A Breakout Performance

To Simon, it was the Kelly Clarkson moment. I wasn't an up-and-coming Idol Addict back then. But I remember my Daughtry moment (I Walk the Line); my Melinda Doolittle moment (My Funny Valentine); my David Cook moment (Hello); my David Archuleta moment (Imagine) and my Adam moment (Black or White). Those were the moments when I was thinking, "This person can win."
What Simon was referring to, of course, was Crystal Bowersox's stunning performance tonight. There really isn't too much more to say. Like Adam, you realize you are looking at a ready-to-go performer both live and in the studio. Right now, she is the clear favorite in the competition.
But not totally clear. There are three other women to deal with:

• Katelyn - who really stepped up this week big-time with her version of Coldplay's The Scientist. Yes, it was a tad slow and a bit dramatic but there is a quality voice there.
• Lilly - whose voice I love. I agree with Simon that she oversang but have I mentioned how much I love her voice? I love her singular style, too, as well as her assurance about what kind of artist she is.
• Siobahn - whose performance last week of Wicked Game is still with me; taking on Think was a tall order and while she didn't really do it justice (in spite of the Randy, Kara and Ellen's gushing) Simon is totally right about her - "interesting and talented".

Quickly on the others: Haeley, Lacey were awful; Michelle was so dull we didn't even know she was singing (her sister in the audience on the other hand is, well, hot, as Diandra points out I've said two weeks in a row); Didi was a trainwreck. Paige was OK at times, bad at times. Katie is frustrating - she has an impressive voice, great stage presence and is adorably cute but hasn't picked the right song yet. She can be a contender if she gets the right songs.

On a variety of side notes - Big Mike is sure fun to watch while the girls are singing! Adam was awesome on Leno singing Sleepwalker (which my Facebook friends are probably tired of hearing me say how much I LOVE that song) last night. Danny Gokey released his CD yesterday but it's a country CD so I am not all that interested. I suppose I should listen to some clips before passing judgment, though.

Anyway, props to Crystal. Be well because you are awesome!

The Challenge

With the Ladies performing tomorrow, I want to repeat the very interesting challenged posed by Anonymous:

I would like to issue a challenge to all Ray's Idol Musings blog readers. Which one of the female contestants is he going to unOBJECTIVELY declare his unwavering support for? Each season there is some young cutie he threatens to run off with. Who will it be this time? Ray, hold off a couple weeks before you announce your hottie of the season. Let us have some fun trying to figure out which one will defy your NT logic and turn you into a mushy Feeler.

First, let me say that irrational affection is not given easily nor a given in any year. And it may take weeks to develop. As is the case with irrational affection, it is not so much a given as it is a captivation. I also don't think it is a pattern as much as the possession of key, and often subtle, elements. Ah, that sounded pretty objective, didn't it? See, it has to be somebody that can somehow, some way, get past my usual detached, clinical mentality the way that music does at times. Somebody like, say, Hannah Storm on ESPN SportsCenter. However, I do think there is a possibility (or even two or three) in the group. I stress possibility.

The good, the bad, the outrage

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.

America Gets It Right (for now anyway)

CHEESY SING-A-LONGS!!! WITH BAD DANCING!!! PAINFULLY SLOW RESULTS!!! BAD SINGERS SING AFTER BEING SHOWN THE EXIT!!! PRESS "MUTE" NOW BECAUSE THIS - IS AMERICAN IDOL!!!

Tonight was pretty easy. Any one of 37 guys could have gone home so the fact that one of them isn't Tim Urban is only mildly annoying.
As for the ladies, Diandra's flatline icon for Janell turned out to be prophetic. What we can learn from the ladies - which applies to the guys too - is that wrong song (Janell) or bad performance (Ashley) can doom you even if you are a better singer than other competitors. Of course, the aforementioned warnings didn't seem to apply to Tim Urban who was lucky that there were 63 other guys as bad as him last night including Tyler Grady.

Props to Kris Allen for going to Haiti and for a pretty rendition of Let It Be which I know made the Kris Lovin' Ladies of Scottsbluff* quite proud. And do I love me some Allison or what? She is a great example of how much better Idol contestants get as they move through the process. If you haven't checked out her very fine CD, you really need to.

* The Kris Lovin' Ladies have formally announced that they are now the Casey Lovin' Ladies. I have been assured that the name change in no way implies any less love for Kris. The name change does, however, assure me of another season of exasperation.

