Believe me, the last thing I thought I'd be doing this spring was starting a blog about an American Idol contestant.I hadn't bothered to watch the show the last two seasons, and I had no intention of getting caught up in the frenzy this year, either. But on a business trip a couple of weeks ago, my usually quiet friend/co-worker surprised me by not only rushing back to our hotel to watch, but also whipping out her cell phone to vote for her favorite. ("Hey, it's free," she said, somewhat apologetically...)
Her favorite was nice. But the lanky blond guy who sang "The Thunder Rolls" with such a youthful, quietly plaintive tone was the first performer of the evening to make me think "well, I wouldn't mind a whole CD of that voice for the road." (It's ironic, but true--we Northern city girls of every imaginable background are the first to break out the 75-CD "Southern Rock Classics" set the moment we get behind the wheel for more than a crosstown roadtrip.)
The Idol judges seemed a bit less charmed by that performance than I was, but I figured --correctly, thank heaven--that he'd be around after the next day's results show. By the next week, I was seriously looking forward to his turn on stage, and by the end of a rousing "Wave on Wave", somehow a pen was in my hand, and I was writing down a number...
Yeah, I got hooked. What can I say?
I really, really want a Bucky Covington CD to listen to while the green and gray highway streaks by me on a hot summer morning, on the way to something good. I want to pack up a bunch of friends and go hear him sing his ol' heart out and cheer him on. I want him to have a solid singing career as long as he wants to keep doing this. He strikes me as talented, undeniably and authentically himself at all times, and truly eager to please the crowd--something rare on American Idol (or anywhere else, for that matter.) And he's a heck of a lot of fun to watch.
So we'll be here blogging for as long as he's in the contest, and during the American Idols Live tour--please, please let him make the top ten!--and when his CD, which will rock, is released. (Or until that infernally catchy Old Navy jingle makes me lose my sanity, whichever comes first.)
Let's shake, shake, Daddy-O Daddy-O...
(Edited 3/19 to add: Welcome, all you folks who hit this link looking for the name of the Old Navy song. I'm going to give you the info...the catch is that you'll have to promise to throw a few votes Bucky's way on Tuesday nights. Fair deal, yes? The song is called "Clap! Shake! Jump!" by Andrea Revel featuring Behavior, and you can find out more about it--complete with a fun two minute sample!--at Andrea Revel's website. A full version of the song will be available in April, when it will go into my workout mix posthaste. Go listen, vote for Bucky, enjoy Ms. Revel, and have fun, y'all.)
