Sean rings out his ears and puts the vomit bowl away...

Last night's (April 8, 2008) American Idol seriously disappointed and almost made me blow chunks. I am all for taking twists on songs that truly are great and either perform them straight out or re-imagine them. Last night, two songs that I would put in my personal top 20 list either underperformed or just torn to shreds... Robbie Williams' 1998 hit Angels and Queen's The Show Must Go On.  Part 1 will address the underperformed Angels.

Robbie Williams is a performer that many Americans are unfamiliar with because they have rejected him out right many many times. I am a HUMONGOUS fan of his honest songs about love, death, faith, redemption, celebrity, ego, avarice, insanity, pomposity, satire, and just plain gritty blunt honesty.  His song Angels is an increible song about redemption of a man who has lived a hard life but wants to change. If you ever heard his song Nan's Song, it also has glimpses of how "she" in the lyrics could be his grandmother and how she personally helped Robbie try and turn his own life around... because he does have some substance and (rumored) sex addiction issues. But a great singer and a great performer. I have been a fan since 1998, he never gets old.

Below are a live performance of Angels that Robbie did years ago. David Archuleta got praise for his performance last night on American Idol for a song he has no personal knowledge of the feeling it talks about or the power of redemption. This clip I chose to show how this song has received so much personal love by its audience as performed by Robbie Williams, it has to be seen to show up the competent but weak attempt "little" David made at it. I am not against covers mind you, just borderline competent one's being praised as great. But the power of the song couldn't be denied. (I revised my comments here after talking with my friend Ramiro... I was being a bit too harsh.)

Here are the lyrics of this great song about fighting to live and being redeemed.

I sit and wait
Does an angel contemplate my fate
And do they know
The places where we go
When were grey and old
cos I have been told
That salvation lets their wings unfold
So when Im lying in my bed
Thoughts running through my head
And I feel the love is dead
Im loving angels instead

And through it all she offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether Im right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life wont break me
When I come to call she wont forsake me
Im loving angels instead

When Im feeling weak
And my pain walks down a one way street
I look above
And I know Ill always be blessed with love
And as the feeling grows
She breathes flesh to my bones
And when love is dead
Im loving angels instead

And through it all she offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether Im right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life wont break me
When I come to call she wont forsake me
Im loving angels instead

And through it all she offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether Im right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life wont break me
When I come to call she wont forsake me
Im loving angels instead

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Sean says...

Kylie

So thanks to fellow Vox neighbor Mark and my real life friend Randy, my Kylie Minogue obsession has been rekindled again!  Unfortunately, Kylie's new album "X" doesn't seem to be coming to the US stores anytime soon. The only chance I have at it is either on-line or by getting my "triumvirate" member and best mate's in-laws importing it from Australia!  So thank god for YouTube!  Screw iTunes' intercountry blocks! 

Kylie, I would argue, is the World Queen of Pop.  She has been around 20 years, has Top 10 and 20 hits around the world, and says she lives in Los Angeles because its one of the only places on the Earth that she wouldn't be recognized (except of course West Hollywood as many of us know - wink). Why in the world she never took off in the USA I will never know. She isn't the greatest singer, she doesn't give into the raunch that Madonna does sometimes, and she usually stays out of the gossip rags but she is just a great constant. My friend and fellow fan Jim tells me its probably because she is mainly seen as a dance music star here. But in the end she survives and gives us the gift of her light song. And she is really incredible with her gay fans.

Enjoy!

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