Well, another mediocre night in a mediocre season. Not much to get excited about, not much to slit ones wrists over. One shining light, one unmitigated disaster, and a whole mess of MEH in between.
On a good note, however, Miley Cyrus was not the total train wreck I expected. She stayed within her little area of knowledge and did not try to put herself off as something more than she is. I thought her advice, while light, was pretty spot on to be honest. She didn’t sugar coat, and wasn’t afraid to make suggestions.
I still wish they would have stuck with TEEN IDOLS, as the prospect of much carnage, cheese and trainwrecks would have been off the chart.
Anyway, here are my ranking, not that there is much reason to rank this seasons steaming pile of whatever.
1. Crystal Bowersox – Me and Bobby McGee – Did the PINK arrangement of the song, and let’s face it, Crystal is in a totally different league than the rest of these performers. This was a virtuoso performance, and looked like the one star among a group of wannabees.
2. Michael Lynche – When A Man Loves a Woman – I thought this was an absolutely beautiful performance. Awesome? No. Earth-shattering? No. In front of a fire, chilled wine on the table, and your best lady next to you. HELL YES.
3. Siobhan Magnus – Superstition – First half, amazing. Second half, good, but I am with Simon, she did not need the gratuitous scream just before the end. The final note was awesome, but the SCREECH right before ruined an otherwise outstanding performance.
4. Casey James – The Power of Love – Personally, I think Casey just made himself a definite top 5 player with this performance. I thought it was a huge step forward for Casey. Still not sold on the power of his vocals, but the whole package of singing and guitar is working.
5. Lee Dewyze – The Letter – Much improvement for Lee. I thought this was his best performance to date, but still a lot of pitch and nerve issues. He is improving however, and could be the one that comes from the pack to make a top 3 or 4 run this season.
6. Katie Stevens –Big Girls Don’t Cry –This was Katie’s best performance by far, but it also highlighted the limitations in her voice. She has an amazingly beautiful sweet spot in her voice, but her range is almost non-existant. She is one of those middle of the pack that never breaks out contestants.
7. Andrew Garcia – I Heard it Through the Grapevine – This was not bad, but it was also not great. Just like Katie, Andrew did good, but also showcased the limitations of his range and voice.
8. Didi Benami – You’re No Good – I really wanted to love this performance. It had huge potential, and had some really wonderful spots, but in the end Didi’s nerves once again did her in. I love her voice, and am rooting for her, but much like Brooke White she needs to get a hold of her nerves.
9. Tim Urban – Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Ok I know this is ironic in its wording, but how can one totally emasculate Queen? Tim took a great song and turned it into a Boy Band ditty. Tim sang well, but just like last week totally missed the mark.
10. Aaron Kelly – I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Well if tim Emasculated Queen, Aaron took Aerosmith and turned them into a group of off-key nasally whiney little b*tches. This was a totally torturous disaster from note one. How anyone can like this whiney crybaby singing is beyond me. This was pure out and out rubbish.
11. Paige Miles – Against All Odds – I like Paige, and I think she has a beautiful voice. Unfortunately that voice is shot, and has no hopes of getting better as it needs rest. This was a complete total utter disaster. I hate it for her, but this was just horrible.
Should go – PAIGE. Her voice is toast.
Will go – PAIGE. Her voice is toast and she is too.
OK, I will put ‘em in my order too:
1) Siobhan - But just barely, and only because she puts power and interest into her singing. Did not like the Trademark, Insert Scream Here. Also fearing she has not enough intelligence to make it as a star.
2) Lee, because there was absolutely nothing wrong with his performance except some residual shyness or fear. He’s growing.
3) Casey. Once he can move around a tiny bit on the stage, he will be quite good at what he does.
4. Jackbauersox deserves to slip down to #4 because the only thing she’s got is natural singing ability, and comfort on stage. She appears to hate the audience and not care too much about the judges. I would never pay to hear her sing. She is coming off more arrogant than she should. She’s not THAT good. Janis Joplin lived and BREATHED that audience (along with a LOT of drugs and Southern Comfort).
5. I loved Big Mike’s rendition. He’s a little full of himself, but he’s genuinely good.
6. Didi, because although she was a little hammy, I believed her singing that song. She has something charming in her vocal tone.
7. Aaron Kelly. He sings them well. But he is not believable with any of the songs he’s chosen. At 16, calling home from the war to talk to his children? And last night, talking about wanting to stay awake and not miss a thing as his lover sleeps? Wasn’t it really because he didn’t want her father to come in and catch them together?? (You KNOW I wasn’t the only one thinking that, was I?)
8. Katie. Don’t like her at all for some reason - she seems phony. However, she annoyed me LESS than usual last night.
9. “Bobby Shurban” destroyed Queen and looked like a fool last night, using his bubblegum appeal, that he DOES NOT deserve, having the audience of girls swoon around him. I wish his sliding into 3rd base was going to send him home, but those idiot 13-year-olds will probably once more save his sorry butt. He can’t sing, has zero stage presence, but is developing confidence he did not in the least earn. He has been horrible every single week.
10. Going home has to be Paige. Something has happened to her voice, and she sounds like me up there singing. What a beautiful girl, though. Sad to see what has happened to her. She manages to always pick bad songs as well: Against All Odds? I think she is with all the odds tonight, and the odds are saying that she’s NOT going to “still be standing here.” I’d prefer her to stay, though, and send that creepy Urban home.