David vs. David
Although there were some pretenders to the throne during the early weeks of American Idol (Michael Johns, for example until his shocking exit), we pretty much knew it would come down to David Archuleta vs. David Cook. It was rather remarkable that Syesha Mercado made it this far, but tonight will be the end of the road.
So who deserves the title? Whose record would you be willing to buy or download, David A. or David C? In my mind, David Cook wins that battle hands down. It would be nice to have a winner who actually breaks out as a major star. While Jordin Sparks will be appearing in A.C. May 31 on the bill with Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo, she hasn’t exactly skyrocketed to stardom since winning last May. She’s 18, which might be a bad omen for high-school student Archuleta. Taylor Hicks was a freak of nature to begin with, so his crash and burn wasn’t really that unexpected. The last winner who really mattered in the music biz was Carrie Underwood. Her ability to slip right onto the country charts was no surprise. Besides her fabulous voice, the American Idol fan base is right in the country music wheelhouse. Chris Daughtry used his fourth place finish to launch a major rock career.
But back to the Davids. The Disney Channel crowd would certainly buy his record. His handlers would be smart if they tried to parlay Archie’s Idol success into a deal for a Disney TV series. However, beyond the pre-teens, I don’t see him having any success in the recording industry until he grows up. He has a great voice but he needs more life experience.
David Cook should be the American Idol. But even it he winds up as the runner-up, expect him to actually have a successful music career. Visit the AI Web site here.
