“Help Me Now I’m Torn”! Those are the incredibly catchy lyrics from Natalie Imbruglia’s 90′s smash, but they also define my feelings after watching tonight’s American Idolseason 12 finale. In a nail biter of an episode, both of our incredibly talented ladies, Kree and Candice, delivered fantastic performances one after the other. Both sounded amazing, looked great, were humble and at the top of their game as they took on 3 songs: Simon Fuller’s Choice, their Single, and a “Favorite Encore” from the season. It was neck and neck up until the last song when one lady sang what I will say was the deciding vocal. However, in a year when supposed front-runner Angie got the surprise boot last week and left us with the two actual best singers in the finals, who knows who will actually win. Both women have a really good shot… But, let’s take a look at my rankings and final predictions for season 12 below and declare a winner.
American Idol Finale Performance Rankings~ 5/15/13
~ the astounding: 1. Candice- “I Who Have Nothing”: from the opening a capella verse to the insane final notes, Candice’s reprise song was a capper to an incredible season for the singer who had more “moments” than anyone else all year. And this was arguably her best. It was simply brilliant beautiful and bold. Simply amazing. And further props for changing up the arrangement yet again Candy Girl! ~ the fantastic 2. Kree- “Up to the Mountain”: with her best vocal of the night and arguably, the whole season, Kreedom rose into the heavens on this one. It was glorious and ethereal and surpassed her previous version by leaps and bounds. As Keith says, “just beautiful”. ~ the great 3. Kree- “All Cried Out”; forgive me but I was a bit cried out at the end of this lovely new single. The sentiment and Kree’s aching vocals really got to me. This could totally be her “Jesus Take the Wheel” and fly up the country charts. This kind of song and performance is just what got me so torn. In fact, Kree really made me emotional in all of her performances tonight and that could totally push her over the top. This single is also a much more marketable one than Candice’s. 4. Candice- “I Am Beautiful”: yes, you are beautiful Candice and so are your amazing pipes. While this song was a little more pop than the R&B sweet spot I like Candice in, it still was a good choice for her and a great vocal. I wonder how this one will do as an actual “single” but It certainly has potential. ~ the good: 5. Candice- “Chasing Pavements”: taking on Adele’s first hit, Candice delivered another winner. She changed up the phrasing and arrangement enough to make it feel like her own song and she sang it beautifully. It was just a little sleepy compared to her other two numbers. 6. Kree- “Angel”: with an angelic (yes I said it) vocal on Sarah McLachlan’s weeper, Kree totally wrecked me. While the song was a little sleepy as well, her emotion was so on point and her voice so perfect, it really left me a little weepy.
Wow~ 6 Incredibly performances. How can I choose a winner? Ok, I’m just gonna call it….
Prediction~ Winner: Candice Glover
(She had the stronger night by a small margin, but her final song really pushed her over the edge for the win. She was also the strongest and most consistent competitor all season.)
And there you have it. I’m ready to crown Candice Glover the season 12 American Idol. Are you? Will America pick the actual best singer this time? (I’d say only Kelly and Carrie were the actual best singers of their entire seasons, so Candice would be in great company.) Will Kree pull an upset and land us another Texas winner? Will Candice become the first returnee contestant to win? … Who knows? It’s gonna be really close and I could see either lady win. In fact, I’m predicting it will be the closest finale since Ruben/Clay in season 2. I also think both women have very good careers ahead of them. I can’t wait to see who what they do and, of course, who wins. Find out tomorrow on American Idol.
American Idol is now down to five ladies and I will argue that it is the best top five in the history of the program and definitely vocally the most talented in Idol’s 12 seasons. Tonight the ladies put it all out on the stage in a divalicious smack down as they covered the great divas including Whitney, Celine, Barbra, Beyonce and of course Mariah which led to a fantastic second half of the show. Now, the first half wasn’t too bad either as the women sang “Songs From the Year they Were Born”, but it paled in comparison to the “Diva” round… So, just which performances overall were the best and which lady is in danger of going home? That is, if any of them actually go home~ hello the “Save” is still supposedly in play…. Take a look at my rankings and predictions below.
