It’s that time of year again where men and women, boys and girls sing for your votes. And lucky you, I’m here to recap tonight’s proceedings. Tomorrow? We’ll see. The wife and I are taking my grandmother (visiting from San Fran) out for dinner.
Now, I had previously given out some advice on how to advance, but I may need to amend my semifinal advice. Why? Because of something I’m calling the “Rockstar” effect. What is this? It’s my way of saying that the singer got the audience way into the song, playing to them, getting them up on their feet and in general “owning” the stage, similar to the way J.D. Fortune and “Sweet” Suzie McNeil did.
And with that being said, I will tell you right off that I’m grading the singers pretty harshly tonight, so 6/10 is in fact not bad at all. So here we go:
Credits
Ryan Seacrest welcomes us to the show, introduces the girls, and explains the rules. If you don’t remember, it’s girls vs. girls, guys vs. guys for the next three weeks, with the bottom two of each gender going home.
Now let’s meet the judges!
Simon hasn’t heard any criticism about himself this year.
Paula agrees that she’s been tougher this year
Randy thinks that it’s a guy’s year this year.
The first two singers are coming up after the
Ad Break
Our first performer is Mandisa, singing “Never” by Heart. Because she wants to show that she can rock. Well rock she does, giving off a rock feel with Motown undertones. This, folks, is what I mean by the Rockstar effect. And by doing this in the leadoff position, she’s set a lofty standard for everyone else.
Rating: 8.5/10
Randy – That was hot. Good song choice.
Paula – You were phenomenal.
Simon – Wasn’t a perfect vocal, but you’ve thrown down the gauntlet.
Next is “L’il” Kellie Pickler, apparently this year’s “America’s Sweetheart”. She’s singing “How Far” by Martina McBride. The song plays to her strengths, since she’s country at heart, but she’s obviously very nervous and her Star Search moment is gawd awful.
Rating: 2/10
Randy – Good performance. Can still feel the nerves.
Paula – You’re unpretentious. You sang your heart out.
Simon – You started better than you ended. You have the likeability factor. I think you did very well.
Remember what I said about the judges playing favourites? Well, you’re not gonna get a more blatant example than this. There was absolutely nothing about her performance that could be considered “good”, and the judges spun some serious damage control to try and keep Kellie around.
Becky is up after the
Ad Break
Becky O’Donahue is here, singing “Because the Night” – the 10,000 Maniacs “unplugged” cover version. And not only is she off key, I can’t understand a damn word she’s saying. She did go for the Rockstar effect, which only partially worked. The audience got into it, but weren’t fully committed to her.
Rating: 3.5/10
Randy – I loved the performance. Thought the vocal was better than I thought it would be.
Paula – Thought the notes were off but so what? It transmitted to the live audience.
Simon – Slightly better than I expected. Visually a 10, vocally a 6.5. Quite good, but quite good isn’t good enough – you have to be great.
Obviously, Randy and Paula want Becky to stay. Simon, I’m not so sure, but his comments were obviously meant for all 24 competitors. We’ll see if they heed his advice after the
Ad Break
We’re back, and basketball player Ayla Brown is here hoping to become the next Melissa O’Neil. She’s singing “Reflection” by Christina Aguilera. And this should be interesting, as musical numbers (and yes, Mulan counts as a musical) don’t always go over well – or sung well – at this point of the competition. But she exerts good control, and sings it well. A bit too Broadway for me, but good nonetheless.
Rating: 5.5/10
Randy – I didn’t expect it to be that good. Pleasantly surprised.
Paula – I agree – you made it your own, and showed vulnerability.
Simon – You’re a hard worker. I saw emotion, and it was (making the performance) more real.
Now it’s time for Paris Bennett, the little powerhouse from Georgia, singing “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Night and the Pips. She works the crowd, sings her heart out, and puts on an Idol-winning performance. Too bad this isn’t the final week of the show.
Rating: 8/10
Randy – It’s like you were doing this all your life.
Paula – Says nothing of note.
Simon – You just showed a bunch of girls what you need to do to stay here (in the competition).
This is not the last time tonight that Paula says nothing of note, folks.
