Kris Allen - Season 8

[TopCatDC]

Well FWIW, I thought that they both did spectacularly well on their first songs. No way did Kris surpass Adam, who improved on his best performance of the competition. But I considered it a draw as Kris made Ain't No Sunshine even better than it had been before. And I think that performance last night was Kris's best vocal of the season.

What's Goin On was good, but a bit of a misfire in the arrangement. That is a darn serious song, but that wasn't a serious arrangement. I think Simon had it right when he said that was more like some friends jamming on their back porch. It just didn't fit the lyric. I can see what Kris was going for musically - something like he did on She Works Hard for the Money. But while the song was very well done, creatively it was off. Adam's Sam Cooke number was right on the money, but oversung. (sigh) It is a singing competition, so I guess vocal showboating is allowed, but I sure hope he doesn't do that in a recording studio. But creatively it was a better fit than Kris's Marvin Gaye number.

And, as everyone has said, the Treacle Tune was lead weight that did no one any favors. But the range really killed Kris and made him look like a bad singer. At least Adam could hit the notes. Some people completely disagree with me and liked Kris on it. But I couldn't get past the poor technique. Unlike his earlier songs which were so well sung, this one he was pushing with his throat trying to get up to the high notes which will defeat a singer every time. It chokes off the air. It was a bad place to leave off the competition. Last year they ended with their own song choices so the evening finished with their final statement on who they were as artists, which I think would have been better. This song order placed too much emphasis on the Treacle Tune, which is always the low point of the evening.

So, that's what I saw. I am still a big Kris fan and sent him thousands of votes last night. All the while I was doubtful that he would be the winner - but if he loses I want it to be respectably close!

But this morning, it looks like most people are predicting a Kris victory. What a surprise that would be! Of course the headlines tomorrow would not be "Kris Allen Wins"; they will be "Adam Lambert Loses!"

[amna]

The coronation song is the worst ever....

[maxkl]

The coronation song is the worst ever....

Totally Agree!!

Too bad Kris couldn't have arranged that song to "make it is own".... it would have had to make it better that that!! I didn't like it for either Adam or Kris!!

[I'm MEL]

Sorry in advance for this, and I'll try to do it without violating any FoRT rules (I have been a longtime lurker; this is about my 5th post). Having co-founded WhatNotToSing.com along with my daughter and our family friend, I think I can respond pretty authoritatively to AllDone's recent comments.
....

Thanks - the website has become part of my new AI obsession this season!

[angelic_one2002]

Whatever will be, will be now..it's over..voting is over. I wish both guys a bright future in music. They are both capable, that's for certain. I feel Kris was 'good', was a little pitchy last night, and he can't hit the upper register as well as Adam.

[Misty8723]

But this morning, it looks like most people are predicting a Kris victory. What a surprise that would be! Of course the headlines tomorrow would not be "Kris Allen Wins"; they will be "Adam Lambert Loses!"

And Idol will throw him under the bus the way they did Taylor Hicks.

[pillbeam]

What's Goin On was good, but a bit of a misfire in the arrangement. That is a darn serious song, but that wasn't a serious arrangement. I think Simon had it right when he said that was more like some friends jamming on their back porch. It just didn't fit the lyric. I can see what Kris was going for musically - something like he did on She Works Hard for the Money. But while the song was very well done, creatively it was off.

I appreciate your thoughtful analysis about Whats Going On. And perhaps it would have made more sense visually for Kris to have been standing to sing such a serious song. But I adored Kris's vocal rendition of it, even sitting down. I felt he captured the angst of that antiwar song perfectly, and again, brilliantly used his unique phrasing and rhythmic skills. Simon Fuller did a great job in picking the song for him.

I think that people today mistakenly expect that if you are going to sing an antiwar song, that it naturally would be sung in a very aggressive, loud and angry manner. The truth is that the great antiwar songs of the 1960s came out of the folk tradition. It was commonplace for performers like the Chieftains, Arlo Guthry, and Peter, Paul and Mary to sing antiwar songs with softer voices and fantasic harmonies.... And yes, sometimes they were sitting in a group while singing. It was the contrast between the soft voices and sometimes harsh, bitter message that made their performances so powerful. So while Whats Going On is not a folk song, it is certainly legitimate to sing it in the "folk manner," as Kris did.
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[Kyle]

The coronation song is the worst ever....

Even worse than "Love Missile F1-11" by Sigue Sigue Sputnik?

[stacerace]

I appreciate your thoughtful analysis about Whats Going On. And perhaps it would have made more sense visually for Kris to have been standing to sing such a serious song. But I adored Kris's vocal rendition of it, even sitting down. I felt he captured the angst of that antiwar song perfectly, and again, brilliantly used his unique phrasing and rhythmic skills. Simon Fuller did a great job in picking the song for him.

I think that people today mistakenly expect that if you are going to sing an antiwar song, that it naturally would be sung in a very aggressive, loud and angry manner. The truth is that the great antiwar songs of the 1960s came out of the folk tradition. It was commonplace for performers like the Chieftains, Arlo Guthry, and Peter, Paul and Mary to sing antiwar songs with softer voices and fantasic harmonies.... And yes, sometimes they were sitting in a group while singing. It was the contrast between the soft voices and sometimes harsh, bitter message that made their performances so powerful. So while Whats Going On is not a folk song, it is certainly legitimate to sing it in the "folk manner," as Kris did.
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I totally agree with you. I really LOVED his performance of that song even though I've never heard it before.

[JLuvs]

I thought Kris was excellent last night. Hopefully, if he wins, he can change the key on the winners song and just sing it simply with his guitar.