A review of The Great American Songbook on American Idol
This was one of the best nights on American Idol. I thought 5 of the 7 did really good, and the bottom 2 on my list really stood out as being not that good.
I thought Rod Stewart did a good job in helping everyone, and seemed happy to be doing it. I'm glad to see someone like him take these contestants seriously and realize that American Idol is just another place to get started. So many people tend to dismiss the performers because of the nature of the show.
Here's my ranking - keep in mind I thought the top 5 were all pretty good.
1 Taylor Hicks - You Send Me. I was a little nervous when Taylor first started singing, because he was doing a pretty straight version of the song. Of course Taylor likes to build his performances and he did not disappoint on this one. As Simon pointed out, at one point it's "magic." I liked that Taylor seemed very comfortable on the stage, and knew when to move around and when to just concentrate on singing. He ended up turning in the most exhilerating performance of the night. These are my favorite types of Taylor performances. I also liked that Rod Stewart told him not to think about what Simon says and just do what he does.
2 Paris Bennett - These Foolish Things. I thought Paris did the best job of evoking the era the songs came from. She did an excellent job singing this song, and I think it may have been her best performance of the season. Unfortunately I don't think Paris has generated much of a fan base, and will probably be in the bottom 3 tonight. Her problem may be that she is so different every week in appearance. Last week she was going for a scary domiatrix look and this week she looked like she was going for a job interview.
3 Katharine McPhee - Someone to Watch Over Me. While I disagree with Simon that Katharine made everyone else look like amateurs, I do think she gave a very good vocal performance. One of my problems with Katharine is that she's not a very dynamic or interesting performer. On that alone Simon shouldn't be saying she outclasses everyone else. Katharine has a long way to go in becoming an all around good performer. As Simon once pointed out to another contestant It's not just about the voice.
4 Elliott Yamin - It Had To Be You. This was actually one of my least favorite performances from Elliott. He sounded fine, but didn't bring anything unique to his performance. A lot of people have covered this song, and he didn't do anything to distinguish himself from anyone else.
5 Chris Daughtry - What a Wonderful World. Chris did a fine job singing this song, but he didn't really stand out, especially compared to the other people in my top 3. Simply proving he can do more than belt out a rock song is not enough. I know he has a good voice, so I wasn't thinking he wouldn't be able to sing one of these songs. But did he bring anything interesting to it? No.
6 Ace Young - That's All. I can see the headlines already with this song title. Ace is just not a great singer. His performance wasn't terrible, but he can't stand up to everyone else in the competition. He would be at the bottom if it wasn't for Kellie totally messing up her song.
7 Kellie Pickler - Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered). So after Rod Stewart finished "taking a load of Kellie's chest"... So many thoughts must have been going through his mind at that point. Kellie chose a song that was no good for her, and she completely lost the melody about half way through, was off time and hit some very bad notes. When Kellie loses confidence in her performance she wilts like a flower. I'll give her some credit for knowing she did bad, and some more credit for really knowing how to go for those sympathy votes. Paula was right about Kellie starting an acting career, because she's not as dumb as we all think she is.
Bottom 3 tonight - Ace, Paris and the 3rd is a wild card I think. Could this be Chris' first trip to the bottom 3? Possibly. Maybe Kellie, or will Elliott be right back where he was last week?
Going home - Ace.
I thought Rod Stewart did a good job in helping everyone, and seemed happy to be doing it. I'm glad to see someone like him take these contestants seriously and realize that American Idol is just another place to get started. So many people tend to dismiss the performers because of the nature of the show.
Here's my ranking - keep in mind I thought the top 5 were all pretty good.
1 Taylor Hicks - You Send Me. I was a little nervous when Taylor first started singing, because he was doing a pretty straight version of the song. Of course Taylor likes to build his performances and he did not disappoint on this one. As Simon pointed out, at one point it's "magic." I liked that Taylor seemed very comfortable on the stage, and knew when to move around and when to just concentrate on singing. He ended up turning in the most exhilerating performance of the night. These are my favorite types of Taylor performances. I also liked that Rod Stewart told him not to think about what Simon says and just do what he does.
2 Paris Bennett - These Foolish Things. I thought Paris did the best job of evoking the era the songs came from. She did an excellent job singing this song, and I think it may have been her best performance of the season. Unfortunately I don't think Paris has generated much of a fan base, and will probably be in the bottom 3 tonight. Her problem may be that she is so different every week in appearance. Last week she was going for a scary domiatrix look and this week she looked like she was going for a job interview.
3 Katharine McPhee - Someone to Watch Over Me. While I disagree with Simon that Katharine made everyone else look like amateurs, I do think she gave a very good vocal performance. One of my problems with Katharine is that she's not a very dynamic or interesting performer. On that alone Simon shouldn't be saying she outclasses everyone else. Katharine has a long way to go in becoming an all around good performer. As Simon once pointed out to another contestant It's not just about the voice.
4 Elliott Yamin - It Had To Be You. This was actually one of my least favorite performances from Elliott. He sounded fine, but didn't bring anything unique to his performance. A lot of people have covered this song, and he didn't do anything to distinguish himself from anyone else.
5 Chris Daughtry - What a Wonderful World. Chris did a fine job singing this song, but he didn't really stand out, especially compared to the other people in my top 3. Simply proving he can do more than belt out a rock song is not enough. I know he has a good voice, so I wasn't thinking he wouldn't be able to sing one of these songs. But did he bring anything interesting to it? No.
6 Ace Young - That's All. I can see the headlines already with this song title. Ace is just not a great singer. His performance wasn't terrible, but he can't stand up to everyone else in the competition. He would be at the bottom if it wasn't for Kellie totally messing up her song.
7 Kellie Pickler - Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered). So after Rod Stewart finished "taking a load of Kellie's chest"... So many thoughts must have been going through his mind at that point. Kellie chose a song that was no good for her, and she completely lost the melody about half way through, was off time and hit some very bad notes. When Kellie loses confidence in her performance she wilts like a flower. I'll give her some credit for knowing she did bad, and some more credit for really knowing how to go for those sympathy votes. Paula was right about Kellie starting an acting career, because she's not as dumb as we all think she is.
Bottom 3 tonight - Ace, Paris and the 3rd is a wild card I think. Could this be Chris' first trip to the bottom 3? Possibly. Maybe Kellie, or will Elliott be right back where he was last week?
Going home - Ace.
posted by Sherry L at 6:58 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home