American Idol 3/30-3/31

Cafe Society
61

I got to the 52 minute mark, and figured the show was over except for the recaps. I totally forgot about Aaron. That kind of tells me something. In fact, while each singer was coming out I kept trying to remember who was left, and couldn’t recall half of them.

Diogenes, you’re being way too harsh on Crystal. Her piano playing was fine, given what she said about how often she had played in the past few years. And she’s not an ‘imposter’ on the guitar. She’s a fine guitarist for what she uses it for. As good as most singer-songwriter types, from what I can tell. Some of her earlier acoustic performances had some fairly tasty picking in them. She’s not a fretboard goddess or anything. Her guitar is a tool for her art, and she’s accomplished enough at it that it doesn’t hold her back. That’s all she needs, and she never pretended to be more.

Grading her on the American Idol instrumentalist curve, I’d put her at least on par with David Cook. Maybe in the top half or top quarter of all the people who have played instruments on the show.

I’m not going to bother with the snarky recaps this time. Nothing was that good, nothing that bad. It all just blended together in a hazy fog of mediocrity - except for Crystal, Casey, Lee, and Andrew. They all turned in pro-quality performances that were worth watching just for the music. The rest was mediocre karaoke.

Big winner of the night: Usher. He gave some of the best advice I’ve seen from a mentor in quite a while, came across as very likeable, and even seemed to go a little farther than most and give some real music lessons to a couple of them. I was impressed by the guy, and I’ve never heard a thing he’s done.

From best to worst, I’d have to go:

Crystal
Lee
Andrew (never saw that coming)
Casey
Big Mike (but I fast-forwarded the second half. He was putting me to sleep.)
Siobhan
Katie (I thought her vocals were off, and her ‘agressive’ demeanor was totally unbelievable)
Didi
Tim

Put Aaron in there somewhere - I never saw him, so I have no idea.

I have a feeling Didi’s going home this time. Her performance wasn’t great, and the judges were over the top in their criticism of her - as usual. But really, it’s about the American Idol audience, and whether she has a ‘following’. I’m not seeing it. And her performance wasn’t good enough to win anyone over, so I’d say buh-bye.

And even though Tim sucked, I’m kind of hoping that he’ll stay around for a long time, just because it’s fun to watch the judges squirm, and AI totally deserves a thumb in the eye like that.

62

Siobhan Magnus - “Through The Fire” - (Had to go to Rickey.org to see it) - Oh dear. Bad song choice, sung badly. Siobhan, honey, you have to stop doing that yell in each song - it’s turning into your Adam Lambert’s Tongue. 3/10

Casey James - “Hold On (I’m Coming)” - That wasn’t bad - kind of plodding, though. “Hold on, I’m coming” repeat X 20, Big Finish! I agree with Ellen - “generic” is a good word for that performance. Competent, but generic. 6.5/10

Michael Lynche - “I’m Ready For Love” - Very nice. I liked it - this guy is Luther Vandross re-incarnated; not very exciting, but lovely. 8/10

Didi Benami - “What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?” - Meh. Competent but not inspired. Once again, someone sacrifices themselves on the altar of, “I loved this song- it’s special to me.” 5/10

Tim Urban - “Sweet Love” - I don’t think he can handle this song - yup, I’m right. He can’t handle this song. Well out of his range, top and bottom. Tim’s earnest cocking his head to the side and singing into the camera was laughable. It was even a little cruise-shippy. Blech. (Randy did indeed sing that better.) Simon nails it! 3/10

Andrew Garcia - “Forever” - Meh. I think he’s peaked - he really isn’t any more talented than this. That was as good as he gets, and it wasn’t great. 4/10

Katie Stevens - “Chain of Fools” - The chain of fools who have tried to sing Aretha on this show stretches back to the first season, I suspect. Ouch. Good call on the mixer - blend her voice into the background singers. That was marginal. 4/10

Lee Dewyze - “Treat Her Like a Lady” - Not bad, not bad. Good song for him. I haven’t really heard what people were saying about his great voice before, but he can actually sing. 7/10

Crystal Bowersox - “Midnight Train To Georgia” - Nice. She had a nice touch with that - soft and slow, and big and bold. Simon is right as far as it goes, but she really did need to do something out of her comfort zone tonight. 8/10

Aaron Kelly - “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” - Rough start. Pitchy throughout. Not the song for him. It was okay, but we’ve all heard that song sung better (even as recently as last year). 5/10

63

I pretty much echo everything that Sam Stone said.

See he didn’t see Andrew performance, I would rank Aaron right below Siobhan. Ahead of Didi, Tim and about the same as Katie.

