Week 2 of the battle for America’s vote for the ultimate American Idol payed tribute to the Billboard chart toppers. Ryan dropped the tidbit that since the show’s inception in 2002, Idol hits have hit the Billboard #1 spot 261 times. Themes like this leave it wide open for the Idols to really show their stuff with no limits. No one should ever bomb out on wide open theme nights.
Bombing out this week takes them out of the loop for the tour. Simon made the comment that not only would the person voted off miss out on the tour but that they’d lose a lot of money as well. Only the top 10 American Idols will go on tour so let’s see how they played it out.
Lee started the night off with the song “The Letter” by the Box Tops. He was so much more animated on stage than in previous weeks. He was so much more connected to the audience and maintained eye contact most of the way through. He even smiled. The audience must have felt it because he got a major ovation. I wasn’t blown away by the song choice but he sang it well. I fully expect to see him in the top 10. Randy called it a bluesy soul version and that he’d “knocked it out of the box”. Ellen compared him to her favorite pen, the pen you love so much that when it runs out of ink you light a match under it in the hopes of coaxing out just a little more ink. She said her “favorite pen” was back. Kara said he’d raised the bar for himself and that he’d made tremendous progress. Simon said it definitely wasn’t a recording performance and that Lee was missing the point. Simon said it didn’t define him as a contemporary artist.
Paige was still battling laryngitis and it showed. She sang the Phil Collins’ song “Against All Odds”. Paige has a solid voice but tonight was the worst I’ve ever heard from her. The song was totally the wrong song choice. The entire song sounded off key and pitchy. It was all over the place and I don’t think she ever hit a good note. I felt so bad for her. She’s definitely got talent but for her to bomb so badly tonight, I think she might be in big trouble. Randy was almost speechless, starting out with “Yo man. Yo. Wow!” and finishing with “That was terrible!” Ellen didn’t want to touch it. She told Paige she looked beautiful (which she did) and then turned it over to Kara and Simon for the music critique. Kara told her that somewhere along the way she’d stopped competing and that this was the worst vocal we’d ever heard from her and possibly the worst vocal of the season. Simon compared her to Sybil but not in so many words. He said, “It was like there were 5 of you singing that song.” He thought it was all over the place and predicted that she was in serious trouble, sealing her fate with the comment: “That song has just killed you.”
In an incredibly brave move, Tim Urban tackled the Queen song “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” He put down his guitar and worked the audience, at one point sliding across the stage on one knee. He’s a fighter, no doubt about it. He’s definitely fighting hard to stay in from week to week. It wasn’t my favorite vocal from him but it’s obvious that he takes whatever suggestion is offered and runs with it. I give him 110% for effort. Randy said “the dopest thing you did was the slide” but thought that the vocals were boring. Ellen noted that he had a huge fan base which would probably save him but that it felt like he was auditioning for a high school musical. Kara didn’t think he’d done anything with the song and she didn’t like how he worked the audience as if he’d already made it. Simon thought it was completely pointless and silly, that he had a zero chance of winning, and that he needed singing lessons.
Aaron sang the Aerosmith song “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”. Apparently he’d caught Paige’s laryngitis and raised her with tonsilitis. It didn’t stop him from getting a hug from Miley Cyrus who was the Idol’s mentor this week. It was hard to imagine someone so young and innocent tackling an Aerosmith song but he totally pulled it off. Adding a bit of a country twang, it was a good song choice for Aaron though a bit pitchy here and there. It earned him a major ovation from the audience. Randy said it wasn’t a perfect performance but that it was better than the previous two (Paige and Tim) and that he was a fan. Ellen thought it was the perfect song choice and noted that he was usually pitch perfect and that obviously the illness had affected his singing. She added, “I can see your career already.” Nice touch, Ellen! Kara called it “the best song choice of the night” (so far, of course). She noticed the country twang and loved that he’d shown more stage presence. Simon called it brave but too old fashioned for someone his age. He did predict that Aaron had zero chance of going home.
Crystal chose the song we’d all been waiting to hear her sing, “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin. She didn’t disappoint. Crystal actually brought tears to my eyes though I can’t explain why. She took me back to the sixties as if I were really there. Every week she comes out and totally blows me away. For me, the entire song was a wow moment and the audience must have agreed because she got a major ovation, biggest of the night. Randy said, “That’s what’s called being a star!” and said that Crystal was what American Idol is all about. Ellen wanted to see more connection. She said, “These people love you. Take it all in and respond.” Ellen said that the audience wants to share and that Crystal just needs to let people in. Kara wants her to give up the guitar and let go completely. Simon wouldn’t change a thing (and neither would I). He said it was as good as the best version of that song. He liked that she wasn’t gimmicky, sliding across the stage (taking a jab at Tim) and that her only gimmick was the carpet. She performed on a small square of carpet. I don’t know if it’s always there or was put there at her request. All I know is that I’d buy her singing that song. That makes two songs of hers I’d buy.
Michael crooned another love song, “When A Man Loves A Woman”, no doubt in honor of his wife. You can feel the emotion when he sings this type of song. He puts his whole heart into it. His wife is his muse, his inspiration, but I’m not sure she was feeling the love because when they panned the camera out to her she didn’t look very happy. I always worry about Idols with families. I cringe when an Idol comes out showing their beloved spouse and children because if they actually do hit it big, the fame will tear their family apart. Being a singer means being on the road away from your family most of the time. Single parents are the worst because nothing good can come for the children if that one parent goes missing. No amount of money could surely replace being a parent though I know the Idol hopefuls disagree. Whatever Mike’s wife was feeling in that moment, Michael himself fully connected with the song. Randy loved it but said it wasn’t his best vocal. Ellen called it a safe song choice and compared it to driving the speed limit. Kara said that while it was technically good, it was also boring and safe. Simon thought it was overboard. He said it was like craving one scoop of ice cream but getting eleven. He called the performance loungy and said that Michael needed to be more relevant. Once Simon had his say, he turned to someone (Ryan?) and gave them a thumbs up for allowing him to have his say without interuption.
