Wednesday, March 23. Up until this point, Randy Jackson had emerged as the judge who provided the best critiques of the contestants and didn’t let them slide on “little things” like singing in key while Jennifer Lopez tended to focus more on what was positive, and Steven Tyler, well, he usually thought everything was “beautiful!” So I was pleasantly surprised tonight when Lopez wasn’t content with everyone’s performances and suggested what was missing from them.
This week, everyone had to choose a song from Motown’s impressive catalogue. Two classics sprang to mind that the contestants should not attempt because they were just too frivolous to showcase anyone’s talents: “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Baby Love” both by the Supremes. Luckily, none of the contestants did.
1. Casey Abrams. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”/Marvin Gaye. Kuk Harrell, producer. Harrell told “red beard” to hold back and not scream at the audience all the time. In fact, “restraint” was the word of the week from record executive Jimmy Iovine as well. Abrams tried climbing to the highest note of the song but took a long time getting there on his first attempt. Let’s just say Michael McDonald wasn’t losing any sleep on this one—he hit that note squarely on his amazing 2003 remake. Lopez asserted there was no one like Abrams in music and that he may just have a niche to himself. Jackson called him an original.
2. Thia Megia. “Heat Wave”/Martha & the Vandellas. Kuk Harrell, producer. Great, I thought: She needed to do an uptempo number after three consecutive weeks of ballads and criticism from all three judges last week for those decisions. I could already hear her belting out the “yeah yeah yeah yeah!”s Linda Ronstadt did so well on her 1975 remake. But when she got to that part, the 16-year old sang gentle “ooh”s instead. Huh? C’mon, you’re losing them! Toward the end, she got to the “yeah”s, and she looked happy as she danced around the stage, but I was disappointed that it wasn’t as ferocious a performance as I’d hoped for. Lopez exclaimed it was “great to see you let loose like that! Who knew you could do that? I didn’t!” Jackson said “it’s about taking chances,” and he wanted to see more because “you can really sing.”
3. Jacob Lusk. “You’re All I Need To Get By”/Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. Don Was, producer. Iovine advised the gospel-influenced singer to restrain himself because it he went all out all the time, it wouldn’t make any impression. As much as I’ve hated Lusk from day one, I have to admit he did a good job despite his usual quavering vocals on the verse. Lopez was already jumping up and down in her seat as he sang. In a first, a judge (Steven Tyler) actually went up on stage and hugged him. All three judges gave him a standing ovation. Jackson--who’d already (inaccurately and outrageously) declared a previous performance by Lusk as the best in the history of the show--said the singer could add tonight’s effort as the other best performance asking, “What was wrong with that performance? Absolutely nothing!”
Then it got weird: Lusk’s grandma wanted to hug him from the audience (he singer let her) and host Ryan Seacrest made a joke that everyone from the first row could now get up and do the same. He actually made them do it. Props to Seacrest for a hilarious ad lib.
4. Lauren Alaina. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”/Diana Ross & the Supremes. Rock Mafia, producer. Yarrghh! In the studio, she was already singing this one in the wrong key. Iovine admitted that two weeks ago, he was worried because she was stubborn and insecure and those traits got in the way of her performances. The 16 year old started the song slowly then the S.O.S.-styled guitar riff kicked it into its familiar uptempo groove. When she got to the sassy part, Alaina tried shifting her head back and forth. Only problem was that Lopez did it better in her seat. Alaina’s too young to really pull off the attitude this song required, but she did a passable job. Jackson said she had “swagger on high.”
4. Stefano Langone. “Hello”/Lionel Richie. Rodney Jerkins, producer. During studio rehearsals, Iovine told the contestant he was singing the beginning the song as if he was already in the middle of it. Again: Restrain yourself! It’s crucial advice these young kids need to hear repeatedly because they grew up on Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey/Christina Aguilera who probably looked like deer in the headlights whenever that phrase was suggested to them. Jerkins told Langone to keep his eyes open while singing so he could connect with the audience, which was interesting, as I’ve felt that this guy doesn’t do the latter and as a result, looks like he’s just putting on a show without any sincerity. And whereas most people lose an accent while singing, Langone actually picks up an Italian one while performing! Go figure.
I gave the guy credit for singing the melody of the song differently enough that he made it his own (then again, maybe it was a cop out because he couldn’t navigate the original melody of the verses?). Surprisingly, the judges were harder on him than me. Lopez said, “I don’t want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well. I want the intensity to come from because your heart is breaking.” Wow. Best advice of the night. Jackson agreed that “you sounded good, but there was no real connection.” Tyler also agreed and Lopez added that if he really felt the song, his phrasing would change too.
