American Idol: The Star, The Challenger and The Eliminated
This week's American Idol determines the top 2 who will go on the finals and clinch their recording deals and to stand a chance of becoming the next American Idol.
The final 3 - Taylor, Katherine and Elliot - sang a total of 3 songs each, tonight.
The first song is chosen by record producer Clive Davies (who discovered people like Whitney Houston, R. Kelly, Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Tyler, etc.)
The second song is picked by the judges - Paula picked Elliot's song, Simon picked Katherine's song and Randy picked Taylor's song.
The third song is chosen by finalists themselves. And it is in this area that Taylor Hicks once proved what an intelligent singer and performer, he is.
My assessment and ranking based on tonight's performance, are as follows:-
1) Taylor Hicks - My take is that is he a definite finalist and probably the next American Idol.
His first song was "Dancing In The Dark" and even though his voice was nowhere near Bruce Springsteen's - but it was still a very entertaining performance, with a relatively solid vocal performance. 8 points for this performance.
His next song is chosen by Randy - "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Excellent song choice and Taylor's great tone and tender rendition of it (together with great facial expression) moved me. 9 points for this performance.
His last song (which he picked by himself) was a modified and upbeat version of "Try A Little Tenderness". Another great and intelligent song choice which showed off his vocal abilities and performance polish. 9 points for this one, too.
Total number of points = 26 points.
2) Katherine McPhee - This girl usually does better when someone else picks her songs. And she seems to sing better on her knees, somehow.
Throughout this competition uop till tonight - Katherine has struggled to realize, what songs suit her voice best. So, it was quite lucky for her that 2 out of 3 songs sung tonight, were not chosen by her.
Her first song tonight was a modified "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly. It was slightly oversung (as she has a tendency of doing) but overall, it was not a bad performance, which showed off her vocal prowess. The fact that Simon supported her counts for a lot in her favour. 7.5 points for this performance.
Her second song is probably the song that will push her through the finals. Picked by Simon Cowell - her rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was simply a magical performance - starting out with an acapella and letting that melodic voice take over in a typical musical theatre style, which is definitely her forte. The judges loved it and lapped it up. If she qualifies, she definitely has Simon to thank for it. 9 points for this performance.
Her third song is of her own selection - "Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues" by Ella Fitzgerald. I felt that this was not a very good song choice - singing a blues styled song is not just about having good vocals - it's an attitude. Katherine's always crap at choosing the songs which make her sound good.
And she came out purely singing and not performing it the way it should be performed.
7 points for this performance.
Total number of points: 23.5 points
3) Elliot Yamin - The Elliot we saw last week that pulled up his game, was entirely missing this week. We seem to be back to the Elliot that we had weeks ago - when he ended up in the bottom 3.
Admittedly, song choices had much to with his failing to perform, this week. But there was a little nervousness and under-performance, too.
The first song, "Open Arms" chosen by Clive Davies - is a bit out of Elliot's range and sounded a bit patchy. There were times when his voice was drowned out by the music. He was definitely nervous on this one. 7 points for this performance.
The second song, "What Wouldn't You Do For Love", picked by Paula Abdul was a bit better, but the both the song performance lacked the sparkle needed at this stage of the competition. It was just breezy and entertaining. 7.5 points for this performance.
The third song - Donny Hathaway's version of Ray Charles's "I Believe in My Soul" was a better performance and a definite recovery by Elliot. The song is not very well-known (but this is typical of Elliot who has a penchant for for Donny Hathaway's songs) and was not easy to appreciate - but his singing stood out and saved it. 8 points for this performance.
Total points: 22.5 points
Based on tonight's performance, my pick the final 2 for American Idol will be Taylor and Katherine.
And I think Taylor will win the competition - and deservingly too - he has a feel for music, performance and what sounds good by him.
I think Elliot is likely to be eliminated tomorrow - unless popularity has a say in it - then Katherine will go.
We shall await with bated breath, folks!
The final 3 - Taylor, Katherine and Elliot - sang a total of 3 songs each, tonight.
The first song is chosen by record producer Clive Davies (who discovered people like Whitney Houston, R. Kelly, Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Tyler, etc.)
The second song is picked by the judges - Paula picked Elliot's song, Simon picked Katherine's song and Randy picked Taylor's song.
The third song is chosen by finalists themselves. And it is in this area that Taylor Hicks once proved what an intelligent singer and performer, he is.
