And having scrupulously avoided spoiler info, I'm ready to pass judgment on the li'l Idols, beginning with the men. It's 70s night, and for the most part, it goes much better than 60s night, with one or two contestants showing remarkable improvement.
The rundown (now with Percocet!):
Michael, "Go Your Own Way" -- The bouncing makes him look very nervous. The song's range is too much for him; there's too much vibrato in the lower register, and he never quite hits the high note (on "go YOUR own way"). Another middle-of-the-pack performance.
Jason C, "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" -- I liked this better than the judges did; the musical reinterpretation was effective (and it wasn't until he hit the chorus that I finally recognized the song). The end of the first chorus was bobbled a bit, but it's a nice performance, and Jason clearly knows what type of material suits him.
Luke, "Killer Queen" -- Well, his enunciation is very good. But it's an overly polite performance, with no sense of danger; just listen to those wimpy "yeah"s at the end of the song.
Robbie, "Hot Blooded" -- He's got a fine voice, and there are no serious pitch problems. But -- and maybe this gets at the rock v. pop thing that the judges go on about with him -- it's a very controlled performance, with not much spontaneity. You know that Robbie could sing this song 50 times and that every note, every phrasing, every breath would be exactly the same; rock music, I think, needs at least the illusion that the singer might lose control.
Danny, "Superstar" -- The opening is weak; when he gets quiet and breathy, his pitch gets worse. By the end, though, when he gets to sing out a bit, it's not half bad, and I begin to understand what the judges saw in him that got him to this point. He's not going to win, but with the right material, he could be entertaining enough to keep around for a few weeks.
David H, "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" -- Energy, charisma, personality, and he's telling the story instead of just singing the words. The tacked-on coda is particularly egregious, even by Idol standards, but even there, his melisma is tasteful and on pitch.
Jason Y, "Long Train Running" -- The judges correctly note that this isn't a song to show off a singer's range; even worse, he doesn't always hit the few notes he is asked for. He looks comfortable on stage -- he certainly moves better than Michael -- and it's a smart image change from last week, but it's a forgettable performance.
Chikezie, "I Believe to My Soul" -- Winner of the Most Improved award; this is the type of music he should be singing. His voice is rich and full, there's charisma to spare, and he's having fun. One of the night's best.
David C, "All Right Now" -- The song suits his voice very well, but you still can't get past the fact that neither song nor voice is very interesting. He gets better and more relaxed as he goes along, I suppose, but it never rises above bland.
David A, "Imagine" -- Whaddya mean, he's only 17? This is a freakishly confident, poised, self-assured performance for someone that young. Oh, there are some scattered notes that aren't quite on pitch, but there's such heart and emotion in the performance that they barely matter.
For the night: David A, Chikezie, David H, Robbie, Jason C, Danny, Michael, David C, Luke, David Y.
Overall:
- Deserving to be in the top 12: David A, David H, Robbie, Jason C
- Deserving to come back next week and fight it out: Chikezie, Michael, Danny, Jason Y
- Deserving to be sent home: Luke, David C
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