American Idol Season 8- Top 5 Power Rankings

April 27, 2009 By 8 Comments

ai-top-5 This is jolting.  Last week there were 7 and now there are 5 on American Idol Season 8.  We say goodbye to Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai.  They were both favorites to make it to the finals, remember when we all thought it would be Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds and Anoopdawg in the Top 3.  What happened?  We found out the Anoopdawg, a wonderful singer, lacked star power.  Lil’s lack of music experience crippled her ability to choose and arrange songs.  I suspect a good team will make her a star.

Before we get started ranking the American Idol Season 8 Top 5, I watched “From Idol to Inspiration” on the Gospel Music Channel.  This documentary is advertised as a study into the impact of the Church has had on American Idol and the impact of American Idol on the Church. I am not sure it accomplishes that lofty goal but the segments with Phil Stacey, Mandisa, Melinda Doolittle and Chris Sligh are interesting and inspiring.   “From Idol to Inspiration” encores on GMC April 27, 30, May 2, 3; check www.gospelmusicchannel.com for show times.

The power rankings, from here forward, are fluid.  Many believe that this Top 5 is the most talented of the any American Idol group ever.  Any one of these American Idol music artists could sing their way into the finals. American Idol Season 8 now adds a level of intensity as the contestants now will be singing two songs each week.  This pressure of this additional preparation got to Jason Castro and Brooke White last year.

American Idol Season 8 Top 5 Power Rankings

  1. Kris Allen has put together the best body of work on American Idol Season 8.  Week after week Kris makes great song selections, finds the emotional core of those songs, arranges the songs to fit his style and delivers exceptional performances.  He has had more show topping performances than any other and has only had one stumble with “All She Wants to Do Is Dance”.He is building a credible covers EP.  Look at this collection of downloadable performances:

    “Ain’t No Sunshine” “Falling Slowly” “She Works Hard for The Money” “To Make You Feel My Love” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” “Remember The Time” “Man In The Mirror”

    Kris Allen first caught my attention when he turned Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror” into a pleading prayer for self revelation. MTV, Entertainment Weekly and Buddytv have all jumped on the Kris Allen band wagon, suggesting that he could be the only person capable of disrupting Adam Lambert’s coronation. “With him [Kris Allen], it’s much more about the emotion of the song and trying to tell a story through the lyrics rather than hitting these giant notes and using vocal bombast,” said EW’s Michael Slezak.

    I assume Kris Allen will continue his consistent, thoughtful march through American Idol Season 8.  Regardless whether Kris Allen wins American Idol Season 8 or not he will be our top idol.

