Did anybody watch American Idol last year? Was anybody as equally pissed off as I was that Taylor Hicks won? It was a huge joke. Especially when there was someone as talented as Chris Daughtry in the running, and he didn't even make it to the final three. Chris was sent home 4th-last (ironically, that was Elvis week), and I'll never forget the look on his face when Ryan Seacrest announced he was the next to go. He was shocked. And when Seacrest stuck the mic in his face and asked him if he was surprised, the normally calm, cool, and composed Chris simply blurted out in frustration: "Yes!"
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. I mean, how can anyone associated with a show that produced the likes of Clay Aitken be taken seriously in the music industry? Sure, American Idol has launched successful careers for Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. And yes, it is one of the most-watched TV shows in the U.S.. But for a rocker like Chris Daughtry, I don't think he was ever cut out for American Idol. While he was a favourite of the judges, he did have to put up with some criticism from Simon Cowell for not changing things up enough and for being "indulgent" in his heavy-rock choices.
Hey. The dude is a rocker. Why should he have to change for a silly TV show, right?
Good news: Chris didn't change. In fact, he went out and started himself a band, dropped "Chris" completely, and he and his band are now just called Daughtry. And they rock!!
A quick Wikipedia search on Daughtry revealed that Chris' self-titled debut album has currently out-sold his other fellow Idol competitors with record deals (Hicks and Kelly Pickler), and I can understand why. His rich, textured voice breathes life into every song on the album, and when he sings from his gut, it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. (And as you may recall, that is often the indicator for me that something is really good.) His first single from the album, "It's Not Over", is reminiscent of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)", which he sang in an early round of Idol, and it's easy to see why Fuel offered Chris the job of lead singer of their band. (He turned the offer down while still competing on Idol). With "It's Not Over", he's in his comfort zone; that's where his voice excels.
Other highlights for me are "Used To" and "Over You", both radio-friendly rock songs that I haven't been able to get out of my head since I bought the CD last week. The chorus of "Used To" is one of my all-time favourite lyrics: We used to have this figured out/ We used to breathe without a doubt/ When nights were clear you were the first star that I'd see/ We used to have this under control/ We never thought...We used to KNOW/ At least there's you and at least there's me/ Can we get this back...Can we get this back/ To how it used to be. Both "Used To" and "Over You" became instant favourites of mine.
And what would Chris' debut album be without a special guest star? On track #7, "What I Want", we have the legendary Slash featured on lead guitar. But you know what? Slash's guest appearance isn't what got me pumped about this CD. It's the ballads, like "Home" and "What About Now". It's the slow energy build-up in "Feels Like Tonight". It's the heart-wrenching story behind "All These Lives". It's Chris' voice - so deep and growly one minute, so pure and soaring the next.
And it's about everything Chris Daughtry stands for: Rock & roll, not compromising, not backing down, not giving up.
If you saw Chris on Idol, you know what I'm talking about. If you've never heard of him before, you better pick up the album. I guarantee, you won't regret it.
Instant Hit: "It's Not Over"
Skip-able Tracks: "Gone", "There and Back Again"
Jill's Picks: "Used To", "Over You", "Feels Like Tonight", "All These Lives"
Pick it up if you like: Fuel, Lifehouse, Default, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down
Rating: 4.5/5 (Yup, that's my highest rating yet!!)
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Playing Catch-Up
OK, so I've got enough stuff from the weekend to fill ten Blogs, but I'm going to cram it all into one... So we'll start off with a some very quick re-caps!!
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Smash got busted. By his mama. And she didn't deal with it quietly, behind closed doors. She marched right into the coach's office and confronted him about it, because she was sure her baby wouldn't be using steroids unless the coach was promoting it. So needless to say Smash is in big trouble with a few people now. But it looks like Coach Taylor might actually try to sweep it all under the rug... Unless Buddy Garrity gets a sniff of what's going on...
Speaking of Buddy...I hate that man. He drives me nuts. He tried to guilt Jason into dumping Lyla, but Jason did the exact opposite - he proposed. I was completely blind-sided! Awesome!
Oh, and tear-jerker moment of the night: Watching Matt, Julie, and Grandma say good-bye to Matt's dad when he was shipped back to Iraq. Honest to God, Matt makes me weak at the knees. He's so sweet and kind and good-hearted. I adore him. But it looks like he may be in a bit of trouble with Julie this week...Can't wait for the next episode!
GREY'S ANATOMY
It was all about marriage proposals this week. George, who has apparently become a sex maniac since his father's death, popped the question to Callie. And Burke, who hasn't spoken to Cristina since before Christmas Hiatus, also dropped the "M Bomb". And of course they did it right at the end of the show, and they cut to black before the girls could give their answers. But I have the feeling they're both going to say no. I hope I'm wrong though - it'd be fun to have wedding bells ringing at Seattle Grace!
Meanwhile, Dr. Webber officially retired, only to find that his wife has already moved on. Poor ol' Chief. And to make matters worse, he's got McDreamy, McSteamy, Addison and Burke all harassing him, and competing amongst each other to be appointed the next Chief. For me, the greatest moment of the night was when Dr. Webber told Bailey, who was trying to garner support for a free clinic, that some day she will be Chief, and that he wanted her to get used to doing things without him. Bailey's been on a roller coaster ride for the past 3 seasons, and that to me was the greatest reward the Chief could give her.
