When I first heard about American Idol teaming up with iTunes to deliver us even more Idol wares at a dollar a pop, I rolled my eyes and groaned in disgust.
Well, I hereby redact my eye roll and groan.
The addition of studio recorded versions of the Idols’ weekly songs adds another wonderful dimension to the experience that is American Idol. I thought Michael Johns’ “We Are the Champions” was great live; the full length, studio quality version is even better. And if you’re like me, you may have thought that Brooke White’s “Let It Be” ended too soon; head over to iTunes and “Let It Be” for the full three and a half minutes. And don’t even get me started on Jason Castro’s ”Travelin’ Through”…the nearly five minute studio version is full of passion, clarity, melodic quirk, and a sneaky little false ending that leads into the song’s most heartfelt stretch.
With the added bonus that we can track a song’s progress and popularity, iTunes is the best thing to happen to the American Idol phenomenon since, well, Simon Cowell.
