I have to say that when the season got going at the rapid-fire pace that it did, my first viewing of Blake Lewis, was, for lack of a better term, one of lukewarm acceptance.
I mean, those of us that have been dissecting the show for a while at home or online know that when it comes to wanna-be's, they will do literally anything to get that "break". So when I saw the Seacrest-looking-do, the fact that he was a beatbox champion, and the "pretty boy" image, I thought, "Ok...well....I guess...."
His audition in Seattle was good, if not better than good. In a cliche, it certainly "exceeded expectations". However, I felt that during the Hollywood week, despite the centering on the group he was in doing "How Deep is Your Love", American Idol didn't give him much airtime. No...how could they? It was more interesting to see the Antonella Barba group go back and forth and ultimately end up in disarray, right? Ugh!
When we came into Week 1 for what many think is the "karaoke portion" of the competition, Lewis blew me away with his Keane rendition. I thought that it was well thought out, perfectly executed, and really set him apart from the competition.
Honestly, I believe that right now Chris Sligh and Blake are the class of the guys. When it was obvious that Sanjaya was in the top four of the guys even with a lackluster performance, it made it even more apparent that it is Sligh's and Lewis' to lose. But with the fact that Taylor Hicks winning Season 5, AI voters are clearly concerned with seeing people that can sing well but be more individualized than anything else.
The problem for Blake will be to continue to prove himself beyond the "beatboxer" mentality. It's the unfortunate thing that has followed many Idol contestants over the years where they get pigeonholed into a certain genre and when it comes time to break out into something else, they fail miserably (note all of the crooners that have fallen on their face). I believe ultimately this was Chris Daughtry's demise last year because no one truly believe he could be more of a "rocker" type. (Obviously, Daughtry is having the last belly laugh right now).
Lewis, however, can break this cycle. He has a pure voice, lovable persona, and with the seemingly lack of uniqueness with the guys this year, he should be able to continue to shine week in and week out. If he is not in the final 12 it will be a travesty amongst all of the other surprises that have already occurred. Well, that and if Antonella is still there standing with him...
Goosey--Out!!Labels: American Idol, American-Idol, Antonella Barba, Antonella-Barba, Blake Lewis, Blake-Lewis, Chris Sligh, editorial, reality television, reality TV, reality-tv, television, tv |
