OK, I must admit that I was a little shocked, although pleasantly, that America came to its senses so soon in the American Idol competition and voted little Kevin Covias off. However, I was right about Bucky and Lisa being in the bottom three. It was an even closer call for my girl Lisa, as she found herself standing side by side with Kevin, waiting to find out if she was the youngster that would be let go.
Lisa Tucker was spared last week, so you would think that she would really want to bring it this week. I mean I know Whitney Houston hasn’t put out anything that’s really worth singing about in the last six years, but several other R&B artists have. Instead of picking a song by someone in a similar genre to her idol Whitney, Lisa made the ultimate faux pas elected to sing an extremely popular song by the very first American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.
Lisa said that Kelly was a huge inspiration for her auditioning for the show and paid tribute to that by singing her 2005 hit “Because of You”. I just don’t know what is wrong with my baby girl. When she makes it big, and I have no doubt that she will, she will definitely have to have someone pick and arrange her songs for her. Because the arrangement she belted out did not suit her voice at all. It actually sounded like she was screeching to music.
Randy Jackson was in the unlucky position of being the first to give Lisa the honest truth about her performance. To soften the blow he said, “what an interesting way to start off the night by doing a huge hit song by a former AI winner and really do an OK version of it.” He summed up his thoughts by saying. “it was really just alright for me.”
The crowd made it known that his comments were disliked by loudly booing. Lisa on the other hand expressed her displeasure, by pouting. To both reactions, Randy simply expressed that he had to keep it real.
Paula Abdul said there was no doubt that Lisa could sing her butt off, but then pointed out that when you take a song that’s so popular, especially from a girl who started and got her whole career from this show, you have to take it and put a twist on the song so there’s not comparison.
In response to Paula’s comments, Simon Cowell said there was nothing Lisa could do with the song, because the song was too big for her voice. And if that wasn’t enough of a blow to the poor child’s ego, he went on to say that there were parts of Lisa’s performance that were actually painful. The crowd was outraged by the remark and Lisa bit her lip and nearly cried.
Like fellow judge Randy, Simon decided to fire back at the crowd. He told the audience and Lisa, that “everything sounds great her tonight because we are all having a lovely time, but watch it back on TV and you’ll know what I mean. It didn’t work. Sorry.” Hey at least he apologized.
Kellie Pickler followed Lisa. And I was thinking there’s not much she could do that would be worst than what Lisa just did, but I was wrong. Kellie picked some song called “Suds in the Bucket” from 2002 by an artist named Sara Evans.
It was good to see Kellie stay true to her roots, but maybe her pink corset was too tight or perhaps it was her jeans, because she just looked so uncomfortable. I mean it didn’t look like she was enjoying the song at all. In fact, it even seemed as if she was surprised b the positive response she received, from the audience, at the end of her song.
Randy continued to be puzzled by the song choices. He added that the song Kellie chose wasn’t exciting enough for her voice. He also said that the maybe she was better than the song and that it didn’t show enough of her for him.
Paula went one step further and emphatically stated that Kellie was way better than the song. Paula broke it down by saying the song didn’t show Kellie’s personality.
Simon said it best. He sullenly bemoaned “You have six years of songs to choose from and you chose a song called Soap Suds in a Bucket. I mean come on there are thousands of songs to choose from and you chose some gimmicky, rodeo, lassoing song.”
The Ace of Hearts, Ace Young, appeared in the third slot this week. Ace decided to do a rock song this week and he picked “Drops of Jupiter”, which was released by Train in 2001.
I liked the song he picked and I really liked the way he sang it. And I totally think he cheated when he began opening his collar to expose more of his chest and a silver chain. Of course we found out later when Paula was judging Ace’s performance that it was a scar he was trying to give us a peek at while he was singing the lyric the “one without a permanent scar”.
Randy was not moved by the peek fest. He said once again completely the wrong song for you and you didn’t sing it well. Randy said he thinks Ace has a soul vibe like N’Sync and that the he didn’t like the rock song Ace sung.
Paula said that the performance was refreshing after last two. Then she said that Ace had chosen some really great song choices in the past, but that this one was not her most favorite song choice. But that she still thinks he did a good job. She also asked him to tell her later how he got the aforementioned scar.
