THE CASE FOR CASEY JAMES
May 17th 2010 11:57
Link: thejukeboxhero.com
Simon Says: Oh No! Not That Bloody Casey!
Now that Casey has joined shy, raspy-voiced pop crooner, Lee DeWyze, and heavy frontrunner, Crystal Bowersox, in the Top 3, does he really have a chance to make this season's Idol Finale?
Sure he does. I believe in Casey James, and I'm going to lay out a few of the myriad reasons why I believe he is deserving for a spot in the Idol Finale. Just last season, Kris Allen was a decided underdog, slowly but surely coming up from seemingly nowhere to win over the heavily-favored Adam Lambert, so, if indeed Casey James is still in it---and he is--- he can certainly win it despite the noxious anti-James influence Simon Cowell tries to exert on the viewing public.
JAMES PERSONIFIES WHAT A TRUE "AMERICAN IDOL" SHOULD BE
In the early days of "American Idol" there was a widely-accepted belief advanced by its producers and the judges that the competition was exclusively "a singing contest". It was a mantra repeated practically every single show when the judges assessed a contestant's performance. However, during the course of the ensuing seasons, that view slowly seemed to change. Another school of idealistic thinking began to emerge: The theory that the winning "American Idol" contestant should someone exhibiting a number of pleasing qualities over and above mere singing.alone. A new phrase took hold to describe the best contestant: "The Total Package". To that end, we discovered Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, and Chris Daughtry. Then another key change came: Musical instruments were incorporated into the song performances. This change provided the opportunity to showcase a brilliant all-round musician like Season 7 winner David Cook. Suddenly, the contestants were more than mere stand up singers, they were multi-dimensional performers. Indeed, the bar had been raised. Casey James, above all the remaining Season 9 contestants, seems to personify the evolution of what an "American idol" should be.
A. James, contrary to what some notable naysayers believe, is a very accomplished singer. His unique, bluesy soulful voice resonates with power and precision, flowing seamlessly from rock to country to a tender ballad. During his singing performances, James' enuciation of consonants hints of a British accent, which brings back fond memories of The Moody Blues. His powerful rock voice, which has inflections of Seger and Hagar, is seldom heard due to the fact that Idol's recent song theme nights have curiously removed any trace of rock and blues from the menu. If "Idol" had featured a fair mix of rock and blues theme nights this year rather than the string of recent pop-laden pulp that has many viewers screaming "snoozefest", all the talk of Casey James being a contestant who sings the same stuff each week would have faded away long ago.
B. James is by far the finest guitarist of any contestant who has graced the Idol stage. It isn't even close. Bowersox and DeWyze both play the guitar but they are mere Babes In The Woods compared to the prodigious skills of Casey James weilding the musical axe. James is a spectacular lead guitarist, whether acoustic or electric, an eye-popping skill that adds a splash of bold and beautiful color to the mosaic of the perfect "American Idol". I have read those who say James should have already been booted off the show because he is a better guitar player than he is a singer. While I readily agree that Casey is a better guitarist than singer, that certainly does not diminish his worthiness for the Idol crown if we apply the " evolving standards of excellence" which define the contestants nowthesedays. Eric Clapton is a much better guitar player than he is a singer. So was Jimi Hendrix. Jimmy Page. Jeff Beck. Tom Petty. Zakk Wylde. Steve Vai. Keith Richards. Nobody is much booting them off any stage because their guitar-playing skill exceeds their vocal prowess.
C. Good looks only eccentuate the "total package" for what an American Idol should be, and Casey James unquestionably has that quality locked up. James, of course, has been roundly recognized in countless media outlets nationwide for his striking handsome features---the long flowing mane of blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and stubbled face---movie star handsome they say--- and Cowell has at times appeared mildly resentful that Casey has received so much attention as a "chick magnet". This is probably because it has taken attention away from his own massive ego. If Cowell has made himself into "a jealous guy" by the younger dashing contestant, I think Casey deserves to be swept directly into the Finale because of that feat alone.
D. Despite his physical attributes and superb musical skills, James remains a humble, gracious, and well-grounded person, appearing almost embarrassed by his sudden popularity. This past weekend, on his return to Texas and his hometown , James was genuinely touched by the outpouring of well wishes coming from a sea of supportive fans.
"I love everything about Texas" he said wistfully as he waved to fans with cameras chasing his police-escorted limo along the street of Ft. Worth. "It's good to be home."
Home where the music's playing, silently for me.
E. Like any hard-working musician on the verge of garnering a life-changing recording contract, James has certainly paid his dues along the way to stardom. Fame and fortune is a long way from his hometown of Cool, a 200-resident farming community about 40 miles west of Ft. Worth. Ever since a child, Casey sang and played his guitar on his front porch and performed with his mother's band at local festivals, fueling his passion for music and his life's dream, which, he listed in his high school yearbook, as being "a famous blues musician."
While trying to start his career, James moved to Ft. Worth and played with bands of various genres---bluegrass to heavy metal---and even performed for tips in local coffee houses. It was in these humble venues where he refined his singing skills and exceptional guitar playing. In 2008, he formed "The Casey James Band" with his older brother, Billy, and drummer, Jacy McCann. With his superb all round skills, James routinely brought audiences to their feet cheering after performing solo or with his band in biker bars, roadhouses, and rock clubs from Texas to Oklahoma. When, last Summer, Casey decided to try out for Idol in Denver, his dues had been paid and was seasoned and ready to show the world his impressive talent in hopes of landing a major recording deal and thus fulfilling his life's dream.