  2. Allison Iraheta has only had a few stumbles on American Idol Season 8 (“Don’t Stop” and “I Don’t Want to Miss A thing”) and each time she has come storming back.  Her interpretation of “Hot Stuff” as a rock song was brilliant.  Allison’s staging was captivating, her clothes were perfect for her performance and her singing was mind blowing.Allison Iraheta stage presence in much more mature than her 16 years.  Jordan Sparks and David Archuleta both sang beyond their years, but with Allison Iraheta you feel she is an old soul in a 16 year old body.  Both Jordan and David were mature singing old songs but struggled with contemporary material.  Allison feels like a mature performer with a modern sensibility.I am shocked she was in the Bottom 3.  That does not bode well for her, but she has made her mark on the American Idol fans and we will be listening to Allison Iraheta music for years to come.
  3. Danny Gokey once again showed off his unique, bluesy voice on American Idol Season 8 Disco night.  He blasted his performance of “September” with huge notes and a couple of good change of pace decisions.  However, his arrangement was mundane and, in a night when many of the Idols redefined their songs, Danny seemed to be consumed by “September”.From the beginning I felt that Danny Gokey had an advantage in American Idol Season 8 because his background would enable him to bring superior arrangements to his performances.  I am disappointed that he has shown the least arrangement creativity of  any of the remaining 5 American Idols.
  4. Matt Giraud made a strong comeback from the American Idol Season 8 ” judges save”.  His arrangement of “Stayin Alive” was fresh, modern and funky.  That was hard because “Stayin Alive” is an iconic song that I thought was dangerous, if not impossible to perform.  But he nailed it and was rewarded by escaping the Bottom 3 last week.Matt is the most inconsistent of the remaining American Idol Season 8 Top5.  I think it is because Matt Giraud seems himself as a rock pianist and vocalist when he is really a R&B performer.  His biggest failures have occurred when he has attempted Coldplay, The Fray and Bryan Adams.  Matt has triumphed with Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees. Matt Giraud’s vision of himself as a piano rocker may be why he was a dueling piano player before American Idol Season 8 and, if he does not embrace his R&B skills, it will cause the end of his American Idol journey.
  5. Adam Lambert simply does not live up to the hype for me. The bombastic singing, calculating performances and hair metal screaming make me wonder where he goes after American Idol Season 8.  There have been plenty of recording artists who have had success pandering to audiences, but they do not create artistic legacies.Last week’s performance of  “If I Can’t Have You” is a example.  Adam Lambert was delivering a quiet, heartfelt interpretation of that disco love song until he forced in a Poison-like power ballad scream.  That completely undercut the emotion of the song and made it feel calculated and staged.Adam Lambert has had a few brilliant performances on American Idol Season 8 (“Tracks of My Tears” and “Mad World”) but many of performances have been excruciating displays of bombast.  Many believe he will win, but Adam Lambert will not have a successful recording career. He will probably parlay his American Idol success into a Broadway career, which is the right place for him.

This is a very good Top 5.  The next four weeks should be exciting.  It seems that the three remaining Christian music artists, Kris Allen, Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud are in danger of being caught up in a voting block.  Adam and Allison are distinctively different than those three.  The downside of that is that Kris, Danny and Matt will be performing against each other over the next few weeks. We will have some shocking American Idol Season 8 Bottom 3′s and departures because of it. The positive will be that the one to survive that voting challenge will pick up the other’s votes and be all that much stronger.

Be sure to check out our song predictions tomorrow morning and then join our live blog tomorrow night at 8edt as the American Idol Season 8 performers take on “Songs of The Rat Pack”.

In the meantime, download some of American Idol’s Season 8 performances from iTunes.

Apple iTunes

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The One21 Interviews Tre9

April 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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Pt. 2

Tre9 is this amazing dude out of Houston TX. He is a hip-hop artist, promoter, manager,and founder of both Much Luvv Records, and DASOUTH.com. At SXSW, he was responsible for the event that brought Kaboose, Braille, and Lecrae to Austin. We were lucky to get a few minutes with him. This is one of those interviews were I didn’t have to ask a lot of questions, Tre9 is a passionate dude!  In the midst of his excitement, he talks about some really serious issues in the Christian music scene, and in fact his interview in part inspired a new way for us at The One21 to approach the music we are putting on this site (read The Many Facets Of Christian Music). Even if you arn’t into hip-hop, I’m sure you will love this interview.

This is Tre9‘s video for his song “Rise To The Top”

You can buy Tre9‘s music digitally on Tre9 and Amazon MP3

You can also buy his CDs on Amazon:
Marooned
The Farmer


Filed Under: Interviews, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Christian Artists To Know:Project 86

April 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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Project 86
Genre: Rock
Styles: Nu-Metal, Hard Rock, Progressive
Location: Orange County, CA
Label: Tooth And Nail
Website: www.project86.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/project86
Christian Label: Yes
Category: The Message whats this?

Lets get something straight from the beginning, Project 86 isn’t just a band. Project 86 is a force. From frontman Andrew Schwab’s menacing and powerful vocals to guitarist Randy Torres’s brutal and emotional musical landscapes, Project 86 have always been a band that redefined the box they were placed in. With every new chapter of the band, the listener never gets a new album, but a soundtrack to a new and frightening story from Andrew’s head space.  Making the heavy beautiful and the artistic interesting, Project 86 is one of the best band’s making music today.

