The top 3 finalists will each sing three songs tonight:
Randy Jackson selected an a bluesy Etta James song, I Would Rather Go Blind, as the judge's choice for Joshua Ledet to sing. It was more of the retro-same usual for him. He delivered the same over the top gospel tinged classic R&B vocals that he always does.
Jennifer Lopez selected a song that became Mariah Carey's 13th #1 hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, My All, for Jessica Sanchez to sing. This tender ballad allowed Jessica to show off even more of her outstanding and impressive vocal range. In addition to sounding wonderful, she showed off her incredible breath control as she tackled this very difficult musical composition.
Steven Tyler selected a song called Beggin for Phillip Phillips to sing. He is who he is and that's all that he is. Same clothes he always wears. Same guitar. Same painful, strained attempt at singing.
For his own personal song choice, Joshua Ledet decided to sing the classic and inspirational John Lennon anthem, Imagine, that hit #3 in 1971. It started out better than it finished. He showed some classy vocal restraint on the first verse that illustrated how less can be more sometimes. He completely lacks subtlety in every vocal interpretation that he provides as he ended up taking it over the top when it was unnecessary.
For her own personal song choice, Jessica Sanchez decided to sing the Aerosmith song that spent four weeks at #1 in 1998, I Don't Want To Miss A Thing. Without a doubt she sang it better than Steven Tyler ever could have no matter how hard he tried. In her hands it was an entirely new song elevated to a higher plane of enlightenment.
For his own personal song choice, Phillip decided to sing a watered down and bland version of Disease by Matchbox 20. Same clothes he always wears. Same guitar. Same painful, strained attempt at singing.
Mary J. Blige took No More Drama to #15 in 2002. This is the most current thing that Joshua Ledet has attempted in a long time and it's an example of what he might sound like on the radio someday. What he lacks in versatility he makes up for with his energy. So unlike the song title, he brings more drama with an extra serving of drama on the side.
Mariah Carey took I'll Be There to #1 in 1992 (her 6th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100). This is a song selection that is supposed to combine the maturity of Jessica's amazing voice with her actual youthful age of only 16. Once again, she sounded incredible and totally ageless. She simply has a rare vocal gift that is exemplified by her ability to do such a great job on Mariah Carey classics.
We've Got Tonight hit #6 in 1983 by Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton and it is one of the most romantic and beautiful love songs ever written. Phillip Phillips was a complete mess trying to sing it. He looked like a deer in the headlights nervously forgetting the lyrics and failing to hit any of the notes accurately. It was a sad, flat and lifeless attempt.
There's no point in making predictions anymore. Phillip doesn't get any better and yet he is still around, so he's clearly on a path to winning the Season 11 Miss American Idol crown next week. The judges have gushed with praise for Joshua all season long. Jessica is the most talented vocalist the competition has seen in a few years so she is probably the one who is leaving the competition tomorrow to make room for a Joshua/Phillip face off in the finals.
Showing posts with label John Lennon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Lennon. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Top 9 sing Lennon/McCartney
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote and performed some of the greatest songs of all time with The Beatles, but are the songs great enough to survive what these finalists will do to them?
Aaron Kelly performed the song that spent two weeks at #1 in 1970, The Long and Winding Road. The arrangement was very true to the original but the vocals were much more drab and dreary. The little pixie added nothing interesting.
Katie Stevens selected another song that also spent two weeks at #1 in 1970, Let It Be. Thankfully this turned out to be the strong vocal performance that we knew was hidden in there all along. She finally belted out some big notes that complimented the song perfectly and she looked even cuter than usual.
Andrew Garcia brought his very special brand of not cool to his performance of the song that spent five weeks at #1 in 1964, Can't Buy Me Love. He's a dumpy guy with and weak voice and even the fun energy of the song couldn't save it from being another embarrassment.
Michael Lynche added some great life and power to Eleanor Rigby that peaked at #11 in 1966. His vocals were larger than life and the arrangement was vibrant and fun. It was a very interesting live performance that you may actually want to hear again.
Crystal Bowersox performed a song that spent one week at #1 in 1969, Come Together. As expected she brought her accomplished bluesy vocals and style to this fantastic song. She is continuing to stand out as a cut above the rest.
