So, here we are…my first official post of the new season! Yeah, I know that I’ve been posting, but this is the first time that I will be tearing apart…umm, I mean, analyzing…each finalist.
Before we move on to the bloodshed…I mean, analysis, I first feel compelled to talk about the new judges. Overall, I like them. J. Lo and Steven Tyler have impressed me far more than I thought they would and they are both worlds better than poor Ellen DeGeneres. However, I find it kind of strange that they are announced and walk out on stage – as though the show was about them. I have a sneaking suspicion that Jennifer Lopez is behind that.
Well, enough about the judges…on to the contestants! Tonight’s theme is: Songs from the Year the Contestants Were Born. I always enjoy this theme…until it starts making me feel really old. Which it inevitably does.
Naima Adedapo
First up is Naima Adedapo. Since she was born in 1984, she chooses to do a rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It”. I have to say that, in Hollywood Week, I was a big fan of Naima. However, I’ve kind of lost that loving feeling for her since then. I thought her rendition of “Umbrella” last week was pretty dreadful. And, to be honest, I wasn’t terribly impressed with her this week either. I thought she was definitely better than last week…but that’s really not saying much.
What the Judges Said: Steven declared that Naima opened up a can of WHOP DEE DOO on us, praising her grasp of melody and inquiring as to why she’s been raiding his closet. J. Lo tells it like it is – telling Naima that she is constantly pitchy and that she’s worried about that. Randy realizes that Naima wasn’t good at all last week and that her vocals were a mess this week.
Paul McDonald
Paul was also born in 1984. He picks Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”. This seems like an odd choice to me. But, well, Paul is an odd guy. And he gives us what is quickly becoming a traditional odd Paul performance. As is becoming his standard, he staggers and hops all over the stage like a wounded animal. His vocals are pretty awful. His usual raspiness is amplified by what sounds like him losing his voice. And, unfortunately, no amount of wounded animal moves is going to cover up the fact that the performance is just boring.
What the Judges Said: J. Lo tells him that he has soul, star quality and that he sounded good. (Things must REALLY sound different live.) Randy doesn’t give Paul a pass for having a cold and tells him that he was pitchy. However, he really likes how much Paul made the song his own. Steven says something about a cool dude in a loose mood and tells Paul that he has a distinctive voice. Well, THAT he does.
Thia Megia
Good lord, Thia was born in 1995. That makes me feel SUPER old. She chooses to sing “The Colors of the Wind” by Vanessa Williams. I thought this was just an okay song when Vanessa sang it. I feel the same way about Thia’s rendition. It’s not bad. But it’s not something I would want to hear again. And, well, it’s kind of boring.
What the Judges Said: Randy thinks the vocals were ok (and gets booed by the audience…WHAT?) but found himself bored and would like Thia to stop singing ballads. And, for once, I completely agree with Randy. Steven, in an attempt to suck up, says that he thinks that she sounded good and wants to know if she thinks that song is who she is. Does Steven think she thinks she’s Pocahontas? J. Lo wants her to push out of the box and work on her vibrato. She also says that she thinks Thia sounded like Adele during auditions. Has J. Lo ever actually heard Adele??
James Durbin
I was a little unsure about James at first, but I have actually reached the point where I actually look forward to his performances. I mean, at least he’s generally not boring. So, James was born in 1989. Which is good because James is all about the metal, which was big in ’89. His selection for this evening is Bon Jovi’s I’ll Be There for You. It seems to me that he actually starts singing a bit too soon, but maybe that was on purpose. Overall, I liked his performance. I would liked to have seen him do something slightly more rocking, but he did get a chance to screech a little in this one.
What the Judges Said: Steven warns James about getting to poppy (rather ominously) but says that he was good (and also cusses a bit). J. Lo found him amazing and LOVES him! And Randy found him slightly pitchy but tells him that he did the song justice and that it was tastefully done. Steven also declares that James has a “rich vein of inner crazy”, which is a quote that I absolutely love.
Haley Reinhart
It seems to me that girls named Haley on American Idol are destined to suck. Haley Scarnato was terrible…and I think Haley Reinhart isn’t much better. I found her version of “Blue” last week to be absolutely horrendous. This week, Haely, who was born in 1990, decides to tackle a Whitney Houston song. First, really, the women on this show should just stop trying to do Whitney. Second, Whitney Houston’s I’m Your Baby Tonight album wasn’t exactly great pop. It was mediocre album at best. Haley decides to slaughter the lead track from the album. Even Whitney Houston singing mediocre pop sounds better than this. Haley gives us all of her best baby beauty pageant looks – which I wish she would stop doing. It makes me feel very uncomfortable. At one point, she sounds like she’s trying to inject some of the caterwauling that she tried to pass off as country singing last week. Overall, just terrible. I’m so ready for her to go.
What the Judges Said: J. Lo starts off by telling her she’s beautiful. This is never a good sign for a contestant. She then tells her that she looks too tense but that her voice comes naturally. Ryan then interrupts everything and decides to fix Haley’s makeup. Randy proceeds to tells us that Haley confuses him and that she needs to find out who she is. Steven, who undoubtedly wants to bed Haley, wants to hear more blues from Haley.