American Idol Rankings 4/17/13 ~ the great 1. Angie- “Halo”: I really had trouble trying to decide what was the best performance of the night, but to my shock I’m giving it to Angie’s fantastic interpretation of this Beyonce smash. It wa a daunting task that she handled tremendously and it was easily the best, and my favorite, Angie joint since her original song in Hollywood week. TIE 2. Amber- “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?”: Amber gave an insanely perfect vocal on this Barbra Streisand song I’ve never heard of tonight. It was gorgeous and glorious, much like Amber herself. She is so perfect with these jazzy standards that I think perhaps she could do a Norah Jones type record in the future and have a great deal of success. TIE 2. Candice- “When You Believe”: this song had the perfect arc, perfect emotion and the perfect vocal. Candice had me in tears by the end and truly did Whitney and Mariah proud. 4. Candice- “Straight Up”: With fantastic reworking of the # 1 smash from 1989 by original Idol judge Paula Abdul, Candice proved her versatility and song choice savvy. This was another wonderful performance in a season where Candice can simply do no wrong. ~ the good: 5. Amber- “Without You”: I really liked this performance and Amber’s vocals were naturally great. I also enjoyed her vocal choices to differentiate it from Mariah’s version. Really good job. ~ the pretty good 6. Kree- “Have You Ever Been in Love?”: Kree’s take on this Celine Dion hit was quite nice and effortless. I really felt her emotion and longing. However, she hit some off notes for once, but still a solid showing. 7. Kree- “She Talks to Angels”: I really loved the acoustic opening to this Black Crowes cover. However, the rest of the song felt a little route and forced. That said, Kree’s voice was beautiful on it. Maybe I just expected more from it? ~ the decent 8. Angie Miller- “I’ll Stand by You”: while I appreciated the sentiment of the song and her dedication to Boston, Angie really over-performed the song and lost a lot of the meaning for me. She also hit some rather wonky notes along the way. 9. Janelle- “When I Call Your Name”: Janelle’s vocals were really beautiful and lovely on this Vince Gill track. I just wish it wasn’t so boring and surprisingly emotionally disconnected. 10. Janelle- “Dumb Blonde”: while I though it was a fun performance and I love Janelle’s personality, this Dolly Parton cover fell flat. She didn’t have the vocal prowess to make it unique and it felt a little too literal of an interpretation of the song.
Predictions~ Bottom two: Janelle and Amber (only because they seem to be the ones with the smallest fan bases) Going home: Janelle
* BUT ACTUALLY I THINK NO ONE WILL GO HOME~ I think they’ll either activate the “Save” (especially if Amber is the lowest vote getter) or the Producers will just declare it a “No Elimination” week. That happened once before with the Idol Gives Back show in season 6 I believe, so it’s not unprecedented.
So, that’s my take on the Idol women and their Diva ways. I was shocked Angie had my favorite song of the night and a little underwhelmed that the girl I’m still betting will win it all, Kree, had a slightly off night. I was also on the Amber/Candice love train again and I just hope these two divas can go to the top three together. We will see…. And we’ll see who, or if anyone at all, gets sent home tomorrow night on American Idol… featuring a guest appearance by one of their own Idol divas, Clay Aiken!!! hehe,
Grammy winner John Mayer and newly crowned American Idol winner Phillip Phillips share a lot in common. Both are attractive, guitar strumming, raspy voiced white guys, and now they’re both making waves on the Billboard Charts... Mayer lands his third # 1 album with his latest, Born and Raised, which sells 219,000 copies. Phillip’s compilation album from season 11 of American Idol debuts at # 11 while the combo-album from the season finale episode, American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP, featuring his competition (and the girl who should’ve won) Jessica Sanchez also debuts at # 21. Sanchez’s season competition album debuts way down at #126. Two other Idol contenders also hit the charts as season 10′s third place finisher Haley Reinhart barrels in at # 17 while season 8 champ Kris Allen disappoints with a # 27 debut for his sophomore album. He may have won that season but he has been upstaged time and again by that season’s runner-up Adam Lambert who hit # 1 with his sophomore album, Trespassing, last week…. For more on all these albums and the Billboard 200, head here and check out the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Born & Raised- John Mayer (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 3)
4. Apocalyptic Love- Slash (debut)
5. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 10)
6. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 9)
7. The Hurt & the Healer- Mercy Me (debut)
8. Once Upon Another Time EP- Sara Bareilles (debut)
9. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 6)
10. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)
And other American Idol contenders on the BB200 (along with Carrie Underwood above) ….
