Studdard shows why he's an idol

CLEARWATER - What voting viewers are looking for in an American Idol always has been a little sketchy.

A week ago, the hit television show's viewers were willing to keep John Stevens around after the most awful rendition of Mandy ever. (Well, excluding the original.) Wednesday night, however, they were more than happy to show Stevens the door.

Stevens still was drying the tears from his eyes when Ruben Studdard took the Ruth Eckerd Hall stage about a half-hour later. So what did America see in Studdard to make him the season two champ? Talent, low-key charm and a great voice, certainly. But it turns out the "velvet teddy bear" is something else.

He's the mack.

For all the talk about Studdard standing in the shadow of runner-up Clay Aiken, the 25-year-old proved Wednesday he's second to nobody. He sounded great - better, really, than on his album Soulful - throughout the 75-minute set. He was just as relaxed, confident and charming as he was throughout his Idol run.

And while neither Studdard or Aiken are the traditional Hollywood "sex symbol," they sure do get the ladies lathered up. Aiken's goofy-hottie shtick played well in his recent show in Tampa. But Studdard's quiet-storm groove played even better.

"There's nothing like a big man," said the woman seated next to this reviewer, and the crowd agreed. Studdard's other asset is a show that stands well apart from the (lovable) kitsch that makes up Idol. Mostly adult R&B with a few modern dance and hip-hop touches, Soulful is nothing like you'd get from any other Idol star. Songs from Soulful dominated the set: Studdard wasted no time rolling out What If, a grooving little number in the R. Kelly mold. His cover of the Bee Gees' How Can You Mend a Broken Heart killed, as did Soulful's strongest single, Sorry 2004.

Though he hardly mentioned the show, Studdard closed with his Idol hit Flying Without Wings. It followed a call to help fund music instruction in the schools: "Help the next Ruben Studdard." If there's a competition with Aiken, Studdard hasn't noticed, or doesn't care. He's got his own tricks, and they work just fine for him.

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