American Idol Picks Wrong Winner Again as DeWyze Edges out Bowersox

As the New York Yankees great catcher Yogi Berra used to say:  "It's deja vu all over again."   Tonight, America's viewing public went hook, line and sinker for mainstream appeal over true artistry and voted Lee DeWyze as this year's American Idol winner, leaving a much more talented artist, Crystal Bowersox, as runnerup in this year's finale, which also was Idol judge Simon Cowell's swan song.

The end result was similar to last year when vocal dynamo Adam Lambert lost to an affable but marginally talented Kris Allen, who tonight faithfully delivered his bland single "The Truth," despite host Ryan Seacrest's gaffe of talking over the song's intro.

The entire two-hour show was a virtual train wreck of a bad variety show, with this year's contestants coming together on a number of hokey hit-song medleys with - and of - artists from the '70s and '80s.  Everyone tried to hit their notes and conjure up some energy and honesty on the pre-arranged, corny sing-alongs.   But for the most part, with the exception of Aaron Kelly's and Siobhan Magnus' teaming on the Bee Gee classic "How Deep Is Your Love?", everything felt contrived and simply fell flat.

Highlights were great performances from Bowersox on Alanis Morissette's "Ironic," and "You Oughta Know," the latter, on which Alanis joined Bowersox.  Which reminds us?  When is Alanis going to team up again with songwriter/producer Glen Ballard and put out another album chock-full of alt-rock hit singles?  The music industry and buying public are crying for real artistry and material of Alanis' ilk.  Hopefully, she has another great album in her head - if not in the works.

Vocal wunderkind Christina Aguilera, America's Sweetheart Carrie Underwood and the ever-sexy Janet Jackson all delivered exceptionally strong performances tonight, while artists such as Barry & Robin Gibb (from the Bee Gees), Hall & Oates, Chicago and Joe Cocker, singing their past hits with Idol contestants, sadly reminded us of how great their material still is, but how time and nature have seriously decimated their performance and vocal skills.

Aguilera delivered a flawless solo performance on her ballad "You Lost Me," and while her amazing vocals were undoubtedly the best of the evening, that song simply is not a hit single.  It has a beautiful melodic verse, but an ambiguous structure and a totally forgettable chorus.  That song once again underscores how frequently, great and even highly successful singers are not so great at selecting or writing their own material.

Other solid performances of the evening included Casey James and Poison's Bret Michael's teaming up on that band's hit single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and Michael McDonald joining Big Mike Lynche on a soulful rendition of the Doobie Brothers' "Taking It To The Streets."

Underwood sounded great and looked wonderful on her sassy latest single, "Undo It," co-written by Idol judge Kara Dio Guardi, causing me to make a mental note:  this is the first quality song attributed to Dio Guardi's writing or co-writing that we've heard on AI in ages.  Maybe ever.

In another misstep of the evening, AI's producers turned Alice Cooper's timeless anti-establishment rock anthem "School's Out" into one more dumbed-down, pablum sing-along.  And when old Alice him/herself wandered out on stage in full rock attire - heavy makeup and leather pants - it once again painfully illustrated how Idol's middle-of-the-road producers consistently butcher rock 'n roll music, every time they try to get near or interpret it.

We wish Simon Cowell well in his new endeavors.  He truly was the only Idol judge with anything close to solid judgment in rating performances, but more importantly, in matching songs and genres appropriately with Idol's contestants - over the years.

And to winner Lee DeWyze, we congratulate him and offer this advice.  1)  Get to a vocal coach, fast and work, work, work on your pitch and breathing.  2)  Please, please convince your producers NOT to release the U2 classic "Beautiful Day" as your first single.   One, the song was written/sung by and for a tenor - and you're a baritone.  Two, Bono has pretty much done all that can be done with this song. You can't improve on perfection.  And, three, find a song that is more in your vocal range and style; your first single should be memorable, not a bad karaoke rendering.

And that's our view from The A&R Room.