Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So Adam Lambert is going to be the mentor on American Idol this week.

Part of me thinks that smacks of a desperate ratings grab for a show desperate to stir up interest among viewers.

Part of me thinks it could be genius.

Adam can certainly tell contestants what not to do if they get a chance to capitalize on their Idol fame by performing live on an awards show.

And he can certainly tell them how to handle themselves on the red carpet. For a while, it seemed like Adam spent more time there than singing.

But in terms of chart success, Adam’s been something of a bust. His latest single hit number 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100. That’s as high as a Glambert tune has gotten.

Which means that at this early stage of his musical career, Adam can’t begin to match the resume of past Idol mentors. Not even (gasp!) Miley Cyrus.

But I’ve also participated in enough conference call interviews with Adam to know he’s outspoken, eloquent and intelligent.

Getting a message across to these Idol contestants in the short period of time he’ll be working with them should not be a problem.

One blog I read suggested Adam might be of great service if he can show this year’s Idols how to pick a song from a theme week and make it their own.

My reaction: Perhaps.

But if that’s what Idol producers were searching for in a mentor, David Cook would have made a much better choice.

Think back for a moment. Much of Adam’s appeal was the theatrics. Among season nine’s remaining cast, only Siobhan Magnus and Michael Lynche seem to have a theatrical bone in their body.

Now think back to the way David Cook adapted songs to fit his style. In most cases, it was just him, a mic stand, a guitar and a brilliant vocal.

Now that’s within the grasp of most of this year’s contestants.

Imagine Aaron Kelly, Tim Urban or Andrew Garcia going theatrical a la Adam Lambert.

That very thought makes me shudder.

Editor’s Note: What do you think about Adam as mentor? Feel free to comment below.

And here’s a treat, Adam doing what he does best, performing one of his songs, “Music Again” on VH1 Unplugged. Go here for more on that performance.

[youtube]yJ84qvRe118[/youtube]