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Reversing the "Idol"
Curse
By: Beth
Dowse
Will Cook break the
male streak of Idol winners?
On the edges of their
seat, Americans waited to witness the first rocker take home the coveted
title of Season 7 “American Idol" Wednesday night. Other Idol hopefuls
had attempted to win the title in years past but did not possess Cook's
luck; most notably being Season 3 Runner up Bo Bice and Season 5's Chris
Daughtry. David Cook's victory over David Archuleta was seen a
surprise by some, as Tuesday night the judges were in unison as to who
delivered the best vocal performances: Archuleta. Despite this, Cook's
fans voted in the millions, giving David Cook a 56/ 44 percentage win
over the young Archuleta. American Idol 7 garnered the largest number
of finale votes of all seven seasons, 92 million. Throughout this
season, Cook's versatility, vocal powerhouse and originality struck a
cord with the fans. Cook consistently brought what the show was created
for: the whole package. He became a phenomenon before America's eyes,
and Wednesday evening his fans were not about to let him down.
David Cook
fully arrived on the scene when he sang Chris Cornell's rock version
of "Billie Jean” during Week . Up until this point David Cook was
a rocker with an edge, “Billie Jean" gained him instant star power.
Cook was challenged as an artist each week with mentors such as Dolly
Parton; Neil Diamond; and Andrew Lloyd Webber. His song choices ranged
from the unexpected “Hello" by Lionel Richie to U2’s ” I Still haven't
found What I'm Looking for," grabbing the spectrum of all music
genres.
So, the
question remains, can David Cook break the male Idol curse? Ruben
Studdard was seen as the velvety teddy bear in Season 2, and each week
received praise from the judges on his pitch perfect voice and correct
song choices. In what is considered the second biggest finale of Idol
history, Ruben Studdard faced the pure voiced Clay Aiken for the second
year title. As soon as “Flying without Wings" began, many people knew
who the title would go to, Studdard. It came as no surprise when Ryan
Seacrest read the words “Ruben Studdard" as that year's title winner. To
be expected “Flying without Wings" became an instant hit on radio
stations, being played numerous times after Studdard's win. Although
millions of viewers voted for Studdard to become their first male
American Idol, Studdard failed to gain the momentum of the previous
year's winner, Kelly Clarkson. Studdard was nominated for two Grammy's
but was unable to sustain his post Idol fan base. Ruben Studdard has
releases 3 post Idol CDs, all too modest release, yet none grabbing
superstar achievement.
Taylor
Hicks stepped onto the American Idol scene in Season 5 with gray hair
and a soul filled voice, another surprise contender for the ultimate pop
“prize". Comparable to the likes of Ray Charles and Michael McDonald,
Hicks slowly gained a following of fans known as the “Soul Patrol".
Taylor's quirky sense of style, humble reactions to the judges and
infectious enthusiasm made one thing clear: Hicks was in it to win it.
Hicks’ style encompassed the genres of classic soul, blues and R& B. Of
all the Idol judges ( Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul rounding out the
trio),Simon Cowell was particularly critical of Hicks' old school sound,
wondering if this would translate to record sales. Taylor Hicks
released his self titled first album following Idol to have the lowest
record sales of any American Idol winner. Both Ruben Studdard and Taylor
Hicks have been recently dropped from their record label, J Records.
Can David Cook
succeed where Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks have fallen to the
wayside? Can David Cook become the mega superstar that female Idol
winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have become? David Cook
possesses three things that will allow him to reverse the male winner's
“curse". First, Cook has shown his range is not limited to rock; though
this will be where he is marketed. Cook has shown the American audience
that his voice can sing ballads to the Beatles, musicals to legendary
songwriters. Second, Cook is the whole package. American Idol prides
itself on finding the best talent each year, but this also must include
the best overall entertainment value. David Cook's upcoming CDs will
garner fan and industry praise because he possess the look, the sound,
and the presence. Thirdly, Cook will reverse the male Idol curse,
because no one can know what Cook will do next. Throughout Season 7,
David Cook has shown the television audience to expect the unexpected
with his vocals and song arrangement. The same will be seen in his
future CD and Billboard charts. The reason David Cook will become the
first male Idol winner to gain notoriety is because he leaves the
audience wondering, What's next Cook?
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