ReportFromTheFront's Blog

          It has often been the assertion of the rest of the world that Americans are crass and without taste or panache of any kind. Over the past many years, we Americans have been compared (unfavorably) and contrasted (again, we didn’t do well) with many other societies in matters of culture, conduct and so forth. More times than not, we seem to fall short somehow and never quite hit the finish line, so to speak. At the end of the day, we do what we’ve now gotten so used to doing: We show the world our true colors with our consummate inability to exercise good judgment and an innate talent for making poor choices. Part of this stems from the fact that in many areas, we know nothing about quality and couldn’t tell good from bad even with neon signs and a Presidential Directive staring us all right in the kisser. 

         And so it is with American Idol. For you see, the same crowd that kept the hirsute but no-talent Sanjaya Malakar coming back week after painful week gave Melinda Doolittle the boot Wednesday evening and sent her packing back to Nashville.

          Someone, anyone, please explain this to me.

          By any standard of measurement, Melinda Doolittle is the best vocalist ever presented in the history of this competition. Phrasing, breathing and staying on pitch no matter what – especially when singing outside of her comfort zone – combined with a broad range, versatility and an inherent ability to interpret any song and make it her own, clearly made her the one to beat. Melinda is a natural born talent who – after graduating with a BA in Music from Belmont University - went on to make use of her talents as a backup singer for such notable artists as Aaron Neville, Michael McDonald, Alabama and CeCe Winans, just to name a few. In other words, this girl has chops.

          With all due respect to Blake Lewis and basing the decision purely on talent alone, he should have been the one sent home instead of Melinda. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Blake and I enjoy listening to him. Clearly, what he does is unique – at least among the singers showcased thus far – and he is entertaining to watch, but the beat-box thing he uses as his ‘hook’ is going to get old and I’m just not certain if whatever’s left will be enough to carry him through with a career of any duration. When you get right down to it however, and as talented as he is, Blake is simply the weakest of the three, vocally speaking. 

          Yes, I will grudgingly concede that Melinda Doolittle is not as young as Justin Sparks or Blake Lewis, her last two competitors and lacks the ‘cutesy’ appeal those two enjoy. However, in the end, I must remind America that as Simon Cowell was wont to say each time he had to endure the immature and out of control Sanjaya Malakar:

          “This is a singing competition”.

          Or at least it’s supposed to be.