11. Journey to the Finale- Phillip Phillips (debut)
12. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (lw~ 1)
17. Listen Up! – Haley Reinhart (debut)
21. American Idol Season 11: Top 2 Season Finale EP- Phillip Phillps & Jessica Sanchez (debut)
27. Thank You Camellia- Kris Allen (debut)
33, Stronger- Kelly Clarkson * a former # 2 album that just passed 800,000 copies
73. Clear as Day- Scotty McCreery * a former # 1 album that has sold over 1 million copies
126. Journey to the Finale- Jessica Sanchez (debut)
Back on the Hot 100 SinglesChart, Philips also makes an auspicious debut as his coronation single “Home” hits the top ten debuting at # 10. This makes him the first Idol winner to hit the Hot 100 top ten with their coronation single since season 7′s David Cook. He also becomes the 13th Idol alum to hit the top ten on this chart following Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, David Cook,David Archuleta, and Adam Lambert…. Perhaps, I may have to eat my words about Phillips but I am still very skeptical that he will ever have any real pop hits with his upcoming debut album. That said, he’s off to a nice start. We’ll see how things turn out…. Holding onto # 1 is Gotye while Carly Rae Jepsen fights hard in the runner-up spot. For more on this chart, head to Billboard here.
Top Ten Singles on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) * 7 weeks at # 1, the longest chart topper of 2012
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 2)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon 5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 3)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 4)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 5)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 6)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Home”- Phillip Phillips (debut)
And here’s the lead off single from Mayer’s new album, “Shadow Days”
Grammy nominated American Idol alum Adam Lambert blasts on to the top of the Billboard 200 Albumschart this week with his sophomore release, the awesome pop-dance record Trespassing(which I give an “A” grade to by the way). In doing so, he makes some history. Not only is this the first time an Idol alum has succeeded another Idol at the top of this chart (as Lambert replaces Carrie Underwood after two weeks in the pole position), but he also becomes the first openly gay recording artist to debut at # 1 on this chart. Sure, other gay artists have topped the Billboard 200 like Elton John and George Michael, but they weren’t out at the time. So, kudos to Adam! I’m thrilled and I hope the record continues to sell well because it’s incredibly good and a marked improvement from his quite good debut, For Your Entertainment which has sold almost 900,000 copies to date (which basically triples the amount that season’s winner, Kris Allen, sold). With his debut, Lambert becomes the 7th Idol winner to hit the summit of this chart following Underwood (who’s done it 3 times), Kelly Clarkson (who’s done it twice), Chris Daughtry of Daughtry (also twice), Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Scotty McCreery… Other debuts this week come from the Glee cast, Tenacious D and some group I’ve never heard of called Bloom…. For more on Adam’s achievement, head to Billboard hereand take a look at the new top ten below.
Top Ten Albums on the Billboard 200:
1. Trespassing- Adam Lambert (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. Blown Away- Carrie Underwood (lw~ 1)
4. Little Broken Hearts- Norah Jones (lw~ 5)
5. Rize of the Fenix- Tenacious D (debut)
6. Now 42 Compilation- Various Artists (lw~ 4)
7. Bloom- Beach House (debut)
8. Glee, the Music: Season Three – The Graduation Album- Glee Cast (debut)
9. Tuskegee- Lionel Richie (lw~ 3)
10. Up All Night- One Direction (lw~ 7)
Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, not much is going on as Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” holds on top for a 6th week. However, next week, Canadian Idol finalist Carly Rae Jepsen may shake things up as her debut single “Call Me Maybe” comes within striking distance of the top. And she may have to fend off this year’s Idol finalists as the debut singles from Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez will also be eligible to chart and often land in the upper regions of the Hot 100 in their first week. Stay tuned!
Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Somebody that I Used to Know”- Gotye w/Kimbra (last week~ 1) *6 weeks on top
2. “Call Me Maybe”- Carly Rae Jepsen (lw~ 4)
3. “Payphone”- Maroon5 w/ Wiz Khalifa (lw~ 2)
4. “We Are Young”- fun. w/Janelle Monae (lw~ 3)
5. “Starships”- Nicki Minaj (lw~ 6)
6. “Wild Ones”- Flo Rida w/Sia (lw~ 5)
7. “What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction (lw~ 7)
8. “Glad You Came”- The Wanted (lw~8)
9. “Boyfriend”- Justin Bieber (lw~ 9)
10. “Drive By”- Train (lw~ 10)
And before I go, enjoy Adam Lambert’s fabulous performance of his current hit single from Trespassing, “Never Close Our Eyes”, on last week’s Idol results show.
