Mariah Carey takes a turn as mentor, and the Idols struggle with a songbook that's not very interesting and not especially varied, making for a dull evening.
The rundown:
David A, "When You Believe" -- Inspirational hooey again. It's not like I expect him to come out and do a "Whores on Crack" medley, but he's dug himself into a deeper rut than any contestant on the show. As for the performance, it's all melisma; he lets the backup singers take the melody for half the chorus while he wails away, delivering a rendition that's all garnish and no steak.
Carly, "Without You" -- She seems less angry and much warmer than usual, especially at the beginning of the song, where (unlike Randy) I love the sound of her lower register. The pyrotechnics do overshadow the emotion a bit at the end of the song, but at least when she starts wailing, she does so in tune.
Syesha, "Vanishing" -- Her best Big Diva performance yet; it's very well controlled, with a fine display of range, both in terms of pitch and dynamics. She doesn't overdo the melisma, and there's enough actual singing in there that it doesn't feel like it's just feathers and sequins.
Brooke, "Hero" -- It's not her best vocal; there are more pitch problems than usual, and when she tries to show off a little more power at the bridge, the strain is audible. I usually like Brooke with just a piano, but this really needs a bigger build than the piano alone can give, and Brooke's voice isn't big enough to provide it, either; the band might have made the performance seem less malnourished.
Kristy, "Forever" -- Country and R&B are closer cousins than is generally acknowledged, and the arrangement here has an understated country feel, with a hint of steel guitar. Kristy's not forcing the vocal, and it's very nicely sung. She's made the smartest song choices of the group over the last few weeks, and it's doing her a world of good.
David C, "Always Be My Baby"-- Paula says this "could be in a movie soundtrack right now," and I suppose she's right, if the movie has a scene where the creepy guy hacks the cheerleader to death with an axe. David's "make it emo" routine is getting boring, and it doesn't work on every song; here, all it's done is turned a lovely statement of undying love into an unpleasant stalker anthem.
Jason, "I Don't Wanna Cry" -- The attempt to stretch is a valiant one, but Jason's vibe is just too damned sunny and mellow for him to get away with a heartbreak song. He's not in peak form vocally tonight; the falsetto at the end is particularly unattractive.
For the night (and a weak night it was): Syesha, Carly, Kristy, David C, Jason, David A, Brooke.
For the season: Carly, Syesha, David C, Kristy, Jason, David A, Brooke.
Deserving the ticket home: It's a tightly packed bunch; no one's running away with the competition at the top or bottom end. It should probably be Brooke who leaves this week, but I wouldn't be crushed to see Kristy, Jason, or David A go home. (Not that I expect David A to go, of course; his teenybopper/grandma fanbase will keep him around until the finals.)
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