“American Idol” needs the two Davids that have landed in the finals this time around. Maybe one of them can break up the show’s history of producing dreary male singers — and marketable female artists.
Honestly, look at the standout Idols from the hit show’s six previous seasons: They are all women.
And because this is a pop-oriented show (the original series in England is “Pop Idol”) it’s pretty simple to pick the Ultimate Idols, the singers who have graduated from America’s televised product and made some interesting and listenable pop music.
Kelly Clarkson takes the No. 1 slot. She did it first, and she did it best.
Fantasia Barrino makes sense at No. 2. She won Season 3, and her last record was ridiculously hot pop-infused blend of R&B and hip-hop.
And Carrie Underwood sounds great at No. 3. “But she’s a country singer,” some will whine. Ah c’mon, this Oklahoma girl was reared on Garth Brooks — and she’s pop-country through and through.
Of course “Idol” isn’t presenting us with artists you’d ever call important. They all exist on a certain plane of popular culture, and they’re mostly a disposable group. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t had fun with them.
Like any byproduct of pop culture, these artists are widely celebrated for a reason. There’s something to be said for accepting their popularity and indulging in everything that makes them loved by the millions of fans who voted for them with their telephones and, later, wallets.
But before we get into the celebration of “Idol’s” ladies, let’s talk about the show’s failure with the men.
The series’ male winners were hardly winners in the popular context. Who knows if that would change after this week’s face-off between Davids Archuleta and Cook? Season 2’s Ruben Studdard has worked primarily in straightforward R&B and gospel, but his music has never shown that spark that ignited others’ post-“Idol” careers.
Season 5’s Taylor Hicks was a likable guy, a fine singer and a favorite with the female audience members, but his post-“Idol” flame was never strong. To boot: He was released from his Arista record contract earlier this year.
Woe is Bo
The biggest post-show winner on the male side is Chris Daughtry, who nailed down a mammoth base of fans with his mainstream FM rock band Daughtry in the past two years. Clay Aiken remains popular with the Claymates — err, his fans — and others who appreciate his earnest, if tepid, vocal compositions.
Justin Guarini? Blake Lewis? Forget about it. And what of Bo Bice? He’s actually the Idol I’ve seen most recently, in a large tent at this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival. Every March, music industry types and fans take over downtown Austin, Texas, and this year’s festival had Bice playing to a crowd of 25 people, at least half of whom were there only for the subversive spectacle of seeing a television star fade into obscurity in front of their eyes.
And that’s part of the problem, with the guys and the show. There’s no reason “Idol” can’t produce the next Justin Timberlake. (As if his beginnings aren’t embarrassing enough.) Instead they give us Hicks, Lewis and Bice — performers who are caricatures of stars more deserving of their fame.
If only they were a little smarter. Like the gals.
Unlike the guys, the female “Idol” winners have transcended their initial televised accomplishments mainly by employing a great commercial trick: They have worked with the right people.
Clarkson is the ultimate example. She won Season 1, partnered with proven hitmakers and came out gold — multiplatinum, even. Her second record, “Breakaway,” sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S. alone.
Sure, there have been gaffes along the way, including her spat with Arista mastermind Clive Davis, but Clarkson, like Nelly Furtado and Christina Aguilera, is now a bona fide pop star.
Music aficionados know the name Max Martin. He’s the Swede who is credited for writing and producing much of the material that helped break the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and ‘NSync in the ’90s. Sure enough, Martin is credited as producer and songwriter on two of Clarkson’s biggest hits, “Since U Been Gone” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes.”
Nice. And smart.
Fantasia crosses on over
Fantasia dropped her last name, thus putting her in the one-name- only-please diva camp with Cher and Madonna, after winning Season 3 over runner-up Diana DeGarmo.
After her debut record received four Grammy nominations, she came back with a sophomore album that was one of the hottest crossover R&B records of the decade.
Fans of hip-hop production took to “Fantasia” immediately. Her voice is every bit as commanding as Beyonce’s, and the beats are every bit as hot — sometimes more fiery.
Behind those beats: producers Missy Elliott, Swizz Beats and Babyface. It didn’t hurt that OutKast’s Big Boi sat in on the album’s red-hot first single, “Hood Boy,” either.
Season 4 champ Carrie Underwood’s debut, “Some Hearts,” crossed the 7-million-copies mark in February, two months after her sophomore release, “Carnival Ride,” reached the 2-million-copy mark. Did Underwood write any of the songs on her first two records? Sure, she co-wrote five or six.
But does it really matter? She smartly works with Nashville’s finest, a collection of songwriters who regularly have songs in the Top 10. They’re the veterans who know what they’re doing, and she’s the newbie with the voice of an angel and the facade of a Barbie doll.
It’s the age-old collaboration of a singer and her songwriter. And while it doesn’t work every time, it succeeds when both people are wise enough to recognize a virtuous collaboration when they see one.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