All season long on American Idol, Jessica Sanchez has been the premiere singer with pristine and perfect vocals and wonderful performances. Tonight on the finale, she did it again. With three tremendous performances, she absolutely schooled her competitor and the likely front-runner affable, southern guy Phillip Phillips. While both of these singers have good futures ahead of them, only one truly deserves to win the crown and only one is likely to become a pop superstar. That one is Jessica. The question is… can she actually win? Despite out-performing and easily out-singing Phillip throughout out the race, the white guy with a guitar has remained the fan favorite and has a huge tween girl/soccer mom (and probably some gay guys too) following because of his looks and charm. He is just the kind of guy who has won this show for the past four years (David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee Dewyze, Scotty McCreery) despite whether he’s worthy or not. Did he deserve to be in the finals in my opinion? No, maybe top five, but that’s it. However, we all know my opinion differs from America all the time or Carly Smithson, Adam Lambert, Crystal Bowersox and Pia Toscano would’ve been Idol winners…. So, just what is going to happen with tomorrow’s results? Let’s take a look at my rankings of the performances and my predictions below.
American Idol Season 11 Finale Performance Rankings~ 1. Jessica- “The Prayer”: with easily the best and most spine tingling vocal, Jessica blew me away with this gorgeous rendition of her song that was her “Contestant Favorite” choice. It was a simple heartfelt performance that soared into the heavens. I have no idea why the moronic judges were not on their feet… (Oh yeah, it was probably because it wasn’t in the script the producers clearly gave them for the night). 2. Jessica- “I Have Nothing”: with another powerhouse vocal, Jessica slayed the Whitney Houston classic from 1994′s The Bodyguard that was Idol creator Simon Fuller’s song choice. It was dramatic, flawless and fierce. This girl is amazing. 3. Phillip- “Home”: this was one of Phillip’s best performances of the season. Was it a get out of your seat moment, as it was for the judges? Absolutely not. The drummers and production were a rip off of winner Dewyze’s finale performance and the song was a total Mumford & Sons clone. Now, that’s actually a good thing because it sounded good on the whole. It just was no winning moment in my eyes… Oh and J.Lo, you’re a moron if you don’t know songs that sound like that. Just listen to the artists Randy mentioned right before your comments (Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes) or turn on the radio or watch the Grammys, hello! 4. Jessica- “Change Nothing”: with her assigned single song, Jessica gave another strong performance. She added a nice R&B swagger to this generic pop ballad that made it stand out from several other finale ballads in the past (Ahem, Jordin Sparks‘ “This is My Now” anyone?).. It was so frustrating to hear the judges rip apart Jessica for the song when it wasn’t her choice. Judge the singer not the song, especially when she wasn’t responsible for it. And she sang the song great! 5. Phillip- “Stand by Me”: Phillip’s song from Fuller was the Ben E. King classic and it was much better than I thought it was going to be. That said, it was just kinda blah. 6. Phillip- “Movin’ Out”: why on Earth did Phillip pick this Billy Joel song that he destroyed and ruined the first time for an encore? It was just as un-melodic and annoyingly- Dave Matthews-y as before. And yet, the judges praised it? Are they nuts? … Um, yes they are.
Predictions~ Will win: Phillip Should win: Jessica
So, I still think Phillip will win. I just hope I’m wrong because any rational person would agree that Jessica should and deserves to win. As my roommate Dave said, if only people voted with their ears instead of their eyes, then Jessica would be a shoo-in…. However, she may have to settle for being the better singer who ends up having the bigger career than the winner ala Adam Lambert (who just debuted at # 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart with his second release, Trespassing, by the way!) and Clay Aiken… But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She still has a shot. I think both singers have rabid fan bases and Jessica could pull an upset. I know I’m voting for her. Are you? Let me know below and watch the results show tomorrow night on Fox.
And for further proof Jessica SHOULD win, watch her sing “The Prayer” one more time… Hello, goosies!!!!!
