Carly Smithson was shockingly and undeservedly shown the door on season 7 of American Idol way too early in 6th place while sorely less talented singers Brooke White, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado all made the top 5. Each of them has had careers post Idol with Mercado starring in the touring production of Dreamgirls (in the Deena role that Beyonce performed in the film) and White and Castro both releasing albums. Unfortunately, neither of their records made much of a dent on the charts. So, it’s somewhat, ironic that Smithson is doing much better than her peers with her band We Are the Fallen which features Ben Moody and other former members of Evanescence. Following a top 30 rock hit “Bury Me Alive”, the band is readying their second single the title track from their debut album Tear the World Down which hit Billboard’s top 30 as well. The edgy rock single should satisfy their hardcore fans but is unlikely to bring them new ones or tap into the fan base Smithson built on Idol. If they wanted more of that mass appeal, they should’ve selected the gorgeous ballad “Sleep Well My Angel” or the midtempo anthem “I Will Stay”. We’ll see if they are chosen as subsequent singles in time, but any new music from the supremely talented vocalist Smithson makes me happy. Her voice is like a latter-day Ann Wilson’s from Heart~ soaring, powerful, intense and full of emotion. Check out We Are the Fallen on tour this summer and fall. For their dates and more on the band, click here. And see which song you prefer from Carly and the boys below.
We Are the Fallen “Tear the World Down”
We Are the Fallen “I Will Stay”
We Are the Fallen “Sleep Well My Angel”
Tags: Ben Moody, Brooke White, Carly Smithson, Dreamgirls, Evanescence, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado, We are the Fallen
