Andrew Garcia, welcome back to the competition. While taking on "Forever", a song immortalized by a bridal party entrance last summer, Andrew actually brought himself back into the minds of those watching American Idol by infusing the song with a fresh arrangement. I knew he was capable of providing a refreshing take on songs, and tonight he reaffirmed that by putting a great spin on "Forever". Great addition of the strings, and loved using a percussionist on the cajon, my personal favorite percussion instrument of the moment.
By proving himself as a legitimate contender once again, he made the other ones who are not that much more obvious. Tonight I felt was a real breakdown of the "haves" and the "have nots".
The other "haves" tonight were Casey, Lee, Crystal and Mike, all of whom are quickly establishing themselves as the top 5 to beat. My problem with Casey is that he's just too...stiff. And, he has two moves. One of them is stepping up to the mic with the guitar. The other is stepping away from the mic with the guitar. And it all happens with literally two steps, or, really, one rocking motion. Kind of like a pivot. So, Casey has one pivot, and he doesn't stop smiling the whole time. Only, it's not a happy smile. It's more like a "I'm in a beauty pageant" smile. Forced, fake and uncomfortable. He's a great performer, don't get me wrong, but he's just not showing me that he really likes this ride. He's not comfortable.
Lee is the same way. Fantastic voice, but treats being on stage like getting a shot at the doctor. He has to go through it, but he's really glad once it's done because he doesn't have to do it again till next week. He strikes me as a guy who will do some great tracks on a CD, and a guy whose record I might actually have an interest in, but not a guy I'd go and see in concert.
Crystal was good tonight. I'm not going to knock her. At all. Just because she wasn't behind the guitar doesn't mean she was bad. It was a change, and I think if she receives criticism, it'll be because people fear change. People will say she had a good thing going with the guitar, why leave it? I think that's ridiculous. She's a top tier performer, no matter where she is or what she's doing. Tonight was her best of the season, but by no means was it poor. She simply got outshone by a few other performances.
Big Mike was also good, not great. I'm starting to get annoyed by his whiny, soul voice a little bit, but that doesn't mean he doesn't bring it every week (that sorta sounded like Randy). The gist of it is, Mike won't have to worry about any votes until it gets down to the top 5. Then, he might have to do a little something else with his voice. For now though, he's fine coasting along, doing safe songs that are in his wheelhouse.
The rest of the performers fall into my "have nots" category. I seriously couldn't distinguish the rest of tonight's performances from each other. Siobahn was pitchy (I don't know man, for me, it was pitchy dawg). Didi was boring. Katie shouldn't be singing Aretha. Aaron sang a song that's been sung by everyone and their mother's mother. Tim sucks.
I think tonight that Siobahn was actually revealed for who I feared she might be. She really had some pitch problems tonight, and I discovered that when she isn't power shrieking her top notes, she has a hard time singing out her upper range. She had a hard time finding the right note to sing when the song got higher, and she just never looked comfortable singing that song. I think this is a truth about Siobahn, and the further she goes into the contest, the more obvious this flaw will become.
I think Didi has worn out her welcome with America. She's got a cute voice, and a nice stage presence, but it's quickly becoming apparent that she just can't hack it with the best of this season.
Poor Aaron. Has he watched American Idol before this season? If he had, he would've known not to choose "Ain't No Sunshine", because Kris Allen most recently knocked that out of the park. Aaron didn't do a terrible job on that song. But comparatively speaking, he was just sub par with others who have done it. Even on the whole night, he was sub par. It just wasn't an interesting performance tonight.
I'm sorry, but no skinny white girl with a mediocre voice should EVER take on Aretha Franklin. I can't help but imagine Aretha sitting at home, watching tonight's performance, shaking her head over what has become of her once great song. It's been butchered by karaoke singers in probably every state, and she deserves better than that. Tonight, it was sung with amazing karaoke quality by Katie. If she were singing it at a bar, I'd have given her a round of applause, and then gone back to eating bar pretzels and finishing my black and tan, never giving a second thought to what I just heard, because it just blended into the background noise.