Tonight, American Idol really gets down to business as the Top 12 boys (well, 13 because apparently there’s going to be a surprise wild card pick) perform live for the first time. Tomorrow, the top 12 girls sing and Thursday we will have our first results show. This is when the show really gets good if you ask me, and the talent looks very strong this year. My early favorites are Jessica Sanchez and Creighton Fraker. For more on all of this year’s contenders, head to mjsbigbloghere.… Now, looking back at the best American Idol contestants of all time, my favorites are in order:
1. Kelly Clarkson
2. Carrie Underwood
3. Adam Lambert
4. Jennifer Hudson
5. Carly Smithson
Each of them has had great success, (Ok, Carly is just the lead singer of the Evanescence left over band We Are the Fallen, but hey she’s had a top 40 album with them!) and won or been nominated for big awards. With that said, Billboard is counting down the most successful Idol alumni according to sales, radio airplay, download track sales, and streaming plays etc which make up their charts. (Remember this is only for domestic tracking, so the worldwide success of Lambert, Clarkson, and David Arhculeta doesn’t count here). And I’ve got the list for you below. For all the stats, head to Billboard here. Take a look and let me know who your faves are as well.
Billboard’s Top 24 American Idols of All Time:
24. Crystal Bowersox (2nd place, season 9)
23. Kimberley Locke (3rd place, season 2)
22. Lauren Alaina (2nd place, season 10)
21. Blake Lewis (2nd place, season 6)
20. Bucky Covington (8th place, season 5)
19. Katharine McPhee (2nd place, season 5…. but hey she’s a TV and movie star now. Hello, I love Smash!)
18. Bo Bice (2nd place, season 4)
17. Taylor Hicks (winner, season 5)
16. Josh Gracin (4th place, season 2)
15. Scotty McCreery (winner, season 10)
14. Kellie Pickler (6th place, season 5)
13. Elliott Yamin (3rd place, season 5)
12. Kris Allen (winner, season 8)
11. David Archuleta (2nd place, season 7)
10. Jennifer Hudson (7th place, season 3…. but um, she has an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, BET, Image Awards, the list goes on and on…. So there!)
9. Adam lambert (2nd place, season 8)
8. Ruben Studdard (winner, season 2)
7. David Cook (winner, season 7)
6. Fantasia (winner, season 3)
5. Clay Aiken (2nd place, season 2)
4. Jordin Sparks (winner, season 6… and soon to be seen in Sparkle, her film debut starring the late great Whitney Houston)
3. Chris Daughtry (4th place, season 5)
2. Carrie Underwood (winner, season 4)
1. Kelly Clarkson (winner, season 1)
And just because she’s amazing, please enjoy Kelly’s current # 1 smash “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
The biggest show in television is back tonight folks. No, not TheVoice or NCIS (however, that is the highest rated scripted show on tv, um, wha???), it’ s American Idol. The show which begins season 11 is making no big changes keeping their invigorated judging panel of Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson and focusing on finding some good talent. (Hello, X Factor and The Voice, take notes)… So, to honor the return of the show, take a look at some of the latest hot music from their alumni.
James Durbin: he finished fourth last season, but the rocker still got a record deal and has quietly sold almost 100,000 copies of his independent debut. Not bad for a metal lovin’ polarizing contestant. He has a song climbing the rock charts, “Stand Up”, but now his label is going after pop fans with “Love Me Bad”.
James Durbin “Love Me Bad”
Lauren Alaina: the cute country gal got second place last year and has since sold over 230,000 copies of her debut album. Her first single “Like My Mother Does” hit top 30 at country radio and her new one “Georgia Peaches” just went top 40 there as well. And how good does she look in this video? Go Lauren.
Lauren Alaina “Georgia Peaches”
Jennifer Hudson: the Oscar and Grammy winner has a current single on the R&B charts with the third release from her album I Remember Me. That song, “I Got This” is likely to be joined by her new track from the upcoming Gabrielle Union comedy Think Like a Man (hey, I auditioned for that last year!). The new song is called “Think Like a Man” brings J Hud into a little harder R&B sounds and features NeYo and Rick Ross.
Jennifer Hudson w/NeYo & Rick Ross “Think Like a Man”
Kellie Pickler: the season 6 alum is readying her third album after going platinum with her first and gold with her second. She’s carved out a nice little career in the country community and that should continue with this great new song “100 Proof” the title track from the new album due this month.
Kellie Pickler “100 Proof”
Adam Lambert: his second album, Trespassing, is due in March and it will supposedly feature some darker material that is more true to Adam as a songwriter and singer. His Grammy nominated first album sold 800,000 copies and features several hits, so this one is highly anticipated. The new song “Better Than I know Myself” is about to hit top 40 at pop radio and is now available at iTunes. Check this fantastic song out below which he also performed it on The Tonight Show last night.
