Last night James Durbin fans got a special treat. Durbin sang not one but two songs on the American Idol episode devoted to songs from the year you were born. Now, given the tender age of the Idol contestants, it should come as no surprise that this was no trip down memory lane. I have underwear older than most of those songs. Still, it was a chance for James et al to go back to kinder, simpler times. Most of all it was a chance to see those embarrassing photos of James in his cowboy suit and that adorable video of him playing with his doll—the video that his mother takes so much pride in, even if James, not so much. Mothers can be so embarrassing.
The first song he sang was called ABC, with the riveting lyrics: ABCDEFG (pause) HIJKLMNOP (pause) QRS (pause) TUV (pause) WX (pause) YandZee (it’s zed, dammit!). As James’s mom noted, he was pitch perfect, even as an infant. On the other hand, the lyrics left something to be desired. He was fine until HIJ, but seemed to muddle up the rest in a cavalcade of unintelligible consonants. Perhaps it was the recording. Perhaps it was the fact that he was only a baby. Perhaps he has since learned that tricky LMNOP piece. The video portended great days ahead.
And we got them. His next song was Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You,” from 1989. As to be expected, it was a solid performance, somewhat more subdued than his previous songs, but in a good way, at least according to Judge Randy. There was only one scream, and that at the end for the much-needed power note. JLo was happily singing along, though most of the audience never imagined her as a big Bon Jovi fan.
She seemed most excited by the way James played the audience, walking up to and around the judges. He slapped hands with the fans, beckoned to them, and let it all out, while teen girls and his mother swooned in delight. He proved himself to be not only a very talented singer, but also quite the showman. The follow-up acts tried to follows James’s shtick, but they simply didn’t have what it takes.
Steve Tyler represented the generation of aging rockers lauding the up-and-coming new stars. He admitted that he has sandwiches under his bed about as old as some of my underwear and therefore older than some of the songs, but he really liked what he heard. He loved what he heard, and his one warning to James was: “Don’t get too poppy.” Warning? Perhaps sage advice driven by experience from the man who gave us “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.” James should not repeat that mistake.
On another note, we also learned that James and three of the other male contestants (Casey, Paul, and Stefano) formed a band back at the crib (metaphorical, not James’s baby crib, which he has outgrown), for when they are not rehearsing. With James as front man, they should do well, and they certainly have a long future ahead of them. None of them will be voted off the show, at least not this week.
And so we are left to ponder a name for the new band. I suggest the Beadols. What do you think?
