No, I do not watch American Idol, so you can all stop judging me. Yahoo just keeps bombarding me with articles about it, and when I saw a few weeks ago (or was it months? I don’t know anymore) that one of the contestants sang Rush’s “Working Man,” I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the songs on American Idol generally, for lack of a better word, suck, as do many of the singers. So, to see someone sing some proggy music was quite refreshing.

The latest “American Idol” (quotations because how can he be America’s idol when hardly anyone watches the show anymore) is Caleb Johnson, and this guy has a great voice. He really does capture the classic rock sound, and I think he could do really well with his own hard rock band. From what I have read about his performances, and from the few I have watched, he seems to fit in better with a band than he does singing solo.

Caleb Johnson’s newfound fame means two things for the music world, in my opinion. One, it means that rock in general is making a legitimate “comeback” to the mainstream. However, it could also mean that the majority of American Idol’s viewers are older people who grew up with bands like Rush and Led Zeppelin. I certainly hope it means the former, because modern pop music has become atrocious. Long gone are the days when Journey or Al Stewart were considered pop music. Maybe, just maybe, we may see a return to a “rockier” pop. It is definitely possible; just look at the widespread success of Muse.

I was most impressed by Caleb Johnson’s performances of “Working Man” and Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” Watch and see what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzZlrLnbWrI