The Ticket Chest

Casey James — Putting the Cool Back in Texas

Friday, May 21st, 2010 | American Idol, Concerts, General | No Comments

The run is over for contestant Casey James, the pride and joy of dusty Cool, Texas — but who could feel sorry for the svelte blond Texas bluesman given the fawning he has received from female viewers, including the ageless Shania Twain herself.  And there is no way an understated guy like James could ever win a true-to-form reality show like this in which sensationalism is required to trump substance. In his second to last performance on the show James gave a solid and bluesy rendition of “OK, It’s Allright With Me” by Eric Hutchinson.  He received tepid reviews from the Judges, but who cares.  This is the group who every week seems to crave Ethel Merman-styled high notes, spandex unitards and sexually ambiguous performances that shock, as if more is always more, and as if subtlely is evil.  Idol isn’t about perpetuating guys like Casey James, nor would a young Eric Clapton have had a chance before the self-important analysis of Kara DioGuardi.

It is a fact that Idol contestants get less cool each week they compete on the show.  You realize this when you review the video montages of the departing contestants — Idol’s overbearing presence dulls the edges of artistry as it works to m

anufacture cookie cutter Justin Bieber-esque clones.  The Ford commercials, the corny tap and jazz ensembles before each Results show, the hair and wardrobe make-overs . . . in the end it is hard to know what is manufactured by FOX and what is the genuine article.  Yet I keep watching like a meth-addict.

Who knew James would make it this far — second runner-up — when Victoria Beckham a/k/a Posh Spice asked him to remove his shirt during his first audition, revealing a slender if somewhat furry physique that caused Kara DioGuardi to blush and caused me confusion because it appeared that Mr. James did not have nipples.

So there you have it, Mount Prospect, Illinois native Lee DeWyze and Western Ohio’s Crystal Bowersox are headed to the Final.  As I stated in my last Post, DeWyze is too good for this show, and he “should” be the hands-down winner, and thereafter he should be capable of producing real music, unlike the limp post-Idol debut of previous winner Kris Allen, whose “Live Like Your Dying” makes lactose-intolerant people immediately crap in their pants without warning.

Tags: American Idol, Casey James, Cool, Cool Texas, Crystal Bowersox, Eric Clapton, Eric Hutchins, IL, Kara DioGuardi, Lee DeWyze, Mount Prospect, OK It's Allright With Me, Shania Twain, Texas