The Rolling Stones are the original bad boys of rock charting 41 songs in the Top 40 of the Billboard HOT 100 starting in 1964. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are still active recording and touring and this week finalists selected songs from their outstanding catalog.
Miss You spent one week at #1 in 1978. It was the short period of time when the Rolling Stones gave into the hot disco craze. Michael Lynche performed this great song in his falsetto. It sounded good, but stage presence was a little goofy.
Playing with Fire was very different from the original in the hands of Didi Benami. It started out pretty shaky, but she managed to hit some big notes and be somewhat impressive for a while there. She tried to get a little more outside of her folk singer/coffee shop style so it was a step in the right direction.
It's All Over Now hit #26 in 1964 and Casey James served up a pretty straightforward version. The guitar was solid, his looks were front and center and the vocals were just as plain as usual. Good, but nothing special.
Ruby Tuesday spent one week at #1 in 1967 and Lacey Brown definitely made this song her own. Her vocals were weak and she was clearly going for quirky instead of power. Not the best way to make use of the big stage for the first time.
Gimme Shelter is one of the Stones most recognizable powerhouse anthems, but with Andrew Garcia at the mic the life was completely sucked out of it. His vocals were totally flat and uninteresting.
Wild Horses only peaked at #28 in 1971 and it's doubtful that it will get any higher with Katie Stevens. This very nice young finalist is really failing to live up to her potential. Her vocals this week were once again not very captivating.
Under My Thumb is a fantastic Rolling Stones classic album track and Tim Urban decided to have some fun and give it a more acoustic reggae vibe. It was a unique arrangement, but even with his good looks it couldn't distract from his unsteady singing voice.
Paint It Black spent two weeks at #1 in 1966 and Siobhan Magnus raised the bar for all of the other finalists with her spectacular, over the top performance. She was able to show off her entire vocal range soft and subtle to high energy drama. She clearly wants to win this.
Beast of Burden hit #8 in 1978 and Lee Dewyze provided a very generic "rock guy" rendition of this song. Rather than having any exceptional passion or energy the song ended up being very watered down and bland.
Honky Tonk Women spent four weeks at #1 in 1969 and Paige Miles used this song to re-introduce herself to the fans as a power belting down home southern honky tonk woman. This was much better than anything she did in the top 24 and she has the voice and the stage presence to be sticking around for longer.
Angie spent one week at #1 in 1973 and Aaron Kelly provided a very believable cover despite his youth. He's truly a pint sized pixie up on the big stage but the sincerity in his vocals manages to save him from disappearing in the crowd.
You Can't Always Get What You Want is yet another one of those legendary album tracks that helped define the Rolling Stones as the greatest rock band in the world and Crystal Bowersox used this song to show off her confidence and talent. She is a natural talent, but even she can turn it up a notch to prove that she wants to be here.
The music selections were great, but all of the performances weren't. My prediction for the bottom three are Lacey Brown, Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens. All three of these finalists have to learn how to take advantage of the big stage as well as learn how to show off their voices at their best. After all the votes are counted, it should be Andrew Garcia going home this week.
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