Ten Days Of Idol Insanity: The Fifteen Best Songs By Idol Alumni

After the ticker-tape falls and a schlocky ballad is sung by a tearful winner, Idol contestants and winners alike must now do the hard work of making an album, promoting that album and trying not to get dropped from their label. Some do it better than others. For example, these lovely songs:

15: "Crush [Sonic Ether Club Mix]" - David Archuleta
The original version of this song is pretty sappy, I get a little creeped out when kids sing about crushes like they are the real deal. But the club mix is pretty sweet, and the chorus is catchy as fuck.

14: "Bar-Ba-sol" - David Cook
While the majority of David's major label debut is mid tempo lite-alternative rock of the Lifehouse variety, this shredder is a growly bit of southern-fried grit. The hardest rocker from Idol, at least until Adam makes his album.

13: "Invisible" - Clay Aiken
This is trashy pre-fab pop at it's creepiest. From Measure Of A Man comes a tale of stalking, sung with the bubbly voice of the geekiest kid to grace the Idol stage. I dare you not to sing along. (It's impossible.)

12: "Through The Fire" - Melinda Doolittle
It's just a Walmart exclusive track from season six's second runner up's old-school R&B disc Coming Back To You, but this Chaka Khan cover is exactly what Mindy Doo does best. A more gospel inflection takes the pop hit to church.

11: "What About Now" - Daughtry
Chris Daughtry may have only made fourth place in season five, but he has a bigger career with his own band's self-titled debut than any other contestant that season. This slow-burning inspirational rock number is exactly why.

10: "Love Story" - Katherine McPhee
In this brassy beat-heavy homage to 1960s-era pop, the season five runner-up tries to make the JoJo-aping "Over It" not her only hit from her self-titled album. It didn't work, and I'm still stumped as to why. It's a tale as old as time - boy and girl are friends, become more.

9: "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
What happens when a petite blonde from Oklahoma is cheated on? C'mon, you know the words: she "dug her key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive, carved my name into her leather seats... maybe next time he'll think before he cheats" and made a nation of girls n gays run out to by Some Hearts.

8: "I Ran [Radio Edit]" - Darude feat Blake Lewis
About the same time he was being dropped from his label after the painfully underrated Audio Day Dream tanked, season six's resident beat-boxer hooked up with techno/house mastermind Darude for a couple of tracks. Among those were an AIDS charity single and this brilliant reworking of the Flock Of Seagulls.

7: "No Air" - Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown
This song, from season 6 winner Jordin's self-titled disc and featuring a pre-Rihanna-beatdown Brown, is epic. The number of Runs Per Minute is Whitney-level and the lyrics are ridiculously over dramatic. Just the way I like it.

6: "Because Of You" - Kelly Clarkson
When I first heard this song, from Kelly's breakthrough sophomore work Breakaway, I could understand every word, every emotion. I knew exactly what kind of relationship Kelly had with her mother, because I had the same one. This used to be the soundtrack to my own (therapy-filled) journey to my own wholeness.

5: "And I Am Telling You" - Jennifer Hudson
J.Hud deservedly won an Oscar for her brilliant work in Dreamgirls, and her performance of this song and "I Am Changing" on the soundtrack reveals why. The emotional connection and completely organic performance are astonishing, she is Effie.

4: "Permanent" - David Cook
The seventh season winner brings tears to my eyes with a painfully intimate tunes written for his terminally ill brother and included on his self-titled CD. I danced with my little sister to this song at her wedding, it's a beautiful statement of familial love.

3: "Irvine" - Kelly Clarkson
In this intimate acoustic ballad that closed her artistic statement My December, the original Idol winner cries out to the Divine as she contemplates fading completely. Bonus points for the hidden track that follows, a sassy bar tune about Chivas.

2: "Praying For Time" - Carrie Underwood
For the charity special Idol Gives Back 2, season four winner Carrie performed this George Micheal cover, which was even more emotionally wrenching than her cover of "I'll Stand By You" for the original Idol Gives Back. I still pull it up on the ol' iPod when I need to get inspired to give.

1: "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
The massive second single from Breakaway may be a predictable choice, I know. But when you combine a chick who can sing her face off with any song and the power chords of Swedish pop masterminds Dr Luke and Max Martin, what else can you expect but perfection? Even after being remixed, covered, inserted into Girl Talk jams and otherwise played to death, "Since U Been Gone" is what every Idol contestant dream of when they stand before the judges and belt.

