Finding the Rhythm

Say what you will about Idol, Kelly’s got it goin’ on

March 14, 2009 at 4:03 am 1 comment

So much is said about American Idol in the press, in blogs, around the water cooler the day after the results shows… But however you feel about it, the show has succeeded in its supposedly altruistic mission of exposing talent that might not otherwise have seen the light of day. Without Idol, Kelly Clarkson might still be waiting tables or selling shoes in Texas, for example.

Kelly, the winner of the first American Idol season, demonstrates that cheesy reality television with all its tabloid moments (*cough* Paula Abdul *cough*) really can have some broader benefit to the public good. Sure, it’s an engine of commerce, a money printing machine (for as long as it lasts, anyway), but I’d rather have Idol with its silly Ford music videomercials and have Simon Cowell drinking scotch and water out of a Coke cup than miss out on talent like Kelly Clarkson, because to borrow a theme here, life would suck without her.

Back when Idol debuted, I was a huge fan. I was pitching for Clarkson from the very beginning, and to see her win over Justin what’s-his-name seemed to show that talent reigned supreme, and even viewers could see it to vote for it. But since that win, and despite getting roped by the Idol machine into doing the worst movie in history (anyone remember From Justin to Kelly or whatever the heck it was called?), Kelly has grown and propered.

If the reports are to be believed, Kelly’s got a Madonna-like rule over her own career these days, writing songs, and recording what she thinks is best for her. Yet if her appearance this week on American Idol to be believed, she’s still got that down-home charm and friendly demeanor. Her success and music career do not appear to have sucked the very life out of her.

The single from her latest album, Life Would Suck Without You, is another winner for me. I don’t often hear Clarkson’s songs in their original form; I know her work from the dance remixes, and for this song, as with so many of her singles before it, there’s a number of really competent mixes available that give the song dimension and open it up to a wider audience.

When Kelly sang it live during her appearance, she did a great job with it. It sounded… Wrong, to my ear, not being a dance remix… But I did enjoy it nonetheless. In any case, it was hard not to be happy for her, and her success. And I hope she has a lot more of it in the years to come.

Entry filed under: Dance Music. Tags: American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell.