Before I get to my title categories, a couple of general but cogent observations. What was it with the song choices tonight that we were terrified BEFORE some of the guys sang? You just KNEW that John doing "Gravity" was going to be woeful. Todrick doing Tina Turner? Jermaine doing Marvin Gaye? Alex and John Legend?
Are these guys so bad as a group that the most frequent comments from the judges were, "We like you", "I'm a fan", and "I think you should stay"?
OK, now on to the evaluations. The good: Big Mike wins the night and I think in a landslide. This was one of the best performances of the year and, frankly, I didn't think he had it in him. But his This Is a Man's World was serious and I am not going to say that often when people take on the Godfather - Brother James Brown. Despite my horrified "Are you kidding me?" when Ryan said Alex was going to do John Legend, I think he did OK. Not great and not horrible, either, but he was the most improved this week and I think there is some talent there waiting to mature as Ellen says about him. And Aaron - how can you not like this kid? Simon is wrong about song choice here as My Girl is not dated. It is timeless (thank you, Diandra, for that line). Sure, he was a little pitchy at times but he sang with a confidence and honesty. And a simplicity that Todrick and Jermaine can learn from. Sheesh, I even liked his country twang in there! (Somewhere in Nebraska the Used to Be Kris Lovin' but now Casey Lovin' Ladies are wondering how much I was drinking during the show.)
The bad: John - not enough soul or grit to sing John Mayer; Todrick and Jermaine over-singing; Andrew - bad song choice and very pitchy.
The borderline bad: Casey - I loved how he rocked up Gavin DeGraw and dude can PLAY some guitar. But I am fearing that my fears regarding Casey may be coming true - that he is a very limited singer. His voice sounded thin and soul-less for the first time and I don't think it will be the last.
The outrage: and let me say there is no outrage like Diandra's outrage. With a very weak Idol field this year, I'm not sure that her having a 21-year old's blood pressure can withstand continued appearances by Tim. She had actually forgotten that he was still in the competition and was upset that she had to hear him sing again. And then when he started singing Matt Nathanson who she loves, she said, "I just want to cry." Even more outrageous is the fact that the Simon liked him.
More outrage came in the form of Lee who apparently thinks this is a game of Hide-and-Seek the Missing Notes. Not only was he terribly pitchy but was nasally to boot. And then Simon calls him the best singer? Are you kidding me?
So I have Big Mike as the top guy right now. Aaron and Alex have potential. Andrew needs to prove he has more than "Straight Up" in his repertoire. And Casey needs to bounce back from this week.
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6 comments:
Another Lambert is stealing my heart...no, I don't expect Alex to win this competition, but his shy, awkward charm and unique voice grab me! He's such an underdog, which makes me want to root for him. My hope for him is that he at least continues to gain confidence and self-belief in the week or weeks he has left.
No other male singer is appealing to me, except for Aaron. What a sweet kid, and he's another one with raw talent. Mike did have a really great performance, but I'm just not connecting to him yet for some reason. I'm really bummed about Andrew Garcia...he seems to have fallen flat. Casey made his performance about the guitar instead of his voice, which I thought was a mistake (even though the guitar playing was impressive). If Tim Urban continues to make it, it's only because of his good looks (and teen votes). IMO, Lee is being presented as a pitchy, watered down version of David Cook...the two should not be compared!! Lee needs a lot of work, and I don't understand the praise being lavished on him. Jermaine? Oh dear. No other comment...lol. Todrick is definitely changing up the songs too much. If I've forgotten anyone else, well, that says it all. (Oh, it's John Parks...hmmmm) lol
Frankly, I'm very discouraged at this point with the guys...I think there very well may be a female winner this year.
For me:
1. Todrick & Jermaine: so hyped about showing their "versatility" that they have lost sight of just singing. They need to go. Too bad because they can sing
2. Michael blew me away. Downloading that.
3. I truly enjoyed Lee. Downloading his.
4. There is real talent among these guys.
5. For me, Simon has just about outlived his usefulness. Never thought I'd say that but I just did. He is more curmudgeon than rational this season, sometimes just hateful. Ellen, the "non-judge" has added much charm and clarity to the show.
6. I thoroughly enjoyed the night by muting ALL talk (hype, time-filler)between the songs and listening only to the singing.
I had to sleep on it. I'm just not connecting with any of the guys. If I needed to pick my tops from them it would be Alex, Mike, Lee, Aaron & Toddrick. The only reason I say Toddrick is because I love his voice and looks. He just needs to chill on changing up the songs too much.
One thing I am tired of though is certain judges contradicting themselves. Change the song, don't change the song, dance more, don't be a dancer. I think they are confusing these poor contestants. Just my 2 cents.
Looking forward to the ladies tonight.
Thanks for reminding me, Nanette. Your quote below should have been my #7:
"One thing I am tired of though is certain judges contradicting themselves. Change the song, don't change the song, dance more, don't be a dancer. I think they are confusing these poor contestants."
MADDENING!
I am with Sherri on Lee. Nice vocal quality at times but way too pitchy and I am not convinced how versatile he can be.
Todrick - I think he can sing and can perform, too, but we just haven't seen the best of him. I keep throwing votes his way hoping he can hang around long enough to do so. Jermaine, on the other hand, doesn't seem to get it. He really does need to stop singing like he is in church. Many great R&B singers came out of church but don't sing the same way when they became pop singers.
The judges - YES - I TOTALLY agree with the frustration they are causing with "make it your own" but get mad when they do. It is exasperating and worse this year than in the past.
After many texts back and forth during the guys' night, the "Casey Lovin' Ladies" in Nebraska would like to officially go on the record as uncommitted to any of them. We choose to keep our options open for a few more weeks. We each have our favorites, and last night agreed on very few. My top ones are Lee, Big Mike, Aaron and Casey. Don't find Alex appealing in any way what-so-ever. And Ray, maybe you are starting to come around to country???
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