Adam Lambert “Better Than I Know Myself”
Ruben Studdard: the season 2 winner is set to release his 5th album this spring and the Grammy nominee has more soulful R&B for ya. His latest is sure to fly up the Adult R&B charts which have become his bread and butter at radio.
Ruben Studdard “June 28th (I’m Single)” ~ some behind the scenes footage of the video for the song
Kelly Clarkson: the Grammy winner is having a big 2012 already. Her album, Stronger, just went gold and is on the verge of re-entering the top ten. She’s performing on the Grammys (where she’s nominated for her duet with Jason Aldean) and at the Super Bowl and will be a guest mentor for her buddy Blake Shelton on The Voice (ooooh, the Idol rival!). Her tour just started and her song “Mr. Know It All” went top ten on Pop Radio and the Hot 100, top 5 at AC and is still # 1 on Hot AC (for the 6th week in a row). Now, she’s flying up the charts with the follow-up, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which is already top 30 at Pop, top 20 at Hot AC, Top 40 at Dance and AC and # 3 on iTunes. Check out this massive smash below.
Kelly Clarkson “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
So, there’s just a few songs from your fave Idols hitting radio and the web. Watch for new tracks from Stefano Langone, Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart, Kris Allen and Clay Aiken (who’s on the new Celebrity Apprentice too) this spring as well. And catch American Idol tonight on Fox.
Ever since she finished season 2 of American Idol in 3rd place behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke has carved out a nice little career as a dance club diva and an AC powerhouse. Her songs like “Change” and “Fall” have topped the Dance charts while “8th World Wonder” hit top ten on the pop and AC charts. However, her biggest musical accomplishments have come with her holiday songs. For the past few years, she has had chart topping AC Christmas songs like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Up on the Housetop”. And this year she has another one for us, check out her great new version of “Silver Bells” below. You can get all her holiday hits on iTunes now.
Grammy winning rock group Evanescence last hit the charts five years ago with their first chart topping album, The Open Door, and now it’s deja vu as their third album, Evanescence, debuts on top this week. Selling 127,000 copies, the group headed by Amy Lee easily fends off Adele, the new disc from rockers Five Finger Death Punch and a strong second week for American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. He lands at # 4 just ahead of this year’s runner-up, Lauren Alaina, who makes a nice impression with her debut, Wildflower, selling 69,000 copies (the tallest amount for an Idol runner-up since Adam Lambert sold close to 300,000 copies). With Alaina and McCreery’s dual top fives, this marks the first time since season 7′s David Cook and David Archuleta that the top two finalists both landed top ten albums. The other seasons to accomplish this feat were season two (Ruben Studdard & Clay Aiken), season four (Carrie Underwood & Bo Bice) and season five (Taylor Hicks & Katharine McPhee.) In fact season five’s third and fourth place finishers, Elliott Yamin and Chris Daughtry (of Daughtry) also landed top five debuts. For more on the new Billboard 200 Albums chart, head hereand check out the new top ten below.
Billboard 200 Top Ten Albums:
1. Evanescence- Evanescence (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 2)
3. American Capitalist- Five Finger Death Punch (debut)
4. On A Clear Day- Scotty McCreery (lw~ 1)
5. Wildflower- Lauren Alaina (debut)
6. Duets II- Tony Bennett (lw~ 3)
7. Ashes & Fire- Ryan Adams (debut)
8. Own the Night- Lady Antebellum (lw~ 4)
9. Tha Carter IV- Lil Wayne (lw~ 6)
10. Eleven- Martina McBride (debut)
Here’s the new single from Evanescenc~ “What You Want”
Over on the singles chart, there’s no stopping Adele as “Someone Like You” lands a fourth week on top. Check out the new top ten on the Hot 100 Singles Chart below.