David Cook Is Just As Hot Going Backwards As He Is Forwards...

My beloved Cookie told me (well, the whole crowd actually) at his concert that he was filming a new video for the second single from his recent self-titled disc. "Come Back To Me" finds him in solid mid-tempo power rock arena, a place his voice can swell on the emotional chorus. The video features the scruffy faced Idol winner walking backwards out of the bathroom, joining his band before heading out the woods and back to the airport, where his horrible, terrible, unworthy girlfriend is getting on a plane and leaving him. He's willing to wait until she "finds everything you need... when you find you, come back to me." Aww, he's so sweet. In the meantime, honey, he can find comfort in these arms. Just saying... Watch:

David Cook LIVE! At Dickinson College

Last night, I saw the Man Of My Dream, the current Idol champ, the Word Nerd himself - David Cook. The blistering rock show took place at Dickinson College before a sold out crowd, with Ryan Star as opening act.

Ryan was a perfect opening act, his modern rock sound a perfect match for my beloved Cookie. I knew his closing song, "Back Of Your Car" (and it's sexy opening line "It's the perfect time of night to be taking off your clothes now") from his stint on CBS's Rock Star: Supernova so had high hopes that he would have the same energy level as he did then. My hopes were exceeded, every song bristled with rock star swagger and oozed sex appeal. From the opening rock anthem "Brand New Day" to the humorous "Psycho Suicidal Girl" with it's acoustic opening verse and chorus that opened into a cavalcade of electric guitars and drum to the emotion-drenched love song "Last Train Home" with a great drum beat, every song was rock n roll at it's finest. Speaking of finest, Ryan may even be as hot as David. Compare and contrast:

After the short set from Ryan Star and his band we were treated to a really hot roadie/tech in plaid with great hair and glasses and beard (and a bunch of normal looking ones) setting up for the David Cook show. Seriously, if that hot roadie/tech is reading... call me.

Then David and band enter the stage to "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Don't ask why, it was just cool as fuck. Just like David... He opened the set with "Heroes" and started a recurring theme of sounding amazing live when he just sounded decent on CD. You may recall that I was annoyed at the mix on the CD, the vocals seemed buried in the instrumentation. But live, Cook's vocals were strong and clear.

The band was tight, providing two back up guitars, a bass, occasional keyboards and drums. David played guitar on most of the songs, which included a track from his unreleased Axiom Heart disc as well as "Life On The Moon," "Mr. Sensitive" and new single "Come Back to Me." The early stand out songs were the hidden track "Kiss On The Neck" which roared like a beast and current single "Light On" but there were no bad songs in the bunch. A heavy rock cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Little Lies" was the only nod to his American Idol past, I was hoping for "Always Be My Baby" but it would not have fit well with the very strong modern rock vibe that the show provided. Ending the set was another cover dedicated to the teachers in the audience - a cover of "Hot For Teacher" which was loud as hell but got the crowd moving. For an encore, the drummer return with a striking drum solo before the band launched into the heaviest song on the record, and new rock radio single, "Bar-Ba-Sol" and finally shut the show down with "A Daily AntheM" which had the crowd waving and singing the "oh, oh, oh, oh" from the end for a long time.

All in all, the show was tight, David's banter with the crowd and his band members was easy-going and endearing and the music rocked my socks off. Even if he wasn't fine as frog's hair I'd probably still have had a great time. And at only 15 bucks, it was totally worth it. David Cook with opening act Ryan Star is currently touring, check out the dates at his website.

PS: American Idol Recap coming this afternoon/evening!

(Belated) Year End List: The Hot Men Of 2008

I know, 2009 is already a week old. So why am I still posting 2008 year end lists? Maybe because I started it back before Christmas and kinda forgot to finish it. Don't judge, you don't know! Regardless of timing, who doesn't a post full of hot dudes? Lesbians, that's who.

A wise man once said "There is a lot more to life than being really, really good-looking." But it's still a nice feature. For my choices for the Hot Men Of 2008, I needed more than looks. Smarts, great attitudes and wit all make me hornier than just kissable lips and rock hard abs. But when you have both... sigh... Oh, David stop! People are watching... Ahem! I need to stop daydreaming or I will never finish this post.

