a part of the tour, rumors of diva syndrome flew. After the tour, the attitudes calmed down a bit, and by the beginning of 2007, her first album was finally ready for release. Katharine McPhee came out, and six of the twelve songs was written by future AI judges Kara DioGuardi. The first single, Over It, made it to #29 on the Bilboard Hot 100, while the second single, Love Story, did not make the charts. At that point, sales for the album stalled as well. Soon, McPhee and RCA Records parted ways, and in 2009, she released her first album on Verve Forecast Records. The sales went nowhere fast. It included the single Terrified, written by DiaGuardi and Jason Reeves, and Reeves joined McPhee on the song for the album. In 2010, the song was re-released with actor Zachary Levi joining her. Here is the music video for the re-release of Terrified.



Katharine has been more successful as an actress than as a recording artist. She had great reviews for he work in The House Bunny. Currently, she is starring in the much-hyped NBC show, Smash. There she gets to join her two interests, singand and acting. For more about Katharine, check out her official website here. You can also find her latest single, Terrified, on iTunes and Amazon.



The winner of Season 5 was, of course, Taylor Hicks. However, it must be noted that this was the first time the winner had little backing of the judges, and none from Simon Cowell. The voters felt differently, and made sure Taylor was the only one never to have been in the bottom 3. His fans, a vocal group called the Soul Patrol, became a force to be reckoned with, all over the internet. Taylor took his time on the tour, entering from the back of the house through the crowd, wanting to share his win with the fans. Do I Make You Proud, the winner's single, scored big with the fans, making it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Pop chart in Canada. His self-titled album made it to #2 on the charts, the first winner to not hit #1. The two singles released from the album did not engage the public, and both failed to make the Pop charts. With no single, the album sales stalled at 700,000. Soon, Taylor and Arista Records parted ways. In 2009, Taylor went the independent route, and released The Distance. The first single off the album was What's Right Is Right.



Hicks' brand of southern blues didn't seem to catch on with the public. Soon, Taylor was found on the Broadway stage, playing the Teen Angel in Grease for a limited run. Once it closed, Taylor returned to the role for the national tour. After the show, he would often perform a few numbers from his album. Hicks continues to tour with his music. For more about Taylor, check out his official website here. You can also find his latest album, The Distance, on iTunes and Amazon.

Next I will catch up with American Idol Season 6!

American Idol Season 5 Take 1

As we approach the competition starting up on the most recent season of American Idol, it allows me to do something the other similar shows can't do. That is to look back over the last decade of the show, and visit with the performers I really thought were due another look and listen. Hard to believe it has been a decade, but this summer, it will be 10 years since Fox aired the show that caught the imagination of the viewers.

It could easily be argued that Season 5 of American Idol is easily the most successful of all ten completed season, and has numbers that would make it difficult for any other season to match. When you look at the Top 10, there are seven of note, and two of the other three have released music, and the other made an appearance on a hot television show after the show. Heck, even eleventh place finisher Kevin Covais has picked up some acting work. Season 5 has eight Grammy Nominations among them. One of those nominations belongs to seventh-place finisher Ace Young, who helped write the chorus for Daughtry's megahit It's All Over, as well as appearing i Grease and Hair on Broadway. His own music, however, went relatively unnoticed, even when he was co-hosting the Labor Day MDA Telethon. Sixteen-year-old Lisa Taylor finished in tenth, but also appeared on The O.C. after her time on Idol. Paris Bennett, who finished in fifth place, released Princess P in 2007, although few noticed.



However, it must be said that many have noticed the music made by the woman who finished in ninth place, Mandisa. While some thought her performance of Mary Mary's Shackles (Praise You) that shortened her stay on the show, it is Christian Music that has allowed Mandisa's voice to be heard. Since her run on the show, Mandisa has released three albums, all of which have garnered her a Grammy nomination for best Christian/Gospel album. That includes her latest album, What If We Were Real, had the hit song Stronger, which made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, as well as the Christian Adult Contemporary chart. Yes, I hadn't realized there was that specialized niche either.



I also read that while Mandisa was interested in maintaining a healthy spiritual life, she also opted to live a healthy total life, and has lost 100 lbs. since her time on Idol. To catch up with what Mandisa is up to, check out her official website here. You can find What If We Were Real on iTunes and Amazon.



I really enjoyed Bucky Covington while he was on the show, apparently much more than the judges did. Once the show was completed, Bucky almost seemed forgotten, until he was signed by Lyric Street Records. Soon Covington was being featured on the GAC Country Christmas Music Tour, and working on an album. When his eponymous debut was released in 2007, it made it to the top of the Billboard Country album chart, and to #4 on the Pop album chart. He had the best debut week by a man since Billy Ray Cyrus made his debut fifteen years earlier. On the strength of the singles A Different World, It's Good To Be Us, and I'll Walk, all making it in the top 11 of the Country chart, Bucky seemed to be on a strong career track. In 2009, he released an EP, Live From Rockingham, which was quite good. It is a great part of my collection. Here is the video for the song It's Good To Be Us, from the debut album. I think it a great song.



However, while working on his sophomore effort, Lyric Street closed it's doors, leaving Bucky without a label. That was only a temporary setback, for he was soon signed by a label owned by the Disney Music Group. To catch up with what Bucky is up to, check out his official website here. You can find Live From Rockingham on iTunes and Amazon.



