The Insider
Adam Lambert (Left) And Kris Allen (Right) sing the day away.
Rewind back to the night of May 21, 2009 when millions of Americans had their eyes glued to their televisions for the grand finale of season 8 of American Idol. Fans were watching the victory that most did not expect at all. The soft-spoken, Arkansas native, Kris Allen had triumphed over the outlandish Glam rocker from Los Angeles, Adam Lambert.
It’s that time of the year again when the contestants of American Idol must face each other. Instead of being voted off, they’re vying for their audience to buy their records.
Does winning the popular reality show actually have benefits? Since the finale, runner up Adam Lambert has been on the cover of Rolling Stone and was also one of Barbara Walter’s 10 most fascinating people of 2009.
In the meantime, Kris Allen has seemed to disappear off the media radar completely.
“Kris Allen, isn’t he that one guy from that reality show?” said sophomore Vicki Heshme.
Released on November 17, 2009, Kris Allen’s self titled album hasn’t sold nearly as many as Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment, which was released a week later on November 23rd. Though most music fans will not listen to a newly crowned American Idol‘s album, Kris Allen deserves a chance to be heard.
The first single “Live Like We’re Dying” is a great choice to represent the album. It’s catchy, which is great for the radio, and also meaningful. The song talks about how in a bad situation, you always have “eighty-six, four hundred seconds in a day to turn it all around or throw it all away.”
The only downside to “Live Like We’re Dying” is that during the middle of the song, Allen sings so fast it seems as if he’s rapping.
“The Truth” is one of the most emotional songs in the album. Allen sounds like he could cry during the chorus. The song is pretty mellow sounding with soft piano playing and light electric guitars supporting Allen’s almost whiny singing.
Most of the songs in the album are riddled with acoustic guitars or piano in the background, with the exceptions being “Live Like We’re Dying”, “Written All Over My Face”, and “Alright With Me”. Not saying that there’s anything wrong with those songs, but it’s a bit over used.
Overall the album is pretty decent, with a few songs that deserve to be given full attention to while listening.
On the other hand, Adam Lambert’s album For Your Entertainment is not worthy of anyone’s listening time.
“His performance at the American Music Awards was disgusting and inappropriate, and his music was boring,” said junior Michelle Naidoo.