The Chris Daughtry Award (For Hottest American Idol Rocker): David Cook

It took a couple of weeks of American Idol before I saw the true hotness of the Cookie. But when he rocked out to "Hello" it was on, girls and gays! The beautiful eyes, the sexy gravelly voice and the cute facial hair got me started, the talent got me hooked and the huge heart made me fall madly in love. His relationship with his family, the fact he wore a rubber bracelet all season that was given to him by a reporter as a tribute to the reporters sick daughter and knowing that he is decent human who is down with the gays created a monster of sexy proportions, both inside and out.

The Dave Leiberman "If You Can't Stand The Hotness, Stay Out Of The Kitchen" Award (For Hottest TV Chef): MFB Richard from Top Chef
Yeah, Jeff might've been the conventionally sexy one, and Richard did have a habit of wearing "funny" t-shirts. But his boyish crush on head judge Tom Collichio and his full admission of having an "inner queen" in the first episode alone cemented his place as runner-up to David Cook in the Hottest Reality Bear Cubs Competition in my mind. And once he left the show, not even Martha Stewart could make it worth watching anymore.

The Anti-Perez Hilton Award (For Hottest Blogger): Junior
I know what you're thinking, is there really such a thing as a hot blogger? I know conventional stereotypes suggest days-old facial hair growth and bathrobes covering beer bellies and comic book tees are the costume of choice for blog writers and I would imagine there are still some who hold to that look. But there are some choice blogging hotties out there, from celeb bloggers like Kanye and model Bryan David Thomas (probably NSFW) to funny, witty cuties like D'Luv at Chart Rigger and Andy Towle at Towleroad. But only Juice With Junior's blog god makes great great fashion choices, is ridiculously funny and smart and has a rather sexy smile (see his video ender for the Juice With Junior Awards above.) Oh, and he comments on my blog... not that I was swayed at all by that. (Editor's note: Yes I was.) I dub him Hot Blogger 2008. Video via Juice With Junior.

The "Dear God, Don't Let Him End Up Looking Like Bruce Jenner In A Couple Years" Award (For Hottest Olympic Athlete): Matthew Mitcham
I bet you thought it was gonna be the Phelps. Yeah, he's got a great body but a consistently dumb look on his face. Matthew has a nice body, a brilliant smile and really great hair. It's all about the hair for me, sorry. Plus, as the first openly gay diver to win a gold medal, he's really a role model for young athletes. You don't have to hide any part of who you are to be a sexy, confident and athletically gifted man. Oh, and did I mention he was hot as ballz? Picture via Hunk Du Jour.

The Dreamy Vampire Of 2008 Award (For Hottest Actor In A Vampire Film Or TV Series, duh): Robert Pattison from Twilight
I'm sorry, but he is just fucking hot. The rest of these guys have a lot more going on than their faces, but once and a while you need just pretty. And damn, he is pretty. Picture via Twilight Poison.

Plus, the usual suspects:Justin Timberlake (from the "4 Minutes" video)
David Beckham (from the Armani underwear ads)

Freddie Rodriguez (from Ugly Betty. All the Betty screen caps of Freddie I could find were shite, so I picked this random bit of hotness. Don't know where it comes from, but who cares? A soaked white tee fine with me...)

The Men of Lost Like Lays potato chips, I can't have just one. From Daniel Dae Kim's anxious husband and father to be Jin (sixth from left) to Matthew Fox's daddy issues ridden doctor feel-damn-good (fifth from left) to the always sexually charged (and shirtless) southern boy Sawyer (played by Josh Holloway, third from left) to Naveen Andrews' former Iraqi soldier with the hair I would kill to run my fingers through (third from right) and more recent additions Henry Ian Cusick (far right) and Ken Leung (not pictured) I wouldn't mind being stranded on a haunted island with these boys.

Liveblogging The New David Cook CD

As you may have noticed, I have an abiding crush on American Idol winner David Cook. I ran out to buy his new CD, and I have waited to listen until I can share my thoughts as they happen while listening to David Cook for the first time.