Andrew tried the Motown hit “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. He had decided to take a risk by putting the guitar down so that he could connect with the audience. He moved around the stage and gave it an effort but for me it just didn’t work. While this was definitely one of his better vocals it still fell flat and I just don’t see him as American Idol material. While others also had bad weeks this week, overall Andrew just doesn’t do it and I think if someone should be voted off, it really should be him. Randy said, “Oh dog, man… it wasn’t good.” Randy thought it was not the kind of vocal for Andrew. Ellen said it was the wrong song choice but hoped his fans would vote for him. Here’s where I get irritable. Ellen saying that might keep him in which wouldn’t be fair to the more talented singers such as Paige, who is having a bad week for battling laryngitis. Overall Paige has done so much better and deserves the spot. Kara doesn’t know what to do with him and said he just keeps chasing that moment (from Straight Up) but never catching it. Simon thought that maybe they’d overrated the Straight Up performance. Simon said, “You sucked the soul out of that song and tortured it.” He thought Andrew’s problem was that he didn’t know who he was as an artist.
Even Katie deserves the spot more than Andrew. I don’t know if she reads this blog but she absolutely took my advice to heart and gave up the little girl recital dresses and underwent a clothing makeover. The new outfit definitely worked. She sang the Fergie song “Big Girls Don’t Cry”. While I totally applaud the outfit makeover I wasn’t a big fan of the song. It was too copycat, almost a clone of the original and not quite as good, though she did get close. Randy called it sharp and pitchy but was happy that she’d chosen a younger song. Ellen called it her best performance so far and said she was like the Dakota Fanning of American Idol. I don’t see that. Dakota is pretty amazing and I think if I had to choose one person to compare to Dakota, it would be Crystal for her consistently solid performances. Kara said that while she did have pitch issues, this pop with R&B leanings was where Katie belonged. Simon thought that Katie meeting Miley Cyrus was the best thing that could have happened to her.
Casey offered up the Huey Lewis song “The Power Of Love”. I’m not a big fan of that song but I LOVED what Casey did with it. Contrary to what the judges thought, for me it was definitely different than the original. Maybe it was because Casey has a different voice for it, maybe it’s the country twang he injects, I don’t know but it definitely worked for me and I liked it better than the original. Casey wasn’t competing, he was already there as if he were performing in concert for his fans. He looked so at ease and comfortable, smiling as he sang. This song really showed off his voice and it may be my favorite of his performances. Great job, Casey! The audience must have agreed because he got a major ovation for it. Randy said he was “the best musician guitar player we’ve ever had” but wasn’t overjoyed with the song choice. Ellen wasn’t a fan of the song choice either. Kara said he was definitely ready to make an album. Simon was a total downer, saying it was identical to the original and comparing him to an 80s cover band. My suggestion for Casey: Don’t forget to hold up your fingers and ask for the vote!
Didi sang the Linda Ronstadt song “You’re No Good”. During rehearsals she said she was going to sing the song to her nerves as they are her biggest issue. This is a hard song because it lacks melody, but I’ve got to hand it to her, Didi added the melody that was missing from the original. She got quite flirty with the audience and the men will surely love her. My fella certainly did! Randy loved the idea of it except for the pitches. Ellen thought it was the wrong song choice but still is a fan of Didi’s. Kara felt like Didi was playing a character. Okay now THAT pissed me off. Kara has been telling people for weeks to be the song and not to choose songs that don’t fit their life experience. Now someone gives it their all to be the song and Kara smashes them for it. Simon rarely makes me angry because he’s usually right on but Kara has really been irking me this season, giving a lot of harsh criticism where it doesn’t belong. Simon did also critique Didi comparing it to “the bad part of a musical” and telling her that she was falling into the Lacey trap. Didi took the harsh critique with good grace which is always a plus for the Idol. Overall Didi reminds me of a doll from an old gangster movie.
Siobhan pulled the last straw again and got to finish out the show with the Stevie Wonder song “Superstition”. Wow, what a makeover she came out with! From head to toe Siobhan sported a whole new look and hairstyle. While I really liked her old hairstyle with the headband, I must say that the new look is probably more fitting for where she’s trying to go. The new look definitely added to her stage presence but it wasn’t my favorite song for her. She absolutely nailed the song but it lacked the wow factor that she usually brings to a song. She did, however, inject the screechy note that she’s become famous for. Apparently she’d sing a whole song in the screechy note if she could. I really do not like the screechy note. However you slice it she got a thumbs up from Miley. Randy called her “fearless” and loved her conviction. Ellen loves her and wants more, please. Kara loves how she expresses herself and calls the end note “amazing”. Simon said that while some would like the performance, many would not. In his diatribe he said that Crystal was in a different league.
Who’s in danger? The closest thing to a prediction was Simon telling Paige she was in serious trouble and that the song had killed her. I believe that the bottom three will come from Paige, Andrew, and then Katie or Tim. My choice is Andrew for the fall guy because he has consistently fallen short. I really believe the others deserve to move forward and it would be a travesty if he took a top 10 spot.
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American Idol 2010
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