6. Haley Reinhart. “You Really Got A Hold On Me”/Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Rodney Jerkins, producer. Many of the contestants got a makeover this week, and Reinhart’s curly locks were now straight. She said she didn’t want to be in the bottom three again, and she did a good enough job that she shouldn’t have to worry about that this time. But I have the sneaking suspicion the audience has already made up its mind about her. Jackson felt she started off kind of rough but salvaged it. Tyler: “Beautiful.” Thank you for that, Steven. Lopez made a strange assessment: Reinhart may have the most soulful voice in the competition. What?!
7. Scotty McCreery. “For Once In My Life”/Stevie Wonder. Jim Jonsin, producer. Iovine warned him not to make it sound too “lounge-y,” but I think he did. McCreery sang what was supposed to be a joyous song in—what else?—a country style, and in the beginning, it was rather boring without much emotion. It’s also alarming that that arrogant look I see every week is resembling George W. Bush a bit too much. Tyler again thought it was “beautiful” and said it was like Glen Campbell and Harry Nilsson (what?! Oh, maybe he meant “Everybody’s Talkin’”) who successfully sang country songs that crossed over to the pop audience. Lopez loved his low notes and that he made the song his own but admitted it wasn’t one of his strongest performances. Jackson agreed on the latter point saying he should’ve hit the high notes earlier but that he pulled it off.
8. Pia Toscano. “All In Love Is Fair”/Stevie Wonder. Harvey Mason, Jr., producer. Iovine advised her to get out of her head when she sang and to do it from her heart. Actually, during the verses, she annoyingly tried to channel Mariah Carey with a quavering voice that often segued into unnecessary falsetto. Of course, she eventually displayed her now patented lung power on the long notes, impressing the crowd. Lopez said she was doing everything right but now wanted her to move around as if she owned the stage like Celine Dion would. Jackson, who worked with Carey (for once, he didn’t drop a name; funny how I’m now doing it for him!), so I guess it shouldn’t surprise me he liked the falsetto bit. But he pointed out that Toscano sang ballads every week, and he wanted something with more tempo. Tyler said she was the “closest star in this ‘American Idol’ world,” closing with… wait for it… “it’s just beautiful!”
9. Paul McDonald. “Tracks of My Tears”/Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Jim Jonsin, producer. Iovine suggested McDonald sing the song as if he wrote it. Easier to do because he was allowed to play his guitar on stage. Still, I’m not sure if this guy’s over his cold from last week because he sounded just as weak as he has the past two performance nights. His voice seemed shredded on the bridge of the song, and it got weird when he sang “make up with jooooo!” Uh, that’s “you” for you non-Martians. Jackson was worried about his rough start but that he morphed into a Rod Stewart sound (but doesn’t he always?), and he loved the tender notes at the very end. Tyler said McDonald had a distinctive voice like Bob Dylan or WiIlie Nelson. Lopez said he was probably “the most seasoned performer here.” All he needed was a good producer because he was the “complete package.”
10. Naima Adedapo. “Dancing In the Street”/Martha & the Vandellas. Ron Fair, producer. Seacrest pointed out that Jackson had yet to use the word “pitchy’ all night and that must’ve been a world record. I fully expected him to use it with Adedapo, one of the most inconsistent performers of the Top 13, and I was already predicting she would go home tomorrow night no matter what she sang. But she was smart: She chose a song that begins with a chorus and actually has no verses--meaning she wasn’t going to screw up that part this time. Although she botched “every guy” in the bridge, the structure of the classic allowed her to be upbeat the whole time without having to sing too complicated a melody. Toward the end, she even broke into a 16 second African dance accompanied solely by drums. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she gave one of the best performances of the night. Tyler said she was “the whole package, ate the stage.” Lopez said Adedapo was the first of the contestants to give her goose bumps tonight.
11. James Durbin. “Living For the City”/Stevie Wonder. Don Was, producer. Note for note, the “straight Adam Lambert” delivered, showing off his effortless range. Lopez said it was so good, she was left speechless. Jackson felt he had a rough start but that by the end, it was “unbelievable.”
Overall, the Top 11 did pretty well, so this is difficult, but based on the performances and comments from the judges, I predict the bottom three will be: Stefano Langone, Thia Megia, and Paul McDonald. But last week, the audience demonstrated an independence from the judges by putting Karen Rodriguez in the bottom three for the second week in a row and sending her home. The voters also stuck Haley Reinhart there for the second consecutive week, so if this trend continues, I’d substitute Reinhart for Thia Megia. Going home: Stefano Langone. Check back here tomorrow night for the results.
No comments:
Post a Comment