Declaration: First off, I'm pissed there are no lyrics in the CD booklet. I hate that most pop album nowadays don't have lyric sheet anymore. I sound like an old person, don't I? But the song is great, I think this is the one he did on Saturday Night Live. His voice is hot as ever, the intro with the dueling guitars is pretty cool. I don't know what he's declaring, I guess that I've stole his soul to set him free? That's why I need lyric sheets. I must google some lyrics. Oh, I'm his inspiration! Aww, that's so sweet! This song was co-written by Goo Goo Doll Johnny Rzeznik, and it does have that modern rock sound.

Heroes: It opens kinda like that Boys Like Girls song I half like, half hate. The lyrics sound like a Christian pop/rock song, which weird cause I'm pretty sure David has said he's an athiest. "All these heroes come and go, but you're still standing" but then at the end he's all "there's a hero in us all." Oh, I see why this has such a Boys Like Girls feeling, Chris Lord-Alge mixed it, he also mixed the single version of "Hero/Heroine" Do you think David Cook is looking to get an NBC's Heroes promo out of this track?

Light On: I've already discussed this track elsewhere on the blog, but it fits well with the rest of the album so far. It's one of only three songs he didn't co-write. While I'm listening, I took a gander at the pictures in the booklet. God, he's so hot. A bunch of pics crammed on the center page, some really goofy faces. I love how he's not afraid to look silly in photos. I love everything about him...

Come Back To Me: This starts with a kind of new-wave guitar riff, but when it hits the chorus it has more of a symphonic rock sound. Very traditional Grown Up rock music.

Life On The Moon: A real interesting rocker, the lyrics are either silly or really deep. I like the eastern-sounding acoustic guitar that decorates. I can't tell if the fact that "life I knew is through and I'm gonna need you more than ever" is as strange as life on the moon is a really poetic admission of how fame will fuck you up, or if it's just a crappy metaphor.

Bar-ba-sol: OK, this is the rock star song! This needs to be a single for rock radio, it sounds like the harder stuff from Buckcherry or Hinder, but with better vocals. The guitars never let up, the drum line is hard as nails and the chorus has this ridiculous guitar vamp. I pretty much fake all of my rock'n'roll knowledge, cause I'm a pop boy, but when I talk about rock music this song is what I'm talking about. This guitar solo is sick as malaria! I've never heard an American Idol sound like this.

Mr. Sensitive: Kinda emo. I like it, it has a Fall Out Boy quality, but with a more fluid vocal. I'm not sure how I feel about it, it almost feels like the vocals don't belong with the instrumental.

Lie: The vocals are buried in the mix on this song. It could be a real symphonic rock song, like a Goo Goo Dolls song or his American Idol version of "Always Be My Baby" but the vocals need to be brought to the forefront. I'm disappointed! He has such strong vocal power, he shouldn't have to compete with the shitty production values that American Idol provides. I'll bet this song would be hot live, though. Or acoustic! I think an acoustic mix would be a major improvement.

I Did It For You: Again with the buried vocals. Chris Lord-Alge, I will hunt you down and kill you if you keep hiding my beloved Cookie's vocals under a bushel of generic rock'n'roll trappings. This song is a little meh, which makes me sad. I want every song to just reek of sex and rock and word-nerdiness. Oh, David! I know it's not your fault, you're still hot as fuck. I luh yew!

Avalanche: Still pissed at the poor mixing decisions, but this song is pretty cool. I like the idea of falling in love being compared to being buried in an avalanche. But it seems a little generic again. Oh look, the speed up drums leading to the end of the bridge! So rock star! Yeah, the second half of the disc is getting a little blah... :(

Permanent: Opens with piano. Loves it! God, his voice over just piano makes me wanna cry. Or masturbate, I'm not sure. OK, now I feel bad making dirty jokes, this song is beautiful. I think it may be about his cancer-stricken brother. "When all you know seems so far away and everything is temporary, rest your head, I’m permanent" and "Forget your promise that you'll never see me cry" are some of the lyrics that just break my heart.

A Daily AntheM: No, that's not a typo. The capital letters spell out Adam, his brother with cancer. The closeness between the two make me love David even more. He's not just hot and funny and talented, he's a really great guy too. Kimberley Caldwell better never break his heart, cause I will cut the bitch. This is the only song written just by David, no co-writers. Some of the lyrics are a little iffy like "It's a half baked blessing for the lessons I've learned." What does that even mean?

