Real Music People

This week, Dwight Yoakam releases Dwight Sings Buck, a tribute to his idol that recalls Buck Owens’ very own excellent songbook albums, 1961’s Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard and 1963’s Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins. Sings Harlan Howard arrived early in Buck’s career: it was only his second album, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that his classic sound hasn’t quite gelled yet — he’s relying heavily on steel guitar and fiddle instead of electric guitars, bringing this closer to the vibe of barroom country. Part of the reason this doesn’t quite sound like classic Buck is that he was still getting the Buckaroos off the ground. His right-hand man Don Rich was aboard, yet he’s only on three cuts, playing fiddle (plus a lead acoustic guitar), not his trademark electric guitar, which doesn’t give this album the twangy snap of Buck’s best-known hits, yet it’s possible to hear that sound beginning to take shape here.Dwight’s new offering, do exactly what a songbook album should do: they’re affectionate tributes but they’re thoroughly entertaining in their own right. Plus, they perform a valuable service in turning listeners onto music they may have missed. It’s hard to imagine any Dwight fan that hasn’t listened to a bit of Buck, but after hearing Dwight Sings Buck, they might want to dig deeper into Owens’ catalog and they could bypass those hits comps and start with either of these albums. There might be some hits you’d miss, but you’d get the greatness of the man. Then, after you’re done, you can follow Buck’s lead and dig into Harlan Howard (his lone 1965 LP, All Time Favorite Country Songwriter, a boast that was largely true) and Tommy Collins (start with 2005’s The Capitol Collection), another pursuit that is thoroughly rewarding

Sanjaya’s giving American Idol headaches again. And this time, his tender age, not his off-key singing, is the issue. The Idol powers that be at 19 Entertainment have agreed pay $5,000 to the state of New York for child-labor violations stemming from this past summer’s American Idols Live! Tour. Just goes to show you that laws are not made to protect the people! They are made to create revenue for Uncle Sam. It would be different if this woman was concerned about the children’s welfare… But all she was concerned about was if these people purchased all their permits!!! But that also that if the two were underage then how could there have been permit for the two to perform at all. And if there were permits then this is a serious matter that needs to be investigated by the concerned officials. American Idol is a show that’s watched all over the globe and if there is any malfunctioning that is taking place on the show then it’s directly sending the wrong signals to everyone viewing it, that America accepts child labour while telling others to reform.

The former American Idol star was forced to cancel her forthcoming UK tour due to poor ticket sales.
The singer had a number of dates scheduled across her homeland, but all of the shows have now been called off and refunds issued from the various sellers.
After the cancel of her tour the singer made a statement on official website. She told her fans: ”I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to getting out there to perform for y’all. In the craziness of the music business, performing is what I look forward to doing the most, so it really is disappointing for me to have to tell you that I won’t be coming out to tour this summer. The fact is that touring is just too much too soon.”
Clarkson said that her next tour in the UK would be scheduled as soon as possible after the singer prepares for the release of her new album “My December”.
“I promise you that we’re going to get back out there as soon as is humanly possible to give you a show that will be even better. Thanks for all of your love and continued support.”
Michael Rapino, chief executive of concert promoters LiveNation, told the Reuters news agency that sales had not been as successful as hoped.
He told reporters: ”Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated and we came to the realisation that we had bit off more than we could chew.”
Clarkson won the first series of American Idol and his released two highly successful pop albums in the US.

There are so many great things that we talk about the whole about American Idol. Since it started airing from season 1 until now the show has been a blast. And after several seasons it has already produced many of todays chart toping hits. Great names like Kelly Clarkson, Bo Bice, Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks are just some of the names that definitely made a big impact on the music world. The judges were also a great ingredient in this reality contest. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson did a great job in bringing great new talents to the American Idol. And now, another great chapter adds up to the show as Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis will finally bring out their last performances. Whoever wins in this show they are already both winners to me. Good luck!

