You didn’t expect him to say otherwise, did you?

However, in a conference call this week with reporters, he says that three or four of this year’s contestants would have gotten recording contracts even without the hit show. Cowell went on to say that the talent is younger and more current than in years past.

This could mean one of two things. Either he is right, which is possibility No. 1 and would spell great things for Idol this year, or his interpretation of current is something more along the lines of Hannah Montana.

Not to knock Miley.

What I wonder here is whether or not Simon would say that last season’s winner, Jordin Sparks, is “current.” She’s young and pretty. Has a good voice, and she was probably incredibly popular among her peers at home.

But when I think of current, sorry, but I think of Kanye West and NeYo and Chris Brown on the male side of things and Amy Winehouse, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys and Rihanna on the female side. I think of FallOut Boy and Daughtry and Maroon 5 among the bands, although my personal tastes are a bit more eclectic.

Nevertheless, in terms of commercial music, today’s American popular music landscape, this is current. My concern is that if the talent is younger than it has been — 17, 18, etc. — then I fear it being closer to Miley than to Amy.

Simon also told reporters that this year’s bunch is more interesting. They’re more interesting people, and to those of us who love the show, I’m not sure that we care.

Bo Bice was interesting. Taylor Hicks was interesting. Fantasia was interesting. Heck, Clay Aiken was interesting (that’s not a diss, Claykens).

Problem is: Not a darn one of them was particularly current. Actually, I take that back. Most of Fantasia’s work was exceptionally current. It just never really took off.

So, there you have it, straight from Simon’s black t-shirt.

And, what do YOU think Simon means when he says the talent this season is more current?

Not a stunner although Studdard was a fairly decent seller for them early in his label stint. On the other hand, the Soul Patrol failed to ever give Hicks any momentum.

Posted today on monstersandcritics.com:

Winning or placing in the top reality show, “American Idol” is no guarantee the music buying public will continue to support the efforts of the chosen crooners.The dew is off the rose, as two past winners of “Idol” have lost their major label deals.

Just before Christmas, rumors began circulating that season 2’s Ruben Studdard, who released three albums for J Records since 2003 (the latest, 2006’s The Return, to modest sales), had been dropped.

However Studdard continues his management contract with 19 Entertainment.

Now the Hollywood Insider reports season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has also lost his J Records deal.

“Taylor is going to record his next album on his own,” said a label rep. “He is no longer on the J Records roster.”

What does this mean for the latest winner, Jordin Sparks?

More importantly, is it the beginning of the end for the profitable franchise heading into season 7 on January 15?

***

Fact is struggling artists are dropped all the time from record labels, and there’s no doubt that Hicks and Studdard had a hard go of it from the outset. However, both singers are pretty much back to the drawing board, and I’m not sure there is anything short of an inspiring record that will bring these guys back to the forefront.

The underlying message to Idol and its contestants should be bring it or go home. We’ve seen Carrie Underwood do it and Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. Those cats aren’t getting dropped anytime soon, even with Clarkson’s disappointing album last year.

And for Idol, it means judges simply must start looking beyond technique and find stars. They’re out there, and while the show isn’t desperate for a new one just yet, they can’t have many more flops.

But is the CD that bad?

To understand the release’s performance thus far, one needs to understand the ground Idol broke in seasons No. 4 and 5. With the rise of Carrie Underwood, the music-buying public was treated to an artist whose first CD wasn’t merely good; it was stellar.

And in Chris Daughtry, we were treated to an edgy release that has opened doors of critical acclaim for the world’s most popular reality show. Heck, if we stretch the bounds of this discussion to country, artists like Kellie Pickler, Josh Groban and Bucky Covington have succeeded beyond wildest expectations.

However, the primary issue I found in listening to Jordin Sparks is its inconsistency, its lack of identity. When Tamyra Gray came out with a CD some two years after Season 1, I found it to be a hidden gem, rife with well-constructed pop songs but again lacking an identity. When Season 2’s Kimberly Locke did the same, the songs were never a problem.

A lack of identity was.

Before those of you who love Jordin get too upset, understand that I have a pretty good feel for the reigning champ’s “identity.” She’s a sweet, young woman with good vocals and pop appeal in the stylings of something like “High School Musical.” She’s not threatening, and she doesn’t offer one iota of edge.