I thought Simon was going to have to douse Paula with his drink to calm her down. But once he got the situation under control, Simon explained that the theme of the show was 21st century and that all the idol contestants had an opportunity to prove that they were as good as all the contemporary artists around today. Obviously, Simon didn’t think Ace was in the same league, because Simon told Ace that his vocals were not great. Then he pulled out his favorite comment by calling the performance karaoke.
Through Ryan’s interviewing we ultimately learned that Ace got the scar from an accident he suffered when he fell on a rebar while playing basketball.
The Soul Patrolmen Taylor Hicks followed Ace. After to shouting out to all his fans Taylor sang a song called “Trouble” from 2004, from Australian artist Ray Lamontagne. I liked the way Taylor sounded, but it seemed like he was having trouble keeping up with the band, or they with him. This seemed especially true when he paused and cupped his ear.
However being the true professional that he is, Taylor worked it out and stayed on course. And just let me say that I truly appreciated the fact that he decided to forgo the dancing this week.
Randy took a minute to point out that the purpose of tonight’s show was to show us what kind of record they’d make. Randy said he imagines that the song Taylor sung was close to the type of record Taylor would make, but that it wasn’t a great song to show off Taylor’s voice.
Paula thought it was nice to see Taylor just stand behind the mic and sing a song. She then added that even though Taylor is young (he’s 29 years old) that he has an old soul and is teaching the new generation a lot about the legends he looks ups to. She concluded by saying that she thinks that’s great.
Simon said he quite liked the song and that Taylor put down some excellent vocals. There were finally cheers from the audience for Simon.
Unfortunately, Simon doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. He said his only problem with Taylor was his styling, which Simon referred to as all Clay Aiken. Simon followed that up by saying that he liked the fact that Taylor was different and stood out. Simon then referred to Taylor’s look on Tuesday as pop schoolish.
Mandisa, in all her glory, graced the stage next. She picked the 2000 R&B / Gospel hit “Wanna Praise You (Shackles on my Feet)” by the sister due Mary, Mary. She said every since she heard it on the radio she’d been singing it in church. Mandisa also said that the song served as a testimony that nothing is too hard for God.
I have to tell you that I love this song and I too remember hearing it on the radio and being elated that there was finally a jamming song out there with positive lyrics. I must admit, though, that I did not love this song on Mandisa. Maybe it was the song choice or perhaps it was the arrangement. I’m actually starting to think the band had an off night. Whatever the reason it basically sounded like more screeching to music.
Randy said there was no question that Mandisa can sing. He even called her one of the best singers in this, but he said he didn’t get the song choice.
Paula irresponsibly commented that there was a new religion and 40 million people have just joined the church of Mandisa. Of course as any true Christian could imagine, Mandisa was not at all comfortable with the statement, vehemently shaking her head in protest.
Paula then offered Mandisa a bit of constructive criticism by telling her that since she is such a brilliant singer, she color up her next performance with a little vulnerability.
Simon thought Mandisa performance was a bit indulgent. He also told her that is was not for him.
Chris Daughtry would follow Mandisa this week. However, before he sang he had to set the record straight about his performance of Johnny Cash’s “Walk the Line”. Like me, I’m sure the AI producers were flooded with emails from angry Live fans, who claim that Chris “stole” his so-called original arrangement of the classic song from them.
Chris gave the group their props be saying he worshipped them and he also readily admitted to performing their version of the song.
Another concern that Ryan wanted Chris to address was his ability to deliver a love song. Chris assured Ryan that he had a little experience in that area. But he would not be showcasing those talents just yet. This week he pressed full throttle ahead with a gut busting rock tune. His song of choice – Creed’s 2000 hit “What If”.
Randy said he liked the song choice because we can tell what kind of record you’d make. Then Randy informed Chris that he didn’t think it was his best vocals because he was sharp during most of the song.
Paula simply reiterated that she was one of Chris’s biggest fans.
Simon told Chris that for the first time he was going to be negative about his performance. Chris promptly corrected Simon letting him know that it was the second time. After Chris’s correction, Simon continued by once again calling an idol’s performance indulgent.
