When you consider that Matt Giraud never really put it all together, his Top 5 finish on American Idol was mighty impressive.  Matt was in a constant identity crisis, never sure what type of artist he should be.  In his very first performance of the season, a disastrous rendition of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," Matt made it abundantly clear that he wanted to be a Timberlake-style pop star.  The judges quickly squashed this notion and, to Matt's credit, he took the criticism to heart and retreated to the safe haven of Blues and Soul.  He had to, even if it wasn't what he wanted.  His best performance of the season, sadly, was his version of "Georgia On My Mind" from Hollywood Week.  Had he stuck to a bluesy persona, Matt might have had a chance to win American Idol.  Instead, Matt made a schizophrenic run to the Top 5, occasionally showing the potential touched on early in the season.  He rarely gave a poor performance, and some were really quite good, but there was always that nagging feeling that he should have been better.

After perusing the old YouTubes, I get the feeling that Matt is a better piano player than he is a singer.  It's frustrating, to me, that Matt didn't play the piano as much as he could have during the American Idol season.  Last season, Brooke White made it to the Top 5 by playing the piano or guitar almost every time out.  Matt seemed to want to prove a point, and perhaps felt guilty hiding behind a piano.  He shouldn't have.  Matt could have proven himself a good singer while simultaneously impressing us with his piano playing.  

Matt Giraud is a talented guy, and I hope he has some success moving forward.  When he eventually finds himself in the recording studio, he's capable of laying down some really quality music.  The question, again, is what kind of artist Matt wants to become.  We already have enough pop artists, enough people who want to be Justin Timberlake.  If he wants success, I think he has to embrace his strengths, and I think that's as a piano-playing bluesman.  He shouldn't cut a heavily-produced album - he should strip everything down, and give us the raw emotion that a man and his piano are capable of giving.

I've enjoyed this season of American Idol more than any other I've covered for BuddyTV.  Matt was one of my favorites all season.  At one point, I even predicted Matt to win it all.  I still contend that he had that potential.  Unfortunately, he got bogged down in song choice and was never able to find his pocket.  He never got totally comfortable out there.  It was his time to go, and Matt should be happy with what he accomplished.

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-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)