Oh, and Alex is sexy. Just thought I'd throw that in.
MY WEEKEND
Friday night we celebrated Sue & PK's birthdays with a lovely dinner out and then we sat at Gavan's and enjoyed the music of Chris Malone & the Foundation Band. The band is super-good, so everyone should get their asses to Gav's the weekend of Feb. 16-17th to see them!
On Saturday, I went to the Sens game with Sharon & Wayne. It's the first time I witnessed a Sens win in person in a long, long time. They beat Boston 3-1, with all the goals coming in the third period. It was fairly entertaining, and Wade was handsome. Our first-row, second-level seats provided me with a delightful view of him during the warm-up, and Sharon snapped some pics of him. Also, the Prime Minister was just below us, and we had fun watching all these dummies rushing to get their pictures taken with him and getting his autograph. (Tell me, who would want the Prime Minister's autograph on their Sens jersey? Made no sense to me!)
Saturday night, I shimmied back on down to Gav's with my neighbour Brenda for another great night of Foundation. We danced a little, drank a little, hung out with the boys in the band, and even helped them tear down at the end, just like Sara and I used to do in the old days. And just like in the old days, Brenda got to daintily wrap chords like Sara would have, while I was lugging around heavy amps on the floor. And Chris told me to do it, because I'm a farmer. Which I'm not. Some things never change.
Sunday was a mellow day while I caught up on sleep and played with Caden. And yesterday I was a Powerhouse Scrapbooker. I got tonnes of pages done, and it felt so good! I'm now ready to start tackling summer events, such as Golf Tournament, Canada Day, the Woermke & Steph Festivities, etc. YAY!!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Smash got busted. By his mama. And she didn't deal with it quietly, behind closed doors. She marched right into the coach's office and confronted him about it, because she was sure her baby wouldn't be using steroids unless the coach was promoting it. So needless to say Smash is in big trouble with a few people now. But it looks like Coach Taylor might actually try to sweep it all under the rug... Unless Buddy Garrity gets a sniff of what's going on...
Speaking of Buddy...I hate that man. He drives me nuts. He tried to guilt Jason into dumping Lyla, but Jason did the exact opposite - he proposed. I was completely blind-sided! Awesome!
Oh, and tear-jerker moment of the night: Watching Matt, Julie, and Grandma say good-bye to Matt's dad when he was shipped back to Iraq. Honest to God, Matt makes me weak at the knees. He's so sweet and kind and good-hearted. I adore him. But it looks like he may be in a bit of trouble with Julie this week...Can't wait for the next episode!
GREY'S ANATOMY
It was all about marriage proposals this week. George, who has apparently become a sex maniac since his father's death, popped the question to Callie. And Burke, who hasn't spoken to Cristina since before Christmas Hiatus, also dropped the "M Bomb". And of course they did it right at the end of the show, and they cut to black before the girls could give their answers. But I have the feeling they're both going to say no. I hope I'm wrong though - it'd be fun to have wedding bells ringing at Seattle Grace!
Meanwhile, Dr. Webber officially retired, only to find that his wife has already moved on. Poor ol' Chief. And to make matters worse, he's got McDreamy, McSteamy, Addison and Burke all harassing him, and competing amongst each other to be appointed the next Chief. For me, the greatest moment of the night was when Dr. Webber told Bailey, who was trying to garner support for a free clinic, that some day she will be Chief, and that he wanted her to get used to doing things without him. Bailey's been on a roller coaster ride for the past 3 seasons, and that to me was the greatest reward the Chief could give her.
Oh, and Alex is sexy. Just thought I'd throw that in.
MY WEEKEND
Friday night we celebrated Sue & PK's birthdays with a lovely dinner out and then we sat at Gavan's and enjoyed the music of Chris Malone & the Foundation Band. The band is super-good, so everyone should get their asses to Gav's the weekend of Feb. 16-17th to see them!
On Saturday, I went to the Sens game with Sharon & Wayne. It's the first time I witnessed a Sens win in person in a long, long time. They beat Boston 3-1, with all the goals coming in the third period. It was fairly entertaining, and Wade was handsome. Our first-row, second-level seats provided me with a delightful view of him during the warm-up, and Sharon snapped some pics of him. Also, the Prime Minister was just below us, and we had fun watching all these dummies rushing to get their pictures taken with him and getting his autograph. (Tell me, who would want the Prime Minister's autograph on their Sens jersey? Made no sense to me!)
Saturday night, I shimmied back on down to Gav's with my neighbour Brenda for another great night of Foundation. We danced a little, drank a little, hung out with the boys in the band, and even helped them tear down at the end, just like Sara and I used to do in the old days. And just like in the old days, Brenda got to daintily wrap chords like Sara would have, while I was lugging around heavy amps on the floor. And Chris told me to do it, because I'm a farmer. Which I'm not. Some things never change.
Sunday was a mellow day while I caught up on sleep and played with Caden. And yesterday I was a Powerhouse Scrapbooker. I got tonnes of pages done, and it felt so good! I'm now ready to start tackling summer events, such as Golf Tournament, Canada Day, the Woermke & Steph Festivities, etc. YAY!!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
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