Idol Insider
Why you need to give this country strong American Idol finale a chance: NoHaley, no problem
Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery face off in a country "American Idol" finale.
Haley Reinhart, center, learns she’s going home on “Idol.”Photo by Michael Becker/Fox
When 20-year-old Haley Reinhart was voted off American Idol last week, my Twitter feed exploded with one sentiment from the circle of Idol critics and fans that I follow: “worst finale ever.”
Color me surprised.
It’s not that I didn’t think Reinhart deserved a spot in the finale — this skeptic isn’t ashamed to admit that Reinhart’s leap from wildly unmanaged performances to controlled, scorching performances was quite the artistic arc. I have no doubt she would have made a killer run at the crown Tuesday night.
It’s just that — with Season 9’s mediocre champion still looming over our heads — a finale with two solid albeit amateur country talents hardly feels weak. Predictable? Sure. Unexciting? We’ll find out. But weak? Not a chance.
Sixteen-year-old Lauren Alaina and 17-year-old Scotty McCreery both bring to the table raw, somewhat uncultivated vocal talent, self identity and endearing sincerity. Where they differ is in their stages of maturity: McCreery shows a staunch confidence in his artistry and individuality that Alaina has never quite been able to master past her initial audition.
Her magic is buried in her potential — in her untapped vocal heights and conviction — but at least the potential is there.
And, interestingly, while to non-country music fans, Alaina and McCreery’s teenage matchup lacks the yin-yang effect of previous showdowns — David Archuleta and David Cook, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice — if you take a closer look, they stand on fairly opposite ends of the commercial country music industry that they’ll both dive into come fall.
Alaina, with her swooping, nuanced voice, looks and sounds tailor-made for contemporary country music, though her versatility could take her in a few different directions. McCreery, who never leans too far from his baritone-rich bread and butter, falls squarely in the neo-traditional country camp — one that has only recently begun to pick up speed again on country radio.
Their faceoff represents a slice of country music culture, and a heartening one at that, as McCreery’s clear edge should serve as a wake up call to the labels who've been largely unwilling to take a chance on traditional-leaning artists.
But I’ll jump off my soapbox and turn it over to you: What do you think of this season’s final two contestants? Share your thoughts below, and check back for a recap of the finale festivities later this week.
Get more of Tara Seetharam's pop culture musings on her website www.taraseetharam.com and follow her on Twitter @TaraAshley.
