Another Endorsement Comes In

*This post is for everyone except Alyssa. She is the only person in the world who does not watch American Idol, even though of all the people I know she is the one who would most enjoy it.*

The American Idol finale was tonight and the music moved me to tears more than once and by both singers. I think it might have been the best finale in AI history.

David Archuletta has a pure voice. Seriously, if there was ever a voice sent by a god, it would be his. He is sincere and earnest and phenomenally gifted. You get the impression that when he sings "Imagine," he truly is imagining all the people living life in peace - and more importantly, he is still pure enough to believe that it one day may happen. If I could close my eyes and listen to any one voice for the rest of my life, it would probably be his.

Despite all of that, I hereby endorse David Cook for American Idol Winner. He has a powerful, strong, sexy voice. He is a talented entertainer and arranges songs so creatively and ingeniously that you can hardly believe they were ever sung any other way. But the reason he is my choice is because he has lived his songs. When he sings "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" you know he has felt that longing. When he sings about a broken heart, you can feel the ache that he has endured. When he sings about how he is still standing, you know that he is really singing a song about his brother's fight to live. The guy has a depth to his music that you can only have if you've stood on the rocky road. Paula, for once, hit the nail on the head in her critique of his music. He sings his truth and he sings it with integrity.

All that said, I think Archuletta is going to win. But I'm going to buy Cook's album.