My assessment and ranking based on tonight's performance, are as follows:-
1) Taylor Hicks - My take is that is he a definite finalist and probably the next American Idol.
His first song was "Dancing In The Dark" and even though his voice was nowhere near Bruce Springsteen's - but it was still a very entertaining performance, with a relatively solid vocal performance. 8 points for this performance.
His next song is chosen by Randy - "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Excellent song choice and Taylor's great tone and tender rendition of it (together with great facial expression) moved me. 9 points for this performance.
His last song (which he picked by himself) was a modified and upbeat version of "Try A Little Tenderness". Another great and intelligent song choice which showed off his vocal abilities and performance polish. 9 points for this one, too.
Total number of points = 26 points.
2) Katherine McPhee - This girl usually does better when someone else picks her songs. And she seems to sing better on her knees, somehow.
Throughout this competition uop till tonight - Katherine has struggled to realize, what songs suit her voice best. So, it was quite lucky for her that 2 out of 3 songs sung tonight, were not chosen by her.
Her first song tonight was a modified "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly. It was slightly oversung (as she has a tendency of doing) but overall, it was not a bad performance, which showed off her vocal prowess. The fact that Simon supported her counts for a lot in her favour. 7.5 points for this performance.
Her second song is probably the song that will push her through the finals. Picked by Simon Cowell - her rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was simply a magical performance - starting out with an acapella and letting that melodic voice take over in a typical musical theatre style, which is definitely her forte. The judges loved it and lapped it up. If she qualifies, she definitely has Simon to thank for it. 9 points for this performance.
Her third song is of her own selection - "Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues" by Ella Fitzgerald. I felt that this was not a very good song choice - singing a blues styled song is not just about having good vocals - it's an attitude. Katherine's always crap at choosing the songs which make her sound good.
And she came out purely singing and not performing it the way it should be performed.
7 points for this performance.
Total number of points: 23.5 points
3) Elliot Yamin - The Elliot we saw last week that pulled up his game, was entirely missing this week. We seem to be back to the Elliot that we had weeks ago - when he ended up in the bottom 3.
Admittedly, song choices had much to with his failing to perform, this week. But there was a little nervousness and under-performance, too.
The first song, "Open Arms" chosen by Clive Davies - is a bit out of Elliot's range and sounded a bit patchy. There were times when his voice was drowned out by the music. He was definitely nervous on this one. 7 points for this performance.
The second song, "What Wouldn't You Do For Love", picked by Paula Abdul was a bit better, but the both the song performance lacked the sparkle needed at this stage of the competition. It was just breezy and entertaining. 7.5 points for this performance.
The third song - Donny Hathaway's version of Ray Charles's "I Believe in My Soul" was a better performance and a definite recovery by Elliot. The song is not very well-known (but this is typical of Elliot who has a penchant for for Donny Hathaway's songs) and was not easy to appreciate - but his singing stood out and saved it. 8 points for this performance.
Total points: 22.5 points
Based on tonight's performance, my pick the final 2 for American Idol will be Taylor and Katherine.
And I think Taylor will win the competition - and deservingly too - he has a feel for music, performance and what sounds good by him.
I think Elliot is likely to be eliminated tomorrow - unless popularity has a say in it - then Katherine will go.
We shall await with bated breath, folks!
posted by Stingrayz | 3:09 AM
11 Comments:
Correction Ray.
If popularity has a say in tomorrow's votes, then Katherine will most definitely stay. Bear in mind she stayed in the competition despite faring poorly for almost two weeks now. And she kind of redeemed herself today.
Taylor & Elliot have been the underdogs throughout the season and have performed way above everyone's expectation. It didn't seem to be Elliot's night though.
My thoughts is that Katherine will win the competition. She most predictably fits the mould that Americans are used to in their previous American idols winners. And American Idol is most definitely a popularity contest.
But won't it be excellent and wonderfully unpredictable if Taylor wins? Wow, my vote goes for the underdogs.....GO SOUL PATROL!!! Woot!
Anonymous:
Yes, I would definitely love to see Katherine in the finals.
But I think both Elliot and her are the underdogs. And it is Elliot that has performed above expectations, especially in the last round.
Taylor has a huge following (you should just go to some of the American Idol surverys out there) and is definitely the most intelligent and most mature performer, of the 3.
