Tonight the Top 12 Idol wannabes are poised and ready to sing their collective hearts out for your votes and the theme tonight is one of the all-time greats--the Rolling Stones. I must admit that I often struggle to find the relevance of the theme nights offered by the Idol producers and tonight was no exception. Do the Idol folks recognize that the Idols range in age from 16-27 while the Stones are in their 60's and have been around for nearly 50 years?! But that's the game and here's how things went down...
- Michael Lynche lead things off with an jazzy version of "Miss You". It was an interesting interpretation and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it. Randy was the first judge to weigh in and before he got into his critique he threw out the "in it to win it" line that we will definitely hear about 100 times this season. Ellen was equally impressed. Kara felt it was important to ramble on about Mick Jagger before complimenting Big Mike. Simon went the other way and said he sang it well, but his dancing was "corny" and furthered the salt-in-the-wound judging by saying it was verging on "desperation". Ryan took exception to Simon's comments and walked down to the judge's table and implored Simon to offer more constructive criticism--and we are off to a very odd Idol start...welcome to Idol Season 9!
- Next on the Idol stage was Knoxville, TN native Didi Benami who chose "Play with Fire" from the Stone's catalogue. Didi has struggled a bit with song selection throughout the last several rounds, but I thought she chose a good song and made it work with her style. Randy agreed with me and said Didi not only sang about fire, but she was "on fire"! Ellen pulled a Paula and offered little more than pointless dialogue. Kara said Didi is making the right kind of progress and improving on the show. Simon admitted to being a fan of Didi's and called the performance "solid, but not brilliant".
- Idol hearthrob Casey James mounted the stage with his electric guitar and gave his interpretation of "It's All Over Now". He gave a nice bluesy feel and seemed to really enjoy himself on the stage. Ellen started her comments by saying that there were a lot of women who were going to like Casey..."and then there are women like me...(big pause followed by laughter)...blonde...I loved it". Kara said Casey is finally getting closer to being a rock star (something he failed to do a couple of weeks ago). But Simon felt Casey didn't take advantage of the situation and gave what amounted to an "audition performance".
- Hailing from Amarillo, TX and dressed in an off the shoulder black-on-white stripped shirt, mauve bustier, tight black skirt, and 6" black heels, Lacey Brown took the mic and offered her take on "Ruby Tuesday". Flanked by a string quartet on stage, Lacey worked the stage a bit before selecting a seat on the Idol stage steps to finish her song. I thought she was a bit shaky with her vocals, but Randy felt she "held it together" and delivered "the most interesting song tonight". Ellen observed the same thing I did about Lacey's stage movements and called the performance "sleepy". Kara was 50/50--she liked her voice, but heard some missed notes. Simon noted that Lacey performs "like an actress" and needs to "stop over-thinking" things.
- Taking his turn on the Idol stage, Andrew Garcia picked the classic "Gimme Shelter". Randy called it "pitchy" and said it "wasn't great", but Ellen thought it was his "best performance yet", and Kara felt Andrew didn't connect with the song--she wanted "more intensity" because the song was written about the Vietnam War...Simon took her to task and thinks she is taking things too literally. He was fairer in his criticism saying Andrew "gave it 100%", but that he sounded better in rehersal. Mixed results indeed.
- The youngest girl in the Top 12, Katie Stevens, has been critized by the judges throughout the last three weeks for singing songs that that don't match her age group--and now she is forced to select from a catalogue of songs that were old when her parents were young! Katie's selection, "Wild Horses" seemed like a good choice, but I'm not sure it really worked for her--it was slow, she was seated on a stool most of the song, and her dress was a bit distracting. The judges disagreed with me. Randy felt it was a "strong performance", Ellen thought she "sounded amazing" and complimented her song choice, Kara said while it wasn't perfect, Katie is heading in the right direction, and Simon said for the first time in awhile Katie selected the right song and then shamelessly plugged the fact that he recently recorded that very song with Susan Boyle (she of "Britian's Got Talent" fame).