Now we have eleven minutes left on the track, and it's silence. That means one thing: bonus track. Sweet action! If it's just "The Time Of My Life" like is listed on the back of the CD case, I'll be bummed. Maybe it's a secret message from David, telling the world that he's totally gay for me. I'll bet it is. OK, I'm skipping ahead about twenty-thirty seconds at a time. Nothing so far. Three and a half minutes left. Yay! Rock guitars! Ooh, it's a scathing indictment of skanky Hollywood girls. Really, that's not a joke. David is singing something about a "kiss on the neck." I thought he said "kiss on the dick" at first, and I was turned on scandalized, but alas it was not a hoyay moment.

The Time Of My Life: Really, this could be the third least-sucky Idol coronation song. "Inside Your Heaven" was the best, cause the lack of sense it made was coupled with how dirty it sounded. "I wanna be inside your heaven, take me to the place you cry from?" Really, Carrie? That's hot/disturbing/strange. And we can't forget OG champ Kelly's "Moment Like This" which was the first time, and last time, the song pretended to be about any special moment not just winning a reality show. But "The Time Of My Life" sounds uplifting and excited about winner said reality show. "I Believe" is a close fourth, but "This Is My Now" sounds really cocky and "Do I Make You Proud" just sucks. I somehow missed ever hearing "Flying Without Wings" which is probably for the best.

Anyway, even if David Cook starts being a little boring about halfway through, there are some real standouts. More importantly, I'm still in love with David Cook, and will still birth his children someday. Not that I was ever really considering falling out of love with him, he'd have to do faithful covers of the Pussycat Dolls "When I Grow Up" and Chicago's "Saturday In The Park" for that to happen.

David Cook Should've Left The Light Off His New Video

I love David Cook more than any other American Idol winner since Kelly. He is hot as ballz, has an incredibly sexy voice and a brilliant rock-star swagger and persona. I am in love with his new single, "Light On" which was co-written by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and has an anthemic feel and a sexual pulse that thrills me. I have literally been salivating for the release of the video, I knew my beloved Cookie would turn it out to turn me on!

Alas, while David's performance clips in the video are arousingly rock-star with all the gorgeousness and star power one would expect, the plot involving high school kids with crushes was beyond lame. This is an adult rock song, not some High School Musical cover. I would still drag DC into a deserted dressing room for a little bump n grind session, but the morons who green lit this concept video will get none of this jelly. Don't try to turn every cougar's favorite heart throb into a teen sensation. Give us edge, give us sexy darkness! This video fails every time David Cook's face is no longer on the screen. As it should...

The Best Pop Songs Pop Radio Isn't Playing

Oh, to be a radio programmer in the age of Clear Channel and Cumulus Media! You have to find exactly seven songs to rotate, and BAM you have your job done for the week. It's really easy, since all you have to do is check and see which songs feature Akon, Lil' Wayne and/or T-Pain and then you have one spot left to fill with an American Idol winner or runner up (or Daughtry, in more rock-receptive areas.) Then tell your DJs to intersperse "Where My Girls At?" and "In Da Club" in between those seven songs and you have Harrisburg's Hottest Hits: Hot 92 or Here's What Hot: 99.3 Kiss FM. Yay!

OK, I'm sure it's more difficult than that. I mean, there probably dozens of songs going for adds (yeah, I speak the lingo!) every week and you have to choose which ones you will have your DJs play. Some songs are crap, and those songs get played more. I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm trying to be sensitive to the fact that real people are making this music, then choosing to play this music.

But when I turn on the radio, I'd like to be able to choose something in between the somewhat hookless stuff on NPR or XPN and the literally ten songs that get played on the big pop stations. Would it kill them to play "Dangerous" only five times a day, and use the other spots left empty to play "Untouched" by the Veronicas, "With Every Heartbeat" by Robyn, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" by The Black Kids, "L.E.S. Artistes" by Santogold, "Black And Gold" by Sam Sparro, "Into The Nightlife" by Cyndi Lauper, "U Want Me 2" by Sarah McLachlan and "Light On" by David Cook?

OK, so that list may lean to the gay-friendlier side of things, but the fact I could come up with 6 recent singles off the top of my head that I've never heard on the radio, and two that got very limited airplay, is sad. I'm serious, there are literally dozens of really catchy, interesting pop singles like that. I'm not sure I'd still like any of these songs if they played them 12 times a day (no exaggeration) but why do we need to play any song that frequently? It's why so many people prefer blogs to radio to find new music: there is no new music on the radio. Just the same tired track played over and over until I run for cover.

