April 25, 2006

TV: American Idol (classic love songs)

It's "Classic Love Songs" week, and tonight we learn that the contestants have a pretty sorry idea of what makes a classic. That leads to the dullest night of the season, and a huge letdown after the generally high caliber of last week's performances.

The rundown:

Katharine, "I Have Nothing" -- My own theme for the evening will prove to be "Are the judges and I watching the same performance?". They certainly didn't think much of Katharine tonight, but I liked it. It's the first time she's sounded like a pop star, someone I could actually imagine hearing on the radio. The wavy hair, though? Big mistake.

Elliott, "A Song for You" -- Whatever it is that makes Elliott love this song so much, he doesn't convey any of it to me, and the song just sits there like so much gruel. The performance is OK, I suppose, though his vibrato is even more out of control than usual.

Kellie, "Unchained Melody" -- The first half is pretty in a bland sort of way, but after she stands up, her pitch goes all to hell. And David Foster's advice to go for the high note at the end is a big mistake; because she can't sustain the note, it winds up sounding like bad yodeling.

Paris, "The Way We Were" -- No, no, no. This is not a song that any 17-year-old girl, no matter how freakishly talented she may be, should be singing. This is a song about long experience and regret and lessons learned, and you can't sing it with any understanding at 17. Still, that voice is amazing, and in 25 years, when her emotional maturity catches up to her vocal maturity, she'll have people in tears with a song like this.

Taylor, "Just Once" -- Lackluster, uninspired, dull. A few pitch problems at the beginning; the second half picks up a bit of passion, but the song never really gains the energy it needs.

Chris, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" -- It's a wretched song, but Chris makes about all of it that can be made. The bridge is a bit harsh, as that rocker/screamer edge creeps back into his voice, but on a night when no one is doing great work, this seems pretty good.

For the night: Katharine, Chris, Paris, Elliott, Taylor, Kellie.

For the season: Paris, Katharine, Chris, Taylor, Elliott, Kellie.

Deserving the ticket home: Kellie, in a landslide.

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