Review of ZZ Top with David Cook on American Idol

With David Cook, that little old band from Texas, ZZ Top, added some much needed grit to the otherwise bland finale of American Idol Season 7.

The bearded duo, and drummer Frank Beard, performed "Sharp Dressed Man" with American Idol winner David Cook, whose own beard has a lot of catching up to do. Cook kept lead vocals for himself as Beard, guitarist Billy F. Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill ripped through an effortless version of the band's early 1980s hit.

The show labeled Cook early as the season's "rocker". A season that for its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame theme night was frightfully short on actual rock and roll. ZZ Top was a breath of fresh air - or preferably, a breath of smoky, guitar-fueled air.

ZZ Top is a one of a kind rock and roll band. They are as ubiquitous to rock and roll as bar-be-cue is to Texas. With a career starting in 1969, the trio has earned every accolade in the book, sold tons of records and continues to tour across the country with their boogie-infused good ol' rock and roll. MTV plastered their image - three swaggering guys swinging iconic guitars inside iconic cars - on every television tuned into cable.

Rock and roll adheres to an odd measure of credibility, particularly in the last 20 years. For many bands, performing on a show like American Idol could damage their image with fans. Sonic Youth will likely not appear on an upcoming season of American Idol. It takes a special band to stand on any stage - from a grungy roadhouse to the Nokia theatre - and have it make sense. ZZ Top has never been a band to shirk from criticism. The band's album Eliminator, featuring "Sharp Dressed Man," and its follow-up, Afterburner, earned its share of criticism from the rock elite who disapproved of the band's use of synthesizers and drum machines. Both records were worldwide hits. The world seems to have forgiven their sins.

ZZ Top fans should not be disappointed in the band for appearing on American Idol, they should be thankful that a show that obviously knows nothing about ROCK AND ROLL, knew enough to ask one of its best examples to show the kids how rock and roll is done.