Ever since Kris Allen covered Kanye West’s “Heartless” on
Kris Allen on Idol
Boyce Avenue performing live!
Is Madonna madness slowly killing your soul? Try Boyce Avenue’s version of “4 Minutes”. Love Rhianna but her songs too high energy for every occasion? Never fear, you can still enjoy “SOS” by The Last Shadow Puppets. Is Alicia Keys a little too soulful for you? Then maybe The Honorary Title’s cover of “No One” is more up your alley.
Max vs. Katy: You Decide!
I’ve never been one for the bells and whistles. For me, there’s nothing like listening to an original spin on a popular work. That way I— the rare bird communications major and resident country girl here at OurStage —actually has something slightly “underground” or “emerging” to talk about around the water cooler. I feel a sense of pride when using lingo like “acoustic” and “cover.” You see, my pop culturalized knowledge of music is comparable to a child coming into an anatomy class only knowing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” because they heard it at nursery school a zillion times. Having said that, I can truly appreciate songs that are a little lesser known, but still relevant. These cover songs are like the covers on my bed, making me feel secure and warm in a cold world of music majors and teenyboppers.
Later this week, you’ll be seeing a blog about songs composed by extraordinarily large bands written by my Community comrade, Aidan. He may argue the point that bigger is better. But I beg the question, “Isn’t less more?”. If something is good, its good, PLAIN and SIMPLE. No need to overcompensate with frills, bows and electric guitar. Stay tuned and see. I’m sure you’ll be siding with me.
He’s adorable, he’s friendly, and he’s got a compelling backstory. This 28 year old has been a fan favorite since day 1, with undeniably solid talent that made him stand out from the crowd during his Milwaukee, Wisconsin audition. Very tragically, Danny’s wife passed away not too long ago. His early interviews on the show were frequently interrupted by emotion as he explained how he had decided to go on with his audition in her memory.
It comes as no shock whatsoever that Adam Lambert has made it this far. A 26 year old Hollywood native, Adam is no stranger to the stage. He’s been singing and acting his whole life; you might be able to tell by his killer stage presence and unbelievable vocal range. This guy’s got PIPES! Week after week it seems like the judges just can’t get enough of his flashy performances and huge notes.
Kris Allen has a tough road ahead of him over the coming week, given the dubious honor of competing with the two people everyone always suspected would make it to the end. Perhaps it’s a blessing: the expectations aren’t on him to take it all. That means less pressure, and that can mean an even better performance. Since it’s all about the votes at this point, Kris might just pull through to be the true “dark horse” of the competition. He’s the youngest of the remaining contestants, a 23 year old from Conway, Arkansas.