And Tim, well, come on. What more criticism could the judges offer except the one, glaringly obvious truth that they can't say on TV: "I don't know why we picked you to be in the top 24". They won't say it, but every comment they make, every joke they offer every week just dances around that one statement. They really want to admit that it was a mistake to put him in the top 24 and give America a chance to vote for his cuteness, but they won't. To do so would lessen the credibility of American Idol, whatever credibility it has left.
So, all that being said, tonight's Idol Rankings:
1. Andrew. 2. Lee. 3. Casey. 4. Crystal. 5. Mike. 6. Siobahn. 7-10 (whatever order...doesn't matter). Didi, Aaron, Katie and Tim.
Tomorrow night's bottom 3: Katie, Tim and Didi.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Karaoke Gone Wild
Alright, let's get one thing straight. There is a clear line between everyone else and Crystal. The simple fact is...Crystal feels what she sings. She puts her heart and soul into a song, and as a result, you get a straight forward, no cheese, honest to goodness REAL song. She enjoys it, does it for the music, and really makes it work.
Then, there's the rest of the bunch. Siobahn is close to joining Crystal in that category of performers I'd stop doing anything to watch, but not just yet. Michael is close as well, but his cheese factor grates on me a little bit.
But the rest of them. I mean, really? Am I going to stop what I'm doing so I can listen to 2 minutes of Paige Miles taking 2 minutes to find the right pitch? Do I need to continue to sit down and not only watch Aaron Kelly swoon over Miley Cyrus, but then go out and sing a song that's been sung by every drunk wedding karaoke singer with just a little bit of talent? Is Tim Urban worth anyone's time?
Now, I don't want to forget Lee Dewyze. He's got some great gruff to his voice. But, he's a poor man's Danny Gokey. Or David Cook. He has the chops, but not the presence. He's got the voice, but not the power. I just kinda wish the guy would have some fun on the stage. Have some fun with the audience. Have fun with the cameras. Don't treat it like you're singing at a Miss America pageant.
Casey made a decent comeback tonight, but it's just so obvious that both he and Andrew Garcia started with full heads of steam, but now are losing quite a bit of it. I loathe the fact that Andrew is still compared to a Paula Abdul song he covered in Hollywood week, and that the judges still haven't commented on Casey's weird warble in his voice. Am I the only one noticing this? Casey has all the stage presence of a Mr. Potato Head. He smiles, and responds to stimulus, but I get the feeling he'd be just fine sitting in the studio, riffing on the guitar and recording songs.
But here's the bottom line: Of Katie Stevens, Tim Urban, and Paige Miles...two of those are going on the top 10 tour this summer. So now, for the low low price of 54 dollars a ticket (starting price), you can hear any 2 of those 3 try and find their pitch for two and a half hours in concert! Doesn't that just make you excited?
I'm baffled too, by the judges. They ripped apart Paige. They tore apart Tim. They didn't like Andrew. They knew Katie was pitchy and all over the place. Yet, these are people THEY CHOSE to put in the top 24. Seriously? There weren't 1000 other guys who looked similar to Tim Urban who were more talented than him? Are you honestly telling me that Paige Miles was one of THE BEST black girls to put in the top 24, and that there weren't another 1000 who were better than her? These are two of the people we have to vote for?
Idol producers, and judges (if you had any say in it, beyond what Simon Fuller had to say)...you have done America a disservice this season. You've highlighted the supremely talented by surrounding her with poop. Crystal deserves better competition.
All that being said...here's tonight's Idol Rankings: 1. Crystal. 2. Michael. 3. Siobahn. 4. Lee. 5. Casey. 6. Didi. 7. Aaron. 8. Andrew. 9. Katie. 25&26 (where they belonged when the top 24 were chosen). Tim and Paige.