There has been much talk of late regarding the ramifications of a Blake Lewis victory come tomorrow night on American Idol. The issue has nothing to do with Jordin Sparks, so we’ll leave her out of this for now. There are, then, two issues to discuss. One, the reasons Blake Lewis doesn’t want to win and, two, evidence that Blake Lewis is not trying to win.

The truth is, Blake Lewis would benefit from coming in second. He would have more creative freedom on the album he decides to make. As witnessed at his Seattle concert (or any of his outside-of-Idol concerts), Blake has a repertoire of original songs that he’d love to record. However, they aren’t exactly mainstream fare. How much dance music do you see on TRL? American Idol will attempt to steer Blake into more of a Justin Timberlake direction if he ends up winning. I really don’t see the Idol executives signing off on an album that features 7-minute, loop-centric dance songs.

During tonight’s episode, the first thing that might clue you in to Blake’s mindset was his decision to perform first after he won the coin flip (AND after asking Jordin whether she wanted to go first). It’s always beneficial to perform last, in terms of making a lasting impression on the Idol voters (this may not be scientifically proven, but it sure seems to be the case). Blake’s lack of nervousness is another red flag. He does not seem at all invested in the competition and looks as if he only really cares about going out there and having a good time. If he really wanted to win American Idol, we’d probably sense at least a little stress out of him.

Thankfully, it is impossible to accuse Blake of trying to “throw” the competition at any point. It’s obvious that he’s doing the best that he can out there and that he has a lot of pride in what he does. A moment that stood out during last week’s results show was Blake’s reaction after it was announced that Melinda was eliminated. He looked embarrassed, even a little upset. That’s not the way a person reacts if they are in it to win it.

Blake’s already going to have the opportunity to record a high-profile album. Creative freedom is more important than the bragging rights of being an Idol champion. Jordin Sparks is much more Idol’s type: young, marketable, malleable.

This was quite a shock for most “American Idol” viewers as Melinda Doolittle was considered the favorite to win the show this year but as in most cases, it’s not enough to be a crowd favorite to go on winning the competition. Controversy is definitely no stranger to this production. The final two to square off in one more battle are Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks.
Melinda was Cowell’s favorite and he definitely did not take the news with happiness. He always showed his affection for the 29-year-old backup singer and when he found out the news he covered his face and said:

Congratulations to you two. My commiserations, Melinda, ’cause you are one heck of a singer”
Upon leaving Melinda Doolittle seemed resigned and everyone could see that she was not really happy. The facts are she never hit a bad note in all of the shows and this does not seem fair. I am one of the guys that think singing needs to be the main criteria in Idol but we all know it is not. Let us see what happens next when in the last show we will see a perfect “American Idol” type in Sparks or the revolutionary “rebel” Wash.

The three remaining American Idol contestants went back to their roots Friday, to rabid crowds of hometown fans. Melinda Doolittle spent time in Tennessee, even honored by the governor while she sang to her fans. Blake Lewis went back to Seattle, Washington, giving a free concert to screaming fans in Westgate Park. The crowd was filled with teenage girls skipping class to get a chance to see their Idol in person. Jordin Sparks returned home to Glendale, Arizona, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that people actually live in Glendale, Arizona. What amazes me is how publicity stunts like this get covered by the media. I suppose I am also to blame for picking up the story, but it really is odd how these three get touted around town as gods when really their just has-beens to be. I guess there’s no accounting for taste.

It’s like Sesame Street Live, only with has-been pop singers! Yessir, you can now expect many of the former contestants to sign up with the traveling circus that is the live American Idol show. All the Sanjaya fans can see him in a city near them. In fact all top ten finalists – Phil Stacey, Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Jordin Sparks, Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis, Sanjaya Malakar, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen and Chris Sligh – will be there. It’s all so cheesy, I love it.As if the franchise isn’t making enough money from being the number one show on television. Now they have to whore themselves out Road Rules style. If there is one concert you can expect me not to cover, this will be it. Count me out folks. I’ll read about it in the news.