Tim Urban performed a song that sounds like a hit but it never actually hit the Billboard HOT 100. All My Loving was originally on the 1963 album With The Beatles and Tim performed the song with his hair styled like he was a member of the band and a big smile on his face. He was clearly having fun and so was the audience.
Casey James tried to show another side of himself with John Lennon's Jealous Guy. Rather than just being the good time party boy, he showed off his sensitive side. All this emotional depth can be great and all, but with him it was pretty boring.
Siobhan Magnus allowed her lovely vocals to take center stage as she performed Across The Universe, an album cut from the 1970 release Let It Be. She does something different every week not only with her voice, but with her look and style as well. She's a quirky young woman underneath it all, but she owns it and makes it work.
Lee Dewyze selected to take on the biggest Beatles hit of all time that spent nine weeks at #1 in 1968, Hey Jude. His manner of singing probably made much of the audience want to say, HEY LEE! Stop screaming at me! Lee clearly has his fans, but he's really not all that.
The finalists were very respectful of the Lennon/McCartney songbook and none of them messed it up too seriously. My prediction for the bottom three this week is Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia and Casey James. None of these guys did anything extra special, but the least of them should be Aaron Kelly going home.
Aaron Kelly performed the song that spent two weeks at #1 in 1970, The Long and Winding Road. The arrangement was very true to the original but the vocals were much more drab and dreary. The little pixie added nothing interesting.
Katie Stevens selected another song that also spent two weeks at #1 in 1970, Let It Be. Thankfully this turned out to be the strong vocal performance that we knew was hidden in there all along. She finally belted out some big notes that complimented the song perfectly and she looked even cuter than usual.
Andrew Garcia brought his very special brand of not cool to his performance of the song that spent five weeks at #1 in 1964, Can't Buy Me Love. He's a dumpy guy with and weak voice and even the fun energy of the song couldn't save it from being another embarrassment.
Michael Lynche added some great life and power to Eleanor Rigby that peaked at #11 in 1966. His vocals were larger than life and the arrangement was vibrant and fun. It was a very interesting live performance that you may actually want to hear again.
Crystal Bowersox performed a song that spent one week at #1 in 1969, Come Together. As expected she brought her accomplished bluesy vocals and style to this fantastic song. She is continuing to stand out as a cut above the rest.
Tim Urban performed a song that sounds like a hit but it never actually hit the Billboard HOT 100. All My Loving was originally on the 1963 album With The Beatles and Tim performed the song with his hair styled like he was a member of the band and a big smile on his face. He was clearly having fun and so was the audience.
Casey James tried to show another side of himself with John Lennon's Jealous Guy. Rather than just being the good time party boy, he showed off his sensitive side. All this emotional depth can be great and all, but with him it was pretty boring.
Siobhan Magnus allowed her lovely vocals to take center stage as she performed Across The Universe, an album cut from the 1970 release Let It Be. She does something different every week not only with her voice, but with her look and style as well. She's a quirky young woman underneath it all, but she owns it and makes it work.
Lee Dewyze selected to take on the biggest Beatles hit of all time that spent nine weeks at #1 in 1968, Hey Jude. His manner of singing probably made much of the audience want to say, HEY LEE! Stop screaming at me! Lee clearly has his fans, but he's really not all that.
The finalists were very respectful of the Lennon/McCartney songbook and none of them messed it up too seriously. My prediction for the bottom three this week is Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia and Casey James. None of these guys did anything extra special, but the least of them should be Aaron Kelly going home.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Top 2 - FINAL match - up!
Here we are in the Season 7 final match-up between the two Davids - both of whom have never landed in the bottom two all season long. They are coming in undefeated and it's a very close competition. It's also the first time since season 2 with Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard that there has been two guys going head to head in the finals. The Davids will face off in three rounds:
In round one the song selection was made by accomplished music producer, Clive Davis. For David Cook, Clive chose the song that spent two weeks at #1 in 1987 by U2, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. It's a good song, but it didn't really challenge Mr. Cook to show his range. The performance ended up being kinda straightforward and predictable. For David Archuleta, Clive chose the smash hit that has been a chart topper for Elton John twice. The first time in 1974 it peaked at #2, but in 1992 when he teamed up with George Michael, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me went all the way to #1. This song allowed Mr. Archuleta to do what he does best - start out the ballad slow and build to a dramatic climax.
