I was on vacation last week, and despite taking mucho notes during the performance broadcast with every intention of composing the perfect review, did not. I did have Didi in my bottom 2 (along with Tim of course) so I wasn't surprised that she left, although I honestly thought he would go first. He is cute and clearly that matters in this competition!On to tonight....I love Beatles nights because the music is so good. Such a vast repertoire to choose from, and the Idols really have no excuse for not finding one that matches their vibe. And while I really don't think there were any gross mis-matches tonight, I offer up my Top 3, Middle 3 and Bottom 3 because that is what you want me to do :)
My personal Top 3 tonight were Crystal, Lee and Casey. Crystal is in a league of her own. I am not saying she should automatically win this thing because of it, but she is so head and shoulders above every other contestant in her musical maturity and talent. Girl was born to sing, and as she herself said tonight, "I'll be singing on my deathbed!" I admit that "Come Together" is not one of my favorite Beatles songs and may not even crack my personal top 10 but Crystal pulled me in and sang it so wonderfully I had to sit and listen. Job well done!
Likewise from Lee. Mr. No Confidence busted out with smiles and conviction on his take on "Hey Jude", a song I didn't think could possibly be redone, but Lee convinced me otherwise. Wow, I loved his raw vocals and interpretation. What I didn't like was the bagpipe...don't get me wrong, I think it's way cool in a Sting sort of way (lute, anyone?) but what I mean to say is that I agree with Simon that it wasn't really needed. I love watching Lee grow in this thing!
Casey rounds out my Top 3 for tonight. I admit that I have not been an avid Casey supporter....that started when he took his shirt off...but since then I have found him to be flat and gimmicky. Tonight changed my mind....loved the way he put his soul into "Jealous Guy", a song I am not as familiar with as the rest tonight which played in his favor. Pretty hair! Ellen was spot-on that we needed to see more of Casey in his songs....Goldilocks accomplished that tonight.
My middle 3 were Andrew, Mike and Tim. First of all, I have to say that I have been a fan of Andrew ever since auditions....and I still liked him through his rough weeks...so you should know that. Agree that last week was way better and perhaps he had come back? For me, tonight's performance didn't capitalize on that momentum...while I thought his choice of "Can't Buy Me Love" was a great one, I agreed with Simon that the horns totally overpowered the song and weren't needed...I was so distracted by them and the background vocals and just wanted to hear Andrew. And then Andrew went and admitted the dreadful, "but I had fun" comment and received the usual Simon Eye Roll. Question is, will Andrew's fans save him from the chopping block?
Mike was his usual big self, with big vocals and big moves on his cover of "Eleanor Rigby". It was adequate, but for my taste, I agreed with Simon that it was kind of 'Beatles: The Musical!" But there is no denying that Mike is an Idol force to be reckoned with.
Tim doesn't have 9 lives, he has at least 10....because tonight was my favorite of all Tim performances. Goshdarnit, I really liked it! I loved the stripped-down guitar take on "All My Lovin" and he really looked the part with his straight moppy hair and vertical striped jacket. The whole performance was really retro and captured the essence of the 60's with great success! Tim....we may need to talk.....
...which brings us to our Bottom Three, which for me tonight were Siobahn (boo, I know, I hear you!), Katie and Aaron. First off, Siobahn totally put me to sleep with her interpretation of Lennon's "Across the Universe," a sleepy song to begin with. Plus, her corpse bride outfit didn't help. I liked seeing the human side of Siobahn when she talked about her little sisters ({hugs} but she may just be too quirky for me.
Meanwhile, Aaron and Katie were adequate but pretty karaoke and generic tonight compared to the rest of the lot. Katie, admittedly, was more grown up and less pageant-y tonight than usual during her version of "Let It Be", and she sounded great...but overall I have to put her in the bottom for not pulling anything out that really made her stand out, other than good vocals.
Same for Aaron (AKA Yoda) ...good vocals on "The Long and Winding Road" but nothing to distinguish him. Like Ellen said, his performance did feel like The Long and Winding Performance. Whoops.
So what did you think? Was Siobahn off tonight? Did Mike finally win you over? And does Lee actually have a shot at winning this thing?
1 comment:
Oh, Mama, say it isn't so! I LOVED the bagpipes. Now, I could be wrong on this, but it appeared to me that the cap of the piper had the same design on it that adorns the caps worn by Chicago cops (you know that blue and white checkerboard thing). So, not only was it fun and entertaining but also a shout out to our hometown. At least give him props for thinking outside the box and being a little creative. On that note, I was totally into the songs with unique instrumental accompaniment, like the didgeridoos, the cello and, yes, even the strings backing up Big Mike. Speaking of which, what is all this animosity that you and Simon have for anything "theatrical??!!
I agree on your top 3, although perhaps for slightly different reasons. I thought that Crystal, Lee and Casey gave, objectively, the top three performances. However, I canot say that Casey's performance moved me. In fact, I was equally bored with his (I only perked up when the cello had a big part) and Siobahn's performances. Both tried to connect with the song emotionally and in a way that brought the audience in. Only one succeeded. I recognized that about his performance even though it was not my cup of tea. On the other hand, I was totally moved by Katie's performance. She brought one of the first tears this season to this old curmudge's eyes. Yet, I also know that I am not looking at a star when I see Katie. Casey and Siobahn have that potential, Katie does not. And I still love Siobahn's quirkiness. She remains one of the main reasons I tune in each week.
All in all, one of the most entertaining Idol nights this season even though I continue to believe there are no emerging Kelly's, Carrie's or Daughtry's in this group.
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