John Stevens - Red (CD)

All Music Guide

John Stevens was a contestant on the third season of American Idol the season that had a notable lack of male contestants. There was John cleverly nicknamed "Red" by millions, due to his red hair; Jon Peter Lewis, an enthusiastic, ironic dork who came along just a little bit too early to benefit from the Napoleon Dynamite zeitgeist; George Huff, a sweet and shy neosoul singer; and Matthew Rogers, a barrelchested exfootball player who wanted to be a soulman but gravitated toward country. Each of these four contestants who represented a third of the grand total of 12 finalists had their own niche, but Stevens stood out because he specialized in the Great American Songbook, which is a roundabout way of saying that he was a Frank Sinatra wannabe. Not only did he sing in a different style than the other contestants, but he was painfully shy, which made him quite endearing to a certain portion of the viewing audience who kept him around longer than his shaky vocals and inconsistent perfo...rmances deserved. Stevens didn't win fans because of his voice it was OK, but it lacked warmth and depth, and he was far too mannered, borrowing heavily from Frank, Dean, Bobby Darin, and, especially, how Harry Connick, Jr. synthesized all of those singers when Stevens was a toddler but he won fans because he was a unique television personality. He was a scared, sweet kid who won the hearts of young girls and grandmas alike, in a fashion not unlike Clay Aiken in season two, but without his smarminess. Read more Less