May 4, 2011
Doug Maynard
Back again and the competition is just getting tighter and tighter on American Idol. There are five contestants remaining and after the results show tomorrow night, there will only be four. We are three weeks away from the Season Finale and the crowning of the 2011 American Idol. This should be one heck of a show. They're changing things up a little bit tonight. Each of the "Fab 5" will do two songs, as tonight's theme is "Now and Then". One will be a current hit while the other will be a classic from the sixties and seventies. So we're getting double our pleasure and double our fun. Why do I have the urge for a stick of gum right now?
Jimmy Iovine is still working with the contestants behind the scenes and this week, lending a hand, is the always beautiful and very talented Sheryl Crow. And as you already know, the Judges are Randy Jackson, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler and the "Most Beautiful Woman In The World" (according to People Magazine), Jennifer Lopez. And Ryan Seacrest as the Beaver. Let's get right to the music because that's what really matters.
James Durbin starts off the show by doing a cover of "Closer To The Edge" by 30 Seconds To Mars. It wasn't, in my opinion, his best perfomance ever. He sounded a little flat in a few spots and really didn't seem, to me, to be able to get into the song. He got better as the song went along, but I just don't feel that this was really the best song choice or performance that James is capable of. Maybe because he's done so well so far with some outstanding performances where he's stolen the show, I look at him and expect more than I do from the others. Who knows?
The judges liked it though. Steven said that James "kicked the songs ass", while Jennifer and Randy both said that James "wants it" and is "in it to win it!". So obviously, they were impressed. Glad to see it because I do think that this competition belongs to James and is his to win or lose. But he'll have to do better than this particular song and performance to keep that spot at the top of the food chain.
Next up came Jacob Lusk, who decided to do the song "No Air", which was originally a duet by Jordon Sparks and Chris Brown. I had to laugh a bit during Jacob's comments when he said that he's trying to bring something different and new to every performance each week. Yeah, right. Thus far, he's been the most one-dimensional performer left on Idol. But he thinks that he's being different and new every week and I guess that's what matters. Surprisingly, I liked the performance and song. I can't stand to watch Jacob as he sings, but closing my eyes and listening, it wasn't half bad. He still over-exaggerated some of the high spots, but it was a decent performance.
So far as the judges go, Steven said it was a great job, but they're waiting to see Jacob find his niche. J-Lo liked it, but said that Jacob needs to find songs that represent who he is. Randy didn't think that this kind of song was right for Jacob and says that doing both parts of a duet song is kind of corny. So it wasn't a big favorite among the judges, but I didn't think it was half bad.
Lauren came up next to do "Flat On The Floor" by Carrie Underwood. It was very country and not surprisingly, she aced it. It was quick paced and fun and is the kind of song Lauren is made to sing. A great job.
The judges weighed in and Randy said that that's the direction she needs to go and called her amazing. J-Lo said that Lauren is showing everyone that "she wants it!" And Steven said that she was "as good as it gets" and that "the sky's the limit!". Overall, a very good showing by Lauren after a few rough weeks.
Scotty McCreery is the next to perform and he's doing a cover of the song "Gone" by Montgomery Gentry. Scotty turned in another great performance and really rocked it up there. He just looks so natural and comfortable up there on that stage. And the crowd, as you might expect, went totally nuts for the Garner, NC native.
Over at the judges table, the praise continued. Steven said that Scotty was "dancing with the devil and that's a good thing." J-Lo said that Scotty owned that stage and proved once again that he is American Idol material. And Randy remarked that it felt like he was sitting in the audience of a concert. Lots of love for the country crooner.
And finishing up the contemporary half of the show was Haley Reinhart who pulled a very bold and risky move by performing an unreleased track called "You And I" by Lady Gaga. It was funny to hear how she wouldn't do it until she had GaGa's blessing. In the beginning, her voice wasn't quite there with the song and it seemed a little off, but as the song went on, Haley seemed to relax a bit more and really get into it. No one knew about the song before the show tonight, but I promise you that there will be thousands of people looking it up on I-Tunes and YouTube now. All in all, Haley made a bold move and I think it turned out pretty well.
The judges though, did not agree. J-Lo loved the way she sounded, but didn't feel it was a great idea to do an unreleased song and wishes she had chosen a different song to cover. Randy called Haley a great singer, but said her choice of songs was risky. And Steven said she took the song and made it work. Steven says that Haley is just one perfect song away from being an American Idol.
And then it was time to go back in time and crank up some classics as part two of the show began and the Idol contestants sang their second songs of the evening. That was now and this is then...