For round two, the Davids had to interpret a brand new original song. Rather than both needing to sing the same song, they had the option of choosing one that they felt they could connect with best. Mr. Cook went for a song called Dream Big and he performed it with a very pop radio friendly rock arrangement that was a perfect match for his style. It was catchy and could easily become a hit. Mr. Archuleta selected something called In This Moment. It is the classic American Idol anthem with inspirational lyrics and big notes for him to belt out. He once again stayed true to showcasing his sweet innocent softness at the beginning and then bringing it home with the most sincere and earnest power notes at the end.
Round three was their last chance to present themselves to the voting audience and they could select any song of their own choice. David Cook took a risk, yet played it safe at the same time. He took a risk in that he chose a completely unfamiliar song that was never a big hit. He played it safe in that it was a very standard modern rock hit that didn't challenge him at all. The World I Know by Collective Soul sounded very good in Mr. Cook's hands, but it was kinda anti-climactic. David Archuleta had a slightly different risk/safe selection. His risk was in selecting a song that we have already heard him perform - John Lennon's #3 smash from 1971, Imagine. But it was safe, because it was a crowd pleaser the first time around and he easily went in for the knock-out giving an exceptional crowd pleaser again.
Over all, it was a great night of entertainment and a good competition. Neither of the David's went out on a limb and served us any big surprises. It would have been nice to hear David Cook work his magic by breathing new life into an old song one more time, but he didn't. Because of that my prediction for the Season 7 Miss American Idol Crown is going to have to be David Archuleta. He simply shined with his smooth pure vocals and he oozed that captivating sincere and earnest personality.
Hope you didn't turn off the TV too quickly or you would have missed the Season 2 Miss American Idol, Ruben Studdard come back to the center of the American Idol stage and perform Celebrate Me Home. The Velvet Teddy Bear sounded great.
In round one the song selection was made by accomplished music producer, Clive Davis. For David Cook, Clive chose the song that spent two weeks at #1 in 1987 by U2, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. It's a good song, but it didn't really challenge Mr. Cook to show his range. The performance ended up being kinda straightforward and predictable. For David Archuleta, Clive chose the smash hit that has been a chart topper for Elton John twice. The first time in 1974 it peaked at #2, but in 1992 when he teamed up with George Michael, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me went all the way to #1. This song allowed Mr. Archuleta to do what he does best - start out the ballad slow and build to a dramatic climax.
For round two, the Davids had to interpret a brand new original song. Rather than both needing to sing the same song, they had the option of choosing one that they felt they could connect with best. Mr. Cook went for a song called Dream Big and he performed it with a very pop radio friendly rock arrangement that was a perfect match for his style. It was catchy and could easily become a hit. Mr. Archuleta selected something called In This Moment. It is the classic American Idol anthem with inspirational lyrics and big notes for him to belt out. He once again stayed true to showcasing his sweet innocent softness at the beginning and then bringing it home with the most sincere and earnest power notes at the end.
Round three was their last chance to present themselves to the voting audience and they could select any song of their own choice. David Cook took a risk, yet played it safe at the same time. He took a risk in that he chose a completely unfamiliar song that was never a big hit. He played it safe in that it was a very standard modern rock hit that didn't challenge him at all. The World I Know by Collective Soul sounded very good in Mr. Cook's hands, but it was kinda anti-climactic. David Archuleta had a slightly different risk/safe selection. His risk was in selecting a song that we have already heard him perform - John Lennon's #3 smash from 1971, Imagine. But it was safe, because it was a crowd pleaser the first time around and he easily went in for the knock-out giving an exceptional crowd pleaser again.
Over all, it was a great night of entertainment and a good competition. Neither of the David's went out on a limb and served us any big surprises. It would have been nice to hear David Cook work his magic by breathing new life into an old song one more time, but he didn't. Because of that my prediction for the Season 7 Miss American Idol Crown is going to have to be David Archuleta. He simply shined with his smooth pure vocals and he oozed that captivating sincere and earnest personality.
Hope you didn't turn off the TV too quickly or you would have missed the Season 2 Miss American Idol, Ruben Studdard come back to the center of the American Idol stage and perform Celebrate Me Home. The Velvet Teddy Bear sounded great.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)