Just watched the last “competition night” of American Idol, and it was most telling. First of all, it’s a bit sad that a music “career” can be launched by a TV game show. Granted, it’s not quite as bad as it was in the past, and the expansion of the upper age limit has attracted some better singers, with better stange presence and the maturity needed to properly interpret certain types of songs (especially ballads).

That said, tonight’s final highlighted the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the American Idol concept:

  • Bo Bice has a lot more maturity than Carrie Underwood, and it showed in the performances. He knew that ballads require a build-up towards a crescendo, rather than a balls-to-the-wall belting of the song from beginning to end. This helped Bo with his pitch control, as well – he was obviously listening to his voice, and adjusting where necessary.
  • Carrie Underwood is very cute and is a good country singer, but she’s still not mature enough to understand the same nuances needed for ballads. She tried to make every note a “money note,” and it hurt her pitch, delivery and stage presence.
  • The two songs written for the finals were the most banal, Diane Warren-type tripe in the world, and they clearly favored a balladeer voice than a rocker. Thus, Bo was at a distinct disadvantage (though he made it up with his interpretation of the songs and his pitch control). This is a similar situation to the first season of AI, where Kelly Clarkson’s voice was tailor-made for the Diane Warren ballads, and Justin Guarini’s voice didn’t have the necessary range.
  • As was the case with the first three AI finals, the audio feed at home was a lot more dry than the feed in the Kodak Theatre. As such, both sprite and I wondered if the three judges were listening to the same performances. Where we heard glaring pitch problems, Randy, Paula and Simon heard “flawless performances.”

From what I saw tonight, Bo should be the next American Idol. Frankly, I’d rather hear him over the long run, performing some more rocking numbers with some grit. Carrie’s voice, while good, blends in with 8,000 other country/country-crossover female voices, and doesn’t strike me as unique. Who knows what will happen.

On second thought, maybe it’s best that Carrie wins, so that Bo won’t be as hog-tied to 19 Entertainment/Jive Records’ marketing machine and will be able to make a record that he wants to make. Much like Clay Aiken has enjoyed far more success as the AI runner-up than that season’s winner, Ruben Studdard, perhaps Bo would do better to finish second and escape with a bit more artistic freedom and less “Miss America” type pressure.