Opera singer Stevie is up after the
Ad Break
We’re back, and singing Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are”, it’s Stevie Scott! And it’s apparent that the nerves get the best of her, as she’s singing a demanding song rather quietly, and she even bails on the chorus, not singing it strong. Overall, it’s slightly better than Kellie Pickler, but coming from a classically trained singer, it’s very disappointing.
Rating: 2.5/10
Randy – That was different, but it didn’t capture my attention.
Paula – It was brave of you to take that on.
Simon – You completely, utterly messed that up.
Now, compare these criticisms with those of Kellie, who was equally as bad. Both had their shot, and both blew it, but of the two only Stevie will go home.
Ad Break
It’s time for Brenna Gethers, who immediately tries to attract the male vote by thrusting her breasts out. She’s singing Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, which is not a good idea because Stevie’s been the nemesis of many a singer on Idol. In fact, it might be impossible for one to sing Stevie well in an Idol competition. In fact, check out my Canadian Idol recap from the archives to see what I thought of THOSE kids singing Stevie Wonder.
Ahem, ANYWAYS, Brenna starts off key, and never recovers from that point. However, she Constantines the camera at every opportunity, which may distract the viewers from the horrible audio.
Rating: 3/10
Randy – You chose a safe song. I didn’t think it was enough for me.
Paula – Humility is what is needed from you.
Simon – You are who you are, but that was horrible. Everything we liked about you disappeared.
Brenna promises to bring back the bitch (if she returns), and then proceeds to again thrust her boobs out. Well, this will probably tell us how big the “horny young male” voting audience is.
Ad Break
We’re back, and singing “When You Tell Me That You Love Me” by last season’s competitors, it’s Heather Cox. And… I got nothing. It was a crappy rendition of a crappy song.
Rating: 2/10
Randy – It was kinda boring
Paula – Not a great performance
Simon – If was forgettable.
Bye, Heather.
Ad Break
Well, the bottom bars have been set, so all the remaining four need to do is exceed that standard and they’re pretty much safe until next Tuesday. And now it’s time for the previously non-showcased Melissa McGhee to try and step up, singing “When the Lights Go Down” by Faith Hill. She’s got power, and shows emotion, but is off key throughout. Basically, it’s about the same level as Brenna.
Rating: 3/10
Randy – Pitch problems, but you worked it out.
Paula – Completely disagree, this was a shining moment for you.
Simon – Before you sand, I wouldn’t have remembered you. You seemed a bit lifeless, and it worries me, but you sang it well.
Obviously, they’re not pushing as hard to save Melissa as they are with Kellie, but it’s about the same as Becky. We’ll see how that goes on Thursday.
We’re shockingly not going to break and going straight to Lisa Tucker, singing “I Am Changing” by Jennifer Holiday. She’s pitchy at times, but she shows good power and control, and more importantly, plays to the crowd. Plus the Star Search moment is spot on. And given the bad singing that occurred between Paris and her, it sounds even better.
Rating: 6/10
Randy – You chose an ambitious song. I was very impressed.
Paula – Says nothing of note.
Simon – It’s going your way tonight. You made some of the others look ordinary.
Simon, I think some of the others did that by themselves.
Ad Break
Our next performer is Kinnik Sky, and she’s singing “Get Here” by Oleta Adams. Kinnik’s rich voice makes this the perfect choice for her. She uses this song to announce her presence and, well, it’s the best ballad tonight. Too bad that doesn’t mean anything given the performances so far.
Rating: 6/10
Randy – Middle was rough. I have to give it a six.
Paula – Sharp notes, so what? You did a lovely job.
Simon – Your problem is that we’ve seen a couple of stunning performances. You’re being overshadowed (by the younger competitors)
One last performance after the
Ad Break
Last one, and singing Barbara Streisand’s “Since I Fell For You”, it’s Katherine McPhee. And similar to Mandisa and Paris, Katherine proceeds to own the stage. She’s enthusiastic, gives off a nice bluesey vibe and overall ends the show on a high note.
Rating: 6.5/10
Randy – Love it. It was great.
Paula – Says nothing of note.
Simon – There were four very good performances tonight. And you were the best.
Ryan wraps things up with the recap, and we’re out.
