4/5
The tenth anniversary of American Idol seemed destined to be it's last major milestone as of last May. Even with a superstar judging panel, the reality TV show was beyond over-the-hill and hadn't produced a legitimate pop star in years (yes, I said it, it's been years). I didn't even watch this past season, and I didn't care to even look up who won the season either.
Which worked exactly in Phillip Phillips's favor.
The charmingly indie singer was so unexpected that it was refreshing. Let's be honest: no one, at least in the mainstream, expected anything more than a twenty second long surge in coronation single sales before fading into obscurity. But then the Summer Olympics came along, and their choice of his song as one of the themes for the US team pushed Phillips into a spotlight much greater than Idol could offer. What will shock many people is that "Home" hasn't left the top 20 of iTunes at all since July. Even more so, the single just hit #1 on iTunes, months after its release.
More surprising than "Home" and its sleeper hit status is that the song is actually quite great for an American Idol winner's single. While it still carries the message of perseverance and hope through struggle and all of that, there is something simple and unassuming, just like the singer himself, that lends it an "awww shucks" charm. On paper, it shouldn't work for Top 40, but it does. "Home" runs in the same lane as Fun., but a lot more mellow and just a dab of folk. Then there is his voice, which is one of the strongest to have come from the show in years (sorry Lee Dewyze). It all comes together in a very clean, but authentic package.
Phillip really has come from behind to take the mainstream by storm, as evidenced by his surprising chart performance (he may even score a #1 single in the coming weeks). I have to say, it's kind of exciting to see Idol producing a true star again. Hopefully it will be a pattern.
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