Phillip Phillips – Home
Not pictured: that ear-gnawing grin he makes after every note…
[Video][Website]
[4.11]
Anthony Easton: American Idol now knows, in its waning influence, that the only semi-stars it has manufactured have been country musicians (with the odd exception of Adam Lambert, and yes, Kelly Clarkson is country now.) So they are doing it on purpose now. If I was a 14-year-old, I would find this sentimental and safe but lovely little track both highly singable and kind of sexy. That is the wheelhouse for success in his chosen field, and it works for what it should do.
[7]
Jer Fairall: Mumford and Sons’s Celtic stomp and Arcade Fire’s choral expansiveness hit like presets, with Og Oggilby here gulping at his vocal like a Followill brother. I fully expect next year’s Idol winner to be a dubstep producer.
[3]
Alex Ostroff: We already have one foot-stomping, choral singalong, strummy-strummy-la-la back-porch song called “Home,” don’t we? Do we really need another? What are the odds that shortly after I grew tired of indie’s neutered folk music, the entire aesthetic would infiltrate pop radio with added platitudes?
[4]
Alfred Soto: The octave ascensions in the chorus sweeten the piano and chorus ooh-ooh-ohs, although the strings are pure syrup. In other words, this is exactly what it purports to be: the debut of an American Idol-approved country performer. Keep an eye on him, though.
[4]
Katherine St Asaph: It’s probably for the best that someone involved with American Idol realized that in “white guy with guitar,” the key idea isn’t “heartthrob” but “instrumentation.” That the arranger and rent-a-chorus are suffering from realness should surprise no one.
[4]
Brad Shoup: Welp, American Idol seems to have turned into the Railroad Revival Tour. Once the boy stops the making of the words, it tastes just like regular cola.
[4]
Jonathan Bogart: “Better than I thought it would be” ≠ “good.”
[4]
Iain Mew: If you search our archives for Mumford and Sons, you’ll see that the only song of theirs we’ve reviewed was “Little Lion Man” back in ’09. It got a 6.09 average, and I personally gave it an 8. This seems like an opportune point to say that, yes, that was correct, but their amazingly widespread influence (American Idol!) is very much A Bad Thing.
[4]
Ramzi Awn: The perfect accompaniment for the cherished moment when Dad FaceTimes his little girl back home. Phillips’ chorus of ooh’s is almost rousing, but instead mostly staid. I think I’d rather just watch that Jennifer Holliday clip again.
[3]