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James Durbin: The NeverEnding Sob Story
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The use of sob stories in general on this series of American Idol has been ridiculous, but this guy took it to a whole new level. :eek:
It was almost like a parody. I think I lost count of the amount of sob stories he crammed into his few minutes of air-time. He even turned on the waterworks and milked it in front of the judges too.
He actually has a good voice, a really good voice. But he came across as far too desperate for my liking.
It was almost like a parody. I think I lost count of the amount of sob stories he crammed into his few minutes of air-time. He even turned on the waterworks and milked it in front of the judges too.
He actually has a good voice, a really good voice. But he came across as far too desperate for my liking.
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I know he has high functioning autism?? But if you didn't realise it would be a bit weird. I noticed one of the youngsters looking at him at one point in a strange way.
Could not agree more. A bit like the much more talented Siobhan from last year - really good singer but putting the scream in nearly every song (especially when irrelevant) made me go off her really quickly.
You're forgetting why Adam Lambert didn't win - because of his sexuality and because Chris Allen was/is a good old Christian boy with a wife
I think he feels that louder equals better. Whereas he makes me wince when pushes it too far, it doesn't sound as good as he thinks it does.
There was more to Kris' win over Adam than what you are suggesting. If Adam's sexuality had been such an issue, he wouldn't have got within a million miles of the final and if the public were going to vote in the droves for a good Christian boy, Danny was that and then some - not just a married man but a widower. Triple whammy!
The problem is that James doesn't have more than a fraction of Adam's range and not an ounce of his charisma and what power he does get into his voice is extremely forced. The irony is that James performed
Jacob was the only one who impressed me last night.
Just made me chuckle (not because he has a dead wife) 'the triple whammy'!
Talking of that final I felt sorry for Kris he looked a little uncomfortable imo with the win, he knew Adam was the star.
Both great guys.:)
When they were standing there awaiting the result, he looked resigned to his fate as runner-up and the first thing he said when his name was called out was "But Adam deserves this".
I know what you mean. I think in the long-run he would have been better off as runner-up. Unexpected victors of strongly-favoured runners-up have a lot to live up to and don't tend to. Leon Jackson??? And can you imagine if Susan Boyle had been beaten by another singer instead of a dance troupe?
Well yes, I think the fact Adam didn't really perform anything uptempo in the final(Satisfaction, Black or White for example) had an impact on the result too. I still think his sexuality played a significant part too though.
Totally disagree - his range is very similar to Adam's and I think he has more than enough charisma. He was fantastic tonight.
Amen to that
That's really not what I am getting at but never mind.
Under the circumstances, Adam could have been straight as a die and performed anything or nothing in the final while Kris could have croaked like a bullfrog and still won.
James Durbin has got about as much of Adam Lambert's range as my tortoise has and all the performance skills of its shell.
I'm a big fan of James' song's original artist and felt embarrassed for James for even attempting it. Good luck to him though. He may not stand out in the big scheme of things but he's one of the few that stands out in the competition this year when, with two exceptions, they appear to have very much gone back to the diva type for the girls and the inoffensive type for the boys :yawn:
Yes, there is a whiff of La Lambert about him and proffessionalism. Hes done the clubs, he has done his dues and the audience like him.
He stands out and unless he blows it has a good chance of winning.
99% of the contestants who make the live shows in AI have extensive professional experience. Right from the first series, Kelly was a seasoned performer (cocktail waitress my rear) and was chased across states by the producers to stop her from signing a contract that would have precluded her from entering the competition. Even 16/17 year old Allison Iraheta and David Archuleta were winners of previous TV talent shows.
As for Durbin having a touch of Lambert about him, in his wildest dreams. Durbin's voice is not so much Judas Priest as overexcited choirboy. It's far too feeble to pull off rock and his performance is "stage movement by numbers".
It's another thing he has in common with Steven Tyler, who appears to be using a 'tourettes stick' to cover his potty mouth!
James does remind me of Adam Lambert, and has doubtless felt encouraged to enter because of Adam's success. If he's straight he may even sell more records (though this 'love you man' bromance with room mate from the start, the cute Stefano, and the sight of them both stood there holding hands while a decision was made, has had me wondering.) But I'm probably just fantasising, as I wouldn't mind holding hands with Stefano either.
But unlike Adam, he is very untidy at the end of his vocals, as if unable to fully recover from overpowering his voice, and some of his runs have been all over the place. He lacks Adam's 'professional' polish - what comes from Adam's experience in musical theatre and being 27 when he entered as a supremely confident performer. 22-year-old James hits the same sort of notes Adam does, that's where the comparison lies, but there isn't any rapid and raucous 'Sylvester' like vibrato there, as with Adam, instead it's more like a guy who has sucked in some helium for a karaoke trick.
But there is obviously a similarity, it's pointless denying it.
The other big sound-alike for me, being a Siobhan fan, is Pia - she's just as bold, and sounds a little like her, but less nasal.
With all due respect, it's not as if Steven is spoilt for rock singers to critique. He can praise James Durbin or he can praise James Durbin. If he's feeling really adventurous, he may compare James Durbin to James Durbin.
I'm not going to speculate about James and/or Stefano's sexuality. There were two openly gay male contestants in the top 24 - one of them is still there - but neither of them James or Stefano.
What happened with Adam in the end was nothing to do with his sexuality. No other contestant, gay or straight, would have beaten Kris Allen. His subsequent slightly slower than projected sales in the US (albeit wiping the floor with the winner and last year's winner) can be put down to his perhaps being a little too in your face about his sexuality for a large section of the American public and media (and not just the American public and media) after officially coming out.
James' condition may be his biggest USP.
James may have a bigger than average voice but that is all and the genre is where any similarity ends. Does James have the versatility on the big stage? We've yet to see it on the show and videos of him singing in other genres are nothing to write home about. Not that I'm suggesting we should see it on the show because it often annoys me when contestants are criticised for being one trick ponies and then are criticised for not knowing the type of artist they are when they try something different. Does he have the ability to rearrange and improvise? Is he making contributions or suggestions to anything else about his performance? There have been several other rock singers of various sorts since season 4 of Idol but I wouldn't put James in the same league as Adam, David Cook, Chris Daughtry or Bo Bice. He's more akin to Michael Johns or Constantine Maroulis at best.
You hit the nail on the head with the swallowing helium comparison. He certainly doesn't have the power (his wails are weak and reedy) and, as you say, the control. However, there is only so much that training and experience can give you. There are things you're just born with or you're not. You only have to listen to or watch Adam's performances at James' age and younger to see the chasm in natural ability in voice and performance, and that certain something that you can't buy or learn.
I don't know how much truth there is in what I've been told about Adam being discouraged from performing a big or uptempo number on the show next week, hence the acoustic song he'll be performing. I don't think that's wholly accurate but it would be interesting if it were.
I agree about Pia and Siobhan. Pia's voice is all the better for not having the nasalness though I preferred Siobhan all around.