Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Carole King night on American Idol, huh?

I’m trying to figure out the logic in that.

And the closest I’ve come is that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the singer-songwriter’s splendid “Tapestry” album, which featured most of her best-known songs.

I’ve gone on record before as saying I’m not a fan of these single artist theme nights on Idol.

But if you’re going to have a single artist theme night, please, make it someone with a huge diverse catelogue, like the Beatles, Elton John or Elvis Presley.

I’m not sure Carole King fits that bill, and if the Idols stray from more than a half dozen or so songs, I’m not sure viewers at home will be singing along the way producer Ken Warwick says he likes them too.

King’s best-known hits include “I Feel the Earth Move,” “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Jazzman.”
She also helped write a string of hits for others with Gerry Goffin, including “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Take Good Care of My Baby”, “The Loco-Motion” and “You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman),” which has already been performed on Idol this season.

I will say this, the theme seems well-suited to at least four of the remaining Idols.

Jacob Lusk singing Carole King.

Oh, my, that could be interesting.

This week’s rankings:

1. Scotty McCreery (1):   The judges gave Scotty a hard time with his choice of “Swingin'” last week. I was just fine with it. After a string of serious country ballads, it was a song Scotty could have fun with. And I hope he was being intentionally corny in spots, otherwise I’ve giving him more credit than he deserves. Bottom line: He’s the only contestant on this list who’s delivered a top-notch vocal every week since the finals started.

2. James Durbin (2):  I’m still not a huge fan of his voice, and that was highlighted when he decided to make like Adam Lambert with a theatrical performance of “Uprising.” But style and personality figure into the making of an Idol too. James brings fun and exhuberance to the stage in huge doses. And he scored “personality” points with me again last week when he got so upset over the elimination of good buddy Stefano Langone.

3. Casey Abrams (5):  Just when I was about to write Casey off as a lost cause, he returns to form with a rocking version of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe,” complete with a kiss on the cheek for the World’s Most Beautiful Woman, otherwise known as judge Jennifer. I was a bigger fan of the performance than the kiss, or the way Casey approached the judges’ table like some crazed stalker. But I’m now again a firm believer that Casey will be among the final three contestants standing this season.

4. Haley Reinhart (4):  The ranking is probably a wee bit unrealistic since Haley’s been in the bottom three four times. But, you know what, she’s shown flashes of brillance, she’s got star quality to spare and she’s clearly the most improved contestants since the show began. Besides, the Girl with the Growl should have no trouble finding something in the Carole King catelogue to suit her voice, though she might have to ground the growl for a week.

5. Lauren Alaina (3):  If Haley is the most improved contestant, Lauren Alaina has to rank as the most disappointing. Sorry, Lauren fans. But she was dubbed the contestant to beat early on. Yet she’s failed to deliver a truly memorable moment seven weeks into the finals. Doing a little jump while singing “Born to Fly” doesn’t count. Could it be the 16-year-old wasn’t quite ready for Idol’s big stage?

6. Jacob Lusk (7):  Of the remaining six, Jacob’s the obvious weak link, in spite of last week’s “Dance with My Father,”  his best vocal to date. Thing is, the judges always complained about Pia lacking pizzazz. Well, what about Jacob standing behind the mike every week and barely moving?  Except for that strange hip-thrusting version of “Man in the Mirror.” Come to think of it, keep standing behind the mike, Jacob. And good luck with Carole King.