64

I’m probably in the minority but I really don’t see the Siobhan love. I thought she sounded terrible tonight, but I’ve always thought she was terrible. I just don’t hear what everyone else is hearing (judges and my friends included).

On another note, she really reminds me of Teena Marie. Oddly enough I adore Teena Marie and I think had Siobhan sang one of her songs, I would have liked her more.

65

I started off as a big fan and I do still like her alot but I think Simon may have this right as far as the obligatory scream in every song is concerned. It is getting old fast. Add to that she was not at her best tonight.

As for why Crystal gets the over the top hatred you mention Fruitbat, search me. I read this thread each week and I’ve gathered that most of the people posting here think she’s great. Frankly, the hater seems to be a minority of one. Oh well. At least the invective is almost as amusing as Tim Urban is each week.

For me tonight, from best to worst I would say:
Lee
Crystal
Casey
Aaron
Michael
Siobhan
Katie
Andrew
Didi
Tim (duh)

Since Tim seems invulnerable, I would think Didi, Andrew And Katie all have reason to be concerned.

66

Given the two different approaches of the sing-out for Lacey (sing for your life and maybe we’ll save you) and for Paige (no matter how you do, we’re not using the save), I’m wondering how folks would classify the remaining contestants. Here’s how I’d do it…

The saves:

  1. Crystal
  2. Lee (the bastard lovechild of David Cook and Danny Gokey–actually not a great sign that he’s #2)
  3. Casey
  4. Michael
  5. Siobhan (last two weeks were pretty brutal, but I’m sure a reprisal of “House of the Rising Sun” would convince me to keep her around.)

Maybe save:
6. Didi (slightly bums me out about Lilly and Katelyn not having her so-called “singer-songwriter” spot, however)

Don’t save:
7. Andrew (can move up to the maybe save section if he can repeat his performance from this week)
8. Aaron
9. Katie (Note to producers: please stop putting her in the middle of the “flying V” when Seacrest introduces the contestants at the beginning of the show.)
10. Tim

67

Agreed. I don’t like his music and think that it is just vacuous over-produced crap (like 99% of modern R&B) but he is genuinely intelligent and insightful about music and performance. Kind of like when Barry Manilow mentored, creates glurgey messes of music that appeal to his niche demographic, but is a damn good mentor and stand-up guy.

68

It seemed to me like Usher was trying very hard not to be *too * honest - “Well, that really sucked. Do you think you could sing better than that?” (What he was biting back, not what he actually said.)

69

I missed the whole first hour of it (getting my hairs did!) and felt like I missed all the good (and I mean bad/good) stuff like Siobhan’s wall of wail and Turban’s tackiness. Will check them out just for fun, though.

I was going to put all my pool points on Didi but decided it was gonna be Katie instead. How they can keep Turban in and ditch someone who CAN sing is beyond me but there it is. We shall see.

Glad to see Crystal come out with her kicky heels and fancy eyelashes. She was all glamour-kitty’d up. Lovely voice, as always. And for what it’s worth, if Lee can get a personality out there (you know, one that’s different from his usual vomitty state), he might have a shot at the top 3. I liked that version of the song last night and I could have sworn I felt him almost relax into it. Could have been my imagination, though.

70

Didi was awful, Mike was great, and I am so sick of Tim. He’s got to go.

71

I hear you, but if it means they’re going to struggle, then I don’t want to see a professional artist trying to play the piano when they haven’t done so in years. Unless it’s Eddie Van Halen on Right Now.

Crystal also looked just awful in her outfit, demonstrating how much she was caving to the demand to do something different, and how uncomfortable she is in doing so. Even Katie does dress-up better. Basically, I think we need to realize that Crystal does only one thing, but of course does that one thing well. Which is more than most of the contestants.

Andrew succeeded this week, but to do so he had to almost replicate the Straight Up number. He’s definitely a one-trick pony, and he doesn’t have the chops to ride that one trick all the way.

Siobhan is going down the same road. She may have peaked too early.

I don’t get the Casey love. To me he’s just dull. I’ve thought about putting Lee in this category too, but I think his voice has more going on.

Mike and Aaron made dull song choices this week.

Katie came across like something out of a hig school production of Dreamgirls.

Didi is probably going home this week, and it’s probably time. I think she has a gorgeous voice, but no idea how to perform.

72

Siobhan Magnus - “Through The Fire” - Stop. screaming. It’s not a novelty anymore, which means it’s not edgy either. So stop it already.

Casey James - “Hold On (I’m Coming)” - Very good. He has a joie de vivre and innocence about him that is very appealing. I wish he’d become more comfortable with all the attention, though, so that he’d quit grinning so much because I find it detracts from his talent.

Michael Lynche - “I’m Ready For Love” - Holy crap, that was a beautiful rendition of the song. He is filling the Luther void nicely. Spot on.