Ironically, Tim was #25. If only Chris Golightly hadn't been disqualified...
Then, there's the rest of the bunch. Siobahn is close to joining Crystal in that category of performers I'd stop doing anything to watch, but not just yet. Michael is close as well, but his cheese factor grates on me a little bit.
But the rest of them. I mean, really? Am I going to stop what I'm doing so I can listen to 2 minutes of Paige Miles taking 2 minutes to find the right pitch? Do I need to continue to sit down and not only watch Aaron Kelly swoon over Miley Cyrus, but then go out and sing a song that's been sung by every drunk wedding karaoke singer with just a little bit of talent? Is Tim Urban worth anyone's time?
Now, I don't want to forget Lee Dewyze. He's got some great gruff to his voice. But, he's a poor man's Danny Gokey. Or David Cook. He has the chops, but not the presence. He's got the voice, but not the power. I just kinda wish the guy would have some fun on the stage. Have some fun with the audience. Have fun with the cameras. Don't treat it like you're singing at a Miss America pageant.
Casey made a decent comeback tonight, but it's just so obvious that both he and Andrew Garcia started with full heads of steam, but now are losing quite a bit of it. I loathe the fact that Andrew is still compared to a Paula Abdul song he covered in Hollywood week, and that the judges still haven't commented on Casey's weird warble in his voice. Am I the only one noticing this? Casey has all the stage presence of a Mr. Potato Head. He smiles, and responds to stimulus, but I get the feeling he'd be just fine sitting in the studio, riffing on the guitar and recording songs.
But here's the bottom line: Of Katie Stevens, Tim Urban, and Paige Miles...two of those are going on the top 10 tour this summer. So now, for the low low price of 54 dollars a ticket (starting price), you can hear any 2 of those 3 try and find their pitch for two and a half hours in concert! Doesn't that just make you excited?
I'm baffled too, by the judges. They ripped apart Paige. They tore apart Tim. They didn't like Andrew. They knew Katie was pitchy and all over the place. Yet, these are people THEY CHOSE to put in the top 24. Seriously? There weren't 1000 other guys who looked similar to Tim Urban who were more talented than him? Are you honestly telling me that Paige Miles was one of THE BEST black girls to put in the top 24, and that there weren't another 1000 who were better than her? These are two of the people we have to vote for?
Idol producers, and judges (if you had any say in it, beyond what Simon Fuller had to say)...you have done America a disservice this season. You've highlighted the supremely talented by surrounding her with poop. Crystal deserves better competition.
All that being said...here's tonight's Idol Rankings: 1. Crystal. 2. Michael. 3. Siobahn. 4. Lee. 5. Casey. 6. Didi. 7. Aaron. 8. Andrew. 9. Katie. 25&26 (where they belonged when the top 24 were chosen). Tim and Paige.
Ironically, Tim was #25. If only Chris Golightly hadn't been disqualified...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
America Got it Wrong
Tim Urban, Katie Stevens and Paige Miles make up three of the top 12 spots on American Idol.
Now, I agree, this is actually a pretty down year for contestants. The talent level the judges and producers sent through this year is actually a lot lower than previous years. Especially compared to last year.
But when you allow a guy like Tim Urban to waltz into the top 12 and represent the best of the best of 100,000 plus American Idol auditioners...well, if I were Ben Calhoun, I'd be upset.
Because I know Ben Calhoun auditioned for this show. Ben is the lead singer of a band called "The Least of These." If you don't know them, or haven't checked out their stuff, you'd be wise to check it out. Ben is one of the more talented musicians and singers I've ever known. He makes most of the other contestants look silly this year.
Point is, Ben is an amazing guitarist, singer, and he's a decent looking dude. How a guy like Tim Urban could make it over Ben, out of 100,000 people that auditioned...blows my mind.
It's amazing that Tim was even invited back after Chris Golightly was disqualified. Yet, with the help of the massive teenage, and perhaps, VFTW vote, he continues on, out of tune and all, for at least another week.