F. Lots of Idol fans like their favorite contestants to come equipped with a compelling backstory, and the Idol production staff has typically accommodated us by lavishly featuring the trials and tribulations of a select number of its contestants. The bios usually enable viewers to form an emotional bond with certain contestants, but, in the aftermath of having Danny Gokey's backstory practically shoved down our throats last season, something that caused quite a backlash in certain circles, Idol has been far more reserved in dishing out such episodes this season. If the producers would have maintained the same zeal in feeding us backstories this season like in seasons past, Casey James would likely have been featured because he has a compelling story or two to tell, although, like David Cook, Casey would most likely have refused to benefit from any advantage it would bring. That does not prevent me from disclosing it here, however..
A childhood victim of whooping cough, Casey's family feared he might have suffered brain damage, which, fortunately, did not occur. Then, when he was 21, just six years ago, James experienced a life-threatening motorcycle accident where he suffered numerous injuries, among them a broken wrist and femur. He was told he would never play the guitar again. Obviously, Casey is made of sterner stuff than to just accept bad news without a fight. And fight he did. When James returned to Texas this past weekend, he made it a point to visit "The Texas Health Harris Methodist Ft. Worth Hospital" where orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Cory Collinge, had surgically repaired the damage to his battered body.
"Thank you for saving my life", an emotional, teary-eyed James told Dr. Collinge as his weeping mother looked on. Casey then presented the doctor with a black electric guitar and personally thanked the entire staff for all they had done for him during his stay at the hospital. "I am hugging everyone in this room today", Casey said to the assembled medical staff, "because I wouldn't be here and I certainly wouldn't be playing the guitar if it wasn't for all of you."
How could anyone not be touched by James' genuine show of humility and gratitude?
G. Always laid-back and good-natured, James accepts the blunt and sometimes cutting comments of Cowell with equanimity and a bemused smile, underscored with a good faith desire to actually follow the judge's instructions, even if they are often confounding and way off the mark.
I Wanna Rock with you
In light of all these positive attributes, and in consideration for the evolving intrinsic concept of the show which defines its contestants, Casey James seems to me like a pretty fitting representation of what an American Idol should look like and stand for. It is too bad Cowell and his cronies at Idol have conjured up a series of of theme nights which effectively take the guitar out of James' hands and threaten to shapeshift him to an image of a pop crooner, something that is the antithesis of Casey James. One of Cowell's curious remarks the other night in criticizing the performances of Lee Dewyze and Casey was the contention they had volumes of other songs to choose from, but, that is hardly the case. In actuality, as I pointed out last week, the contestants had a very limited number of songs to select from, and rock n roll songs were virtually excluded from that list, leaving Casey to pick one of those uninspiring pop numbers for which he generally receives so much grief. Either Cowell is totally oblivious to the contents of the song list or he is being outright mendacious. The Idol judging panel, and Cowell in particular, are all staunch patrons of the pop-oriented personna, and their vision of what the American idol should be is a tad biased to suit my taste and the taste of millions of others who would like their Idol to rock once in awhile.
Simon, Clean Out Your Ears!
And, from every indication, Casey may be in store for a difficult time this week, too, in terms of performance material and the predictable nature of the judge's assessments made thereon.
For instance, even Ellen Degeneres, who is clearly the most empathetic judge, and maybe the most objective of the four, surprisingly seems to give Casey no chance at all to make the Finale. On her daily morning show last Thursday, while chatting with Rob Lowe about "Idol" the day following Michael Lynche's elimination, she made it plain that Crystal and Lee were her favorites, and suggested the competition was solely between those two. Casey was not even mentioned in the conversation, as if he was simply personna non gratis. If Ellen has already made up her mind as to who should appear in the Finale, what does this say about Casey's chances even if he should give something amounting to a mesmerizing performance this week?
For this week's show, the judges have selected songs for the contestants to perform. Ellen has chosen Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" for Crystal while Simon has made a rather curious selection for Lee DeWyze: the much- worked "Hallelujah", a song to which Cowell owns the rights, and which has been performed already this year by Tim Urban as well as by Jason Castro in Season 7. Interestingly enough, Judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi have chosen John Mayer's soft, whimsical "Daughters" for Casey, once again making me wonder why they are so bound and determined to exclude any rock songs from his performing repertoir.
Although many fans are sorely disappointed by this song selection, perhaps with "Daughters", James will be able to summon up the type of solid emotional performance he did with "Jealous Guy" and "Don't". From my perspective, the judges could, and should have, given him a uptempo rocker where he could really showcase his skills both as a singer and musician. "Daughter's" certainly does not seem to lend itself to much creativity as a means of "making the song your own", as the cliche goes, so, no matter how well he may perform it, I predict the judges will be uttering the same tired old rhetoric about how Casey "hasn't grown" as a performer in furtherance of a thinly-veiled plan to finally get rid of Casey and make the Finale a "Popfest" between Crystal and Lee. The judges seem to forget, however, that it's hard to grow without proper nourishment.
Casey James, for my money, absolutely should be in the Finale, probably with Crystal Bowersox, and he might render a tremendous performance that will put him there, but, with the judges seemingly predisposed to his younger competitors, it may well take a Herculean voting effort from his fans to make this a "GoldiSox" Finale.
Simon: What'dya mean Casey is safe??
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