Impressed by World Idol

I’ll soon be posting my favorite songs of 2003 list. I’m definitely a pop music person. I finished watching the competition show for World Idol. Yes, I know the outcome (because the linked article says what the outcome is). I was impressed by a couple of things.

1) The music performed covered a wider range than American Idol tended to. You can only handle so many Diane Warren ballads, and it was nice to see some other stuff performed. (There was the obligatory Diane Warren ballad from the South African.)

2) The judges expressed diverse opinions, which is what you would expect since tastes vary a bit throughout the world.

3) Almost all of the singers were on pitch almost all of the time. This folks really can sing, unlike some of the people on AI. Which makes sense, given that these are the winners of the competition.

4) The biggest thing that pleased me, though, is that people didn’t vote on looks. Norway’s Kurt Nilsen turned out a great, effortless performance of U2’s “Beautiful Day”. He doesn’t look like a pop star, but he sure sounds like one, and his victory was a vote for good taste. Kelly Clarkson also had a good performance, and I think she deserved her #2 showing. At #3 was Belgium’s Peter Evrard, who had the guts to sing a Nirvana song on a pop show. He sang it well, he looked the part of a rocker, and deserved his placing even if (as Simon Cowell criticized) he was doing anti-establishment music in the most establishment venue possible.

My wife and I both sing, so we know the kind of effort it can take to get a good performance (unless you’re Kurt Nilsen). That’s why we watch the Idol shows. I’m looking forward to the next World Idol.