Simon said there’s a line you don’t cross and that Creed wouldn’t be caught dead on American Idol. He warned Chris to remember that what show he is on and recommended that he start showing a different side of himself. Simon added that he felt that Chris has taken the rock thing too far.
OK, I have never found Katharine McPhee to be a very engaging while on stage. I believe she is an excellent singer, but merely a so-so performer. At any rate I found myself anxiously awaiting her performance and hoping that she would save not only the day, but the century as well.
Kat chose a Christina Aguilera song. The 2004inspirational ballad “The Voice Within”. A lofty song that Kat wanted to sing because she loves Christina Aguilera and because she has learned from the competition that you can only trust yourself. Well I love Christina Aguilera as well and I think Kat did a good job vocally with her song, but I was anything by inspired by her delivery of it.
As if she needed to hear it again, Randy told Kat that he was one of her biggest fans. Then he said he like the song choice and that Kat sang it just like the record. He told Kat that the performance was good, but that she didn’t bring anything new to it.
Paula said they normally stress that if an idol is going to sing a Celine or Christina song, they need to change it up a bit. But in Kat’s case, Paula didn’t think that she needed to change a thing. Paula also said that she thought that Christina would be honored that Kat sang her song.
Simon told Kat he thought she was the best tonight and that her performance was almost as good as Christina’s.
Bucky Covington also got backed to his country roots this week. He chose a song by the king of country music himself, Mr. Tim McGraw. Bucky picked Tim’s 2002 hit “Real Good Man”. Bucky’s reason for selecting the song was simple, he flat out likes it.
Personally, I love anything Tim McGraw sings. I own all of his CDs and have seen him several times in concert. I was sure hoping Bucky could live up to the reputation of the song.
Donned in a black hat, to pay tribute to the original artist, Bucky did Tim and his legions of fans proud. Bucky’s wife certainly looked pleased with his performance.
Randy said the song was definitely the right kind of song for Bucky and that he liked that performance better (than last week’s).
Paula started off rambling. She said that the country tune was familiar to Bucky because that’s what he does. Then lo and behold she actually had something worthwhile to say. She cautioned Bucky to be careful of his diction when on stage because so we could everything he is saying.
Simon stated off by saying he actually agreed with Paula about not being able to understand a single word Bucky was saying. Then he said the performance was OK, but that if it was a paid concert he would have left. Simon also called Bucky’s performance unimpressive and accused Bucky of winging it. To be honest, I think Simon just doesn’t like Bucky.
Paris Bennett was next up. She selected a song by my homegirl Beyonce, her 2003 hit “Work It Out”. Princess P said she picked the girl because she wanted the opportunity to be young and the chance to dance a little bit.
Well she got the Beyonce boot bounce down pack, but that was about it. I was not feeling her vocals at all. But her energy was amazing.
Randy was impressed, though. He called Paris’ performance fearless. In addition, he labeled it da bomb and Paris a hot one.
Paula pointed out to Paris that she said she wanted to be a kid tonight, but that the moves she was dropping were not kid moves. Paula added that Beyonce is probably going oh my God. Then Paula suggested that the Pussycat Dolls might be calling her to star in their show. Paris if they call I suggest you hang up because they are already splitting their money too many ways.
Simon thought the performance was precocious and that Paris looked like a little girl pretending to be Beyonce. To which Simon went whoopee! It might be worth mentioning that Simon does not particularly care for Beyonce as an artist.
Elliot Yamin closed the show this week with a song by Gavin DeGraw. The overly done 2003 tune “I Don’t’ Want To Be”. Elliot’s rendition was definitely different and soulful, but with the amazing run that R&B crooner Usher had a year ago, where was the “Burn” or “Lovers and Friends”. The crowd wasn’t fazed by the song choice, they seemed to love it.
Randy was quite sure about the arrangement but thought it was hot nonetheless.
Paula loved the arrangement as well and thought that Elliot successfully made it his own. Then Paula called Elliot one funky white boy.
Simon said it was a great song with good vocals, but that it had a terrible arrangement. Simon also dissed Elliot’s dancing, calling it hideous.
This week I would have to say the best performances were delivered by Bucky and Taylor. On the other end of the spectrum, I would have to say that the bottom three will probably consist of:
Lisa
Kellie
Mandisa
With Lisa more than likely being the one sent home.
