by Cathleen Garvey

Created on: March 18, 2010

Crystal Bowersox is the small town girl with the big voice who has now emerged as a potential winner for this year’s American Idol.  Cut from a different cloth than the usual primped and polished contestants, Crystal has wowed audiences with her soulful voice and alternative style.  Appearing on stage with her dreadlocked hair and beaten up guitar has taken the show back to roots of real music, and shown that the contestants don’t have to be the aesthetically pleasing pop princesses that are churned out by the dozen.  Music is about projecting the soul of the artist into the melody of the song and not just pouting for the camera in a selection of outfits.  Crystal has the ability to touch the hearts of all who hear her voice, and it remains to be seen whether this talented young lady can follow in the footsteps of her folk music idols.

Crystal Bowersox was raised on a farm in Ohio and has been performing in front of people since the tender age of seven.  She left her home town and travelled to Chicago in the pursuit of her dream as a folk and blues singer and played in a number of small venues in the city.  Her journey through American Idol has not been easy as she was briefly hospitalized due to a life long battle with diabetes during the taping of the show, forcing the producers to change the performer’s schedule.  Crystal has a one-year-old son named Tony whom she raises alone, and states that she auditioned for American Idol in an attempt to build a better life for the two of them.

The first thing that sets Crystal apart from the average performer on American Idol is that she can actually play her own instruments.  A talented guitar and harmonica player, her experience playing in small bars and gigs around Chicago is evident in her seemingly effortless performance.  Past contestants have struggled to keep in tune with their singing and instead of entertaining audiences with their musical talent; contestants have become something for the audiences to cringe over as the judges tear them apart after a show.  To be able to watch a young lady who knows her craft and can sing each song with her own personal twist is a welcome change for viewers.    

Crystal has had her share of problems in life and has the ability to translate those experiences into the passionate, soulful performances we see on stage.  Some of the greatest musicians in the world were also the most tormented and depressed individuals and it was that pain and suffering that gave an edge to their material.  How can an inexperienced, trust-fund baby sing the haunting melodies that reverberate in the listener’s soul?  Everything comes with a price and to be able to project emotions through an art, the artist will have to have experienced those emotions personally.  Crystal has a natural talent and stage presence that many of today’s biggest artists would kill for, and even if she doesn’t take the American Idol crown, this young lady certainly has a huge career ahead of her.

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