The top three finalists will each sing twice tonight: one song of their choice and another selected for them by the judges.
Casey James selected OK, It's Alright With Me for himself. He explained that he feels this is the kind of song he would write for himself. It was plain, simple and bland. There was no showstopper moment and no energy in this performance.
Crystal Bowersox selected the Melissa Etheridge hit Come To My Window for herself. She used this performance to showcase what a great live performer and musician she is. She played both her guitar and her harmonica while at the same time bringing the song to life with a thoughtful interpretation of the lyrics.
Lee DeWyze selected Lynard Skynard's Simple Man for himself. This was a simple performance for the simple guy who has no desire to expand beyond being the generic rock guy that he's been all season long. He is completely unable to convey any personality or showmanship when he is on stage.
Daughters by John Mayer won the 2004 Grammy for Song of the Year and Randy and Kara selected this song for Casey James to sing. This was never a very interesting song, so it is the perfect choice for Casey who hasn't been able to do anything interesting all season. The song requires no vocal range so that was a good fit for him, but it does require an emotional connection and Casey just wasn't convincing at all.
Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney hit #10 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1977 and Ellen selected this song for Crystal Bowersox to sing. For the very first time this season a finalist has given the audience a fantastic showstopper to be excited about. Crystal put all the instruments down and just let her outstanding vocal range speak for itself. She took us with her to every high and low and made us feel amazed every step of the way.
Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah has already been performed this season by finalist Tim Urban, but that didn't stop Simon from selecting it for Lee DeWyze. To be honest, Tim's version sounded better vocally and more sincere than Lee's. What Lee had in his favor was a much bigger and more dramatic arrangement with many back-up singers and swelling instruments to cover for his lack of vocal talent. To the untrained ear, one could be fooled into believing this was a good performance, but it was all smoke and mirrors unlike the true talent that Crystal was able to deliver.
It's very clear that Lee and Crystal should be in the finals and Casey should definitely be sent home. It's more than just a prediction, it should be considered an inevitability.
Showing posts with label John Mayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Mayer. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Top 10 boys try again....
Last week the boys were less than impressive and hopefully after two were sent home they are more motivated to rise to the occasion. Here's what they did:
James Brown took It's a Man's Man's Man's World to #8 in 1966 and Michael Lynche used this R&B jam to try and take him to the next level. His vocals were just right but he depended too much on his extra large size to be his stage presence rather than actually having any special style.
John Mayer put Gravity on his 2008 album Continuum and John Park tried to re-invent himself with this performance. The fact is that John is a good singer, but this was an unfamiliar song that was totally bland, boring and forgettable.
Gavin DeGraw had a hit in 2003 with I Don't Want To Be and Casey James did his best to electrify the crowd with this attempt. It was unfortunately more about him playing his electric guitar instead of showing off what a great singer he is.
John Legend won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2005 by singing songs like Everybody Knows and Alex Lambert easily won the award for Most Improved with this rendition. He sat on stage, strummed his guitar and let his great vocals come out into the spotlight.
Tina Turner spent three weeks at #1 in 1984 with What's Love Got To Do With It and Todrick Hall clearly has his eyes on the prize with his version of it. He once again went for changing the arrangement in an effort to make it his own and most of this worked in his favor this time around.
Marvin Gaye took What's Going On all the way up to #2 in 1971 and Jermaine Sellers took this song through every vocal note imaginable. He is doing a great job showing off his vocal range as well as his fabulous personal style.
James Morrison is a bland singer song writer who has never charted on the Billboard HOT 100 and Andrew Garcia wasn't able to make any improvements to this poor song choice. This performance was very plain with weak vocals and absolutely no stage presence.
The Temptations spent one week at #1 in 1965 with My Girl and Aaron Kelly over sang this hit to the max in an effort to make it his own. The sad fact is that his over confidence showed off the fact that his voice isn't that great. He should have tried acting his age.
Matt Nathanson had a minor hit in 2007 with Come On Get Higher and Tim Urban took it right to the coffee shop with his guitar to try and breath some life into this folksy song. Tim is a very handsome young man but his vocal skills are sorely lacking. Truth be told, though, it was nice to see someone acting his age.
Hinder took Lips of an Angel up to #3 in 2006 and Lee Dewyze was totally in his element with this performance. He's a stereotypical rocker with a limited vocal range and this song did not challenge him at all. Good, but very safe.
I am happy to report that with this second chance most of the boys got a little better. My prediction for the two boys to be going home this week are the ones who were the most boring. We should be saying goodbye to John Park and Andrew Garcia.
James Brown took It's a Man's Man's Man's World to #8 in 1966 and Michael Lynche used this R&B jam to try and take him to the next level. His vocals were just right but he depended too much on his extra large size to be his stage presence rather than actually having any special style.
John Mayer put Gravity on his 2008 album Continuum and John Park tried to re-invent himself with this performance. The fact is that John is a good singer, but this was an unfamiliar song that was totally bland, boring and forgettable.
Gavin DeGraw had a hit in 2003 with I Don't Want To Be and Casey James did his best to electrify the crowd with this attempt. It was unfortunately more about him playing his electric guitar instead of showing off what a great singer he is.
John Legend won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2005 by singing songs like Everybody Knows and Alex Lambert easily won the award for Most Improved with this rendition. He sat on stage, strummed his guitar and let his great vocals come out into the spotlight.
Tina Turner spent three weeks at #1 in 1984 with What's Love Got To Do With It and Todrick Hall clearly has his eyes on the prize with his version of it. He once again went for changing the arrangement in an effort to make it his own and most of this worked in his favor this time around.
Marvin Gaye took What's Going On all the way up to #2 in 1971 and Jermaine Sellers took this song through every vocal note imaginable. He is doing a great job showing off his vocal range as well as his fabulous personal style.
James Morrison is a bland singer song writer who has never charted on the Billboard HOT 100 and Andrew Garcia wasn't able to make any improvements to this poor song choice. This performance was very plain with weak vocals and absolutely no stage presence.
The Temptations spent one week at #1 in 1965 with My Girl and Aaron Kelly over sang this hit to the max in an effort to make it his own. The sad fact is that his over confidence showed off the fact that his voice isn't that great. He should have tried acting his age.
Matt Nathanson had a minor hit in 2007 with Come On Get Higher and Tim Urban took it right to the coffee shop with his guitar to try and breath some life into this folksy song. Tim is a very handsome young man but his vocal skills are sorely lacking. Truth be told, though, it was nice to see someone acting his age.
Hinder took Lips of an Angel up to #3 in 2006 and Lee Dewyze was totally in his element with this performance. He's a stereotypical rocker with a limited vocal range and this song did not challenge him at all. Good, but very safe.
I am happy to report that with this second chance most of the boys got a little better. My prediction for the two boys to be going home this week are the ones who were the most boring. We should be saying goodbye to John Park and Andrew Garcia.
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