Sparks Sang Well, Sold It in the End

May 24, 01:59 PM

Current Headlines: By Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

May 24--It came down to the voice (Jordin Sparks) vs. the performer (Blake Lewis). But the reason Sparks was crowned the sixth "American Idol" on Wednesday is that she beat Lewis at his own game.

Sparks' victory was all but locked up during the final sing-off Tuesday when the most acerbic of the judges, Simon Cowell, ate a rare helping of crow.

"Last week I didn't think you were good enough to make the finals," he told Sparks after the last of her three songs. "[But] you just wiped the floor with Blake on that song."

Cowell and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul underlined their criterion for crowning an "Idol."

"This is a singing competition," Jackson said. Not, he implied, a contest about charisma, stage presence, looks, image, youth or sex appeal. Of course, he's dead wrong. "American Idol" is all those things and more--a contest determined by the votes and volatile hormones of its youthful audience.

So it's important to not just sing a song well, but to sell it. Sparks did just that in the finale Tuesday, in which she and Lewis both struggled to make something of the maudlin "This Is My Now." The winner of the show's online songwriting competition, it's a second-rate power ballad, rife with trendy self-empowerment cliches.

Sparks played the part, right down to the gulp that she swallowed while delivering the song's last line. A long exhale and a glimmer of tears followed, all in close-up. The audience ate it up. Even Cowell lost his smirk for a second.

That kind of salesmanship explains how Sanjaya Malakar--he of the ever-changing haircuts, the impish smile and the negligible singing talent--got as far as he did. And it explains why the best singer in the competition, the earnest Melinda Doolittle, didn't even make it to the finals. Sparks got better as the competition moved along, a 17-year-old literally growing up in public. And the flaws in Lewis' limited vocal range were exposed. He never looked comfortable singing the pop-soul of Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved," and he clearly had no idea how to tackle "This Is My Now."

With his spiked hair and tattoos, Lewis was not prime "Idol" fodder, yet he struck a chord with his showmanship. His vocal beat-boxing moved "Idol" into uncharted territory; he merged hip-hop with Bon Jovi, and it somehow worked. But he didn't bring a similar sense of daring to anything else in the final round, and so it's no surprise that he's going home in second place.

Do either of these singers have a career? Sparks is young enough to still develop. Who knows, she might one day match Doolittle's prowess as a vocalist. Lewis' prospects are less promising. His voice failed him down the stretch, and his human beat-boxing is strictly a gimmick. Sanjaya, on the other hand, just might keep on ticking beyond his 15 minutes. He may not be able to sing, but he's got a personality well-suited for some glib Ryan Seacrest-type of role--and that's more than most "Idol" competitors can claim.

greg@gregkot.com

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