American Doobies

1. I went to a free Doobie Brothers concert last night. ROCKIN'! They played for about an hour and a half, which is the same amount of time it took me to get out of the parking lot.

2. In a related note, Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame has released the hit single he sang in the show's finale onto iTunes ("Do I Make You Proud?"), along with a cover of the Doobies' own "Takin It To The Streets." He also has a very ugly insignia up on his sort-of existant website:



Hire a new graphics designer, Hicks.

Since American Idol has ended for the season and all, I'm a little late here, but what is the deal with that show? It's this huge television phenomenon and yet the winners (save for Kelly Clarkson, but the exception proves the rule) hardly make a blip on the music industry, as far as I can tell. The show is entirely constructed around finding America's Next Top Pop Balladeer, but pop ballads aren't popular anymore. Everything on the radio is a derivative rap/hip-hop song or a derivative "punk" "anthem." There is no longer a demand for pure derivative pop. Britney and Xtina figured that out years ago ("Toxic"? "Dirrrty"?) It's time that American Idol gets with the program and makes the next winner release the bumpin' R&B track "(Did I Give You) Herrrpes?"

EDIT:

From one of the user reviews on iTunes, entitled "Wow...Um, no":

His songs are a wierd (sic) mix of old gospel and whiny vocals, and what is up with the titles?? How tacky are these! "Takin it to the Streets"???????????????????

Is it possible to punch somebody through a computer screen? Not that the Doobie Brothers are an American icon or anything, but come on.