The Musiqtone Blog

OK, before you bring out the pitchforks, light fire to my front lawn and launch Molotov cocktails into my front windows, PLEASE hear me out.  This is NO way shape or form an indictment on the newly crowned Idol, Kris Allen.  The dude is a great talent and will have immense success in the future, but the future may come a lot later than you think.

First off, in the major label world, a guy like Kris has to have the ability to stand out in the sea of sensitive singer-songwriters that dot the Is and crosses the Ts across the Big Four of major label music groups.  I just cannot see how he can achieve MAINSTREAM success while the Jason Mrazs, Jon McLaughlins, John Mayers and Gavin DeGraws litter the landscape.  I just don’t think there’s room for another guy like that in the major label music world.  Once again, its not an indictment on Allen’s talent, it’s more of an indictment on the powers-that-be that have created such a homogenized and cluttered landscape for acoustic pop/rock, whether it be piano or guitar driven.  In that regard Kris Allen fans, prepare to be disappointed by that cold hard reality.

Second off, look at who voted for Kris.  Another cold hard reality is that he garnered a lot of the teen pop-loving young girl vote, ages 12 to 19.  That section of the music fandom has always proven to be the most fickle and most unwilling to see what the indie music world has to offer.  If it’s not on the radio or heard on TV, they won’t bother.  And the majority of them will certainly not follow Kris’s inevitable journey into the indie music world, where acoustic pop/rock singer-songwriters have found much better success.  Look at Taylor Hicks now.  He is achieving the level of success he couldn’t reach at RCA.  Ditto for Elliott Yamin.  Then you see the overarching success of singer-songwriters like Josh Hoge, Ernie Halter, Todd Carey, Curtis Peoples, Tony Lucca on the male end and on the female side, Sarah VonderHaar and Arden Kaywin.

Like previously discussed, for those Kris Allen fans who are truly with him because of his actual talent and not because he’s good looking and doesn’t “scare them”, you are going to have to wait for him to reach his true potential as a singer-songwriter.  Expect his debut to be good, not great and replete with at best co-songwriting credits and a whole lot of marketable lyrics designed to make girls swoon.  And like I said, there’s plenty of them that already do that so what makes Kris different from them?  And because Kris comes in with a lot of high expectations and hype, if he doesn’t sell enough albums, you can watch RCA/19 cast him out the same way they did to Taylor Hicks.  Once again, his true success will be when he joins Todd, Josh, Curtis, Tony and Ernie on the indie singer-songwriter circuit.  Heck, if Kris needs inspiration, he can sit down with probable contemporary Justin Nozuka and ask him how he achieved mainstream success without the benefit of major label resources.  Seriously.

So simply put, more than likely Kris Allen’s fans and not Kris Allen need to prepare for the probable cold hard reality that he will settle in the indie circuit and with far less fans in his fanbase than he has right now.  And for the record, it’s not about whether or not I support Adam or Kris and yes I am more partial to Adam due to the fact I like the fact he has a golden opportunity with his personality and talent to truly bring back a dead subgenre of rock to the 21st century.  It’s the brutal cold hard reality for acoustic pop/rock singer-songwriters.

Who: Taylor Hicks
Video:  What’s Right is Right
Why you should watch:  His first post-19 music video features the Southern crooner in his element:  crooning in a dark lounge.

Video: courtesy of Y! Music

Who: Taylor Hicks
Song:  What’s Right is Right
Why you should listen:  The ‘Idol’ winner from Season 5 releases his first post-RCA single that fits more closer to his down-home, aw-shucks southern-fried pop/rock.  Watch out for his indie album debut on March 10!

Song:

If everything goes to plan, Josiah Leming may end up being the one that got away.  After failing to get into the Hollywood round of Idol Season 7, the 19 year old singer-songwriter, whose style is very similar to Jack’s Mannequin and Secondhand Serenade is now signed to Warner Bros Records and about to release his debut album.  Our Kelly had the opportunity to get him on our Hot Seat:

Can you please start us off with telling us a little about yourself for our readers?

My name is Josiah Leming, I’m a singer/songwriter, I was born in Tennessee, that’s pretty much it.

How would you classify the music you play?

Alternative.

Your first EP, Angeles Undercover, came out about a month and a half ago on October 28. Where did you get the inspiration for writing the five songs on the EP?

Well, you know, there were songs that were written – a mixture of songs that were written a long time ago and written recently, so it was really just kind of the most complete songs that we had done for the album so far.