In many ways, Project 86‘s longevity is many due to their ability to endure.  When the band’s first CD was released in 1998, the group was lumped in with the wave of Rage Against The Machine/Limp Bizkit rip-offs populating the Christian market. It was a strange landscape to debut in, because the the Christian music scene was changing and growing in strange ways. Ska was king in the Christian circles, but the mainstream market was focused on the darker, more aggressive sounds of nu-metal that were coming from Korn, Deftones, and Staind. Many bands that hit the Christian market at that time were “safe alternatives” to the nu-metal chart-toppers, but fizzled out quickly due to a lack of originality and conviction. It was during this time that members of a hardcore band called Innermeans hooked up with a prolific and dynamic lyricist named Andrew and created Project 86.

The band’ self-titled  debut was a step ahead of the pack. The mood of the CD was very dark, almost bordering on apocalyptic. The lyrics were more poetic than hip-hop, and the songs were ever evolving roller coasters of brutality and melody. Many listeners did not know what to make of it. Luckily for Project though, a small group of bands that were committed to creating intelligent and unique music for Christ embraced the band’s sound. A friendship between Swedish nu-metal band Blindside, California hardcore band No Innocent Victim, speed punk band Dogwood, and rap-metal pioneers Payable On Death and Project allowed the band to be encouraged to make the music they believed in.

In fact, here is a really old video of Project 86, featuring a very young Sonny Sandoval (of P.O.D.), playing their end of times masterpiece “Six Sirens”.

After building name for themselves with shows like that, Project 86 entered the studio in later 1999 to record their sophomore effort. The result was Drawing The Black Lines, an album that has not only defined the band’s sound for the majority of their career since, but  changed the way many of bands approached writing Christian music. The CD was immense, as much artistic as it was heavy. The songs ranged from the straight forward intense, to bitterly somber, to the unsympathetically dark.  Drawing The Black Lines was a wake up call in a scene that had become bogged down bad rip offs of popular mainstream bands. Project 86 proved in their 50 minute opus to the Christian struggle that you never had to sacrifice intelligence for faith.

Possibly one of the best songs they have ever written, “One Armed Man (Play On)”, was given its own music video, and the world was introduced to the new Project 86.

The years have gone by, and Project is still out their destroying stages and changing perceptions. It is important to note that when they hit the scene before the turn of the century, there were very few bands pushing the envelope like Project was. Many bands both in the Christian music scene and outside of it point to Project 86 as one of their main influences.  Their body of work continues to prove that they are massive talents, who are never scared to talk about their faith with Christ. Andrew has said from the beginning that they never wanted to be a “typical” ministry band. that they wanted to make relevant music to both believers and the un-saved. Several albums later, the band is still pumping all pistons, and we hope they never stop.

Here is the band playing an overseas festival, with their song “Evil (A Chorus Of Resistance)”

I cant tell you what a special place this band holds in my heart. They are THE band that made me realize that I shouldn’t be looking for Christian versions of mainstream music, but I should be seeking out great music created from the heart of believers. Drawing The Black Lines is a shinning example of how believers can create unique and interesting music, and in my opinion it is own of the best albums ever created. That is not say that the rest of the band’s work has been bland, Project continue to shake things up and surprise fans song after every new song.  The best part is that as I am writing this, the next chapter of Project 86 is being readied to be unleashed in 2009. This might be one you should hold your breath for.

You can buy Project 86‘s music digitally on Project 86 and Amazon MP3

You can also get their CDs on Amazon:
Project 86
Drawing Black Lines
Truthless Heroes
Songs to Burn Your Bridges By
And the Rest Will Follow
Rival Factions
The Kane Mutiny EP and This Time Of The Year EP are both digital only


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Friday Christian Music News 4/24/09

April 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Hope you guys have a great weekend. Here are your headlines for today.

Solid State metalcore band Advent posted a video of them recording their new album. Watch Advent in the recording studio.

Project 86 posted details for their upcoming album, Picket Fence Cartel. Read Project 86 update.

