Tonight I watched American Idol for the first time in a long while.

The girls were singing and someone sang “I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline. Kara DioGuardi said to the girl: “I don’t know how you did it, but you kind of made Patsy Cline feel current.”

Clearly Kara has no soul. Patsy Cline songs may be ‘slow’ and they may sound ‘old’ to some, but the lyrics and the emotions of each song are certainly ‘current.’ Patsy sings of heartbreak and heartache. When you hear her voice you know she meant every word. You know that she felt every word. That’s what real music is to me. That’s the mark of real talent. If you can make me believe that you feel every word you sing, then I’ll listen.

I listen to Patsy Cline and ‘old’ music to find that emotion I feel is missing from the majority of today’s mainstream artists. While I have no objections to the catchy beats of songs like Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok,” that song isn’t going to get me through a hard time.

Patsy, on the other hand, will be there for me whether it’s the ‘60’s or the new millenium. She’ll be there tomorrow, she’ll be there next week, and she’ll be there 10 years from now.

I can’t say the same for Ke$ha.

Or Kara.