Bon Jovi night for American Idol looks disastrous on paper, with a cast of talent who are, at best, only half “rockers.” I enjoy Bon Jovi, and enjoyed it more growing up, like most people in my 18-25 age group did, but I don’t want to see an hour’s worth of Bon Jovi covers.
Phil covered a convincing “Blaze of Glory”, and seemed to be singing with flair as he found is calling in the country/power-rock-from-the-’80s quality of sound. Phil has creeped me out all season, but he finally found his comfort zone the last few weeks and I can’t knock that.
Jordin covered “Livin’ on a Prayer”, which was a definite vocal risk, even with her outstanding range. What I like about Jordin is she is able to admit to herself (and the world) when she doesn’t have an A-performance. Humility can get you far on America’s biggest talent show. The outfit wasn’t my favorite, the hair was okay (I didn’t even catch her Sanjaya hair quip on the highlight video until tonight’s voting—good comeback) and I think she did the best she could. However, it was one of the worst performances of the night and it will certainly stick out since Jordin has been “on” for weeks.
LaKisha redeemed herself for a Bon Jovi song that I’ve never heard called “This Ain’t a Love Song”. It had LaKisha written all over it and it was the perfect choice for her. She gave a commanding performance, one we haven’t seen in weeks.
Blake died his hair black, and I approve, reminding me of Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day. It’s a risk on your image, like when Britney Spears shaved her head bald. Blake was the other talked-about performance of the night, risking doing a “Blake-bop” original touch on “You Give Love a Bad Name”. It was extremely risky yet successfully executed, and I still find Blake refreshing. I think Blake could make it a dance hit, possibly, though sometimes I wonder if Blake is just best suited as a producer. That said, he’s definitely the most talented male on Idol right now.
Chris covered “Dead or Alive” and I absolutely hated it. To be fair, his voice isn’t made to cover Bon Jovi songs. However, I’m not a huge fan of him because his voice range is so limited and he tries to make his voice fit around songs that don’t work. He understands the JT Cute Factor and uses his eye contact as much as possible with the camera in hopes that his following will save him. Definitely his time to go.
Melinda closed out Bon Jovi night and I held my breath because I just wasn’t sure. Melinda turned it on as I had totally forgotten about “Have a Nice Day”. Melinda rarely disappoints me, and it’s a good thing, because closing out the show forces one to deliver something extra special. Not her best performance, but just enough to be enjoyable and to show how she can truly interpret any song handed to her.
Wednesday Results Update: I have to admit, I was mentally prepared for LaKisha to go home. I thought she did a great job for Bon Jovi night but two weeks ago was brutal. Maybe it was just enough, and a complete juxtapose to Phil’s growing popularity. Maybe LaKisha’s fans rallied (my votes went to Jordin) and did just enough to keep her in, but it could have easily been her leaving instead of Phil. Phil seems like a classy guy and I hope he is able to make himself a success on the country airwaves.
As for Chris, on the other hand, I’ve not enjoyed him for weeks and I didn’t have much doubt that he’d be going. I’m glad he and Blake get along so well, emphasized over and over again, ahem… well, they do have the tour together. Chris will now enjoy a career as a pop artist and milk off the girls who feel it’s “totally cool” that he’s just like Justin Timberlake.
Now we know the best singers of this season are truly left and it could go to anyone, as next week is Disco/Bee Gees—let’s see Blake “Blake-bop” that one.
Thank you for reading; make your moment your breakthrough.
