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'Idol' Castoff Danny Noriega Was The Original Adam Lambert
Published by Kyle Anderson on Wednesday, June 10, 2009

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/06/10/idol-castoff-danny-noriega-was-the-original-adam-lambert/

On the same day that Adam Lambert confirmed that he was gay, another "American Idol" looked to jump-start his career. Danny Noriega, a semi-finalist from the seventh season of the show most famous for his bizarre take on "Tainted Love" that got him eliminated from the show, premiered his first video for his single "24/7." It's a remarkable three minutes of entertainment, fueled by a punchy disco beat, '80s special effects technology and guest rapping by somebody called Diamonique. The Auto-Tune assisted song is a little formless, but appears to have a chorus that goes, "Who's gonna buy my drinks?/Who's gonna buy your drinks?/You, b----!" There are also references to Noriega's forgotten catch phrase "TMTH ("Too much to handle") and multiple lyrics about "American Idol" (he sings "I'm no American idol" but also adds "Can I be your idol?" -- clearly, he's conflicted).

What must Noriega think of all the adoration being showered upon Lambert? After all, he was the show's gay underdog a year before anybody knew who Lambert was, but despite getting an assist from Rosie O'Donnell (who even had him sing on a cruise she hosted), Noriega remains an independent artist. Though he never officially addressed it on the show, Noriega has fully embraced the gay community and has gotten involved in activism, which should be applauded (we'll have to wait to see if Lambert will get involved in issues like same-sex marriage).

It was a shrewd move to drop this video the same day that Lambert's Rolling Stone article officially broke. Of course, more than a handful of people have pointed out that one of the key differences between Lambert and Noriega is that Lambert has a roundly excellent voice and Noriega benefits from his Auto-Tune assist (not that there's anything wrong with that). Noriega's "24/7" single is supposed to hit iTunes soon, and it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against forthcoming singles from various Idols (including Lambert, winner Kris Allen and the newly-signed Allison Iraheta). In the meantime, Noriega should lose Diamonique (whatever that is) and stick to what he does best (whatever that is remains entirely up to him).

Link to Danny's music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su3xiXrgi74