Post by Walker, Texas Ranger on Mar 17, 2009 21:55:39 GMT -5
For those that watch the guilty pleasure that is American Idol, here are my thoughts from the Top 11 performance this week.
Country night is always a bit of an odd night for me. Even though I spent several years working in country radio and know the music and the culture well, it has never been one of my favorite genres. That said, I have always been a fan of Randy Travis and was happy to see that he was involved this week. And his bit with Adam was one of the funniest mentor moments I've ever seen on the show. Too funny.
As for the show itself, a few observations. First, this is turning out to be a pretty good group of singers. They are taking chances, which is good, even when they don't work. Second, the judges' bickering is getting even a bit much for normal Idol standards. I'm really beginning to think that adding a fourth judge was a mistake. Nothing against Kara, but it feels even more disjointed and out of control than ever before. And third, the Idol band finally seems to have found their footing with much better arrangements and one heck of a harmonica player.
Here are my grades for the evening, from best to worst.
Very Good
Both Kris and Matt did quite well. Kris really surprised me with just how well he can sing. I haven't really paid that much attention to him up to this point, but was very impressed with his voice. He had a great tone and marvelous control and really made the song his own. Likewise, Matt showed some real skill in rearranging his song choice and making it a well crafted and performed tune. He's also showing some marvelous skill on the piano, which makes sense given his background.
Kris: A-
Matt: A-
Decent
Allison, Danny and Megan all gave good solid performances. I still think Allison has some control issues and has a tendency to let her voice get away from her at times. She has a very powerful instrument and shows her youth and lack of experience at times in trying to keep it under control. Danny is a natural, confidant entertainer but I agree with Paula that he shouldn't have sung two verses before the chorus. It was too much build and not enough payoff, even as good as he sang. And Megan is just so odd with her vocal phrasings, yet she made Patsy Cline work, especially given how sick she was. I just got over the flu and couldn't even imagine trying to sing in the shower much less in front of 30 million.
Danny: B+
Allison: B
Megan: B
Just Okay
Michael took a real chance with a very wordy Garth Brooks song which didn't showcase his voice very much, but gets bonus points for not only remembering all the words but standing up to the judges in a respectful way. Lil didn't do herself any favors but playing it straight instead of staying true to her own strengths (Ray Charles proved you could mix rhythm & blues with country over forty years ago). Scott was decent but I don't think his voice is strong enough for the competition and his arrangements are very middle of the road. Alexis, while giving a decent vocal performance, brought no energy or originality to her song. Likewise, Anoop sang much better than he has yet in the competition, but I was not nearly as enthusiastic about him a the judges were. It was okay but nothing spectacular.
Michael: C+
Lil: C+
Anoop: C+
Scott: C
Alexis: C
Which Brings Us To....
Adam. Wow. To render Randy Travis speechless takes a level of talent never before seen on Idol. It was by far one of the absolute strangest performances in eight years of American Idol. And I guarantee it is the one performance that everyone will be talking about tomorrow. Even the judges (with the exception of Simon) had no idea what to make of it. When it was finished, we actually paused the TV and just stared at each other trying to comprehend what we had just witnessed. It was truly that strange. And yet... it was about as current and modern as anything I've seen in years on Idol (reminiscent of both David Cook and Chris Daughtry in how they changed songs to fit their style) and there is no doubt at all that Adam has one amazing voice. He went higher than I knew he was capable of and never once faltered, even on the near soprano notes. But as far as giving a grade...
Adam: WTF? (As in, "What The F...?")
Predictions
Bottom three should be Michael, Alexis and Scott, with Alexis going home (though Michael will be very close to getting the boot as well).
Country night is always a bit of an odd night for me. Even though I spent several years working in country radio and know the music and the culture well, it has never been one of my favorite genres. That said, I have always been a fan of Randy Travis and was happy to see that he was involved this week. And his bit with Adam was one of the funniest mentor moments I've ever seen on the show. Too funny.
As for the show itself, a few observations. First, this is turning out to be a pretty good group of singers. They are taking chances, which is good, even when they don't work. Second, the judges' bickering is getting even a bit much for normal Idol standards. I'm really beginning to think that adding a fourth judge was a mistake. Nothing against Kara, but it feels even more disjointed and out of control than ever before. And third, the Idol band finally seems to have found their footing with much better arrangements and one heck of a harmonica player.
Here are my grades for the evening, from best to worst.
Very Good
Both Kris and Matt did quite well. Kris really surprised me with just how well he can sing. I haven't really paid that much attention to him up to this point, but was very impressed with his voice. He had a great tone and marvelous control and really made the song his own. Likewise, Matt showed some real skill in rearranging his song choice and making it a well crafted and performed tune. He's also showing some marvelous skill on the piano, which makes sense given his background.
Kris: A-
Matt: A-
Decent
Allison, Danny and Megan all gave good solid performances. I still think Allison has some control issues and has a tendency to let her voice get away from her at times. She has a very powerful instrument and shows her youth and lack of experience at times in trying to keep it under control. Danny is a natural, confidant entertainer but I agree with Paula that he shouldn't have sung two verses before the chorus. It was too much build and not enough payoff, even as good as he sang. And Megan is just so odd with her vocal phrasings, yet she made Patsy Cline work, especially given how sick she was. I just got over the flu and couldn't even imagine trying to sing in the shower much less in front of 30 million.
Danny: B+
Allison: B
Megan: B
Just Okay
Michael took a real chance with a very wordy Garth Brooks song which didn't showcase his voice very much, but gets bonus points for not only remembering all the words but standing up to the judges in a respectful way. Lil didn't do herself any favors but playing it straight instead of staying true to her own strengths (Ray Charles proved you could mix rhythm & blues with country over forty years ago). Scott was decent but I don't think his voice is strong enough for the competition and his arrangements are very middle of the road. Alexis, while giving a decent vocal performance, brought no energy or originality to her song. Likewise, Anoop sang much better than he has yet in the competition, but I was not nearly as enthusiastic about him a the judges were. It was okay but nothing spectacular.
Michael: C+
Lil: C+
Anoop: C+
Scott: C
Alexis: C
Which Brings Us To....
Adam. Wow. To render Randy Travis speechless takes a level of talent never before seen on Idol. It was by far one of the absolute strangest performances in eight years of American Idol. And I guarantee it is the one performance that everyone will be talking about tomorrow. Even the judges (with the exception of Simon) had no idea what to make of it. When it was finished, we actually paused the TV and just stared at each other trying to comprehend what we had just witnessed. It was truly that strange. And yet... it was about as current and modern as anything I've seen in years on Idol (reminiscent of both David Cook and Chris Daughtry in how they changed songs to fit their style) and there is no doubt at all that Adam has one amazing voice. He went higher than I knew he was capable of and never once faltered, even on the near soprano notes. But as far as giving a grade...
Adam: WTF? (As in, "What The F...?")
Predictions
Bottom three should be Michael, Alexis and Scott, with Alexis going home (though Michael will be very close to getting the boot as well).