Jordin’s a total good girl, and in this year of Amy Winehouse, the pop culture of music has turned on its ear. Heck, take Rihanna’s “Shut Up & Drive,” which is a brilliant pop song, but which is also as thick with innuendo as a Prince track.

“Tattoo” was Jordin’s first release from the CD, and it’s performed fairly, getting as high as No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, upon listening to the entire CD some 20 times now, I don’t believe record executives put Jordin in the best position to win market share and, um, listeners.

Track 5 is a very current-sounding “Shy Boy,” a la somebody like Fergie. It has a pop, club feel, and it’s super radio-friendly, even if it wasn’t my favorite tune on this album. That honor would go to “Now You Tell Me,” which is a composition designed for somebody well beyond Jordin’s years. It’s mature. It’s adult contemporary, and while our champ did a fine enough rendition, the song just doesn’t do her any favors in this market — a market that really needed her to release something young and fresh.

Even “One Step At A Time,” while in Jordin’s pop wheelhouse, is something that easily could have been released by a Celine Dion, some 25 years Jordin’s senior. Same goes for “Next To You,” a track that would not have worked for somebody as majestic, if you will, as Celine, but that would have worked for virtually any female pop artist approaching 30.

One of my favorite tracks on the CD was her duet with Chris Brown, “No Air.” However, the production lacked any creative edge. On the other hand, with the touch of somebody like Timbaland or Kanye, this is a track that could capture somebody over 25.

Jordin’s beyond-her-years maturity showed up again in “Permanent Monday,” which I swear sounds like a Sheryl Crow song in different clothing. When I refer to maturity, I merely mean here that it makes Jordin sound too old.

Perhaps that’s the identity she’s going for. I am merely kidding. However, the suits at 19 Entertainment really needed to capitalize on Idol’s first teenybopper champ, and instead of pouncing — making Jordin as hip as Rihanna or Beyonce — they instead turned her into Taylor Hicks … and it spells ultimate doom for this record as a whole.

Best chance for a big hit after “Tattoo” – I’d lay money on “Shy Boy.”

My recommendation – Try to get at least one really big hit single from this CD and then move on to the next.

So, before we get too deep into auditions for the 2008 season, let’s spend a little time catching up on 2007’s contestants, including 17-year-old winner, Jordin Sparks.

The first single from her soon to be released CD, Jordin Sparks, called “Tattoo,” hardly got any airplay this summer and was met by tepid reviews and non-existent commercial success. Some have even questioned whether Idol producers have really gone to bat for the Arizona native like they have for previous winners.

According to mtv.com, Sparks has enlisted several producers for her first CD “including production team the Underdogs (Ne-Yo, Chris Brown); Robbie Nevil (who has worked on the “High School Musical” and “Hannah Montana” soundtracks); Norwegian duo Stargate (Nas, Rihanna); Sam Watters (Diana DeGarmo, Jessica Simpson); and Eman (Nick Lachey, Katharine McPhee).”

Most notable among those is the production team, the Underdogs, and the Norwegian duo, Stargate. Some of you old enough might remember Robbie Nevil for his 1980s hit, “C’est La Vie,” but Nevil has made his mark as a producer well beyond any success he had on the radio. However, the talents of those who have worked with the likes of Ne-Yo and Chris Brown will play a bigger role in any success Sparks might have with her first release, even if her style and musical range is more complementary to that of “High School Musical” or “Hannah Montana.”

When we look at the best initial releases from previous Idol winners, namely Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, it’s clear that a lot of work went into the actual songwriting. While it’s great that Sparks has enlisted these producers, I sure would like to see who’s doing the songwriting.

Furthermore, while Idol executives might be perceived as giving Sparks less of a backing than previous winners, it might be that they’re so focused on the music for 2007’s champ that they haven’t even had time to keep her in the summer spotlight. And the summer tour for the Idol Top 10 might have played a role as well.

How this plays into future Idol seasons is also telling because Sparks has the fate of future younger performers hanging in the balance. If her CD goes over like a lead balloon, or let’s say like Taylor Hicks’ first CD, then younger contestants are likely to face stiffer criticism from the fearsome threesome of Randy, Paula and Simon.

Don’t think that’s so?

How many of you rooting for 28-year-old Melinda Doolittle last season thought she should have been supported a bit more strongly by the likes of queen-maker Simon Cowell earlier in the season? In other words, a lot about what will happen in 2008 really rests on the success Jordin Sparks has come Nov. 20, when Jordin Sparks hits stores.