I have watched and generally enjoyed every season of American Idol.  I did not believe Fantasia deserved to win but she lucked out by finding herself stuck in a bland year of contestants and so she won by default.  Her career after her win demonstrates the failure of the American Idol producers to pick a winner beyond Tuesday nights.

Here is a quick examination so far of my top three stars and my least favorite three fakes from this year’s competition. The other contestants I do not mention are just doing time until they’re tossed off the show.

STARS
Taylor Hicks must win American Idol because he is the most interesting, most talented and the most compelling musician of the current crop of contenders.

Because of his immense talents and abilities he will not win.  American Idol is not about talent and perfection, it is instead merely about marketability.  Marketability means selling millions of records to teenage girls who want to swoon with Puppy Love as they hand over their weekly allowance to iTunes and Tower Records.  Taylor’s singing has depth and emotion and great human reverberance.

He is technically supreme.  If American Idol had any guts they’d promote him more and allow him to win and make the American Idol niche deeper and wider from its hoary teenaged core.  You can listen to Taylor Hicks here and my favorite song is “Heart and Soul.”

Continue reading → Top American Idol Stars and Fakes