I read an opinion piece in the Wisconsin State Journal today that irked me. The writer agreed with me that Taylor should win, but it’s the attitude that he’s just sideshow entertainment that bothers me. Of course, he’s one of the Chris Daughtry ranks, so clearly there are hearing problems from years of listening to overly loud music with little to no melody.
So, the following is my response:
While I agree with you that Katharine McPhee is pretty boring, I disagree with your assessment of Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry. Personally? I thought Chris Daughtry was a HUGE snore. I would never have wanted to buy an album of his and listen to the same song screamed at me over and over. If he was so wonderful, why was he turned down for Rock Star:INXS? I’ll tell you why— they could recognize a one-trick pony and so can the American public. Will Chris obtain commercial success? Probably. But then so have plenty of other “singers” who make a career out of screaming.
So, having agreed with you about Katharine and disagreed about Chris, let me talk briefly about Taylor. I can understand the irritation with his performance style. I love Taylor, but even I get nervous about his performances sometimes. But you left out a few facts about Mr. Hicks. Taylor has been performing longer than most of the other competitors. He’s already recorded albums. In short, he’s a true musician. If you haven’t listened to any of his cds, I suggest you take a listen at http://www.taylorhicksfansite.com/media.htm. The extended version of Georgia On My Mind is particularly wonderful.
So, give Taylor a break. He’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but he sure is mine.
