I have finally given in and accepted American Idol into my life. I have always thought the show was such a reflection of mainstream music fads and tasteless competitors desperate to get on TV. I don't know if it's J Lo's wardrobe or Stephen Tyler's lips, but I have suddenly taken a long overdue liking to this incredibly commercialized show. Besides the charismatic judge additions though, the music being performed on the show - even during auditions- has gotten better. From Casey Abrams from the LA audition who got down with "Don't Need No Doctor" to Stefano from San Francisco's casting singing Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", I started to think maybe it is possible that not all of the people on this show are wannabe Justin and Christina's...
I have been listening to a lot of Motown jams and Jazz standards lately, getting through my workdays with the Temptations station on Pandora and spending my evenings with Ella Fitzgerald on vinyl. Maybe it was when I was sick and spending three whoppin hours watching The Temptations on VH-1, or maybe it was my dad's vintage taste in records, but something about the sound of a warm, deep soulful voice just speaks to me.