Washington Projects (ex Souljahz) announced plans for a new album as well. Read Washington Projects update.

Filed Under: News

The One21 Interviews Rootbeer

April 24, 2009 By 1 Comment

rootbeer

Pt. 1

Pt.2

So we have talked about Rootbeer a lot on this site. Rootbeer is the musical collaboration of Flynn Adam and Pigeon John. The two are not strangers though, they both started in the quirky hip-hop mega-group LA Symphony. That group has split off into many different factions, Cook & Uno, Poems, both John and Adam have pretty solid solo careers, but the latest and most visible is Rootbeer. The duo just released their Pink Limousine EP, a cool collection of fun and bouncy songs, and have been working really hard to get the word out.  We talked about that, how they got started, and their thoughts on faith and music.

Note: I (Ian) have been listening to both of these guys for a long time. I was a little nervous, so the beginning of the interview starts off a little awkwardly. Give it a few questions, because we fell into a great groove after a bit and even more sips from our coffee cups.

Here are the boys in Rootbeer with the title track from their debut EP

and for fun, here is both Pigeon John and Flynn Adam (doing the beats) WAY BACK in the first video from LA Symphony (younger versions of Cook & Uno, Poems, and Joey The Jerk also in the clip)

You can get Rootbeer’s EP digitally on Rootbeer and Amazon MP3

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Voices Of the Underground Pt.7

April 23, 2009 By 8 Comments

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Several weeks ago One21 Music posed fifteen questions to a number of music artists in the Christian music scene, ranging from the light-hearted to the deeply spiritual. We received many responses, some very helpful, and some…. not so much. Some of the answers were short and sweet, some were extensive and eloquent. Many expressed frustrations with the current landscape of the music industry, while others were hopeful for a future of uncertainty. We heard from guys who had been performing for years, and bands that are just now starting to get their names heard. From indie rock to hip-hop, from hardcore to worship, the Christian music scene spoke back to us. Realize that these answers are by the people making the music that you are listening to, and these are un-edited and real. The opinions expressed don’t always reflect ours, but we aren’t perfect, right?

Need to catch up?
Read Pt.1: What Do You Love About Music?
Read Pt.2: What Are Some Of Your Favorite Albums/CDs?
Read Pt.3: What Is The Best Thing About Making Music?
Read Pt.4: What Is Your Opinion Of The Music Industry?
Read Pt.5: What Impact Has The Digital Age Of Music Had On The Industry?
Read Pt.6: Who Is Jesus Christ To You?

This week we explore a question that we have debated a lot on this site. In fact, this question explores what is perhaps one of the most controversial and important concepts when it comes to faith and music. For our site, we have defined what we consider Christian music, and then have even gone farther to clarify the many parts of that definition. For most people, and especially music lovers, the concept of what makes music “Christian” is a big deal. In all reality, most of us that talking about it are speaking from the outside in, so this week we ask people making the music what their definition is. As with all of our Voices Of The Underground episodes, the answers are very diverse, and most will surprise you. Alright, enough talk:

What is Christian music?

amycourts Amy Courts (independent pop/folk artist)                                         Amy Courts
I believe Christian Music is – in real terms, not industry terms – anything that flows from the hearts of the redeemed. As one who’s struggled to find a fit in both the “Christian” music world and the “Mainstream” world, I’ve become more and more convinced that being a Christian artist has less to do with how many times I mention “Jesus” in any given song, or how many songs per album are about God, church, Jesus, heaven, or the Bible. Instead, it’s about a faith that filters into and seasons everything I am, say, and do. My faith in Christ and relationship to Him is not “a” thing or even “the” thing that tops any list of priorities. It is the filter through which all priorities find their place. Because I am a Christian, in my heart, my songs will be flavored by my faith. Because Christ is my King, and His heart is for the least of these, my actions will be on behalf of of those He cherishes.

mahoganyjones Mahogany Jones (independent hip-hop artist)                                 Mahogany Jones
Music that is Christ centered. Music that the subject matter doesn’t have to be Christ, but it’s solution or resolve is Christ.
So if I write a song about relationships or about my job- the context needs to be about how I handle either in relationship to my relationship with Christ.

