It’s down to the Top 7 on American Idol. The May 6 episode was set up so that each contestant gets the chance to sing a Prince song and a song from the year they were born. Country rock singer Caleb Lee Hutchinson performed Prince’s first Number One hit in America “When Doves Cry” from his 1984 album Purple Rain, which many interpret as a seductive breakup song. (What song of Prince isn’t seductive?) Caleb Lee turned up the heat during his performance especially when he brought his own flavor to Prince’s sensual lyrics including “Animals strike curious poses/ They feel the heat/ The heat between me and you.”
For his birth year song, Caleb Lee trod his comfortable country roots and took on the 1999 song “Amazed” by country band Lonestar. “Amazed” is quite the opposite from “When Doves Cry.” It’s about being in a loving relationship and wanting to stay together “forever and ever.” In 1999, “Amazed” was the number one song on country charts for eight weeks, and then reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, too. It was the first song to top both charts since Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s “Islands in the Stream” in 1983. Caleb Lee was lucky to be born at the right time — otherwise he’d have to sing something else! American Idol airs Sundays at 8pm on ABC.
