Activate Pain and Outrage

Like the cicadas coming soon to my habitat, I have been anxiously waiting for Idol Pain and Outrage.

It arrived tonight.

I’m sorry. I just cannot make sense out of this. I was emotionally preparing myself for Willie to be sent home. Chayce, of course, was a lock with his White Guy With Guitar Status. Then I was expecting Ryan to call Casey’s name. And then Pain and Outrage would ensue when he called Grace to the Finale.

But Casey’s the one who’s gone? Casey?

Finneas sure seemed to like her and he’s got eight Grammys. But what does he know?

I really think she’s on her way to bigger things and I will be shocked if 19 Entertainment and some record label don’t sign her.

I’m tossing my notes since they’re irrelevant at this point. Here instead is my assessment of the Finalist Idolists.

• Chayce – I suppose he’s going to win. His song going to #1 on Apple Music Country is a strong indicator of his popularity – as well as indicative of Idol’s core demographic. Chayce has grown into becoming a much more capable, confident, and self-assured performer with a strong sense of who he is as an artist. He does have a limited vocal range and seems most comfortable with mid-tempo songs. If he can stretch both his voice and material, perhaps there’s some post-Idol potential.

• Willie – Willie’s superpower is his amazing voice. He just needs the right material and that single he released isn’t a good example of that. I saw a Twitter comment that said he’s not relevant in today’s pop world and I couldn’t disagree more. As I joked in my last post about having Sia write for him, there are plenty of people writing big pop songs (Ryan Tedder – are you available?) for artists like Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Sia’s written a bunch for herself and others. Do you remember what Willie did with Diamond (Sia wrote that)? And how about his performances tonight of Glory and Beyonce’s I Was Here?

• Grace – Sigh. “So technically good but emotionally empty”, said My Daughter Diandra (MDD) after Grace finished singing Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This. Good voices are a dime a dozen. I can’t find anything particularly compelling about Grace’s.

Casey should have been the winner. Willie should now be the winner. I’ll be shocked if Chayce isn’t the winner. I’ll be even more shocked if Grace is the winner.

Random Musings

• Ryan: “Caleb Kennedy will not be continuing in the competition.” Translation – “Caleb’s not here. Google it if you want to know why.”
• Finneas: “I cried when Adam Lambert lost.” Yes, Finneas. I understand.
• So, Michael J (Woodard), an Idolist who finished 5th (Season 16) got more run on tonight’s show promoting his new release (through Katy’s label) than Laine Hardy who won Idol? I wonder what 19 Entertainment thought about that? Perhaps they’re managing Michael J, too.

Casey is gone. This is shameful. But I don’t come to Idol looking for the winner. I come looking for a star. I think I found one.

But right now I need something around 14% alcohol by volume to soothe my pain and outrage.