I just realized that my post about why I think Lee should win said nothing about his vocal abilities. Which is completely not the impression I was trying to leave so I felt compelled to rectify that. I don't want to give off the notion that I think of Lee as just a person to crush on without reason. I truly do love the tone and quality of his voice.
His sound is definitely something I would love if I had heard him on the radio. His voice treads in the vein of some of my most favourite bands like Nickelback and Hinder with a lil bit of Fuel. I have a thing for singers with those kind of sound, if I could marry Chad Kroeger's voice, I would :)
So I definitely would listen to a record Lee'd release. In fact, I do have his pre-Idol releases, So I'm Told and Slumberland which I think were good efforts if a tad unpolished. However, I feel his time on American Idol has allowed him to further grow into his voice and given him more direction into his target album demographic. I am completely enchanted by his voice and love every single one of his American Idol iTunes release. His voice and singing resonates deeply with me in the same way Chad Kroeger does in How You Remind Me and Photograph or Hinder's Lips Of An Angel (which incidentally Lee did take on during the second week of the Top 24).
My favourites include his spin on The Boxer, That's Life, Beast Of Burden, A Little Less Conversation, Treat Her Like A Lady, You're Still The One (no doubt about this one since this is what turned the tide for me), Simple Man, Hallelujah, Fireflies and his inspired duet with Crystal Bowersox; Falling Slowly.
Another thing I believe makes Lee a great choice for the crown is his ability to take a song, connect with it and take you along with him for the ride. That's how he manage to get me on board with him. I may have only felt him starting from Shania Twain week but after going back and watching the previous shows, I've been impressed by the way he internalizes a song. And his picks are usually inspired and reflect who he is.
So it's not completely about his good looks, his charming personality and the fact that I'm completely won over by the high opinion other people have expressed of him but it's also a matter of talent and this guy has it. I love, love, love his voice and I just needed it to be clear that that's what comes first.
Having said that and this is after watching the finale, I believe Crystal did the better job. She really brought her A game especially on the last song. Not to say that Lee didn't do well. I think he was awesome on his first song, The Boxer. He changed it a bit from the first time he performed it but it all worked for the better. This performance was muted (in a completely good way) and solid which may not have worked in his favour as people might have been expecting something more showy but I loved it for its simplicity and it truly showcased the type of artist he is. His second song, REM's Everybody Hurts was a great selection by Simon Fuller but I felt this was his worst performance of the night. I did not feel him connect with this song and completely agree with Ellen's assessment that he reined himself in a number of times during this song which left me wanting more from him but not getting it. His last performance which was an interpretation of U2's Beuatiful Day I personally thought was heartfelt and great in its entirety. However, I don't think a lot of people thought like I did since I've been reading a lot of negative feedback on that performance. But I was feeling it and I figured, if he managed to evoke that connection in multiple other households then he's got it made. The point of Beautiful Day is not to outdo Bono or even be a Bono but to give it your own spin and in my eyes he did it.
So, despite Crystal winning the showdown 2-1 (my own personal opinion), I still think Lee could take it because the thing that Lee's got is he's built a loyal following in the past months based on his ability to make people feel the words he's singing. He might not have completely let go for his battle royale but people will still remember his track record and in the end, I believe it's really about taking into account the season in its entirety and not just one single night. Whichever way the votes swing, congratulations to both of them. To Lee, I will look out for your record. Your voice moves me.