bryanblondstreakabandon Bryan (bass player for Forefront Records pop/rock band Abandon) Abandon
Music that glorifies our God. Plain and simple. It isn’t a fad or even a “genre” in my opinion. I believe that if you are a Christian and you are an artist, your art should reflect your love for your savior, no questions asked. He created you, so anything you create should bring him glory.

brandonsayyouwill Brandon (bass player for independent pop/rock band Say You Will)
Christian music is music that is glorifying to God in any way. Even if it doesn’t say a word about God.

the_welcome_wagon_-_0938-c Vito (half of Asthmatic Kitty indie/folk band The Welcome Wagon) The Welcome Wagon
I think this is a term that should be defined by whoever is using it at the time. It’s not a term I use, thus I do not have a working definition of it. I have terms I do use that are similar, for example, “church music.” I am the pastor of a church, and it is my duty to select music for our church to sing and hear in the context of our worship service. I have a set of criteria that I bring to that task that helps me to choose that music. So that’s a definition—“church music”—that I could give.
But “Christian music” is not a term I use, so I can’t define it.

a thousnd times repent dowd Dowd(guitar for Tribunal Records metal band A Thousand Times Repent) A Thousand Times Repent
I think it is a way to make more positive music that is based around Jesus in any genre. I don’t think any genre should be left out. I think you can do straight death metal and be a Christian band if you want. We need those options available to kids.

dewey Dewey Lybecker( independent solo singer/songwriter)                     Dewey Lybecker
I think Christian music is music that reflects life from the perspective of a person that has a personal relationship with God. The good and the bad..

brookewaggner Brooke Waggoner(solo indie/pop artist on SlowMoon Music)            Brooke Waggoner
Anything that is created from the heart of believers: CCM, indie, rock ‘n’ roll, experimental – there’s Christians in all of these places.

dirt DIRT (underground hip-hop artist and founder of Shadow Of The Locust) Dirt
I know what Christian music SHOULD be…. it should be any music that inspires you TOWARDS God.

ourproclamationfrankieinstrips1Frankie (vocalist for Infantry Records hardcore band Our Proclamation) Our Proclamation
Well, there’s a lot of debate about this. Can you be a Christian band and have songs that aren’t about God? Or do you have to sing about or praise God in everything you perform?
Honestly.. It makes no difference to me. We get lost in the title of “Christian” that we lose our relationship with Christ. I’d rather play music about Christ than Christian music.

sethinfrontendervence Seth (singer for independent hard rock band Endeverance)          Endeverance
To me I honestly don’t think there is a thing as “Christian Music”. I think there is a thing called “Worship Music” which is played in churches every week, but the rest of everything that is called “Christian Music” to me is just plain music…I mean I look at it in the way C.S. Lewis did, as Christian’s I think we should just make music, but do it a million times better than non-Christians…and just leave it at that…

johanna fellow Johanna Miller (keyboardist/singer for South Pawl pop/rock band Fellow) Fellow
Christian music should always direct our thoughts toward God and living a Christ-like life. It’s not limited to strictly church worship songs.

christaylor Chris Taylor (BEC solo artist/song writer)                                             Chris Taylor
Praising His Glorious name!

domicballi Dominic Balli (independent Reggae/hip-hop artist)                       Dominic Balli
To me, “Christian” describes who I AM. I am a Christian. I play Rock Reggae music. “Christian Music” is the only genre in Popular music that is defined not by a style of music but by lyrical content. When someone asks me, “What kind of music do you listen to?” And I say, “Christian Music.” That could mean anything from Project 86 to Mary Mary to Jeremy Camp, to Cross Movement to Fernando Ortega. So what is Christian Music? It’s music where the lyrics are Christian in content.

echocastbandwb8David (singer for independent nu-metal band Echocast)                       Echocast
My personal opinion is that “Christian Music” is music consisting of songs either about the Lord or worshiping the Lord… But at the same time, if an artist writes songs that are more or less autobiographical or are putting their personal thoughts and feelings across, and that artist is a Christian, then Christian ideas and principals are going to come through in individual songs…

So, at the end of the day, the jury is still out. Maybe we as a body of believers will never be able to solve this debate, but we will continue to seek out what the answer is in our own lives. Join us next Thursday as we talk about the Christian music industry.

