Well, here we are - top ten time at American Idol! Here are my thoughts after our good Christian tall girl said goodbye last week. The songs are from the catalog of Billy Joel, so naturally, Diddy (dirty money?) was on hand to help him out. Huh? As always, I comment before I hear the judges spew their non-venom at the group. Here goes:
DeAndre: "Only The Good Die Young" - At first I thought he was going to be in trouble, but I actually like his voice on this track- his rasp is very evocative of one of my favorites from the 80s, Terence Trent D'Arby - if he could tap into that more often I would become a fan. Petered out at the end though.
Erika: "New York State Of Mind" - I love this song, but I'd don't love it for her because I think that it makes her too lounge lizard-ee. Or maybe that's just the Pat Make-Benatar-Over she got from Hilfiger.
Joshua: "She's Got A Way" - I don't think I would ever admit that I had never heard this song, but hey, I'm not a 20something anymore. This is not going to be one of his most memorable performances - he's not convincing singing with anything that doesn't turn into a gospel anthem - and man, that is not what this song is about. He can still wail, no question - but I wasn't a huge fan.
Skyler: "Shameless" - a smart pick, since Garth Brooks covered it back in the day. Great, but again, not her best. She's not going anywhere though. I just don't think it's possible to blow a song like that out of the water really. I still like her a lot.
Elise: "Vienna" - In some ways, I think the lack of familiarity with this song may help her, mainly because she's the first one so far who has really connected with the lyrics that she's singing - so it makes her come off as someone singing "her own" song more so that the rest. I didn't understand that Lady Gaga-esque run with the puppet hand at the end, but man, it was a great performance.
Phillip: "Movin' Out" - Okay, now don't get me wrong, I like Phillip, but not every song in every genre needs to be sent to the Dave Matthews Band school of style and meldy manipulation. It was really good. Can this last? I don't know if it can for me, but he's safe for sure.
Hollie: "Honesty" - great song pick for her, I can't wait to hear it. She can't hear herself well enough to stay in tune - a little sharp in places. Not sure about the silver wonder woman garb. It's like "Wonder Woman In The City." Great ending I thought, but I would say that most of the angst she was showing us was frustration from the experience of performing and not necessarily the passion of the lyric.
Heejun: "My Life" - well, now I know why they didn't reveal his song choice in the video open. I loved the joke with the crooning in the beginning - but it wasn't until the breakdown of the chorus that the song actually worked for me for him. Prior to that, it was karaoke. And that isn't an asian joke, I promise. Well, maybe just a rittle bit.
Jessica: "Everybody Has a Dream" - Maybe the least brilliant song picked so far. I don't know this song, but I'm going to assume that it's from Billy Joel's as yet unproduced musical about Jacob's Ladder. Obviously she's amazing, but I could have cared less about this song. My favorite part was when she sang to Diddy. That was real, and I believed her then.
Colton: "Piano Man" - Okay, I really liked this. Even though he's turning the piano part into a song by the Fray. And what's not to like about the Prince garb? Speaking of Prince, when are we going to get a Prince week? I would love to hear Colton sing Darling Nikki in that coat. To me, that was better than Jessica, who got a standing O for her rendition. Where's his standing O?
Random Notes:
So Tommy Hilfiger is on board to help with fashion. Feels desperate to me.
Is there a worse idea than Erika's hair transformation?
Okay, I just slammed Joshua for admitting that he didn't know "She's Got a Way" - and then Steven Tyler says he doesn't know it!?!? Oh wait - that song was written and recorded in the 70s, he doesn't remember Aerosmith songs from the 70s, much less anyone else's… This is your brain on Aerosmith…
Okay, so Elise doesn't have to wear the bell bottoms? Tommy has no say in this? Come on man.
Diddy brings his "ladies" to be crooned to by Phillip. Gross? Or maybe it was just gross.
This Tommy Hilfiger thing is really going to backfire if it becomes so painfully obvious that the contestants are not bound to his advice.
Best quote of the night - Diddy: (about Heejun) "I don't even know if he's… Asian."
Okay, so Steven Tyler calls Heejun out for not taking the moment seriously. Hmmm. Cause "Dude looks like a lady" is all about serious work.
If I have to see that oval behind the singers separate dramatically one more time I'm calling Carl Sagan to get him to make it stop.
I do enjoy hearing conflicting advice from two mentors. I think that lends credibility to the premise that in the end, everyone's opinion is exactly that.
Oh sh*t, Colton just went Tebow on us. It's like a coming out party for evangelicals when he asks God to "use me" on national television. Boom!