The challenge

To help out with the challenge posted by Anonymous (Feb. 23, No Shining Stars Yet But a Few Bright Spots), here is a pictorial history of past Idolists who have captured my attention. OK, fine - irrational affection. Alexis, Brooke, Sabrina and Syesha. Sigh.

Do We Really Have to Have Six of Them?

Wow. Tonight the pressure was so on. It was so intense because it was such a huge night and there was so much at stake. Not for the guys. For me! Diandra took a babysitting job and gave ME the responsibility for the Omnipotent Idol Clipboard. With great fear and trembling I went about my assignment. Not my fear and trembling. Diandra was the one uncertain if I could handle so much power and accountability. My judgment awaits. And now to the guys . .

. . . who were pretty lame. Let's first recognize Tim's Apologize as the Worst Song Choice in Idol History. And Lee for not hitting more than five notes on pitch. Simon liked him which must mean forgetting the words is a bigger sin than forgetting the actual notes. I'm not sure why John thought butchering God Bless the Child was a good idea but at least we got some shots of Shania Twain out of it. And you know it's a bad night when a country singer - 16 year old Aaron - is one my favorites of the night.

Oh, did Casey sing? Are you finished swooning yet, ladies? And big ups to him - he was good as expected. But they can drop the Fawning Kougar Kara shtick anytime now. And he wasn't that good although maybe it's just because I detest Bryan Adams. I think he can get away with that kind of slow, plaintive song but he's better with a blues-rock sound in my opinion. Still - and yes, it's very early - I'll be shocked if he's not in the final three or four but (maybe) more on charisma than talent.
Big Michael and Andrew were just OK. Todrick started STRONG but faded badly. Jermaine really oversang. I'm not convinced that Big Michael is better than what he was tonight. I think the other three are better but we'll see.

The whole group of guys is so underwhelming that we are guaranteed to have some really bad performers in the final 12 - even worse the Oil Rig Dude from last year.

Quick notes on the judges: Simon seems especially cruel at times even for him; I love Ellen's listener-at-home approach combined with her knowledge of what it takes to be appealing; Kara appears more comfortable this year and has been bringing more of the industry insider insights I expected last year. The big thing is that Ryan seems to defer to Ellen and often gives her the last word that always used to go to Simon. I'm anxious to see how that plays out especially as we get down to the end - both of the competition and of Simon's reign.

No Shining Stars Yet But a Few Bright Spots

For those of you keeping score at home, it took Christine four songs and 40 minutes to issue the first, "He's hot" proclamation regarding Ryan Seacrest. Obviously she hasn't quite rounded into mid-season form. Cassandra on the other hand was there with her assessment of Haeley: "That's one of my favorite Beatles songs and I just want to hurt her right now". Diandra was back with her infamous clipboard for notes and voting numbers and added a nice flatline drawing she used for Janell.

So, gee, Simon et al put through a bunch of girls who sound like Lilly Allen, Adele and Duffy and now he's mad because everybody sounds like Lilly Allen, Adele and Duffy? I'm sorry but who's at fault here? Actually, I think this is what is going to make this year interesting from the ladies' standpoint, i.e. that some of the best singers don't appear to be standard issue pop belters.

Having said that, the night as a whole was underwhelming given all the hype about how TALENTED THIS YEAR'S GROUP OF LADIES IS. But there is potential. So let's go to the list of my Noteworthy and Notable Notations (in other words, the ones I liked):

• Paige - singing All Right Now; I liked the bold song choice, good voice even if not the best performance
• Lilly from Denver - I really like her jazziness and her going with a lesser known Beatles song Fixin' a Hole; she is definitely not your standard issue pop singer
• Katelyn - Beatles again, Oh Darlin'; nice
• Didi - I got my first goosebumps of the night with her although Diandra was on the fence
• Siobhan - love the name and LOVE the voice and ability to pull off a tough Chris Isaak song
• Crystal - my favorite of the night - has anybody done Alanis before?
• Katie - agree with the judges critique that she looked too old and sang too old a song but she has a great big voice and is the type of Kelly Clarkson pop belter that can win. Not a good performance but she needs another chance.

I think it's worth bearing in mind that rarely do we see the same talent level at the beginning of the voting as we see at the end. Rarely did we know how great any of the top people were in the early rounds of past years. It's a cliche but the cream eventually rose to the top as some people got better each week. A few of these girls are better than they sang tonight.
We'll see if the guys bring more heat - I hear the ladies saying "Casey" - than the girls but again, there are some good guys who don't fit your typical Idol-pop mode.