Hot 100 Singles Top Ten:
1. “Someone Like You”- Adele (last week~ 1)
2. “Moves Like Jagger”- Maroon 5 w/ Christina Aguilera (lw~ 2)
3. “Pumped Up Kicks”- Foster the People (lw~ 3)
4. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 4)
5. “Stereo Hearts”- Gym Class Heroes w/Adam Levine (lw~5)
6. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 7)
7. “Without You”- David Guetta w/Usher (lw~8)
8. “You Make Me Feel…”- Cobra Starship w/Sabi (lw~ 9)
9. “Party Rock Anthem”- LMFAO (lw~ 6)
10. “Young Wild & Free”- Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars (debut)
Ok, American Idol season 10 just wrapped up and you’d think I’d be done complaining about Scotty beating Lauren. Well, I’m still upset about that and of course Pia not being in the final two. But, that’s not what this post is about… Today I want to talk about Lauren and Scotty’s coronation singles and how they compare to the top two contestants from every season. Both of this year’s songs are at the top of the iTunes charts. Scotty was at # 1 and Lauren at # 2 at the time of this posting by the way, so it looks like we may have our first hit finale song since David Cook in season 7… However, just how good are those songs? Well, take a look at my rankings of all the finale songs below and find out! And here’s to a great, albeit frustrating season of Idol!
Ranking the American Idol Coronations Songs (seasons 1- 10) 1. “A Moment Like This”- Kelly Clarkson: it’s the original and it’s simply the best (just like Kelly!) It was also a # 1 hit and remains a radio staple.
2. “Time of Your Life”- David Cook: it’s the best-selling finale song to date and it works outside of Idol. In fact, it’s a wedding fave and they used it at the Olympics!
3. “I Believe”- Fantasia: Arguably the best sung finale single and to this day Fantasia kills it.
4. “Like My Mother Does”- Lauren Alaina: talk about a perfect fit. This song is lovely and a great choice for Lauren’s lush vocals and palpable emotions.
5. “This is the Night”- Clay Aiken: a perfect Clay ballad and another ideal inspirational Idol winner song. Oh wait, he was the runner-up…
6. “Inside Your Heaven”- Carrie Underwood: Idol’s country superstar took this track that sounds like a whole lot of nonsense and turned it into a multiformat hit. 7. “Flying Without Wings”- Ruben Studdard: his update on the boyband track holds up surprisingly well. 8. “Up to the Mountain”- Crystal Bowersox: while not as incredible as Kelly’s version of this song from Idol Gives Back, Crystal still gave a wonderful performance on this Patti Griffin classic. 9. “In this Moment”- David Archuleta: it’s surprisingly catchy slice of AC pop 10. “This is My Now”- Jordin Sparks: despite some of the worst lyrics of all these winning songs, Jordin’s vocals are pure and full of conviction. 11. “Inside Your Heaven”- Bo Bice: no, the song doesn’t fit him at all, but his pipes sound good on it. 12. “No Boundaries”- Adam Lambert: if only they had let “Mad World” be his final two single. Instead we get this Kara DioGuardi cheesefest. At least Adam sings the crap out of it. 13. “Dreams”- Diana DeGarmo: ok, I don’t have much affinity for this song now, but I remember liking it a good deal back at the end of season 3 14. “No Boundaries”- Kris Allen: wow, this song is kinda annoying, yet it sticks in your head and Kris gave it his all. 15. “ I Love You This Big”-Scotty McCreery: it puts the “b” in boring, but he sings it well. 16. “Beautiful Day”- Lee Dewyze: karaoke at best… 17. “Before Your Love”- Justin Guarini: Justin had no chance when you compare this one to Kelly’s amazing version… 18. “My Destiny”- Katherine McPhee: I love me some Kat and she will be amazing on the new NBC show Smash, but this song is totally forgettable despite her lovely vocals. 19. “This is My Now”- Blake Lewis: let’s just say beat-boxer Blake should not be singing ballads… 20. “Do I Make You Proud?- Taylor Hicks : a treacly pandering disastrous cheesy mess
“Help Me Now I’m Torn”! Those are the incredibly catchy lyrics from Natalie Imbruglia’s 90′s smash, but they also define my feelings after watching tonight’s American Idol season 12 finale. In a nail biter of an episode, both of our incredibly talented ladies, Kree and Candice, delivered fantastic performances one after the other. Both sounded amazing, looked great, were humble and at the top of their game as they took on 3 songs: Simon Fuller’s Choice, their Single, and a “Favorite Encore” from the season. It was neck and neck up until the last song when one lady sang what I will say was the deciding vocal. However, in a year when supposed front-runner Angie got the surprise boot last week and left us with the two actual best singers in the finals, who knows who will actually win. Both women have a really good shot… But, let’s take a look at my rankings and final predictions for season 12 below and declare a winner.
