What did we learn from tonight's show, boys and girls? Well, we learned that as a vocal coach, Kenny Rogers is no Barry Manilow; we learned that country music isn't as easy as people think; and we learned that almost none of these contestants realize that there were songs being written more than five years ago. Some of the front-runners had very bad nights, and some who had been at the back of the pack moved up.
The rundown:
Taylor, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" -- No one looked less happy to be here tonight than Taylor. It was a dull performance; he was just singing notes, with no personality or charisma shining through at all.
Mandisa, "Any Man of Mine" -- As always, the voice is fabulous. The performance, on the other hand, was lazy and perfunctory, as if the music were beneath her somehow.
Elliott, "If Tomorrow Never Comes" -- I just don't much like Elliott's voice, and am trying to get past that in order to evaluate his performances fairly. This was certainly the best we've heard thus far tonight, but I thought it lacked any emotional connection to the lyrics.
Paris, "How Do I Live" -- Smart song choice. The low register in the verses wasn't strong, but the chorus was big and belt-y, which is where Paris always sounds best.
Ace, "I Wanna Cry" -- Yes, there were one or two very sour notes, but this was Ace's best performance yet; the opening verse was especially lovely.
Kellie, "Fancy" -- As with all of the women, her low notes are her weak spot, and she still doesn't seem to have any idea what the song she's singing is about -- Fancy is a high-class whore, dear -- but she sounds better than she has all season.
Chris, "Making Memories of Us" -- Finally, a change of pace for Chris, who makes a stronger emotional connection to his song than any of the other singers, and that connection makes this the sexiest performance of the night.
Katharine, "The Elvis in Me" -- Another smart song choice, letting her show off her powerful chops. It's a pleasant, sultry, playful performance.
Bucky, "Best I Ever Had" -- If anyone needed to have a good night on country night, it was Bucky, but this was a lazy whine of a performance, and even by Bucky's low standards, the enunciation was dreadful (and that after being specifically warned by Rogers that he needed to over-enunciate).
For the night: Chris, Ace, Kellie, Katharine, Paris, Elliott, Mandisa, Taylor, Bucky.
For the season: Chris, Katharine, Mandisa, Paris, Taylor, Kellie, Elliott, Ace, Bucky.
Deserving the ticket home: Bucky, by a wide margin.
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