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Zoukie a écrit : Non,arrête ! Il est mieux que Kris Allen quand même ! Ce gars la est une honte pour AI

Idols Bowersox, DeWyze not so different

By Lindsay Ward, QMI Agency

Last Updated: May 24, 2010


Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze have a lot in common.

They’re both 24. They both love guitars. They both auditioned for American Idol in Chicago. And they both have a shot at claiming this year’s title on the reality TV singoff this week.

The two will go head-to-head — and axe-to-axe — on Tuesday’s final performance episode (CTV, Fox). On Wednesday night, one of them will become the ninth American Idol.

So who makes the grade? Is it soul singer Bowersox from Elliston, Ohio — a tough-yet-huggable single mom who performs as naturally as she breathes? Or is it Mount Prospect, Ill., paint salesman DeWyze — an also-lovable rocker who can melt us with his eyes, if not his pipes?

Let’s compare them, shall we?

VOICE

Crystal Bowersox: Raw and raspy, smooth and sweet — Bowersox is all over the place, in a good way. A gospel-tinged cross between Jewel and Janice Joplin, the girl can belt and ballad. And while she has proved she can take the stage instrument-free (Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind), you know that when she comes out with a guitar slung around her shoulders, you’re in for a show.

Grade: A

Lee DeWyze: As the judges say, DeWyze is a perfect example of someone who has improved massively. His raspy rocker chops were weak at first — if you recall his versions of Hinder’s Lips of an Angel and Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars during the semifinals. But the past few weeks are what have mattered — and performances such as his cover of Shania’s You’re Still the One and especially last Tuesday’s take on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah are enough to make any voice coach (and Simon Cowell) proud.

Grade: B+

POPULARITY

Crystal Bowersox: Regardless of what high school you went to, guitar-touting girls with dreads likely never made the squad or dated the quarterback. Nor did they want to. But Bowersox dances to the beat of her own strum — and even if she’ll never duet with Jay-Z, she has her own unique form of hip. Her only roadblock? That incident last month where she threatened to quit the show.

Grade: B

Lee DeWyze: That shiny dark hair! Those teary, puppy-dog eyes! I can tell you exactly who Lee is popular with. And lucky for him, it’s the exact crowd that watches Idol — and casts most of the votes.

Grade: A+

PERSONAL STYLE

Crystal Bowersox: Few people can pull off dreadlocks well. Bowersox is one of them. And to be able to pull them off well on a stage ruled by cute, spiky-haired boys and skinny-jeans-and-stiletto-wearing girls? Well, that’s just cool. Bowersox’s biggest style mistake was during Frank Sinatra week, when she swapped her coffeehouse-chic costume for an elegant strapless gown. And, heck, even that was kind of cool.

Grade: A

Lee DeWyze: That rock ’n’ roll jeans/sneakers/suit-jacket look has been done to death and done some more. Though I suppose it’s a good thing that DeWyze’s uniform lies somewhere between Adam Lambert’s flamboyant rocker and Kris Allen’s denim-lovin’ Southerner. But since he is one of those aforementioned spiky-haired boys, I’m only giving him a ...

Grade: B

SONG CHOICE

Crystal Bowersox: If anyone knows what kind of musician he or she is, it’s Crystal Bowersox. But that hasn’t stopped her from making a few poor judgments along the way. Then again, for every One Hand in My Pocket, there are twice as many Midnight Train to Georgias.

Grade: A+

Lee DeWyze: It took a few weeks for DeWyze to get into his groove. But after a few odd decisions — such as Elvis’ A Little Less Conversation and performing Hey Jude with a bagpiper by his side — he has a great sense of who he is. Hallelujah!

Grade: A

FINAL GRADE

Crystal Bowersox: A

Lee DeWyze: B+

Bowersox earned her A grade — heck, even before Idol, as a single mom and subway-station busker. But judging by the past two winners, Kris Allen and David Cook, America is digging casual, cute boys-next-door — and popularity tends to trump all. Then again, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Bowersox lost. Then she wouldn’t have to mess up her tried ’n’ true dreadlocks with that glossy Idol crown.

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