- Comeback Kid Tim Urban (or as I like to call him "Helmet Head") chose "Under My Thumb" and gave it what I'm pretty sure he meant to be a Reggae feel--too bad the band and the audience (with their waving arms) weren't in on it. When the song ended, Randy questioned the Reggae decision and Ellen started to boo herself (before the audience) and said she "felt like I was at a resort drinking a pina colada and listening to someone trying to sing". Kara gave him props for "doing something totally different with the song"--but it still wasn't good, Kara. Simon said the song is boring to start and Tim's version didn't work and "was a crazy decision". Oops! Sounds like Tim's ride on the Idol train could be derailing soon.
- This year's oddest (in a good way) contestant, Sioban Magnus, went with "Paint it Black". Seated on the red glowing Idol steps and rocking an Idol makeover, Sioban started the song quiet and quite boring, but then she walked down the stairs, hit center stage and began to hit her stride including replicating the note she surprised the Idol world with a couple of weeks ago. The judges all loved the performance--Randy loved the drama, Kara thought Sioban brought back the memory of Adam Lambert, and Simon said it was the "performance of the night" and let her know that people will be divided on the performance...which he assured her is a good thing!
- Former paint store clerk and Chicago native, Lee Dewyze strapped on his acoustic guitar and sang "Beast of Burden". With his radio-ready voice Lee delivered a good performance. Randy thought he sounded like a mix between Rob Thomas and Dave Mathews. Ellen didn't feel it quite came together comparing it to a "hospital gown"--that's what you get when a comedienne judges a singing contest! But Kara said she wanted to "celebrate Lee's growth" in the competition. Simon started by saying how much he likes Lee from his life story to his talent, but felt he didn't have as big of a moment as he should have because of his great voice and talent and said he needs to shine...and to "stop thinking other people are better than you". Excellent advice, Mr. Cowell--now get back to work, Lee!
- Next up was Paige Miles who chose "Honky Tonk Woman" to win your votes. Upon hearing her song selection I was reminded of the challenge she has faced the past several rounds with the song choice--the judges have all complimented her voice, but have cautioned her about the songs themselves. Paige gave the song a bit of a country/gospel sound and the crowd seemed pleased with her decision as was Randy, Ellen, and Kara who gave her credit for doing well with a voice that is a bit under the weather (laryngitis). Simon said she sounded good considering the laryngitis, but also felt it was a bit generic and she needs to figure out how to connect better.
- Aaron Kelly whose mom's name is Kelly Kelly--kind of like Woody's girlfriend on Cheers, and who is from a small town in PA with only about 50 houses and one stop light took to the stage next and sand "Angie". Giving the song a soft country feel and showing off a new Idol 'do, Aaron had the kids in the front section of the Idol audience swaying with him while he enjoyed his time on stage. Randy said the "tender moments" during the song really showed that he was "born to sing". Ellen thought Aaron joined Sioban as the "performances of the night" while Kara said he delivered a "powerful performance". Simon admitted to feeling a bit of fear for Aaron upon hearing that it was Rolling Stones night, but gave him credit for picking a good song for his vocal abilities calling it "believable" and "one of your best performances to date".
- In the coveted "close the show" slot, early favorite Crystal Bowersox was in the position to end the show on a very high note with "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Walking to center stage carrying her trademark acoustic guitar and looking as if she was born to sing, Crystal delivered a typical "Crystal performance"--solid. Randy felt there were a few missteps, but it was still a very good performance. Ellen said she saw a bit of personality tonight and encouraged her to "have more fun on stage" because she sings so effortlessly. Kara didn't think it was her best vocal performance and cautioned her to not act as though she "has the competition won". Simon went a few steps further saying Crystal came out tonight "100% the favorite", but that she was beaten by Sioban tonight. In spite of the judges warnings, I am pretty sure Crystal is still safe.
But you know who isn't safe, that would be those Idols who find themselves in the Bottom 3 tomorrow night. If you ask me--and I'm pretty sure you are going to do so, I predict the B3 inhabitants will be Andrew, Tim, and Paige. And the Idol who is going home will be the Comeback Kid, Tim Urban.
Tune in tomorrow to see how the Idols fare when your votes are counted. Until then, I will continue watching TV so you don't have to!
Charlie
No comments:
Post a Comment