David Cook Leaves The "Light On" (Al Gore Does Not Approve)

David Cook is beautiful hunk of a man. Now that I've gotten that part out of the way, I can try to judge his new single "Light On."

The song open with a piano, but only for a second. It breaks into a moody guitar line and then the gruff vocals of the Best AI Winner Since Kelly (hyperbole? perhaps...) begin. Emotive, but also with a rock star's swagger, David pleads with his girl to "try to leave a light on when I'm gone/something I can rely on to get home" with the vocal prowess of a young Steven Tyler. The production is more Nickleback/Daughtry however, very inoffensive hard-rock. But it's the voice that puts it over the edge, David Cook can rock without resorting to the Emo-whine of Boys Like Girls or even Buckcherry; nor the cookie-monster word-swallowing that prevails in the harder rock arena. This is David's niche, a rock star who can sing like a pop star. And he makes the most of it. Listen at his MySpace.

We're Halfway There... Top 10 American Idol Performances

I'm sure you're all thinking, this list will be all David Cook, all the time. But no! I enjoyed some others, too...

Paulbo's Top 10 American Idol Performances 2008

10. David Cook - "Little Sparrow" (Dolly Parton Week)
How is it that my beloved Cookie can do such wonderous things with "chick" music? Dolly Parton's tale of heartbreak at the hands of a fickle man is not meant for a man to sing, lyrically or vocally. But DC rocks the house and stuns a nation. Or maybe just me...

9. Alexandria Lushington - "Spinning Wheel" ('60s Week)
While the quirky Ms. Lushington didn't make it into the top 12, this delighfully funky slice of AI history will live on. In crazy clothes and fine vocal form, Alexandria rocked the house and heralded a much more mucially diverse year for Idol.

8. Syesha Mercado - "One Rock And Roll Too Many" (Sir Andrew Llyod Webber Week)
This was the week Syesha told us who she was: a Broadway diva and gay icon in the making. With feirce hair, and a sexy attitude she took a song I never heard of and made me love it.

7. Carly Smithson - "Blackbird" (The Beatles Week)
One of the very few highlights of the second week of Beatles tunes, Carly's emotional reading of this song, and her explaination of why it meant so much, worked in her favor. She always seemed to be almost there, her songs never quite getting to the right place. But for one shining moment she was the star I always thought she could be.

6. Chikeke - "She's A Woman" (Lennon/McCartney Week)
Taking a Beatles song and making it a bluegrass/rock hybrid is just one of the many surprises this season brought us. This was one of the biggest, from a contestant didn't surprise us that often.

5. David Cook - "Eleanor Rigby" (Lennon/McCartney Week)
Another of the surprising arrangments, David Cook continued his hot streak with a symphonic rock take on this Beatles classic. His tracks always sound as good or better in the studio versions on iTunes, and this one is a prime example. When his hits the 1:57 mark, and it goes quiet and the background vocals flare up? Genius!

4. Jason Castro - "Hallelujah" ('80s Week)
Jason always just did his own thing, right? Just a stoner singing away with a guitar in one hand and his dreads and everything. Never again would he capture the brilliance of his emotion-drench take on the Leonard Cohen modern standard, but that was enough.

3. David Cook - "Hello" ('80s Week)
This was the week we were introduced to the brilliant arrangments that David Cook would become known for. So he stole the arrangment from Doxology? Who cares, I never heard it before so it's new to me... and hot. So very, very hot.

2. Brooke White - "Love Is A Battlefield" ('80s Week)
Putting her all behind every lyric of this Pat Benatar classic, Brooke White made me fall in love with her and her acoustic guitar ways. Her vocal power may not have matched Carly or Syesha, but she had heart and ALWAYS connected to the lyrics.

1. David Cook - "Always Be My Baby" (Mariah Carey Week)
Even Mariah was taken aback by this brilliant take on her song. He turned a diva classic into a modern rock ballad, and the world was made a better place for it. Also, he looked fuckin' hot doing it!

Random New Songs!