Are you writing or recording any new music?

Yes, I’m always writing and working on new stuff and right now we’re trying to finish up the album which comes out in March.

What are the influences in your music and in your career?

Mostly, I try to take my influence from – honestly, you never really know where it comes from. One day it can be in music, in a poem, a song on the road, a girl – it’s always coming in in random forms actually.

When did you first develop a passion for music and what got you interested in performing?

I wasn’t really musical at all until I was 8 or 9 and then I started playing piano, but I didn’t really take off until I was 15, until I started writing and playing so it was just kind of a natural development, I didn’t really have anyone shoving it down my throat so I was just able to come around in my own time.

And was your family supportive?

Yeah, well as supportive as a family can be.

What is your philosophy on music?

I think the reason we are all so in love with music is that it means something different to all of us, it’s very medicinal.

What are you goals, both short term and long term, and where do you see yourself in five years?

Well, my short term goal is definitely to get this album out, and do everything we can to get that as good as it can be. And long term, I don’t know – things are always changing. I just want to put out a lot of music.

Are you planning on touring within the next year?

Yeah, definitely, I’m not sure. I just got off tour for my EP and I’ll be touring for the album probably late spring, early summer.

Who would you like to tour with?

There are so many great bands, I don’t know any certain names. I’d be down for pretty much anything.

So are there any specifics maybe?

No, not really. I listen to a lot of different things musically, I don’t want to name one thing and have that be taken too far or taken out of context.

Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?

Tell them “I love you.”

Day 2 of American Idol, coming off its worst ratings showing in four years. And yet still beat every other show in the same time slots AND debuts. 40 mil sure sounds good.

And yes, its a Texas two-step or…a misstep. Yes I missed another 23 minutes and maybe I’ll watch it on my TIVO but please, will someone bring REAL talent to audition?

This just in…Top 24 radar has turned on…as backup singer (why is she a backup singer?) Pia Easley gets into Hollywood. Not many backup singers have smoky voices waiting to be discovered and even if I’m wrong, someone will find her a home in a recording studio. Definitely possible Top 24 material. And it’s only 7:32 pm. Last night, I wasn’t wowed until near 8 PM.

OK I got wowed and sickened. Some dude named Brandon keeps his fingernails in a bag. Gag me. Thank god he has a pretty decent voice, which Simon didn’t like. But oh well. He does need to fix the vocal range a little. It’s overly nasally when in the higher range. He still got into Hollywood. And so did the car accident survivor…a heartwarming story. She’s got some personality, but the growling tendency could be controlled.

Last auditioner? Simon called Katie the best auditioner so far this year. Now if she can avoid sounding like other people. But as Katie? Hmmm, potential Top 12? Dare I say. Hey, you know what they say in Texas, everything’s big. And so are my predictions.

Day 2:

Yeesh. Douglas please go. And same for vivacious Angela and her clueless husband Chad. Ouch. That’s right Randy, love is blind…AND deaf.

Finally someone goes to Hollywood and its the rather Clay Aiken-like dude who also wants to be our next president. Hmmm…president or American Idol. The decision is clear…hes off to Hollywood. And so is country boy Colton. Looks like we got some country wanting get back on Idol. Paging USA Network…your show has been usurped!

More country spirit is exuding from Dallas as certified country boy Drew, who sounds pretty similar to Randy Travis, maybe a little Toby Keith, and definitely the classic voice of George Strait so befitting he does a Strait song. Dare I say, yes DARE I say, possibly a Kodak appearance. You heard it first.

And then it starts going downhill and now I understand why Kelly Clarkson fought to keep her songs from ever being used as audition songs on Idol. And now I also see why she doesn’t want to be associated with them…denigrating her music in Idol’s famous montage of idiot auditioners to the tune of whatever song is quite popular for auditioners.

History strikes again! Everyone remembers Kelly Clarkson’s audition in Dallas 6 years ago…2 yes and 1 no. That no coming from an unconvinced Simon Cowell until Kelly demanded a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T in Hollywood weeks later. It may strike again as they send the jazzy girl from Burleson to Hollywood on two yes and one no. That no coming from Simon Cowell. Although this time, time will tell. The Hollywood auditions have gotten much more harder than it was 6 years ago. So I guess stay tuned?
And it ends and I’ll leave the YouTubers to this one.  Very entertaining.

And 24 from Dallas.  This should be good.

Now its off to San Diego.  See you in 94 hours.  Till then…IM OUT.