During a season in which we have seen the absurd (Hulk Hogan? Casey Abrams almost kicked off and almost have a heart attack rather than some of the talentless females? Shameless plug for J Lo's new video? Steven Tyler trying to hide his creepiness? Steven Tyler trying to actually be a judge that has something valuable to add? ), we have also been graced with some very strong occurrences (last week's Motown theme week and a much improved Jennifer Lopez, and a very hot Lopez). Tonight fell somewhere in the middle as the contestants took on the songs of Elton John. Apparently this is Elton John week as Idol featured his music tonight and he will be on SNL this weekend.
Scotty McCreery kicked off the night with little known tune "Country Comfort", a song that once again was a fine choice for Idol's good ole country boy. McCreery hit all of the notes, but I simply found tonight's performance boring and lacking a little something. As I thought about this week's theme this morning, I thought that more popular John songs like "Levon" or "Tiny Dancer" would be a perfect fit for this country bumpkin.
The contestant that I hope gets kicked off next, Naima Adedapo, brought Jamaica to the Idol stage with a reggae version of "I'm Still Standing". Unfortunately for Adedapo, she can't sing R&B, Jazz, Reggae, nor any other type of music in tune. As I
Idol's most unique and quietest contestant, Paul McDonald, failed to connect with one of Elton John's best songs,"Rocket Man". At times sounding like he was ahead of the music (and at times behind), McDonald struggled tonight. Like the judges stated, it feels like McDonald is holding back. Expect McDonald to be gone in the next 3-4 weeks as America is going to grow tired of his oddities.
Resident Idol hottie Pia Toscano took on Michael Jackson's favorite song, "Don't Let Your Son Go Down on Me"...wait, I think it might be "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Performing with an almost country twang at times, Toscano proved once again that she can sing a ballad. The question is whether Toscano is really marketable? Take her out of her stripper heels and her short dresses (and trust me, I have in my head...many times) and I have a tough time imagining her on the radio. Outside of a select few leading ladies, many of the females on the radio today don't sing the traditional songs that Toscano seems to take on week after week. As of today, the only way I see Toscano on the radio is as part of a rap-type song like Skylar Grey on Dre/Eminem's "I Need a Doctor" or Rihanna on Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie".
Idol's cheesiest contestant (and very poor man's Enrique Iglesias), Stefano Langone, butchered my favorite John tune, "Tiny Dancer", making me long for the cast in the awesome movie "Almost Famous" singing it on the tour bus. The good news for Langone is that Iglesias bowed out of Britney Spears' tour before it even began so perhaps this train wreck can join another train wreck.
Lauren Alaina performed solidly as she always does with Norma Jean (better known as Marilyn Monroe) tribute song "Candle in the Wind". A very sensitive performance, I would have liked to see the song one octave lower as it seemed a little too high for Alaina. Props to the fashion coordinators for hiding Alaina's Kelly Clarkson-esque curves.
Crazy man James Durbin "rocked" out to "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)". While normally liking Durbin's schizophrenic-like performances, tonight's Wednesday night performance was just alright (and could have gone without the Lambert mid-song squealing). I would have much preferred to see Durbin taking on "I'm Still Standing" or even better "Pinball Wizard". With all that said, it was nice to see someone bring some fun to the show and he always perks up the crowd.
Thia Megia slowed things down again with "Daniel". Looking pained during a few notes, Megia sung the song beautifully, but she simply bored me. Once again, I have trouble finding a way that Megia will make it on the airwaves. I kept waiting to hear the song open up, moving away from the boring ballad and was disappointed to not see that happen.
Sasquatch Casey Abrams cleaned himself up and performed a very tender version of "Your Song". While the performance was strong, I would have liked to see Abrams put some of his own touches on the song which you could almost see occur once or twice, but never come to a full boil. I do hope that America is smarter this week and leaves Abrams off the elimination list. I do fear that Abrams appears to have lost a lot of weight since the beginning of the show, most likely due to his health issues (colitis)...plus I don't know what would happen if he really got kicked off after watching him nearly fall to pieces last week.
Gospel warbler Jacob Lusk wins the award for the contestant who connected most with their song choice. While "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is far from my favorite song, Lusk hits the notes spot on tonight just as he does week after week. Still, I am ready for Lusk to make his exit, record his gospel album, and take his spot amongst the top of the gospel charts....most ready for his exit.
Finishing the night and doing her best Michelle Pfeiffer impersonation, Haley Reinhart did the best job tonight...best job destroying Elton John. The judges loved the performance, however I simply couldn't put my finger on the arrangement (sultry? jazzy? bluesy?). I don't like Reinhart, her voice, or her personality, and I simply want to see her go.
Bottom three may very likely see Naima Adedapo, Stefano Langone, and Paul McDonald...or ideally Reinhart in McDonald's place.
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