Underdog Allen

Carlos Santana was my favorite performer of the night, followed by Dr. Brian May. But the show is about singing, so I digress.

I was surprised when Kris won. Many people, including Simon, expected Adam to easily cruise into first place. But considering all the elements, Kris' win should not have been a "shocker" as some are portraying it. Kris is a damned good singer. His talents lend themselves to songs with more mainstream appeal. He comes across as cool and genuine, like the boy next door who worked hard to break into show business. I thought he distinguished himself on the Top 3 show, showing viewers that he was consistently good, often great.

Like I've mentioned previously, I thought Adam overdid the wailing and did so in songs where it didn't really fit. He didn't seem to me to be as sincere as Kris, but that could just be the way his face naturally looks. Early in the contest, my wife and I thought he looked a bit like Elvis. The Elvis part probably helped, but I'm sure young girls would have been more likely to wear out their redial buttons if they saw him as available.

Adam has some great vocal abilities. Hell, the guy outsang Kiss when he was on stage with them. When he makes an album, I hope he doesn't water down his strengths by putting his spin on more popular songs. He should stick to what he's great at.

After winning, I thought Kris redeemed himself by singing No Boundaries in a better key. He seemed quite shocked at winning, almost embarrassingly so. I noticed Simon didn't stand up with everyone else, which just made him look childish. Yes, he's the best judge, but he was wrong on this one.

I look forward to seeing what kind of album Kris makes. As much as I enjoy the TV show, I haven't yet bought any contestant's album for myself. (My daughter has albums by Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks, which aren't my kind of music.)