Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Cherry Trees, Styx and...the BEATLES?!?!!?

A strange night on Idol. Paris was great, Elliot was....Elliot, Chris rocked Styx, Taylor CHEATED and Catharine had her "moment". It's actually a bummer that one of these five has to go home, especially since it'll be Paris and she's a good enough singer to make the top-three.

1. Chris (Renegade, I Dare You) - I wish I has put it in print last week, when I heard they were doing songs from the year they were born. I was hoping he might get crazy and do a Styx song. I was actually thinking "Babe" would have been a great choice, even though I don't like that song. Instead, you goes the Billy-Madison route with my #2 favorite styx song, and IT ROCKED. The judges didn't like the second song, moreover, they didn't like him singing it, because his voice is TRASHED. So what? He's a hard rocker. With his style of voice, it'll go out on him occasionally. I still liked the song, even though I had never heard of it and still have no idea who sings it. It was a perfect choice for him.

2. Catharine (Against All Odds, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree) Apparently, America stayed focused on her rough first performance because she was second-to-last in voting on Dial Idol. Against All Odds was bad. She was off from the first note and never fully recovered. However, she MORE than make up for it with her second song. I strongly dislike the original version by KT Tunstall, I don't know why. Catharine put enough of her own spin on it, had fun with it and it was FREAKING AMAZING. I don't know what happened with her voice on that first song, because we all know she can sing. Hopefully this won't kill her.

3. Paris (Kiss, Be Without You) If you add in the degree of difficulty that she gave herself tonight, it is all the more remarkable how well she did. I REALLY liked her take on the Prince classic. Then, she goes after, perhaps, the biggest song out there right now (other than "Bad Day") and she did a good job with it. I like Mary J. Blige and Paris didn't quite live up to the original, and she went with a carbon-copy, but it was still pretty damn good.

4. Taylor (Play that Funky Music, Something) - Was it a good move? Probably. Does anyone else even CARE that he didn't choose an actually current song? Probably not. Taylor cheated and took the Beatles "Something" with his second song, since it is currently on the Billboard Catalog Album chart (probably on "1"). At first I was thinking it was weak, but then he sang the song. Holy Crap. Best version of Something since the original.

5. Elliot (On Broadway, Home) - I really wish Simon didn't steal my line: Why on earth would he pick a song where the lines are "I want to go Home"?!?!?! That's just bad kharma. And it's stupid. The good thing is, He sang it VERY well. I love Michael Buble and it wasn't as good as the original, but it was still his best song of the night. I did my whole eyes-closed thing during On Broadway (actually it was eyes-on-the-laundry). I think he sang it very well. There is no doubt that he's a good technical singer. The problem was, I HATE THAT SONG, and just like Simon, it's really easy to be biased against a performance if you can't get turned on by the song.

Bottom two prediction: Paris, Cat

Going Home: Paris.

I think at this point, we are headed for a Taylor/Chris finale, which I think would be the best finale yet. Both of them are out of the American Idol traditional mold and since (other then Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" album) I don't normal like the pop-centric music that this show has spit out, That is a very good thing.

1 comment:

jeric2003 said...

I'm starting to get bored with Chris. His songs all sound the same to me, and he didn't seem phyiscally very into his songs - only his face showed that he was rockin'. I don't need another Star98 rocker out there whose album I'd never buy.

Elliot just doesn't emote well. That doesn't make for a great performer. I wish he'd go already.

I loved Taylor and Paris this week. Who SHOULD win? Paris or Taylor. Who WILL? I don't really care all that much, as long as it's not zero-personality Elliot, and it won't be.