I totally enjoyed tonight's final performances, and mostly because BOTH Lee and Crystal are just that darn good. I am truly a fan of both and think they will both make fine winners. Reminds me of the David vs. David face off....either of them could have won, and both Davids are both bestselling recording and touring artists today. I think the same will happen for Lee and Crystal. The rest of the Top 10? Not so sure. Are Big Mike or Siobahn the next Daughtry or Jennifer Hudson that will surprise us in 6 or 12 month's time? I don't think so......but I love surprises :)I also think Crystal had the distinct fashion disadvantage. Lee was cool and collected in his usual (but drab) ensemble of black, grey and brown cotton but Crystal actually had to descend a set of stairs -- while singing -- in high heels. THAT is a true accomplishment!
I will rank tonight's performances in order of my favorite to least favorite....but before I do that, I have to give props to Ellen! She was in fine comedic form tonight.....OMG I LOL several times during the show (OK I am TXTING too much ths dys SRY). Started when she told Lee that she "couldn't be any prouder [of him] than if she had birthed him herself" which cracked me up. She then told the audience that all the wardrobe changes...."it's crazier than a Cher concert in here!" which I had noticed myself. Finally, she told Crystal that if she makes a record, "I'll buy it....if you go on tour, I will buy a ticket....if you make a salad, I will eat it...." Just some of Ellen's funniest stuff all season. Is she back for next season? Anyone know?
So, on to the performances. My favorite tonight, and I know I'm probably not in the majority here, was Lee's cover of REM's "Everybody Hurts." Haunting beautiful song that Lee obviously really connected with, and a totally retro choice....I don't think that song gets heavy airplay on even retro stations. I also recall the song back in the day as being more depressing than Lee delivered it....I was uplifted by his version! Loved his vocals, and given that this song was on the radio in 1993, Lee was all of 7 years old at the time, so he likely has no real personal connection to the song, but was able to make on after the producers picked it for him. Bravo Lee!
My second favorite performance tonight was Crystal's show-closing "Up to the Mountain." I must admit, I didn't get as goose-pimply or teary as the judges apparently did during this song but I appreciate Crystal's connection and exquisite vocals. I think the song is in her wheelhouse (to borrow an overused Randyism) but I don't think it's current enough to connect with. She is a star, there is no doubt, and had a gift going back to a young and tender age.
Third favorite tonight, for me, was Lee's reprise of his "Boxer" performance. I think he won over a lot of new fans with this song that week, and fans old and new were not disappointed to hear this tonight. Love, Love, Love it and agree with the judges that tonight was even better than the first time. Heart you Lee!
Following this, I would have to say that Crystals' reprise of "Me and Bobby McGee" comes 4th. Like Lee, fans loved this song the first time Crystal sang it, but in Lee's defense, I don't know how many NEW fans she won from this song tonight that weren't already won the first time around. It's a great song and totally the kind of music she could be successful commercially at singing,but she has not seen the kind of momentum that Lee has.
My bottom two performances tonight were - you guessed it if you are doing the math -- are split between both Lee and Crystal. I can't believe that I am actually going to write this publicly on this blog, but I am a little disappointed that there is no original song this year! What, the national recession has hit Idol? No money to pay songwriters anymore? Not enough staff to mount a national songwriting competition? What? As limp as many of the Idol coronation songs have been over the years, they have been original songs that have defined that season of Idol, and served as a bookmark of sorts...even though many aren't GREAT songs there are some that actually are, and all of them serve as passable passports into pop music for the Idol winners. So, I was wanting an original song.
Lee's performance of U2's "Beautiful Day" (personal fav) was pretty good, but who can really cover Bono? (Well, David Cook did a good job with "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" in the Season 7 finale, and the duet "One" by Elliot Yamin with Mary J. Blige in the Season 5 finale was all kinds of wonderful.....) but Lee tonight was not a Winner with this song. I don't understand, it's a COVER....and not something that I can connect to with Lee....I truly don't get the decision here to have covers be the winner's new release. I, for one, no matter how good it is will not buy/download Lee's cover of U2's song.....I am still wrapping my mind around this....
Finally, I know I am in small company, but Crystal's performance of "Black Velvet" just didn't work for me. Honestly I truly don't like that song, and cringed when Ryan announced it. Maybe I had finale performance fatigue, or maybe after nine seasons I am truly jaded, but I don't know....the judges did cause they clearly loved her....but me, it wasn't painful, but it wasn't a defining moment for me.
So, did you enjoy the finale? Did it meet your expectations? Who do you think will win? And who do you think deserves to win?
2 comments:
To answer your questions, yes, I did enjoy the finale, but not as much as in years past. The first Idol show I ever watched was the finale the year that Fantasia won it. It was that one episode that turned me into an Idol fan. I was amazed by the talent of both finalists that year. I was nearly moved to tears. Lee and Chrystal are competent singers and have the capacity to entertain at times, but I believe they are mediocre in comparison to previous finalists. There is so much talent out there; so many entertainment options. My concern with Idol has always been that it dumbs down our standards for musicality. And I have never felt that threat as strongly as I have this year. I have cringed every time superlatives like Simon's "brilliant" have been tossed their way. Sorry to say it, but they are not brilliant! Not even close. That's not to say they cannot become brilliant. But come on, people, in the course of watching a very entertaining show, let's not lose our standards for excellence. Just keeping it real!
As for who should win, if this was a pure singing competition based on last night's show only, Chrystal would win hands down. She was simply better last night. I, too, was not a huge fan of Black Velvet, but she was better on that than Lee on Beautiful Day. She won all three rounds. There was no energy to Lee last night, and the judges were begging him to step it up a notch. Frankly, if they did not have a financial interest in the outcome, I believe they would have been much harsher on him. It was so lackluster that it did not even feel like a finale. But each time Chrystal responded with a performance that filled up that big hall and I could hear echoes of prior, better finales.
However, I believe Lee will win for one simple reason: all the ladies and girls who were voting for Casey will vote for Lee, just like all the Gokey voters gave their votes to Kris Allen. And, as a result, for the second staright year, the Idol crown will be stolen from the better singer!
I think...at this point...it is a popularity contest and has nothing to do with singing talent.
Post a Comment