One of my guilty pleasures is "American Idol". I'm usually pretty good at predicting who's going home (although Allison's departure May 6th was disappointing beyond words).
No, I'm not going to start posting weekly "Idol" updates. I can't do better than EW's Michael Slezak and won't even try. No, what prompts this missive is something I've seen at least three times this season on the "Idol" results show and it's become a pandemic in the pop/hip-hop music industry. My question is this: Does anyone just sing anymore for us to listen to? First it was Flo Rida. Then Jamie Foxx. And now most recently none other than "Idol" judge Paula Abdul has treated us to a "song" on the "Idol" results show in which their sterling pipes are processed through the device known as a vocoder. I didn't mind this piece of equipment when it was used as a device to augment a song (such as Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" or Cher's "Life After Love"). Now you can't turn on a hip hop station without hearing almost every vocal delivered through the vocoder.
I find it especially egregious when it is used on a show like "Idol", which is supposed to be about singing talent. When one of the people judging the contestants and another who is acting as a "mentor" resorts to using a special effects device to deliver a song, what does that tell these pop-star hopefuls about how far true vocal talent will get them in the music business?
Please, let's cut down on the use of the vocoder. And if we can't, someone please convince the producers of "American Idol" to book only guest stars who actually can sing without trickery.