Thursday, October 25, 2012

Phillip Phillips takes on the "Star Spangled Banner"

If you followed any of my recapping of American Idol's 11th season earlier this year, you'll know I was a big fan of the eventual winner, Phillip "Don't Call Me Dave Matthews" Phillips. While he may not have had the big voice of runner-up Jessica Sanchez or the versatility and stage presence of third-place finisher Joshua Ledet, I loved the gravelly sound of his voice and his interpretation of songs throughout the season.

Despite those who lamented that Phillips' win was due more to preteen and tween girls' lock on the voting for "WGWG" ("white guy with guitar") contestants, he's done pretty well since the show ended. His "coronation song," the nearly ubiquitous Home, has sold over 2 million copies thus far, which is the highest result ever for an Idol winner, and his debut album, The World from the Side of the Moon, drops in about three weeks.

Last night, Phillips sang the National Anthem at the opening game of the World Series. While his voice might not be the type you'd expect to sing the anthem, he brought a mellow, acoustic vibe to the song in a wholly different vein than, say, Whitney Houston. I really like his version if you're willing to step outside of what you expect an anthem singer to sound like.

Sounds like he's still in it to win it, yo...

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