By Eric Ditzian
"American Idol" veterans are making the transition from amateur sensations to paid professionals. Champ Kris Allen, runner-up Adam Lambert and fourth-place finisher Allison Iraheta have all signed record deals with 19 Recordings. So, which contestant from the show's eighth season will be the next to ink a recording contract? Which highly ranked singer will get left out in the cold? Let's discuss.
Who's Next?
Those who play it safe probably have their finger on Danny Gokey. With his velvety singing voice and heartstring-tugging backstory, he was among the front-runners all season. Gokes was never in the bottom three until he got booted off the week before the finals. But I'm not convinced about his viability as a commercial recording artist. A recent conversation I had with producer Howard Benson (who has worked with Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry) only solidified my thinking that Danny's going to struggle in his post-"Idol" career. Will he get signed? Sure, on name recognition, if nothing else.
But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the next "Idol" crooner to make it big will be fifth-place finisher Matt Giraud. I was consistently impressed by Giraud's mix of soul, R&B and radio-friendly pop, and he fully earned his comparisons to Justin Timberlake. For some reason, it seemed he often couldn't do anything right in the eyes of the judges. But he sure could pull off some magic in the studio, as my colleague and "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello pointed out to me this morning, Giraud's iTunes studio recordings were consistently the most polished of all the contestants. And no one can quibble with his live version of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." The guy has got soul, and record execs will take notice.
Who Won't Get a Shot?
It pains me to say this, because I was an unabashed fan, but I'm thinking Southern boy Anoop Desai won't be getting a deal. If he's hoping to have a career as an R&B artist, his awkward take on Usher's "Caught Up" did not help his cause. I enjoyed his fun riffs on Bobby Brown and Michael Jackson, but I have a feeling talent scouts didn't see dollar signs as 'Noop Dog crisscrossed the stage signing, "Don't be a macho man!"
Anoop himself might concur with my sentiment, based on a rather self-conscious, passive-aggressive post on his Twitter account: "Congrats to Allison joining Adam and Kris in the Signed-By-19 Club! Maybe I'll join them at some point haha ... hopefully..."
As for the rest of the best: I don't see Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre or Alexis Grace grabbing a record deal. I'm pulling for bluesy/jazzy Megan Joy, but she might have screwed her chances with several clumsy, head-in-the-clouds performances late in the season. And who knows? Maybe burly Michael Sarver could finagle his 10th-place finish into a career as a country artist.