And, to be blunt: the Blacked Eyed Peas are simply terrible. The lyrics are horrendously simple and lame; the singing not much better. They must write these "songs" while going to the restroom - the setting, and length of time to write a song, would be appropriate. I have seen them on a few shows recently, and their appearance on American Idol solidified my vote: terrible. I guess people like the "show" they put on!? This is *marketing* in action people.
Next: Alicia Keys. I used to really love her singing; but, the performance tonight was - if she was being judged by the Idol judges - just not good. I do not know if she had a cold or something, or if she just can not sing live, but I was not diggin' it. Her piano playing is really great, and she certainly can sing (from what I have been led to believe over the years), so I have no idea what was the deal tonight.
On the good, or better - great, side of things: Mary J. Blige and her all-star band (including Randy Jackson on Bass) -- she was FABULOUS, and her rendition of the classic Led Zeppelin tune Stairway to Heaven was smokin' hot! I'd listen to it on the radio! I have not really listened to much of her singing, but after hearing that, I would certainly give her other music a chance if she sings consistently well.
Carrie Underwood did a fine job with her song. As with Mary J., Carrie actually can sing (unlike so many other "super-stars" these days that rely on theatrics and electronic-pitch-benders to overcome their singing / lyric deficiencies); certainly they both sang tonight, and sang well.
What I hate about many of these "superstars" that show up as guest artist on Idol (including Usher recently - and his pitch-bending computerized mess of a "song") is that the quality of their vocals does not even match that of the contestants remaining on Idol (like Crystal Bowersox : wow! that girl can sing, and sing anything, and do so fantastically!)
Somewhere along the line, for quite some time, marketing, "showmanship", and hype has become more important than the singing ability of the person delivering a song to our ears. Marketing experts are dictating what we hear, based on what image a person/group has to offer - vs. actual talent. It is ridiculous. And, this is why persons like Ms. Bowersox - without Idol's exposure - perform in subway stations instead of making it in the recording industry as they should! (at least SHE should now make it, now that everyone in America knows she can sing wonderfully!)
Most of the time, the song we listen to is on the radio, an MP3 player, streaming over the web, or some other method that does not involve us seeing the performer - but yet so much of the promotion of artists is this "image" thing; to the point it outweighs the logical side of the equation that says VOICE is what should matter, period. This is one reason I watch American Idol (though, they really need to quit the lip-syncing in the Idol group-sings that tend to open many of the episodes; it is terrible).
And, before I forget... Elton John, though showing his years in the business, still put on a great show with singing that was worthy of television time. Great Job! And, by the way, Sir Elton John is coming to the local Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio next month (within about 1/2 hour drive of my location)... too bad ticket prices have skyrocketed, or it would have been a nice show to see.
Whether you agree with my assessment of these artists or not; this is my opinion based on what I have seen and heard. The show was enjoyable generally, though the stories of poverty and sickness are certainly rattling and deserve our attention and efforts to resolve.
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