Hopefully this season is salvaged by Crystal or Lee. Because you're not going to have Lilly or Todrick to save the show each week, as we sit through one bad performance after another.
Bad job tonight America. Bad job. Katie Stevens? Really?
Now, I agree, this is actually a pretty down year for contestants. The talent level the judges and producers sent through this year is actually a lot lower than previous years. Especially compared to last year.
But when you allow a guy like Tim Urban to waltz into the top 12 and represent the best of the best of 100,000 plus American Idol auditioners...well, if I were Ben Calhoun, I'd be upset.
Because I know Ben Calhoun auditioned for this show. Ben is the lead singer of a band called "The Least of These." If you don't know them, or haven't checked out their stuff, you'd be wise to check it out. Ben is one of the more talented musicians and singers I've ever known. He makes most of the other contestants look silly this year.
Point is, Ben is an amazing guitarist, singer, and he's a decent looking dude. How a guy like Tim Urban could make it over Ben, out of 100,000 people that auditioned...blows my mind.
It's amazing that Tim was even invited back after Chris Golightly was disqualified. Yet, with the help of the massive teenage, and perhaps, VFTW vote, he continues on, out of tune and all, for at least another week.
Hopefully this season is salvaged by Crystal or Lee. Because you're not going to have Lilly or Todrick to save the show each week, as we sit through one bad performance after another.
Bad job tonight America. Bad job. Katie Stevens? Really?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Why the Guys are better than the girls...
Tonight's Guys Idol Rankings:
1. Big Mike. 2. Lee. 3. Todrick. 4. Andrew. 5. Alex. 6. Aaron. 7. Casey. 8. Tim.
I didn't understand why Kara was crying, but big Mike definitely put on an amazing performance tonight. I was leery at the beginning when he started off falsetto, thinking to myself "uh oh, this can't be going anywhere good". But he made it happen, and I think established himself as the best pure power voice in the competition.
Lee took on a risky move, covering Owl City, but he did a great job, making it a pretty sweet acoustic rock cover of "Fireflies". I think it's pretty clear he's the rocker of the group, the closest thing to a David Cook this season has.
The only other guy really worth mentioning is Todrick, who I thought actually might have deserved the top spot, if not for some pretty great numbers that keep him at 3. Is there anyone else bringing the power, energy, and creativity to their songs this season better than Todrick? I haven't seen anyone yet infuse a song with as much energy as he does.
Andrew Garcia was good, and he's got a for sure spot in the top 6, if America does him justice. I hope to see him maybe infuse some future songs with a Latin flavor, or maybe even sing some Spanish in the future.
After Garcia, the field narrows considerably. Casey just wasn't good tonight, and I'm beginning to think he may not have what it takes to last real long, assuming he makes the top 12. Tomorrow night's show I think comes down to these three guys: Aaron, Alex, and Tim. If anyone outside of those three guys heads home, it will be a real upset, because the talent level is much higher outside of those three.
But really, I don't agree with what many people are saying in regards to the talent level this year being heavily weighted for the girls. I think the guys showed 4 really good performances tonight, more than you can say last night about the ladies. I think in general, their creativity and vocal power outdo what the ladies have done so far. Stage presence, originality, and pure energy seem to be on the guys side, and, it makes for a more interesting show. I was much more satisfied after watching the guys perform tonight than I was with the girls last night.
So, tomorrow night, my prediction for who goes home is this:
Paige, Lacey, Alex, and Tim.
Anyone outside of those 4, you can consider it quite the upset. Really, a Katie Stevens doesn't deserve to be in the top 12, but you all voted her in there!
1. Big Mike. 2. Lee. 3. Todrick. 4. Andrew. 5. Alex. 6. Aaron. 7. Casey. 8. Tim.
I didn't understand why Kara was crying, but big Mike definitely put on an amazing performance tonight. I was leery at the beginning when he started off falsetto, thinking to myself "uh oh, this can't be going anywhere good". But he made it happen, and I think established himself as the best pure power voice in the competition.