Here is a round up of some new singles that caught my ear:

Violent Femmes - "Crazy"
After Gnarls Barkley covered the Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" it only seems right they should return the favor with the most covered song of 2006: "Crazy" Hey, if it's good enough for Nelly Furtado... The full song isn't available yet, but you here a scant minute of the track at the MySpace. The description on the page fits, in my opinion: "like a Morricone-style dirge recorded by The Mamas and The Papas" Listen and judge for yourself, and either get it on iTunes or buy the limited edition vinyl on June 24th. (Sweet vinyl action, yes!)


Doe Deere - "One Touch"
Thanks to the techno music blog Electroqueer (link to the right, yo!) I've been turned onto NYC based disco diva Doe Deere and her eighties-style dance music. "One Touch" topped the EQ chart for a month, and little wonder: it sounds like every eighties pop song ever, which from me is a Ron Jeremy sized compliment. Plus, you can download the hotness for free on her MySpace, which you should totes do! Do it now, I'll wait. OK, you're back. I know! Sooooo good, right?

Sam Sparro - "Black & Gold"
I can thank both EQ again and Towleroad (again, link to the right) for hooking a brother up with some more smooth dance house fun, courtesy of American boy Sam Sparro. He has a following in the UK, but he should be heating up US gay clubs, too. It's nothing original, just synthy pop with a sing a long chorus. It's finally available on US iTunes, go download it! Or just watch the video...


Jai Rodrieguez - "Broken"
OK, enough gushing from me, there has to be something sucky coming out, right? Correct! Queer Eye's Jai is trying out a singing career, and I don't approve. The singing is passable, but it has a "Do I Make You Proud?" vibe, and only American Idol contestants can get away with that level of lyrical schmaltz. Stick to your day job, whatever the hell that was.


Metro Station - "Shake It"
Aww, Miley Cyrus's big bro wants to sing too! But wait, his band's track is a fierce emotronic HelloGoodbye rip off? Sign me up!


And finally, just a huge Congratulations to David Cook, for having 11 songs debut in the Hot 100! He beat out Miley Cyrus's six debuts, and it's the first time the same artist has had that many tracks in the Hot 100 since The Beatles had 14 during the heyday of Beatlemania. Looks like Cookie fever is spreading! Of course, whining boomers had to complain that it's not the same, but seriously, let the boy have his moment in the sun! Stay tuned for my rant on that later this week...

Betwixt The Covers: The Mixtape

Mixwit.com is a fierce website brought to my attention a while ago on the Pop Candy blog, which is a must-read blog for pop culture junkies like me. You can create a digital mixtape, which can then be posted on a blog like this one, (or on your MySpace or Facebook or personal website) I finally had time to sit down and make a mixtape of cover songs that I love, and add a spicy title: Betwixt The Covers.

Some of these are naughty hip-hop songs covered in a more earnest style, like Jill Sobule's folksy take on Nelly's "Hot In Herre" or Alanis's emo-piano version of Black Eyed Peas ode to T&A, "My Humps." Others find the emotional connection in a fluffy pop song and twist it's heartbreaking core, like Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen does to JoJo's "Too Little Too Late."


Some are just brilliant takes on brilliant songs, like k. d. lang's masterful cover of Leonard Cohen's modern standard "Hallelujah" or the way Petra Haden recreates Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" (guitar solos and all) using only her voice. Mary J Blige proves that you just need to add a soulful black lady to any song to improve it, just look at her version of "One" by U2. The most beautiful nonsense song of modern times, "Stars Go Blue" by Ryan Adams gets a shimmery pop sheen from Irish group The Corrs. Bryan Adams' "Heaven" was remade into a dance floor anthem a few years ago by DJ Sammy, but the Candlelight Remix is a stunning piano ballad version that will bring a tear to your eyes.


Other's just switch up the gender vocals without disturbing the gender pronouns, like the Artic Monkey's drumtastic reading of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" or the Of Montreal version of M.I.A.'s cover of "Jimmy" from the Bollywood film Disco Dancer. It's often just straight up fun, like Britney Spear's "Toxic" covered by Mark Ronson, with a filthy rap from the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, which defies description.