So who is going home? I don't know, but with only ten, even with a great performance, I think Elise will be in the bottom three - maybe with DeAndre and Erika.
DeAndre: "Only The Good Die Young" - At first I thought he was going to be in trouble, but I actually like his voice on this track- his rasp is very evocative of one of my favorites from the 80s, Terence Trent D'Arby - if he could tap into that more often I would become a fan. Petered out at the end though.
Erika: "New York State Of Mind" - I love this song, but I'd don't love it for her because I think that it makes her too lounge lizard-ee. Or maybe that's just the Pat Make-Benatar-Over she got from Hilfiger.
Joshua: "She's Got A Way" - I don't think I would ever admit that I had never heard this song, but hey, I'm not a 20something anymore. This is not going to be one of his most memorable performances - he's not convincing singing with anything that doesn't turn into a gospel anthem - and man, that is not what this song is about. He can still wail, no question - but I wasn't a huge fan.
Skyler: "Shameless" - a smart pick, since Garth Brooks covered it back in the day. Great, but again, not her best. She's not going anywhere though. I just don't think it's possible to blow a song like that out of the water really. I still like her a lot.
Elise: "Vienna" - In some ways, I think the lack of familiarity with this song may help her, mainly because she's the first one so far who has really connected with the lyrics that she's singing - so it makes her come off as someone singing "her own" song more so that the rest. I didn't understand that Lady Gaga-esque run with the puppet hand at the end, but man, it was a great performance.
Phillip: "Movin' Out" - Okay, now don't get me wrong, I like Phillip, but not every song in every genre needs to be sent to the Dave Matthews Band school of style and meldy manipulation. It was really good. Can this last? I don't know if it can for me, but he's safe for sure.
Hollie: "Honesty" - great song pick for her, I can't wait to hear it. She can't hear herself well enough to stay in tune - a little sharp in places. Not sure about the silver wonder woman garb. It's like "Wonder Woman In The City." Great ending I thought, but I would say that most of the angst she was showing us was frustration from the experience of performing and not necessarily the passion of the lyric.
Heejun: "My Life" - well, now I know why they didn't reveal his song choice in the video open. I loved the joke with the crooning in the beginning - but it wasn't until the breakdown of the chorus that the song actually worked for me for him. Prior to that, it was karaoke. And that isn't an asian joke, I promise. Well, maybe just a rittle bit.
Jessica: "Everybody Has a Dream" - Maybe the least brilliant song picked so far. I don't know this song, but I'm going to assume that it's from Billy Joel's as yet unproduced musical about Jacob's Ladder. Obviously she's amazing, but I could have cared less about this song. My favorite part was when she sang to Diddy. That was real, and I believed her then.
Colton: "Piano Man" - Okay, I really liked this. Even though he's turning the piano part into a song by the Fray. And what's not to like about the Prince garb? Speaking of Prince, when are we going to get a Prince week? I would love to hear Colton sing Darling Nikki in that coat. To me, that was better than Jessica, who got a standing O for her rendition. Where's his standing O?
Random Notes:
So Tommy Hilfiger is on board to help with fashion. Feels desperate to me.
Is there a worse idea than Erika's hair transformation?
Okay, I just slammed Joshua for admitting that he didn't know "She's Got a Way" - and then Steven Tyler says he doesn't know it!?!? Oh wait - that song was written and recorded in the 70s, he doesn't remember Aerosmith songs from the 70s, much less anyone else's… This is your brain on Aerosmith…
Okay, so Elise doesn't have to wear the bell bottoms? Tommy has no say in this? Come on man.
Diddy brings his "ladies" to be crooned to by Phillip. Gross? Or maybe it was just gross.
This Tommy Hilfiger thing is really going to backfire if it becomes so painfully obvious that the contestants are not bound to his advice.
Best quote of the night - Diddy: (about Heejun) "I don't even know if he's… Asian."
Okay, so Steven Tyler calls Heejun out for not taking the moment seriously. Hmmm. Cause "Dude looks like a lady" is all about serious work.
If I have to see that oval behind the singers separate dramatically one more time I'm calling Carl Sagan to get him to make it stop.
I do enjoy hearing conflicting advice from two mentors. I think that lends credibility to the premise that in the end, everyone's opinion is exactly that.
Oh sh*t, Colton just went Tebow on us. It's like a coming out party for evangelicals when he asks God to "use me" on national television. Boom!
So who is going home? I don't know, but with only ten, even with a great performance, I think Elise will be in the bottom three - maybe with DeAndre and Erika.
RSS Feed