Carrie Underwood Does Motley Crue on 'American Idol'

My friends are usually very surprised to learn that I’ve never watched a full episode of “American Idol.” Knowing how much I love music and how I try to stay hip to new artists, they are astonished by my indifference to the show. Call me old-fashioned, but I still prefer musicians to work their way up the ladder – playing local clubs and bars and building their audience and reputation one fan at a time.

I’m sure the contestants who make it to the finalists round on the show have worked hard and are dedicated to their music. But by its very nature, the “American Idol” setup is flawed.

I’ve always maintained that being a music critic is much more time-consuming than reviewing theater, movies, television, or books. In every other case, only one viewing or reading is necessary to form an opinion. Music, on the other hand, must be listened to repeatedly before a valid opinion can be formed.

How many times has your opinion of an album changed the more you listened to it? Sometimes a CD that didn’t grab you for weeks ends up being one of your all-time favorites. On the other hand, music that has instant likability often loses its appeal and proves trite or shallow in the long run. But with “American Idol,” the whole point is to gauge the public’s instant, knee-jerk reaction.

Shouldn’t an artist’s songwriting ability also play a part when judging his or her overall talent? On “American Idol” it’s not even considered. Maybe the name of the show should be changed to “American Idol Cover Artist.”

There have been American idols chosen from the country and soul/R&B genres, but most are cast out of the same homogenous Top-40 pop-rock mold. If you are a fan of bluegrass, hip-hop, reggae, or jazz, don’t expect to see an “American Idol” winner representing your favorite style of music anytime soon.

All that being said, I did tune in the conclusion of the Wednesday, March 11 show. I wanted to hear how well country-pop ingénue Carrie Underwood could pull off a version of Mötley Crüe's “Home Sweet Home.” It was about what I expected - a country-rock-pop ballad that reminded me of Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

The season-four winner recorded a cover of the metal band’s most famous power ballad to serve as the new swan song for voted-off contestants. If watched the show and you like what you heard, the song will be available as a digital single exclusively on iTunes through March 16. After that it will be released via other online music retail sites. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the single will benefit the Humane Society of the United States.

"American Idol" airs Tuesdays at 8 pm and Wednesdays at 9 pm on Fox.






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