I could have done a mixtape of just David Cook's brilliant covers from American Idol, like "Little Sparrow" and "Billie Jean", but I already did that for three people this week. Instead I'm just including the cover that could have been a radio hit by Goo Goo Dolls or Lifehouse, his take on Mariah Carey's torchy stalker anthem "Always Be My Baby"


And what cover collection would be complete without Rihanna's "Umbrella"? I went with the version that conveyed the most emotion, by Manic Street Preachers, but you can find covers by Marie Digby, Tegan & Sara, Plain White T's, My Chemical Romance and Mandy Moore elsewhere online.

Happy! (and I know it...)

It's not hard to make me happy most of the time. Even when I'm having a blue day, the little things in life can bring a smile to my lips, even if it's just for one moment. Here are a few things that made me grin like a schoolboy in the past week:

David Cook in his underwear. OK, it's not *just* underwear, but his Guitar Hero ad makes me want a hot dog real bad...

Katy Perry - "I Kissed A Girl" A slice of new wave heaven, plus a banger chorus to die for. Other hot shit of the musical variety: Santogold- "L.E.S. Artists", David Cook - "Always Be My Baby", Madonna feat Kanye West - "Beat Goes On" Fame is drug, you wanna hit that?

New underwear! I know, TMI, but these new Fruit Of The Looms briefs with navy stripes are super comfey and make my ass look good. Plus, they were on sale at the Target. Killer!

New Sheetz opening. Now I can get a chicken parmy sub and a Fresca at two in morning. My diet has never been more fucked up.

Artsfest 2008. Cool art, funnel cakes and couple of bits of guycandy. Yummo!

So You Think you Can Dance. I never watched more than one or two episodes before, but I planned on getting hooked on it now that I don't have Idol or Betty. But this shit is so hot, I would be hooked even if I had seventeen other shows on at the same timeslot.

Robert Muraine, I will have your babies. David Cook has right of first refusal, but since he is dating that ho Kimberly Caldwell, I think I'm all your, flexible guy.

David Cook In His Undies...

Freshly minted Idol winner, and newest addition to my tag cloud, David Cook is HOT! I love him to death. So I was pleased to see his "remake" of the famous scene from Risky Business with a white button down and underwear for a Guitar Hero commerical during last night's AI finale. Check out his sexy legs below:

American Idol Recap - David vs David

I know we all know who won already. I didn't have time yesterday to post my AI blog, so all my comments are based on my written opinions made at the time of the performance episode. I really thought Archie was gonna win after that epi, boy was I so happy to be wrong!

David Cook started the night out with U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and, as usual, was amazing! He has probably one of the strongest and clearest voices in rock, he is always on point vocally, no shouting or growling to cover lack of range. Plus, hot jackets! His original song, "Dream Big" had a serious Disney Channel vibe, like it was meant for Hannah Montana and she was like "I'll do 'See You Again' instead." His enunciation could have been clearer, but he still rocked a somewhat trite song. The last song was classic Cookie, take a song, make it his own and imbue it with emotion and meaning. He truly has an artists touch! "The World I Know" was more intimate than we've really seen, acoustic, stripped down, just man and guitar sexing the stage up. It wasn't the WOW moment Simon wanted. Which brings me to the judges comments. After Syesha last week, I thought we'd seen the last of the judges throwing the Idols under a bus. But both Randy and Simon we're either damning him with faint praise or outright criticizing him, when his performances were, like always, miles ahead of the competition. I really think they were try to give Archuleta the win.

And if David Archuleta had won, at least he wouldn't have been the worst winner, Taylor Hicks has that distinction sewn up. And his "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" was very nice, well sung and just OK. His vocals didn't have the power of the George Micheal version, in fact they had trouble rising above the band in parts. The original song, "In This Moment" was even more trite than the first one, and his vocals were light again. But the judges were so quick to praise him as the best thing ever! It pissed me off. Hopefully his 14 week old "moment" warmed back up will at least give them something worth praising. "Imagine" was exactly the same as it was at the beginning of the season; sweet, emotional, nice and overly embellished with runs. But Randy loves runs! Based on the judges comments, I was sure Lil' Archie had won this thing.

But, for the first time in the five seasons I've watched Idol, my guy won! I watched J Hud, Nadia, Mandisa and B-Shorty fail, but now my beloved Cookie is the American Idol! And I should have have trusted he would, because I landed fourth in the AI pool, when I could have been second if I had picked him for the win. Dammit! But I know have a new blog tag for my cloud, David Cook: American Idol!