Lee took on a risky move, covering Owl City, but he did a great job, making it a pretty sweet acoustic rock cover of "Fireflies". I think it's pretty clear he's the rocker of the group, the closest thing to a David Cook this season has.
The only other guy really worth mentioning is Todrick, who I thought actually might have deserved the top spot, if not for some pretty great numbers that keep him at 3. Is there anyone else bringing the power, energy, and creativity to their songs this season better than Todrick? I haven't seen anyone yet infuse a song with as much energy as he does.
Andrew Garcia was good, and he's got a for sure spot in the top 6, if America does him justice. I hope to see him maybe infuse some future songs with a Latin flavor, or maybe even sing some Spanish in the future.
After Garcia, the field narrows considerably. Casey just wasn't good tonight, and I'm beginning to think he may not have what it takes to last real long, assuming he makes the top 12. Tomorrow night's show I think comes down to these three guys: Aaron, Alex, and Tim. If anyone outside of those three guys heads home, it will be a real upset, because the talent level is much higher outside of those three.
But really, I don't agree with what many people are saying in regards to the talent level this year being heavily weighted for the girls. I think the guys showed 4 really good performances tonight, more than you can say last night about the ladies. I think in general, their creativity and vocal power outdo what the ladies have done so far. Stage presence, originality, and pure energy seem to be on the guys side, and, it makes for a more interesting show. I was much more satisfied after watching the guys perform tonight than I was with the girls last night.
So, tomorrow night, my prediction for who goes home is this:
Paige, Lacey, Alex, and Tim.
Anyone outside of those 4, you can consider it quite the upset. Really, a Katie Stevens doesn't deserve to be in the top 12, but you all voted her in there!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
American Idol 3/9
Tonight's Girls Idol Rankings: 1. Crystal. 2. Lilly. 3. Lacey. 4. Didi. 5. Siobahn. 6. Katelyn.
7. Katie. 8. Paige.
Unfortunately for Paige, it's the end of the road. There couldn't have been a poorer performance of "Smile" than the one she did tonight. It was painful. As sweet as it is to hear that she had emotion going into that song, it also greatly affected her performance.
Katie, unfortunately, has the vote from the public. She's got a strong likability factor, and despite the fact that she made that Kelly Clarkson song worse, she won't be going home.
Going home will be Lacey Brown, who doesn't deserve to go home after a really nice performance tonight. She was singing the right song for her, and she was nearly pitch perfect the entire thing. It's too bad that America won't be voting for her over Katie Stevens.
Crystal continues to prove that it's her, and then everyone else. No one else has shown the passion and desire to do a really, really, really good performance every week like Crystal has. She's the David Cook of the women this year. If she doesn't have a guaranteed top 5 overall spot on American Idol, it'll be a crying shame.
I was noticing tonight, perhaps for the first time in my seasons of watching this show, that this season, at least for the women, seems to be glorified karaoke so far (minus Crystal, and to an extent, Lilly). They all seem like they're happy getting up there and doing a really nice karaoke version of the songs they're singing. Siobahn is a terrific singer, but even after her performance I felt like I could've heard that in a bar somewhere.
I don't know...am I crazy? Or is the quality of the singers less this season? I mean, when girls like Katie Stevens, Paige Miles and Katelyn Epperly can compete for top 6 girls, that doesn't get me excited about watching the show each week, looking forward to when they get to perform. Hopefully something changes between now and when they get on the big stage with the big time band and audience.
When Thursday night rolls around, you'll see Lacey Brown and Paige Miles as the two girls who will not be among your top 6. Which leaves Crystal, Lilly, Didi, Siobahn, Katie and Katelyn. Clear line in the sand drawn between your top 4 and Katie and Katelyn. Is there anyone else to get excited about besides Crystal?
