Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Paul McDonald had a little more seasoning than your typical American Idol contestant.

He’d been lead singer for the Hightide Blue, later renamed The Grand Magnolias. The former released two EPs — a total of 10 tracks — between 2007 and 2008. The latter released a CD just last year, touting its sound as “a throwback to southern rock with a modern twist and an original delivery.”

No doubt Paul has a distinctive vocal style.

And that voice took him all the way to eighth place on Idol. He was eliminated Thursday night, the first male to be ousted from the Season 10 Idol finals.

Here’s what Paul told the media during a Friday afternoon conference call.

* Paul explains that he’s been touring for five years doing his own material, including the past two years in Nashville.

* “I love those guys,” he says of his band mates. He says he hopes to get to work with them again soon.

* Paul says “I’m actually not really good at singing other people’s songs.” So he prefers singing his own.

* Paul says he’d love to work more with Kendra Chantelle, an Idol semifinalist. “She’s a great writer and has a ridiculous voice,” he says. They filmed one duet together, which became a bit of a YouTube sensation.

* Paul admits he didn’t feel comfortable at times on stage because of the music he was performing. He says he wishes he had made different song selections, more obscure music closer to what he’s used to performing.

* Paul says his main goal is to just make music that lasts and that people can relate to, not to rework old songs and make them sound new.

* Paul says the outfits he wore on Idol were custom-made for him pre-Idol. “I’ll wear them for my birthday and New Year’s and all that stuff,” he says, jokingly.

* As for those brilliant white teeth, Paul says he uses Crest, doesn’t drink coffee and doesn’t drink soda. His sister has the same sparkling teeth, he says. “I guess it’s in the genes.”

* “It’s kinda crazy,” he says of the Idol experience, mentioning a meeting with Kurt Warner. He says he’s been playing music for a couple hundred people a night for years. “All of a sudden, I sing a couple of covers on TV, and people think I’m cool.”

* He says he thinks Idol guys definitely have an advantage because of all the teen girls who watch the show. “It’s a shame for the girls because they’re so talented.”

* Paul confirms he’s dating actress Nikki Reed of Twilight fame. They met at the “Little Red Riding Hood” premiere. “It’s officially true. She’s super cool. Super smart. Really cool girl. I’m happy with it. We’ve been hanging out here and there. We’re both prettty busy. It’s been fun so far.”

* He says hanging out with the teens on Idol made him “feel like I was in high school again.” He says he’s impressed with them because he wasn’t nearly that serious about music at their age. At the same time, he’s 26, didn’t try out with high expectations and that set him apart from some of the other contestants who had been dreaming of winning Idol all their life.

* That attitude, he says, explains his reaction last night upon his elimination. Rather than tears, he told the crowd it was nothing to be sad about.

* He admits he worried about damaging his credibility by performing on Idol. He had professionals call and ask why he was doing “that show.” Rich or poor, he says the one thing he has always sought is the respect of the music community. And he had musicians call and say, “Oh, dude, I can’t believe you’re doing this show.” But he says he thinks it will work out. “They’re happy for me now. They’re like, ‘I think you dropped out at just the right point. Now let’s get back to cutting some real records.” For another thing, he met professionals and producers he never would have met without Idol.

* Next week, he says he intended to sing something by the Zac Brown Band or Mumford & Sons (his new favorite band) — music he feels more comfortable with.

* He says his main goal was to showcase his original music. “It worked out good. It’s been a good ride.”