I’m not sure about the judges’ proclamation that Wednesday marked the best Idol show since Beatles night back in Vegas.
I don’t even think it was as good as last week.
Vocally, several top performers — Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, Lauren Alaina and James Durbin — did not deliver the way they’re capable of delivering.
But combine that with strong performances by Stefano Langone, Scotty McCreery and Pia Toscano and the judges are right on this point — it could be an interesting race to the Idol finish.
Tonight’s recap:
Best of the Night: Oh, no, the cutest guy (or so I’m told) turned in the best performance of the night on Cute Guy Idol. Look, Stefano Langone might never follow Jennifer Lopez’s advice and keep his eyes open and locked on the audience through a whole performance. But on a night when spot-on vocals were very rare, let’s not quibble about small details. This is, after all, a singing competition. And Stefano sang rings around some of his more highly-regarded competitors Wednesday night.
Runners-up: Scotty McCreery is looking like Mr. Consistent on Idol. Pretty impressive for a guy who’s just 17 and was 16 when his Idol journey started. Of course, with that deep voice, he never sounds that young. I just wonder whether his country croonings are going to garner the widespread support it takes to win this competition.
Pia Toscano’s performance was my least favorite of her last three. But the 22-year-old from Howard Beach, N.Y., can hit absolutely any note she wants. She went more upbeat this week, but she was still singing a diva’s song (Whitney Houston). I’d love to see her try something more gritty . And even more fun.
Deserves to go Home: Meanwhile, if you can’t have fun singing Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” you don’t belong on American Idol. Naima Adedapo wasn’t fun. Naima didn’t deliver anything special vocally. And what happened to her fashion sense? During the semifinals, she looked like an exotic flower. Now she looks like she stumbled into and out of a second-hand store.
Please keep him/her: Haley Reinhart has a distinctive tone to her voice. She’s spunky. She’s pretty. She’s likable. She should be marketable. But when you’re a bluesy singer, and when the judges suggest you sing Stevie Nicks, you do not pick a Whitney Houston song. Hopefully, she’ll survive to make a better choice than she’s made in either of the first two weeks of the finals.
Baffled by the judges: James Durbin got rave reviews for his rendition of Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You.” Well, it was energetic. It again showed James has a knack for performing. But was a single note on key? Hey, James is going to be around for another week, but that was far from the best he can deliver vocally.
And, personally, I think the judges gave Lauren Alaina a pass. Healthy, she might be able to pull off Melissa Etheridge. She was clearly under the weather Wednesday night. You could hear the strain in her voice on a pitchy, shouty vocal. Have no fear, like James, she’ll be back to sing again.
Best line of the night from the judges: Steven Tyler to Casey Abrams: “You’re so crazy and talented. And that’s the perfect match: to be crazy and talented and have it all together. That’s the goop great stuff is made from.” Truth be told, Casey screamed as much as he sang on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But he made you smile, didn’t he? Or at least woke you up? Let’s remember, post-Idol, these singers are going to have to be entertainers, too.
Prediction for Thurday: The final three should be Naima, Haley and Karen Rodriguez, who was underwhelming again on yet another bilingual ballad. Naima should be the one going home, but I fear for Haley. Let’s say … Naima is eliminated, by a whisker.
The song by song grades (blog here)
Stefano Langone:
“If You Don’t Know Me by Now” (Simply Red) — B+
Scotty McCreery:
“Can I Trust You with My Heart” (Travis Tritt) — B+
Pia Toscano:
“Where Do Broken Hearts Go” (Whitney Houston) — B
Casey Abrams:
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana) — B-
Jacob Lusk:
“Alone” (Heart) B-
Thia Megia:
“Colors of the Wind” (Vanessa Williams) — B-
James Durbin:
“I’ll Be There for You” (Bon Jovi) — C
Karen Rodriguez:
“Love Will Lead You Back” (Taylor Dane) — C-
Paul McDonald:
“That’s Why They Call It the Blues” (Elton John) — C-
Haley Reinhart:
“I’m Your Baby Tonight” (Whitney Houston) — C-
Naima Adedapo:
“What’s Love Got to Do with It” (Tina Turner) — D+
2 Comments
Am I the only one who is over Randy Jackson? Dog, look it, man, yo yo yo…..Why he needs to talk about himself at every turn and opportunity when other bigger stars (to his immediate right) seem to be able to on a regular basis not name drop, repeat words just for the sake of repeating them and find new ways to describe their views for each contestant …only shows how pathetic his commentary is and brings nothing of value to the coveted judges table.
I agree that Stephano was the best of the night! I also liked Pia, James,and Casey(he can do no wrong!) Lauren and Naima were terrible, but Lauren will be back next week. Paul was eh. Jacob was eh. Haley is confused. Scotty is gonna get a record deal and have a long country career. I’m disappointed by Karen and Thia – stop singing ballads!