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Thursday Christian Music News 4/23/09

April 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

So it is kind of slow today, again. Some new bands getting signed, some bands going on tour. Be sure to check back at 7PM as the next part of the Voices Of The Underground goes live on the site. We are going to try to define Christian music, so you know it will be interesting. Here are your headlines today:

Metal band In The Midst of Lions has signed with Strike First records. Read In The Midst Of Lions announcement.

Pop-rock band Chasen has signed with INO Records. Read Chasen announcement.

Folk band Cannonhands has signed to Future Destination Records. Read Cannonhands announcement.

Austin locals The Rocketboys will be saying goodbye to their long time drummer after this week. Read Rocketboys announcement.

Skillet have announced posted thier tour dates with Decyfer Down and Deciple. View The Cometose Tour dates.

Filed Under: News

Free MP3 Album Download:Nick DePartee-Home

April 23, 2009 By 6 Comments

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Nick DePartee is the guitarist for BEC’s Kutless. He tours all over the country with the band playing their pop/hard rock. When he is at home though, he channels his more mellow influences.  He decided to give away his first collection of demo tacks, just so people could hear them. Good plan, because we like giving it away!

The tracks are rough, so don’t expect like huge production quality. What you can expect are songs about a man’s journey through life and his quest to find God in all of it. For fans of Glen Hansard, The Fray, and Coldplay (I’m not saying he sounds like them, just that you may like him if you like them).

Click on the link below, save the .ZIP file to your computer, EXTRACT ALL FILES (or click on the opened file) and enjoy the Home EP.

NOTE: The link for this album is being screwy. The link works, you may have to give it a sec. If just clicking on it doesn’t work, then try opening the link in another tab or window. You may get a web page for MEDIAFIRE(which is the server the file is up loading from) saying that the file doesn’t exist. It does, MEDIAFIRE is telling a lie. Sorry about this guys, it works every time I post it, then the moment I look away it start acting funny.

So plan two is if the link below doesn’t work (which while I have been writing this worked for five minutes and then went down within those five minutes), go to Nick’s Myspace page ( Myspace for Nick DePartee) and try it from his page.

Download Nick DePartee-Home EP

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American Idol Season 8-Disco Results Live Blog

April 22, 2009 By 1 Comment

It is a shame two American Idol performers must go home tonight.  Last night’s Disco Music performances were exceptional and made for the best show of American Idol Season 8 (see our Disco Performances Live Blog).

Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta shined and Adam Lambert fell just a little short.   Danny Gokey needs to pick-up his game and Matt Giraud made a strong case for the Top5.  Lil Rounds was treated unfairly by the judges and Anoop Desai was bland as usual. I think we will see a shocker in the Bottom 3 tonight (see our Disco Performance Reviews).

We are covering the Christian music artists performing in American Idol Season 8.  We started with ten in the Top 36, then their were six in the Top 13 and they all made it into the Top 10.  We now have four Christian music artists in American Idol’s Season 8 Top 7.  Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud and Lil Rounds all performed last night and I fear could lose two of them tonight.

However, this is no time to fret.  Let’s just see what America had to say.  David Archuleta will perform with K.C., Thelma Houston and Freda Payne ( a favorite!) will perform us some disco.  Don’t forget that Paula Abdul choreographed the group number.  Let’s go!

This Is American Idol!

Did he just say there were 45 million votes?  Wow you guys are invested in American Idol Season 8.

We got to watch video of Paula teaching a dance class and she worked them out.  She is one tough cookie.  I don’t think she cried once, but could they understand what she was talking about?  Let’s see how it worked out.  Sporting some creepy sunglasses they are working Paula moves to The Jackson’s “Shack You Body”.  Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud can dance, the others not so much.  That was fun.  Good job, Paula!

