Chris Sligh - More of the Facts Behind His Departure

I've been a fan of American Idol ever since my kids forced it upon me, during semi-finals of season one. Those that have been in yahoo groups with me for the show, or who have been reading my recaps and commentaries regarding the show for the past three years, know that I will defend it until the day I die. Up until yesterday I was still defending it, but now I have to begin to question it somewhat.

Don't get me wrong, here, as it's not just because a favorite of mine has been voted out. After I watched my favorite, Kelly Clarkson, win in season one, I watched Clay Aiken only reach number two, Jon Peter Lewis leave after one of his best weeks, Constantine Maroulis leave with a huge cloud of doubt hanging over him, then finally watched Taylor Hicks stick it out through the end last year. And still, I defended the show and its outcomes.

I like artists that are different, that are smart, and have more going on there than just a good voice. When they write their own songs such as Kelly, Jon, and Taylor, that's all the better for me, as I learn who they are as a person and an artist. Even Kellie Pickler co-wrote a few tunes off her debut CD, and it helped me see the larger picture of who she was. Reading up more on Chris Sligh, I see that he too wrote his own music, and is quite prolific in his blogs.

Chris Sligh auditioned for the show in Birmingham, Alabama, and right away we could tell he was going to be different and pave his own way. He compared his looks to Jack Osbourne, and when asked why he wanted to be on the show, he said he wanted to be the one to make David Hasselhoff cry, just like Taylor Hicks did when he won last year. Here's this guy poking a little fun at the cheese factor of the show, but not doing it in an annoying manner. He showed his great voice, singing Kiss From a Rose, and sailed through to the Hollywood rounds.

In Hollywood, Chris Sligh surprised us once again. He formed his own boy band there on the show for group night. Well, it was more than boy band, it was like a boy band for adults. It included himself, beat boxer Blake Lewis, Rudy Cardenas, and a fourth guy who didn't make it to the final 24. They were simply amazing as they took a Bee Gees song and turned it into something contemporary with their voices and Blake's beat boxing. They left the audience wanting more, and it was absolutely the best Hollywood week group performance since Frenchie Davis and Kimberley Locke.

As he was chosen for one of the final 24, Chris cracked everyone up walking into the huge room, sitting in the lone chair facing the judges and saying, “ I suppose you're probably wondering why I called this meeting today.“ After he was told he made it through, Simon noted that he may not have the best male voice in the show, but he was one of the most popular. That should have proved to them a little of what we are looking for. I'm not looking for a piece of cardboard with a good voice. I want a personality, somebody that makes me want to care. Someone that makes me say wow, gives me the chills, or makes me cry. Something. I want them to make me feel something.

Chris seemed to always do a lot of research with his song selections, and I just always got the idea there was a lot more going on inside him than just singing and trying to win. He chose the song Typical for his first performance night, and it stood out above the rest. Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson liked it, but Simon Cowell wasn't so sure. He may have lost a few fans with his comments to Simon that not everyone has to sing Il Divo or Teletubbies. While I enjoyed the wit and humor, and Simon I'm sure wasn't hurt, some were thinking he went too far. The next night, though, Chris apologized.

The following week Chris showed a little more of what was inside there, other than just the great voice and wit. For the dedications week, he chose the song Trouble and dedicated it to his wife. He showed serious pipes, serious emotion, and just made me say, “Hallelujiah.” I thought if he showed up like that every week, he had a good chance of making it to the final 2. Not only was he different, he also had the voice, emotion, and personality.

We never saw Chris connect that way again, and that proved to be his undoing. While his fans were faithful to him, the judges weren't. He seemed to be making the best of it, doing whatever he could with genres that were more suited to others in the competition. During Diana Ross week, he sang a hipper version of Endless Love, and both Ross and the judges blasted him for messing with the melody of the song. We couldn't understand what happened.

Chris has now posted some explanations to his blog. The way it was edited and played out, it seemed like Chris was told it wasn't wise to mess with a classic like Endless Love, yet did it anyway. However, Chris has stated he was not ignoring advice. He says that both Gina Glocksen and a photographer cried when they heard his newer version for the first time. He tried several different arrangements for the song, and it was this one that people seemed the most positive on. Yet, all three judges pretty much trashed it ... and him ... for attempting the change.

Flash forward to this week and a very odd genre. No Doubt songs and the artists that inspire Gwen Stefani. One of the artists she's inspired by is The Police, and Chris then chose to do Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. He recognizes watching the performance back that it does appear that he's not in the pocket in the song, yet his phrasing is the same as it was on the original. Additionally, the producer that was working on the song with him was an engineer on the original recording by Police. Chris' thinking was that if it was him that was doing it wrong, the producer would have surely let him know. The editing once again showed him in the wrong, making it look like he ignored Stefani telling him to watch the tempo.

Once Chris was voted out, I wasn't blaming the show, Sanjaya Malakar, Howard Stern, etc., I was just sad. Sad that I wouldn't get to watch him every week, as I truly enjoyed him. I wasn't blaming anyone else, and figured either way, Chris just didn't inspire enough people to vote for him this week. Now I read his blog with this other information about the feedback he received, and I'm still not blaming anyone, but I have a blinking question mark. I understand they can't show every comment and have to edit things to be entertaining, but ... for a guy who was already coming under fire because his wit wasn't always taken as lightly as it should be, was editing that left the audience believing that he was deliberately not following advice fueling that fire?

I encourage everyone to read Chris Sligh's blog.

For more on American Idol, see Reality Shack and LauraBelle's Blog, and you can contact me at LauraBelle@realityshack.com

For more information on American Idol and Chris Sligh see SirLinksalot: American Idol and SirLinksalot: Chris Sligh