Idol 44 - Bo Bice

44. Bo Bice

Season 4, Runner up

It's Bo. Yes, I am one of them. I am one of the people who rooted for Carrie Underwood - though I really prefer Vonzell Solomon - during the American Idol 4 Finale. But I still like Bo. Now, let's go back to the beginning of Season 4, shall we?

I remember when the season started, Constantine Maroulis was being pimped quite a bit, and I hated it. This was NOT a person I wanted to see do well in the competition. At all. But I've already talked about him, so no need to beat a dead horse. Haha. Anyway, I remember in Hollywood, they showed a little montage of the rockers singing The Letter. It showed the annoying Constantine, an even WORSE rocker named Aaron, and none other than Bo Bice. Bo immediately caught my attention. I thought to myself, "Where has this rocker been and why isn't he the one being pimped."

I instantly loved the soulful vibe in his voice and I couldn't wait to hear more. Luckily, he made the top 24 and he didn't disappoint! I think Bo constantly brought his A-game and he was, arguably, one of the most consistent contestants of that season. Did he deserve to win? I'm not so sure. But there's no way I could've complained if he won. In hindsight, it's a good thing he didn't. It would've been a slight embarrassment to the show with the way Carrie has out sold him. But as far as performances on the show go, he was quite consistent.

In a way, he actually reminds me of Ruben Studdard. I think Bo, like the Season 2 winner, was almost always very good, but for me, there was never a performance or two that really floored me. Most of his performances were just on that same level of "very good". Oh, and I do think that Bo has definitely the most overrated performance ever: In a Dream. I thought it was an amazing performance but it's nothing to freak out about - aside from the fact that he performed it a capella. I think America was too mesmerized by the fact that someone was singing acapella to even realize that vocally it wasn't anything amazing.

Now, there are a few things that bug me about the way Bo sings. First, I am not a fan of his vibrato. Yes, I keep bringing up vibrato, but I love it when it sounds good. Well, Bo's vibrato was a bit abrasive and overbearing. He used it when it wasn't needed. It was a tad bit wobbly and many times you could see his head shaking up and down when he used his vibrato. Come on, Bo. You aren't supposed to shake your vibrato out like that. Moreover, I do think he sounded a bit affected. His phrasing mainly sounded very old-school rocker 101. But that's just a minor quibble for me.

That said, his voice wasn't perfect, but he knew how to work it well. I actually think Bo is a huge part of the reason why the show has taken a turn from karaoke to a search for real artists and that's a major major compliment to the dude. Bo showed us that people other than big voiced belters could do well on the show and make a name for themselves, and I am very thankful that he did.

Favorite performance(s): Like I said earlier, there isn't one particular performance that I thought was an amazing show stopper. But I still really enjoy many. Whipping Post was one of my favorites. I thought he oozed charisma and showmanship that week, and this was when he became a major contender. For the Love of Money was another one I loved. I thought the whole vibe of the song was very cool and it fit him like a glove.

Whipping Post

For The Love of Money

#43 - Hahahaha!