Ah, that Kellie Pickler, another Country success story for the Idol franchise, although one that took a slightly different road to success. On the show, Kellie was the girl with the hard-luck story. Her daddy was in prison, and her mother she hardly remembered, so she was living with her grandfather with dreams of being the next Carrie Underwood. Kellie made it to sixth place, and once off the show, she truly seemed to bloom. She was soon guest host on The View, and popping up everywhere. When she returned to the Idol stage the next season to promote her country album, even Ryan couldn't help but noticing the bloom included a visit to the doctor for a breast enhancement. That first album, Small Town Girl, was a certified hit, making it to the top of the Billboard Country album chart, as well as #9 on the Pop album chart. The album was certified gold and went on to over 877,000 in sales in the US alone. Her eponymous second album was released in 2008, and sold well on the strength of great singles like Best Days Of Your Life, her first Top Ten Country single, which was certified Platinum. A few weeks ago, Kellie released her third album, 100 Proof, and the first single, Tough.



Kellie's life has been changed since the days of the back story on Idol. Just over a year ago, she married songwriter Kyle Jacobs and continues to have a successful career. To catch up with what Kellie is up to, check out her official website here. You can find W100 Proof on iTunes and Amazon.

Tomorrow, look for my thoughts on the Top Four from Season 5, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, Katharine McPhee, and winner Taylor Hicks.

Saturday Rocks - Daughtry

As promised, I was planning to do a Saturday Rocks post on Daughtry , and was toying with giving it the title '4th Place My A$$' but decided to go with the traditional title instead. Back in May 2006, Chris Daughtry was the presumed front-runner to win the fifth season of the show. That left eventual winner Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee, and third-place singer Elliott Yamin in the competition. While many thought this was bad news for the rocker, history proves that to be far from the truth.



In November, the self-titled album was released by the band Daughtry, with front-man Chris Daughtry having been instrumental in picking the members. He chose Jeremy Brady,guitarist; Josh Steely, lead guitarist; Josh Paul, bassist who also played for Suicidal Tendencies; and Joey Barnes, drummer, who was the lead singer of Suicide Darlings. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, finishing behind Jay-Z's Kingdom Come, also released that week. The album hung in the Top 10 for the first 8 weeks, and then secured the top spot in the 9th. It would return to the top spot in the 15th week, and stayed in the top 100 for an amazing 116 weeks, over 2 years. Sales in the US alone were quadruple Platinum, with more than 4.5 million sold.



The first single was released ahead of the album, and did extremely well. It's Not Over was written by Gregg Wattenberg and Mark Wilkerson, with some reworking done by Chris and his buddy from Idol, Ace Young, a favorite on this blog. The debut stormed up the charts, claiming the #4 spot on the Hot 100 chart, #3 on the Pop chart, and #1 on the Adult Pop chart. With the ridiculously catchy hook and harder-edged sound, the song clearly established Daughtry as an act to keep an eye on. The song went on to sell over 2 million copies.



The second single, Home, was a sweet ballad, written by Chris Daughtry. As the story was told, he wrote it as he sat on the sofa at home in North Carolina the day before he left to compete on Idol. It helped him express his love of his family, and the desire to not let music take that away from him. It was released in April of 2007, proving such a long life for the first single. It reached #5 on the Pop Chart, making Daughtry the first former Idol to score two top 5 songs off their debut album. The song also made it to #1 on the Adult Pop chart, lasting for ten weeks. It eventually sold just shy of 2 million copies.



The fourth main single, there were two 'rock' singles in addition (What I Want & Crashed), was a song that was tougher to categorize. Feels Like Tonight was thought of by many as ballad, but the uptempo rhythms made others think of it as anthemic pop. It was written by a team of American writers and a Swede, Dr. Luke, Martin Sandberg (aka Max Martin) and Sheppard Solomon, who had already had hits like Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone. My theory, of course, is that much of popular music in the last 15 years has been done by the Swedes, and they practically own the music industry. Hell, Max Martin alone, really. But the song made it to #24 on the Top 100, #17 on the Pop Chart, and once again #1 on the Adult Pop chart, keeping a successful run for the band.



The 5/7th and final single from the album was written by Ben Moody, David Hodges and Josh Hartzler, two members of the band Evanescence, as well as the man married to lead singer Amy Lee. This song, along with the previous single, were the only two songs on the album not either written or co-written by Chris Daughtry. What About Now is one of those big, anthemic stadium ballads, and Daughtry certainly knew how to play them. The song went to #18 on the Top 100, #21 on the Pop chart, and #3 on the Adult Pop chart. It was release in July of 2008, almost 17 months after the release of the album. This album had such great legs, aided by a strong line of singles that kept Daughtry on the radio and being heard by the world.



Shortly after the release of the album, Jeremy Brady left the band. He was replaced by Brian Craddock. This past April, it was announced Joey Barnes was no longer a part of the band, replaced by Robin Diaz. For more about Daughtry, check out the official website here.

Daughtry - September

Chris Daughtry made quite an impact during his run on the fifth season of American Idol. Hot on the heels of Bo Bice's successful run, Chris made a strong statement that rock singers had a place on the show, until he was shockingly eliminated in fourth place. After the show, he was snapped up, and went on to form the band Daughtry, and release a debut album that sailed up the charts, selling just shy of 5 million copies in the US. The second release, Leave This Town, has cleared the million mark, and continues to make an impact, with the latest single, September, being released with a spanking new video.



This weekend I was already planning to feature the band for a Saturday Rocks post, so you can look forward to more Daughtry over the weekend! For more about Daughtry in the meantime, check out the bands official website here.

You Might Have Noticed

There is a chance you might have noticed I am working a bit on the look of the blog. Starting this morning you will have seen a new header, comprised of photographs I have taken when attending live performances I have enjoyed. I have been trying to work out how I was going to get this done, and I finally did.



Appearing in the banner are: Tom Goss, Bucky Covington, Stewart Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Eric Himan, Ace Young, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Aiden James, and Chris Daughtry. So I will be trying to think of some ways to upgrade the blog, which will more than likely be small things, such as the header. Just thought I'd let you know. Thanks!