Just like with his debut, Cook came into his second album with a somewhat unique burden. He had proven, on his debut 19E release (read our review here), that the new era of American Idol identifying some of its acts as artists wouldn’t translate into fully-formed artistic product per se. As such, a second question [...]
Author Archive
Now That’s Artistry: David Cook’s “This Loud Morning”
Posted: February 19, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in Now That's Artistry!, 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Gold CertificationTags: Now That's Artistry!, Album Reviews, David Cook
4
Now That’s Artistry!: James Durbin’s “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster”
Posted: February 18, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Gold Certification, Now That's Artistry!Tags: Now That's Artistry!, Album Reviews, James Durbin
Anyone who payed even relatively close attention to Season 11 on American Idol should remember James Durbin’s war cry to “Bring Back Metal!” Anyone who had payed any attention to the history of rock-affiliated contestants on Idol had more than a right to be skeptical; every such contestant had debuted with material that, at the [...]
Now That’s Artistry!: Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger”
Posted: February 10, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Gold Certification, Now That's Artistry!Tags: Album Reviews, Kelly Clarkson, Now That's Artistry!
Kelly Clarkson, American Idol’s first star and artist, was notably unique in that she managed to achieve something of a pop persona that wasn’t defined by the lowest common denominator of the genre. Sure, people forget that at her artist beak with “Breakaway”, she was really competing with Ashlee Simpson as far as material goes. [...]
Now That’s Just Artistry: Kellie Picker’s “100 Proof”
Posted: January 30, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Now That's Artistry!Tags: Album Reviews, Kellie Picker, Now That's Artistry!
Kellie Pickler’s charm, to date, has largely been her personality, often accused of being a put-on but nonetheless considered charming enough to carry her material with the kind of on-record presence that’s so often lacking from post-show product. Her best work has been Dolly Parton-inspired, ranging from flirty (see “Red High Heels”) to deliciously catty [...]
Now That’s Artistry: Lauren Alaina’s “Wildflower”
Posted: January 22, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Now That's Artistry!, Platinum CertificationTags: Album Reviews, Lauren Alaina, Now That's Artistry!
Lauren Alaina was supposed to be the prime example of the pageant bot. Entering “American Idol” at a much heralded 15-years of age and seemingly having been bred in an actual karaoke bar, there wasn’t really a lot of indication that Lauren would make much of a recording presence. Her voice had a nice range [...]
Now That’s Artistry: David Cook’s Eponymous Release
Posted: January 21, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Gold Certification, Now That's Artistry!Tags: Album Reviews, David Cook, Now That's Artistry!
David Cook’s self-titled release, it should be remembered, actually came with a little bit of gravity that usually isn’t afforded releases from American Idol winners. As the declared winner of the first season that exhibited “artistry” (though the term would only be really used in full by the show during the next season), the debut [...]
Now That’s Artistry!: Scotty McCreery’s “Clear as Day”
Posted: January 19, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in 19E/Major Label Releases, Full Albums, Gold Certification, Now That's Artistry!Tags: Album Reviews, Now That's Artistry!, Scotty McCreery
The discussions around Scotty McCreery’s American Idol run were often a misguided affair, both from the perspective of his advocates and his detractors. At the very least, they don’t particularly play out on his debut record. For example, many of his online detractors would often call him out for having a limited range, which became [...]
Now That’s Artistry!: An Introduction and Its Rating System
Posted: January 19, 2012 by Boom Fiyah! in Now That's Artistry!, Odds and EndsTags: Now That's Artistry!
“Now That’s Artistry!” is the official first series of articles posted on Karaoke Hell. As of writing, I think doing most of them, but am not against others pitching in philosophically. That said, of all of the elements of the blog, it’s mine more than anything. So let me explain what I’m doing and why. [...]
