Dolly may not rank among the great Idol mentors -- she's not exactly offering much in the way of constructive criticism -- but she is certainly warm and supportive, and the singers seem delighted to be working with her. Unfortunately, warm and supportive isn't enough to help many of the singers, who don't seem to understand that more than any other music, country is about emotional communication.
The rundown:
Brooke, "Jolene" -- The instrumentation is spare, always a plus for Brooke, whose voice tends to get buried by the full band. Her singing is a bit more forceful than usual, too, which is a nice change. But this is really not a song to show off a singer's range, and for the first time, she seems utterly disconnected from the emotion of the song, wearing a broad, goofy grin for a song about obsession, paranoia, and jealousy.
David C, "Little Sparrow" -- Maybe it's just that I don't know this song as well as I know the other songs David has sung, but I'm strongly struck tonight by the sloppiness of his enunciation ("trust" begins with a T, not a D), and he's not always quite hitting the high notes he's aiming for. Still, there's a remarkable emotional force to the performance that is quite compelling, and I'm riveted throughout.
Ramiele, "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" -- The bouncy arrangement is completely at odds with the song, which is bittersweet and melancholy. As ever, Ramiele is gasping for breath in the strangest places, and with no emotional connection to the song, she's giving me no reason to pay attention and nothing to hold my interest. (A shame, because this is one of my favorite of Dolly's songs; I particularly recommend Joan Osborne's version.)
Jason, "Travelin' Thru" -- A livelier performance than Jason usually gives, which he needed to do in order to break out of his rut. Unfortunately, in trying to deliver a vocal with a little more oomph, all he manages to do is show off precisely how limited his voice really is. He's lovely to listen to within a very narrow range of material, and even this performance is pleasant enough, but he's not powerful or versatile enough to ever have a real career.
Carly, "Here You Come Again" -- The spare arrangement is very effective, and would have been even more so had she omitted the Semi-Obligatory Power Note at the end of the song. Carly's performances are always technically superb, but sometimes -- like tonight -- that technical proficiency borders on chilliness.
David A, "Smoky Mountain Memories" -- The judges adored this performance, and certainly from a technical standpoint, it's the best David has sounded in weeks. But he's far too young and naive to be singing this song; he hasn't lived or suffered enough to understand the sense of loss and displacement that's called for. There are songs in Dolly's songbook that would be appropriate for a 17-year-old kid; this isn't one of them.
Kristy, "Coat of Many Colors" -- Clearly, Kristy is far more comfortable with country music than any of the other contestants, and she has a lovely voice that is ideally suited to this song. But there's something dutiful and overly respectful about the performance; she's presenting it as if it's a museum piece.
Syesha, "I Will Always Love You" -- Brooke could have done the understated Dolly half of the song better, and Ramiele might have outdone her on the belt-y Whitney half, but no one in the competition could have gotten away with this Frankenversion of the song as well as Syesha. If neither half of the song is great, both are very good, and bless her heart for not overdoing the melismatic flourishes at the end.
Michael, "It's All Wrong But It's All Right" -- Love the bluesy arrangement, and Michael's vocal is one of his best; the falsetto note at the end is especially fine. But a guy this handsome singing this song in this style should have me horny by the time he's done, and Michael doesn't. Michael Johns: Charisma-free since 1978.
For the night: David C, Syesha, Carly, David A, Michael, Kristy, Jason, Brooke, Ramiele.
For the season: Carly, David C, Syesha, Brooke, David A, Jason, Michael, Kristy, Ramiele.
Deserving the ticket home: Ramiele. Really, this time I'm serious, for the love of god, please send Ramiele home.
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