7. Katie. 8. Paige.
Unfortunately for Paige, it's the end of the road. There couldn't have been a poorer performance of "Smile" than the one she did tonight. It was painful. As sweet as it is to hear that she had emotion going into that song, it also greatly affected her performance.
Katie, unfortunately, has the vote from the public. She's got a strong likability factor, and despite the fact that she made that Kelly Clarkson song worse, she won't be going home.
Going home will be Lacey Brown, who doesn't deserve to go home after a really nice performance tonight. She was singing the right song for her, and she was nearly pitch perfect the entire thing. It's too bad that America won't be voting for her over Katie Stevens.
Crystal continues to prove that it's her, and then everyone else. No one else has shown the passion and desire to do a really, really, really good performance every week like Crystal has. She's the David Cook of the women this year. If she doesn't have a guaranteed top 5 overall spot on American Idol, it'll be a crying shame.
I was noticing tonight, perhaps for the first time in my seasons of watching this show, that this season, at least for the women, seems to be glorified karaoke so far (minus Crystal, and to an extent, Lilly). They all seem like they're happy getting up there and doing a really nice karaoke version of the songs they're singing. Siobahn is a terrific singer, but even after her performance I felt like I could've heard that in a bar somewhere.
I don't know...am I crazy? Or is the quality of the singers less this season? I mean, when girls like Katie Stevens, Paige Miles and Katelyn Epperly can compete for top 6 girls, that doesn't get me excited about watching the show each week, looking forward to when they get to perform. Hopefully something changes between now and when they get on the big stage with the big time band and audience.
When Thursday night rolls around, you'll see Lacey Brown and Paige Miles as the two girls who will not be among your top 6. Which leaves Crystal, Lilly, Didi, Siobahn, Katie and Katelyn. Clear line in the sand drawn between your top 4 and Katie and Katelyn. Is there anyone else to get excited about besides Crystal?
American Idol Tonight
The top 8 girls compete tonight, and if I'm being honest, I'm not all that excited about it.
Outside of Crystal and possibly Siobahn (based on last week's performance), I don't see a lot exciting potential here. At least, nothing that would make me want to watch week after week. Didi has got some chops, but may be too much of an emotional wreck to keep going on the show. A re-incarnation of Brooke White.
I don't see the same potential with this year's group of girls that there has been in the past. There's no "knock your socks off" singer in the group, like a LaToya or Carrie Underwood. There are some real nice singers, with some nice songs chosen, but no one who gives me goosebumps.
Call me a cynic, or someone who longs for the "good ole days", but the only person so far who has displayed any originality or interest is Crystal. She's a refreshing performer who doesn't buy into the Hollywood type of mindset. She's not caught up in the show of it all. She just gets up there, plays her guitar, sings her heart out, and does it with an air of authenticity.
She'll put on a great performance again tonight, hopefully stay healthy, and make it into the top 6 girls. Because she's the only one, so far, that I'd want to watch each week. Maybe tonight's performances by the others will change my mind?
Outside of Crystal and possibly Siobahn (based on last week's performance), I don't see a lot exciting potential here. At least, nothing that would make me want to watch week after week. Didi has got some chops, but may be too much of an emotional wreck to keep going on the show. A re-incarnation of Brooke White.
I don't see the same potential with this year's group of girls that there has been in the past. There's no "knock your socks off" singer in the group, like a LaToya or Carrie Underwood. There are some real nice singers, with some nice songs chosen, but no one who gives me goosebumps.
Call me a cynic, or someone who longs for the "good ole days", but the only person so far who has displayed any originality or interest is Crystal. She's a refreshing performer who doesn't buy into the Hollywood type of mindset. She's not caught up in the show of it all. She just gets up there, plays her guitar, sings her heart out, and does it with an air of authenticity.
She'll put on a great performance again tonight, hopefully stay healthy, and make it into the top 6 girls. Because she's the only one, so far, that I'd want to watch each week. Maybe tonight's performances by the others will change my mind?
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