Stefano Langone
Stefano, who was born in 1989, is not someone that I really would have chosen for the Top 24. I personally would have picked Jovany Barreto over him. But, Stefano’s here, so I guess I must listen to him. He chooses Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”. My first reaction to hearing this is that this song is way too big for him. I honestly can’t say that he brings anything new or different to the song. I really would rather have heard him sing some Milli Vanilli. At least that would have been interesting.
What the Judges Said: Randy proclaims Stefano’s performance to be the best of the night! Steven found it wonderful and uses the word “famouser”. And J. Lo believes that Stefano could win the whole thing. Meh. I just don’t get the whole Stefano thing.
Pia Toscano
Pia was born in 1988 and she was an absolutely ADORABLE kid! They show a clip of her singing along to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and she’s just so cute! Ok, enough of that. So, Pia goes against my standing advice for all female Idol contestants and decides to sing a Whitney Houston song. At least her birth year gives her an advantage of picking a song from a better album. She chooses “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”. Well, its not as bad as I thought it would be. My biggest issue with it is the super odd musical arrangement for the song. It’s pretty awful and quite distracting from the vocals. I can’t say that I particularly like Pia as a singer, but I think she can sing.
What the Judges Said: Steven tells her that she’s the reason the show is called American Idol. Apparently, her coming was foreseen 10 years ago. J.Lo is really happy to hear something up tempo from Pia and calls her perfect. Randy tells her she’s in it to win it and proclaims her a threat to the other contestants.
Scotty McCreery
Scotty graced this world with his presence for the first time in 1993. We discover that he was a lover of Elvis as a child AND a fat baby. Uh huh. Lucky for Scotty, Travis Tritt had a hit in 1993 with “Can I Trust You With My Heart”. I’ve never heard this song before, but Travis Tritt seems right up Scotty’s ally. Usually, I like it when contestants try to step outside of their comfort zone on this show. Scotty has yet to do that though and I’m ok with it. I honestly am not sure that he could really sing any other kind of music well with that voice of his. It was made to sing country music. He sounds like an old-fashioned country singer – the kind that doesn’t exist anymore. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of country music, his performance is my favorite of the evening so far.
What the Judges Said: J. Lo thinks he’s growing but he needs to push himself even further. Randy thinks that Scotty did Travis Tritt proud and would also like to see Scotty take more chances. Steven says “You just keep knowing who you are and you’re going places. Thank you.” And that was it. Thanks, Steven.
Karen Rodriguez
Karen was also born in 1989. Although, by what she’s wearing, it looks like she thinks she was born in 1969. This scares me a bit. I mean, she was born in 1989 and she’s dressed all 60′s retro…is she going to try and sing a B-52′s song? Luckily, she’s not. Whew! No, she’s singing Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead You Back”. Sadly, nowadays, whenever I hear this song, I only hear Mikalah Gordon’s terrible version. Lucky for us, Karen is a definite improvement over Mikalah. Although, I guess that’s not really saying much. Karen’s version of the song, for me, is just okay. Not terrible. Not good. Just blah.
What the Judges Said: Randy thinks she was better than last week, but still isn’t jumping up and down with her performances. Steven says something about her ethnic “what-it-isness”. And J.Lo …I honestly stopped paying attention to what she was saying but the gist of it was good.
Casey Abrams
Casey was born in 1991 to older parents. As a child of older parents myself, I instantly feel more bonded to him. I’m also glad to see that he is back from the hospital and isn’t dead. Because, honestly, I think he’s the best thing about the competition right now. He takes a risk by doing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Well…ummm…hmmm…what to say about his performance? It kind of scared me? I really enjoyed the soft lead-in. But, once he started the chorus…that’s when the scary came in. Although, I have to admit…this is the first time that I’ve ever actually understood the lyrics of this song. I still love Casey…even if his scary performance sucked a little. Because, at the end of the day, he really is the only contestant taking risks. He at least makes it interesting.
What the Judges Said: Steven calls him crazy and talented. J.Lo thinks that he was too screamy in parts, but loves him so much. Randy lists all of his musical credentials (just in case we forgot) and loves that, even though it wasn’t Casey’s best vocal, he was fearless. And, reluctantly, I agree with Randy. Again. What is going on here??
Lauren Suddeth
Lauren was born in 1994…which was the year I graduated from high school In fact, her parents look like they could have gone to high school with me. Tonight, she’s singing Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One”. Lauren does okay, but she doesn’t make me forget Melissa’s version.
What the Judges Said: J. Lo thinks she took it and made it her own. Randy tells her to have a cold every week because it makes her sound good. Steven calls her a shining star.
Jacob Lusk
Jacob was born in 1987. So, naturally, he picks “Alone” by Heart. My jaw drops when I hear this. I have absolutely no idea how he will manage to pull this off. (And I honestly hope that he doesn’t…because I would really like him to go home.) In the end, Jacob completely surprises me by giving a vocal performance that I actually don’t hate. Watching him sing, however, is a different matter entirely. His face disturbs me to no end.
What the Judges Said: Randy calls him a genius and uses the word “caress”. Steven declared Jacob to be the baby of gospel. (What??) And J. Lo calls him amazing repeatedly.
Overall, I found the night to be pretty boring. For me, most highlights were brought thanks to Steven Tyler and his completely bizarre use of the English language. If I was voting, I’d have to go for Scotty and even Casey. I’m predicting that Karen, Haley and Stefano will be in the bottom 3 this week.
