Idol's Newfound Obsession with 'Artistry'

American Idol is a show that is supposed to discover talented singers. The premise is to see who can sing the best. As the seasons have progressed, emphasis has been added to other factors such as stage presence and personality. Perhaps the greatest manifestation of this was when Taylor Hicks beat out Chris Daughtry and the others to win the crown in Season 5. This is not to diminish the talented Hicks, but Daughtry came in sounding like a seasoned artist but lacked Hicks's charisma.

Yet beginning with Season 7, singing well is no longer good enough. From that point and on, the judges began demanding originality and often a different arrangement of the song. This is precisely why the judges would tell you that their favorite performances from that season were David Cook's Hello and David Archuleta's Imagine, both with vastly different arrangements than the original.

Likewise, when a singer has sung a song beautifully but without changing the arrangement, the judges have been critical, calling the performance karaoke.

To me, this is unfair. First, the contestant can never know when he is doing the right thing. At times the judges will criticize the arrangement and say that the original is so classic, how dare you mess with it? Other times they call it brilliant. Second, if a contestant sings a song with the original arrangement and knocks it out of the park, why should he or she be criticized? Often a hit song on the radio has almost the exact arrangements as the original, like Uncle Kracker's Drift Away, yet is considered a hit. Singing a song well, whether the arrangements are different or not, is an accomplishment.

The judges ought to realize that the contestants have enough on their plates as it is, and they ought to leave well enough alone. A good singer will shine through no matter what he sings.