Didi Benami - “What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted?” - She’s the biggest disappointment of the season, IMO. She had so much potential and an almost Eva Cassidy-esque quality to her singing. But unlike Cassidy, she cannot just pick a beautiful song and make it her own. She’s completely lost. What a shame.

Tim Urban - “Sweet Love” - Oh my.

Andrew Garcia - “Forever” - I agree with the judges that this was much, much better. Unfortunately, he’s outclassed by other better, better-looking musicians, so he won’t last long, but good for him for making a strong showing.

Katie Stevens - “Chain of Fools” - She’s got zero charisma or stage presence.

Lee Dewyze - “Treat Her Like a Lady” - Great job. Like Casey, I wish he’d learn to tune out the absurdity of the situation and just sink his teeth into a song.

Crystal Bowersox - “Midnight Train To Georgia” - With a few tweaks (e.g. getting rid of the awful background singers), I’d buy this single from her.

Aaron Kelly - “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” - I wish he’d have been passed up this year because he still needs to cook for a bit before he’s ready for primetime.

Ratings:

Mike
Crystal
Lee
Casey
Andrew
Siobhan
Aaron
Katie
Didi
Tim

73

Watching Katie and Aaron in this competition is like watching children dress up in their parents’ clothes. It’s a bit cute and silly, but there’s no chance I’m taking it seriously.

It didn’t seem like it struck Simon’s mind that Crystal tried something different for her own sake. It’s all about the end product, isn’t it.

I actually liked Didi’s number a whole lot. I guess this is one of the times when I’ll disagree with everybody else. Ryan came off as a big jerk who tried to force Didi into telling something she clearly was uncomfortable it.

The exchange between Simon and Tim was simply hillarious.

74

Wow, Didi’s performance was just a train wreck. She’s gone. Tim should be gone as well but they’re only dismissing them one at a time. I don’t mind his attitude. He knows it’s all just a lark at this point. Why not laff? Siobhan, too much shrieking. Very disappointed she doesn’t get it. Mike did a nice job. Same for Lee. Casey need’s to be on another show. He could not “sing” without his “axe.” Katie will prolly have a gigantic nervous breakdown or wind up a crack ho after what they’ve done to her. Andrew is a one trick pony. Aaron is just too gooey teeny bop. Prolly better than Joe Jonas or Demi Lovato though. Crystal is the obvious fave but she’s just not all that. Wouldn’t be in this round in previous years. Dive bar/subway singer that realizes it’s in reach. May have hired an agent for the win. A shame really about the show. I guess the consolation is that all these kids get to go off on a big tour. Good for them but they ALL suck.

75

I liked Eugene’s uniformly derisive critique.

I do like Crystal. I don’t think she’s the best this show has had, but I might actually buy a “record” by her, depending on what it is. She sings songs I like. But she is a coffee shop performer. A good one, but nothing more. On the other hand, it’s hard to begrudge her some greater success.

I especially agree about Katie; when she auditioned I thought she was kind of high on herself, but this has got to be a humbling and possibly destructive experience for anybody that age. I am saddened to read of other high school aged ex-contestants trying to eke out some minor music career and floating on their AI experience, instead of saying “fuck it, good story for the grand kids” and going to college.

Our culture doesn’t seem to teach kids to value small and dignified aspirations.

76

Most of the contestants seem lost this year (that’s a good description of them). Between being so young, no stage experience, lack of confidence, lack of stage presence, and not a very strong voice, I’d say most of them should look into other careers.

Regarding the Crystal hate - she said something very early on about how she was just doing American Idol because she wanted to make money for her kid or something stupid like that (with the implication that she’s better than that). That’s where my dislike of her bad attitude comes from. I think she’s probably over it by now - I imagine she’s realized that winning American Idol isn’t just a gimme. I also think that she could do just fine releasing Tracy Chapman-like albums - she does do folksy, acoustic guitar pop very well.

77

I totally agree. The more I watch of this season the more I suspect these two have done well and will continue to do well because most of the votes are coming from tweens and young teens. The demographic for this show seems to keep getting younger each year.

Each episode makes it more and more clear why Simon is ready to call it quits after this season. He obviously senses how close this concept is to having the proverbial fork stuck in it.

78

Weird. I thought they gave up on Ruben years ago. He sounds better than I remember.

79

Thank you for clarifying it. I am recalling Bo Bice, Carri, David Cook, Adam, etc.
They all had this and thats whats lacking this year.
The judges could’ve just picked the top 24 at random and it might’ve worked out better.

80

I don’t know why anyone would hold it against Crystal that (a) she knows AI is a sell out or (b) she was honest about her feelings.