Bear in mind, that Taylor has almost never been in the bottom 3 or 2. But he's been in the top 2, several times.
He's certainly not an underdog - the way he's survived proves that.
I think Taylor will win the competition.
And because it's a popularity contest - the man will not really sell albums but he's definitely great for live performances.
And I'm praying that Katherine will join him in the finals and clinch her recording deal - because I think she deserves one.
But we'll see in less than 10 hours. Let's hope it will be a final that's worth watching.
Ray, I'm sure you agree that Katherine fits the stereotype winner of American Idol that we're all used to. Cue Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood. Furthermore the voting pattern in the actual finals of American Idol tends to favour females over males anyway.
Right now it appears that even the judges are rooting for Katherine, especially Simon Cowell. I mean, can u imagine the look of horror on their faces should Taylor become the next American idol? What a marketing challenge that will be! heheh...
And that's what makes Taylor such an underdog. Because he has an apparent cult following doesn't make him any less of an underdog..surveys mean nothing..I saw a sizeable number of McPheever signs in the audience too...
Sad truth is, Ray - the best singers in the competition left a long time ago. Its obvious that Paris, Chris & Mandisa on their best days out can outsing Taylor, Katherine or Elliot anytime. Like it or not, lets not delude ourselves that AI is a real singing talent contest...
Damn, wish we Malaysians could vote...come on SOUL PATROL!!
.
Dr fade0 does sounds rather nice ... whats that number again?
kat is sooo pretty.. i just wish she stop overdoing things..
Anonymous:
Actually, Simon Cowell predicted that Taylor would win.
And Paula and Randy are crazy about Taylor. And they've been quite hard on Katherine, these last few weeks.
Katherine is not their favourite (Paula even went on record on MSNBC stating that she wanted Elliot to win!)
Yes, Katherine is in the same mould as Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, etc. but I don't think she's as intelligent, in knowing what makes her sound good.
She's young and she needs a lot of guidance.
But put her under some people like David Foster, Clive Davies or Tommy Mottola - and this girl will sell albums and music videos - on a major scale.
But this year's American Idol will break the mould - because it is the best LIVE performer, that will win the competition.
And that is Taylor - hands down. It has been him for a long while now. Chris was the only one that could give him a run for his money.
I've never said that American Idol was purely a talent contest - read my past reviews.
If they wanted it purely to be a singing contest alone - they would have done, it via radio.
But we can't go back to the days before music video - visuals matter just as much as talent nowadays. That's the world MTV created. That's why the likes of Mandisa will never make it - regardless, if she has the best vocals in the competition.
The people who have survived so far shows that it's more than that and with an extra 50% of luck, too.
We'll see who gets to the finals. But as I said, I think Taylor will win - though I'd love to be proven wrong.
Fade0:
Yes, it does sound nice. But I'm getting rid of the spam. ;)
Desparil:
Yes. I think sometimes, people who are vocally trained since young tend to oversing - as opposed to just singing the melody.
They love what their own voice can do - and that could blind them, to the beauty of the song's original melody.
And that's the problem, with Kat.
Results are out. and you were right on who was eliminated
Xena:
Ceh. You beat me to it. Sigh. Poor Elliot. I think he's got a lovely voice.
Stingray:
Hmm.. Katharine's name is spelt as K-A-T-H-A-R-I-N-E. Not the usual Katherine spelt with an E. (Since she's going to the finals, I thought you'd at least get her name right when you blog about her next..)
But thanks for the notes on the 9MP. Quite an interesting read.
Take care.
Xena:
Yeayyyyyyy! Let's go Dunkin' Donuts!! :)
Pixie:
I agree with you. Elliot does have a lovely voice - and he was just unlucky last night.
And thanks for the spelling correction. K-A-T-H-A-R-I-N-E, right? ;)
Trust me, I've improved a lot - there was a time, when I used to forget the names of the girls I used to date. ;D
I'm just happy that I got my wish for the finals - and that Kat will get a recording deal. :)
Urgh. AI5 without Chris Daughtry is no longer a competition. Titik.
This is a terrible deja vu of our own second MI where the finalists were the most popular. Sad but true reality, aye.
Voice:
Democracy and the people's choice. It's still the best from a list of imperfect systems - of what will get the votes and the consumers.
At the end of the day, it's about the music business and what sells. That's the reality of American Idol.
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