James Durbin started things off once again and in the practice sessions with Jimmy and Sheryl, he was already very emotional as he talked about his family and the sacrifices he was being forced to make and how this song brought everything up to the forefront for him. And when he sang it, it wasn't a great vocal performance, but damn, could you feel the pure emotion just pouring out of James. It was incredible. His voice was flat in some spots and kind of quirky in others, but he gave it everything and even shed a few tears. It wasn't great vocally, but it was perfect in every other way.
The judges weighed in and J-Lo called him a "true artist" and amazing. Steven said the song was a little pitchy at times, but the emotion was beautiful. And Randy talked about how you could just feel the emotion pouring out of James and even though the song wasn't perfect, the competition is James' to lose. Well said, Mr. Jackson.
And now I cringe. Jacob Lusk is doing a cover of the Nazareth song, "Love Hurts", which has long been one of my absolute favorite songs. It's a beautiful song, but in my opinion, this song needs a rougher, more manly voice to hit the notes and make it work. I'd love to hear Steven Tyler cover it. Or James, for that matter. But I listened to Jacob and well, it didn't suck too badly, but it just wasn't right. There are some songs that when you polish them up too much, you take away the splendor and magic. Jacob has a good voice and hit some amazing notes, but killed the song for me. Jacob is not a rock singer and Nazareth was the master of the power ballads. Jacob has power in his voice, but him singing that particular song is like trying to power up an eighteen wheeler with a 9-volt battery. It just isn't happening.
And of course, the judges did not agree. Randy talked about how Jacob redeemed himself and hit probably the highest note ever sung on an Idol stage. Jennifer remarked how there was a rough spot in the middle, but Jacob brought out the tricks at the end and took the song to another place. I agree with that comment, but I don't think that J-Lo and I are talking about the same place. And Steven said that Jacob had "great delivery". So do my friends at Domino's, but they shouldn't sing that song either. Just saying.
Lauren was the next up and she did her version of "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers. Lauren has an amazing voice and although it kind of wavered a bit here and there, she did a fairly good job. She kind of chickened out on the highest parts of the song, choosing to kind of drop off with her notes instead of reaching for the stars, but it still sounded pretty decent.
And the judges agreed. Randy said that Lauren can sing like a bird and it was nicely done. And both Jennifer and Steven called the song "beautiful".
Scotty was back next and his song was a cover of "Always On My Mind" by Elvis Presley. OK, I'm going to complain a minute here. I wasn't even aware that Elvis recorded this song. The man who I, and probably 99% of music fans identify with this song is the man who wrote it, and topped both the country and pop charts with this song and that's Willie Nelson. I'm as big an Elvis fan as anyone, but give credit where it's due. This is and will always be Willie Nelson's song. Period!
As far as Scotty's performance of WILLIE's song went, he aced it. There were a couple of spots where his voice seemed to falter off a little bit, but it didn't distract from the performance and Scotty did a really good job. The judges chimed in with Jennifer saying that Scotty showed just how well-rounded he truly is and can mix it up. He's an amazing and true performer. Steven loved it and said it was a beautiful rendition of that song. And Randy closed by saying that Scotty is the "youngest veteran" in how he acts and behaves on stage because he's so comfortable and natural and that if it's not broke, don't fix it.
And finally, for the last performance of the evening, we get Haley doing a cover of "The House Of The Rising Sun" by The Animals. I love this song and as they announced it, I'm cringing. But I'll give her credit. She did an amazing job and her voice really goes well with this song. It just got better and better as she went along and when it ended, and the audience and judges gave her a standing ovation, I was just sitting there wishing we could hear more. Just incredible.
And the judges agreed as Randy said that Haley had blossomed and just delivered the performance of the night. J-Lo said it was a great job and Steven talked about how he can relate to her performance and that tonight, she sold everyone with a fantastic job.
So there are the song and performance reviews. Now we move on to the fun part. Who will be in the Bottom Three on Thursday night. And more importantly, who will have their dream ended and their hopes shattered by being sent home?
It's a tough call this week because for the most part, the ones who did bad with one performance pretty much aced their other song so the pros and cons of each contestant's night are pretty much coming out equal. I guess I'll just go with my gut here.
The Bottom Three tomorrow night, in my opinion, will be Jacob, Haley and Scotty.
I'm picking these three because Jacob ruined a great Nazareth song and wasn't all that on the first song either. Haley blew them away with her closing song, but the Lady GaGa song, which I liked, might be too unfamiliar for a lot of voters, and Scotty because he may have PO'ed some Willie Nelson fans by not giving Willie the proper credit for his song (and Willie fans are extremely loyal. My Mom is one, so I know from experience.) Scotty sang great, but will that be enough?
As for the biggest question, and once more, this is just my opinion, I think that Jacob Lusk will be going home.
And there you go.
That's it for me. I hope you liked the recap. Questions and comments are welcome and appreciated. And I'll catch you later on the flip side. I'm Doug and I am out of here.
Ubuntu!
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