Recently the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four Winner, Carrie Underwood was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. It's an honor only given to the biggest and the best Country Music superstars. Tonight the finalists had the chance to work with Randy Travis and see if they can be taught a lesson on reaching the amazing heights that Carrie has achieved.
Michael Sarver has already demonstrated his skills as a country music singer, but tonight when he took on Ain't Going Down Till The Sun Comes Up, he proved himself even more. It has rapid fire lyrics that he mastered perfectly and he worked the crowd in a way that would have made Garth Brooks proud. His look and style was a classic match for the song.
Alison Iraheta has the voice of a great "rock chick". In her interpretation of Blame It On The Heart she stayed very true to her personal style while adding just the right amount of country flavor. She definitely has the potential to get far in the competition.
A great country song tells a heartfelt story that connects with the listener. Kris Allen sat center stage and did so much more than just sing or perform. He conveyed a sincere and genuine expression of emotions as he sang To Make You Feel My Love. It was vulnerable and he made you feel it.
Lil Rounds left no doubt that she can sing any style of music with her showstopping version of Independence Day. Her vocal range is exceptional and she looked stunning. She should be applauded for doing a song that was true to the theme of the week rather than making everything into an R&B song.
Adam Lambert, on the other hand, knows he is not a country artist and he made no effort to try and be one. He took the Johhny Cash song Ring Of Fire and he did it the way he wanted to. It was entertaining and exciting as he performed multiple levels of drama and energy. Just an observation, though, with the nail polish and jewelry you have to wonder how far he is going to go with his androgynous style. This isn't RuPaul's Drag Race!
Scott MacIntyre gave another example of his great emotional vocals coupled with his skillful piano playing. He is an all around wonderful musician who clearly knows all aspects of what he is doing up there. This arrangement of Martina McBride's Wild Angels was masterful.
Alexis Grace chose to slow things down a bit with her version of Dolly Parton's Jolene. This song should have been an opportunity to show off her vocal range, but she didn't take full advantage of it. It was inconsistent and not as impressive as it needed to be.
When Danny Gokey would serve himself better covering a Taylor Hicks song he decided to take on Carrie Underwood's Jesus Take The Wheel. All it did was expose his lack of vocal range and how he screams rather sings. It was just a sloppy mess on all levels. We know he is a fan favorite, but what are they getting? I'm not getting it.
Always On My Mind is a song that has crossed over from Country to high energy Dance hitting #5 by Willie Nelson in 1982 and doing one better at #4 by the Pet Shop Boys in 1988. Anoop Desai performed a slow and subtle version that focused on his ability to sing and interpret lyrics. A very good choice that could turn things around for him.
It was 1957 when Patsy Cline first hit the Billboard HOT 100 with Walkin' After Midnight. Patsy perfectly defines the legend that is the Grand Ole Opry so Meagan Joy Corkery had big shoes to fill. She stayed true to the essence of the original while adding her own flavor that we've come to know. All I can say is that it wasn't a total mess.
Yet another finalist, this time Matt Giraud, has decided to see if he can rise to the challenge of singing a Carrie Underwood song. So Small was her first single off of Carnival Ride and Matt sat behind the piano and did it better than Danny ever could have. Matt's vocals are a strange combination of bland yet still somehow impressive, but no where near the standard set by Carrie.
At this point I have no expectation of seeing my predictions for the bottom three actually be right. Danny Gokey and Alexis Grace definitely failed to impress me tonight so they are taking the first two slots. I can appreciate that they are somehow popular favorites, but they just aren't bringing it each week so I can see it. I think they will be joined in the bottom three by Michael Sarver. After two lackluster performances in a row, Alexis Grace should be the one going home.
3 comments:
I have to agree with you that I don't get it about Danny...mostly from the judges...are they listening? But, I actually thought he sang better tonight.
I think Scott should be going home. He's boring and sings the same kind of songs each time. Nothing special.
It's no secret that Scott has won me over. Yes, it's kinda the same each week, but I just like what he does. He manages to express a sincere and genuine level of emotions that just touches me. He's such a good guy.
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