American Idol: A Disappointing Night

Considering that the theme was 21st century songs tonight, the final 10 should have sparkled.

But I dare say, that this is the worst American Idol episode yet, after the final 12 was chosen. It was all round disappointing and almost everyone the gang underperformed their abilities, tonight - mainly due to poor song selection.


My review of tonight's show (and my own personal rankings based on performance, as usual) are as follows:-

1) Katherine McPhee - Singing Christina Aguilera's "The Voice Within", (which is not entirely her best song choice - it's a tough song) Katherine sounded close to great, but it's certainly, not one of her more memorable performances. Nevertheless, her strong vocals and melodic rendition still ensured that she was the best of the night. And as usual, she looks great!

McPheever lives on!


2) Chris Daughtry - He sang Creed's "What If" tonight and even though Chris still has a rock concert "presence" that outshines most of the other participants, but as Simon pointed out - it was getting kind of stale.

The song was definitely in his genre and he seemed comfortable with it - but there was none of the savvy improvisation, that he's usually known for. His singing was mainstream. Nevertheless, still a class above most others.


3) Paris Bennett - Another one that chose a difficult song - Beyonce's "Work It Out". But as always, Paris is an all-round performer (she danced and wiggled her butt like the sexy-assed Beyonce) and although her vocals are a bit patchy in parts but she ended the song on a strong note, made it her own and showed her unique vocal prowess to good effect.

I'll say this again, about her - someone give this girl a recording contract!


4) Elliot Yamin - What a voice. Singing Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be", Elliot again shows that he can make any song sound fresh with his voice. There are a lot of singers that would have failed at rending this song, but not Elliot.

The song arrangement was a bit awkward and there were parts which looked like he was out of breath - but nevertheless, one of best performances of the night.


5) Mandisa - Usually one of the top 3 performers every week, Mandisa decided to go with something more fun and less challenging this week. Choosing "Wanna Praise You" was not a very good choice and even her great vocals seemed to fit awkardly with the song. (Simon called the song "indulgent" - I so agree!)

It was an average performance for her (which is rare) - but which still means that it's still above average, for the top 10.


6) Taylor Hicks - Truth be told, Taylor was not bad at all, tonight. His dressing was sharp and the song "Trouble" greatly suited his voice and style. Above average performance, and as usual, Taylor is always entertaining. Should still sail through this week.


7) Kellie Pickler - Kellie is not a great singer, but she knows where her strengths lie. She sticks to her comfortable country songs and like our very own Noraniza Idris (who specializes in lagu asli), she shows great flair when it comes to her own niche in country music. I thought her rendition of "Suds in the Bucket" was good and effortless.

But like Chris, (though nowhere near as spellbinding) she's showing a great reluctance of coming out of her comfort zone. It's self-defeating and would greatly limit her opportunities, of advancing further in this competition.


8) Ace Young - This man has a stage presence and boyish good looks that would make teenage girls go ga-ga. And that is his main strength. His voice is only slightly above average - he's good but he'll never be great.

Truth be told, I kinda liked his rendition of "Stars on Jupiter" although I do think that it exceeded his vocal abilities. But it wasn't a bad try at all. With better choice on songs and some innovative improvisations (like the falsetto he used in singing a Michael Jackson song once) - he should outlast some of the better singers above him - because he's versatile.


9) Bucky - I SO want him to be kicked out of the competition. But just like Kellie, (although nowhere near as good as a country singer) he knows where his strengths are. Singing a country song called "Bad Boy" tonight - he slurred a little but looked completely at home, singing country songs.

Unfortunately, not the worst performer of the night. But hell, I hope he gets kicked out next week!


10) Lisa Tucker - This girl has been breaking my heart for weeks now with her song choices and underperformance and this week is no different. There were just too many mistakes.

Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" IS too big for her voice, like Simon pointed out and one cannot help the comparison, reflecting badly on her. The singing was patchy and stretched and her display of emotion, painful. Why she could not have picked a J-Lo ballad or from the Pussycat Dolls (since none of them can really sing) and improve on it, I will never know.

And the reviews from all 3 judges were bad. Lisa had it coming for weeks now and I think she will pay the price this week. It's sad, really - because the girl's voice is certainly top 5, if not top 3 material.

But unlike some of the other worse singers in the group, she does not know what her strengths are. And in a competition like American Idol - that would be fatal.


Pixie - again, whatever you do, don't tell me tomorrow's results, early - although I think the person to be kicked out is pretty obvious,....

I hope next week's American Idol is better! This episode was certainly not worth staying in, for.