While I totally respect your preference for hard rock, in truth Chris' performance last night was not even good hard rock. It was garage band stuff, at best. I keep forgetting the name of the AI-style rock show from a few months ago, but even the losers on there were better than what Chris did last night.
Frankly, I preferred the talent on that show to most I've seen in my 5 years of watching AI. They got to arrange all their own songs. Had to write new songs. Played instruments and were challenged by the band (example: Marty Casey, an angry alt.rock singer was given a Britney Spears song to do and he completely rearranged it and did a tremendous version). 99% of AI is simply redoing the original with slight vocal changes. The Rockstar INXS contestants were challenged far more than AI contestants are.
As for Chris, I think he would have fit right in on that show and they would've loved it (Dave Navarro of RHCP especially). If AI doesn't work out, Chris should try out for the new Rockstar Supernova.
Let me rant about 21st century music for a moment if I may. and no, I am not that old. I was born in the 1970's and do appreciate everything from Gregorian chants to Big Band to Swing to hard rock.
But look, let’s be honest. Music of today is just plain horrible. Grunge music started the downturn into the abyss of horribleness and guys like Eminem took it another level culminating in the OSCAR honored "IT's HARD TO BE A PIMP".
Granted, there is a good song now and then, but in general most everything is bad. Weird chord changes, poor song structure, the incessant “runs” that are unecessary and annoying, songs that go on for 5 minutes that don’t ever have a chorus or any type of phrasing and have 100 different chord changes, and on and on.
How about what is called “Rock” music of today, its all about minor keys and screaming as loud as you can. Just great. Anyway. Had to get that off my back.
Here’s another example, talking rock music now….Has there been a song as good as “Whole Lotta Love” or “Ramble On” by Zeppelin, or “Back in Black” by AC/DC done in the last 15 years. Not even close.
Pop music? Virtually any Beatles song they ever put out is better than the crap that passes for hit songs nowadays.
Sorry, and just one more rant. When I heard beforehand that Taylor was doing “Takin’ it to the Streets” by the Doobie Brothers, I thought why?… That song wasn’t a huge hit for them when it came out, and I always thought that frankly it was just o.k. That song done by The Doobies, was a hundred times better than any song last night and Taylors performance of it was a Hundred times better.
Last night Taylor sang a song that had STRUCTURE and MELODY and CHORUS and was written like a normal song. He sang it perfectly of course. He had virtually nothing to choose from if he’s going to sing a song from the last 6 years.
He should have been able to sing one of his own songs from his self-produced CDs. They are much better.
IMHO Taylor is a real talent. Chris can sing with any rock band of today, but then there are just too many of them already.
Tonight Taylor made a uniquely brilliant choice in material. Selfishly I want to hear him belt out a gravely voiced blues number and knock everyone’s socks off but I know now is not the time for that approach. Choosing something relatively UNFAMILIAR to most people gave Taylor a chance to showcase his vocal range without the song getting in the way.
Tonight he introduced the uninformed to yet another side of his amazing musical spectrum. I believe this performance was closer to the material on Under the Radar, than any he has done on American Idol so far. It also gave America a chance to see where he “fits” into today’s music scene.
Personally I don’t care about “fitting in” with today’s music as I’m sure many other people don’t, but this is American Idol and that’s the name of the game. In the last few years there has been more attention paid to a young crop of singer/songwriters who are not cookie cutter commercial music video stars but real working musicians. People like Ray LaMontagne, Amos Lee, Marc Broussard and now Taylor Hicks.
Thanks for allowing me to rant.
Wasn't there a show with Gene Simmons from Kiss? Is that what you mean? I never watched it, just saw it listed. There might be others out there, too, but, your post made me think of that one.