Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Apparently, the folks behind the scenes at American Idol occasionally listen to fans and critics.

I say this because there’s been some grumbling lately about the shortage of current music on Idol.

The criticism is certainly warranted.

In the first three weeks of the finals the Idols have been forced to sing songs from Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and tunes from the year they were born.

Poor Holly Cavanagh admitted she’d never heard Billy Joel’s “Honesty” before she started rehearsing for this week’s show. Jessica Sanchez publicly fretted about how her performance would go, saying she simply wasn’t familiar with Billy Joel’s music.

All of which is contrary to a pledge executive producer Nigel Lythgoe made when he returned to the show last year and again earlier this year — that Idol would not set contestants up for failure, but instead allow them to sing the music they sing best.

Bottom line: Hearing the grumbling, Nigel asked viewers for some ideas on more modern themes.

If he has read all the tweets that followed … well, let’s just say he’s a very busy man.

Colton Dixon is lobbying big-time for a Coldplay night on Idol. I’m hoping he doesn’t get his way, because I’m not a big fan of single-artist theme nights. Which is also why I’m not thrilled with several suggestions for a night focusing on the music of the judges.

Among some of the best suggestions from fans …

@LeighCay recommends Grammy-winning songs from the past decade. It’s a great idea because it encompasses multiple genres and the Idols would wind up singing songs most of us are familiar with.

@writingcat recommends a night of Idols singing originals they’ve written. I’ve long been convinced the best artists write their own material, so I love the idea. My thinking: If you’re going to be the next big star of the music world, you should be capable of writing one song.

Several people have tweeted calling for number one hits or top 10 hits from the past decade. Another great idea because of the flexibility it would allow contestants in choosing which genre to sing. And, again, they’d wind up doing songs viewers know.

My favorite idea of all comes from a number of fans, including @candrahurley, @God_in_training, @majesticben and @Adam_Lim — songs recorded by former Idol contestants.

Now that idea is simply brilliant.