As it was during the week of last year's Idol Gives Back event, the theme is inspirational songs. Somehow, the show has managed to scrape up eight such songs that David Archuleta hasn't already sung this season; unfortunately, most of the performances aren't all that inspiring.
The rundown:
Michael, "Dream On" -- One of these things is not like the other: black jeans, white t-shirt, leather vest, paisley ascot. Why bother to pick on Michael's wardrobe? Well, because tonight it's kinder than anything I might say about his performance. His attempts at Tyler-esque shrieking high notes are flat-out ugly. The performance as a whole is -- and I don't often use this word because the judges so overuse it -- bad karaoke.
Syesha, "I Believe" -- Syesha's falling into the "she's good, but she's no" wasteland. Last week, she was good, but she was no Whitney; this week, good, but no Fantasia. For all of her talent, there's something generic about Syesha; you get the feeling that there are young women in 100 black churches in south-central Los Angeles who could deliver exactly the same performance that she does.
Jason, "Over the Rainbow" -- The song choice suits him perfectly, and it's very nicely sung. I'm driven to distraction by the mangling of the lyrics, but if memory serves, that comes directly from the Iz version of the song that he's performing, so it's hard to penalize Jason for that.
Kristy, "Anyway" -- The song is a maudlin mess (you could point to it if asked why so many people hate country music), but it's right over the plate for Kristy, and she knocks it out of the park, delivering one of her best performances. One does wonder, though, about the wisdom of any Idol contestant choosing to sing potentially self-fulfillingly prophetic lines as "tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang."
David C, "Innocent" -- I don't think we've heard much of David's lower register before, and here's hoping we won't hear much of it again; it's a thick, unattractive sound that only emphasizes his tendency to sloppy enunciation. The falsetto notes at the end of the first verse are also badly out of tune; this is a disappointing performance.
Carly, "The Show Must Go On" -- Purely in terms of voice, Carly is the best singer left in the competition, but I do wish she didn't always look so desperate and angry when she sings. The judges are right to note that she's oversinging badly, especially at the end of the song, when she entirely loses control of the big notes.
David A, "Angels" -- After a few relatively mediocre weeks, David was in desperate need of a comeback, and I think he got it tonight. There were a few pitch problems, and some sloppy enunciation in spots, but on the whole it was a solid performance that will satisfy his fans immensely.
Brooke, "You've Got a Friend" -- Another home-plate song choice, and as usual, Brooke's emotional connection to the material is solid. She's undercut a bit by the arrangement, though; those syrupy strings don't play well against the raspiness and edge in her voice.
For the night: Jason, David A, Kristy, Brooke, Carly, Syesha, David C, Michael.
For the season: Carly, David C, Syesha, Jason, Kristy, Brooke, David A, Michael.
Deserving to go home: It really should be Michael, but I suspect that Carly and Kristy are in more danger than he is.
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