Time to start the results but the girls are slow changing their dancing shoes, so Ryan shows another Ford video, enough said.

Everybody is on the couch so time to find a Bottom 3.  Lil Rounds is first up?  She is in the Bottom 3 and she looks crushed.  They reveal that she has been voted off?  That was weird.  I thought they would save all of this for the end. Good farewell performance.  She worked it out.  Randy is right this is just the beginning for her.  Simon remains a massive fan.  We will see Lil Rounds again.

Time for the disco medley with K.C., Thelma Houston and Freda Payne.  Call me silly, I love “Band of Gold”, but who is that lady who can’t sing?  She is ruining my childhood memories.  Disappointed!!  Thelma Houston singing “Don’t Leave Me This Way”. Is this really that hard?  The American Idol performers make this look relatively easy.  K.C. please make it happen.  He has virtually no voice left but he was never a great singer, we will just boogie with the back-up singers.

Now down to nail biting time. Is it Matt and Anoop in the bottom 3 or will one of the favorites be in danger.

Up next Kris Allen and he is safe.  Of course, he is.  Adam Lambert is safe.  Danny Gokey on the hot seat now.  Simon shuts down Ryan.  Danny Gokey is safe.  I am glad I was wrong.  Anoop Desai has to be in the Bottom 3 and he is.  Allison Iraheta or Matt Giraud, it must be Matt again.  That was Matt’s arrangement last night.  Matt is safe.  Allison is in the bottom 3.  This is a travesty!

Three of the Top 6 are Christian music performers.  Yeah!

It is Archie time, everybody scream!  David Archuleta is singing his new song “Touch My Hand”.  I like this less than any of his Americna Idol Season 7 performances and that is hard to say.  I am not an Archilite.

Should the judges have saved the “save”?  After America voted Anoop Desai. It was time.  This guy can sing but he has no star power.

I am sad to see Lil Rounds go home but I think we got it right tonight. American Idol Season 8 is really talent filled and this was the right time for these two to ext. They will have good careers in music.

Be sure to download these very good disco performances on iTunes.

Apple iTunes

Filed Under: American Idol Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday Christian Music News 4/22/09

April 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

So Im not perfect, no one is. Today I realized that I never published a completed News Post from last Friday. It had some good headlines so I am posting it under the three news items that popped up today. So, yea, sorry ’bout that.

From Today:

Underoath Underoath have a new video for the song “Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear”. Watch Too Bright To See Too Loud To Hear by Underoath.

Peter Furler of The Newsboys Newsboys addressed their fans today with an official statement. Read The Newsboys announcement.

(morse) announced plans for a new album and debuted his new coloring book. Read (morse) announcement.

From Friday:

BEC solo artist Chris Taylor Chris Taylor (one of our Voices Of The Underground) announced that he was stepping back from his music career yesterday. Read Chris Taylor announcement.

Independent hip-hop group Rhema Soul Rhema Soul (of whom we have up for free download) had their video picked up by Fuse TV. Read about Rhema Soul and Fuse TV.

Update: August Burns Red August Burns Red, according to their Twitter, was able to make their show Wednesday night despite their van breaking down. They had to get a new one, so go out there and support them!

An article for AP Magazine featuring Mike of MXPX Mxpx was posted on the band’s myspace. Read MXPX article.

Rapper Von Won Von Won has signed with Much Luv Records. Read Von Won announcement.

Hip-hop pastor Urban D‘s Urban D. video for his song “Hustle” debuted a few days ago. Watch Hustle by Urban D.

Reggae rapper Jahziel debuted his video for the song “My Neighborhood” yesterday. Watch In My Neighborhood by Jahziel.

In keeping with new videos, MuteMath Mute Math debuted theirs for the song “Spotlight”. Watch Spotlight by MuteMath.

For Today For Today announced a new layout, a new album, and a ton of tour info. Read For Today announcement.

Filed Under: News
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