Idol Review – Blogging American Idol 2011

We’ve been Urshered.

Tonight is R&B night, with a splash of old-school and a little Motown. I kind of like the more open theme, and I kind of like Usher as a mentor, so all in all, it is a kind-of-like night.

1. Siobhan Magnus		“Through The Fire” by Chaka Khan - Wow, this was NOT good.  I have never heard her off pitch like this– I wouldn’t expect that from her.  And I am a little mad at the judges who are saying “we have to remember she has done well every other week”  We aren’t judging every other week.  We as viewers can do that ourselves.  The judges need to focus on this performance, and it wasn’t good, so don’t justify it.  I don’t mean to pick on Siobhan here, I’m picking on the judges.  Ok rant over.
02. Casey James		“Hold On” by Sam and Dave – I love the band and singers on the stage.  And I think he is just getting betterweek after week.  Also he is getting hawter week after week.  Woo.  All of a sudden he is a contender!  Go Casey!
03. Michael Lynche	+1/2	“Ready For Love” by India.Arie – OOO, this is awesome – sitting behind the judges, singing india.arie (a first for Idol, I think?) And clearly, Kara lost cool points for not knowing the wonders of india.arie…honestly, Kara.  Love the song, like the performance, ok vocal.
04. Didi Benami		“What Becomes of a Brokenhearted” – Eh, there were parts that were pretty nice, and there were parts that were blah.  It wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t bad, either.
05. Tim Urban		“Sweet Love” by Anita Baker – Oh geez, here we go again.  If this guy survives another week, I will stop watching.  Not really, but I will really start to whine.  This was so bad, so robotic, zero emotion, and bad vocal skills.  Blah
06. Andrew Garcia		“Forever” by Chris Brown – I liked the arrangement, and thought the song was a good choice for him.  It sounded like he wasn’t playing the right guitar chords at the beginning, and I thought his vocals weren’t that great.  However, it is much better than the last few weeks for him, and now I actually feel a bit of promise.
07. Katie Stevens		“Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin  – Big song for a little girl, but it was not half bad.  I mean this song has been performed many times on this stage, and it is definitely not the best one.  However, I was expecting a trainwreck, and it was far from that.  Good for her for putting forth a decent vocal.
08. Lee Dewyze		“Treat Her Like A Lady” by The Cornelius Brothers – I love love love his voice.  He still doesn’t quite have the charisma of a rockstar, but the boy needs a band, dammit!  That said, the vocal was awesome!  The song was a great choice for him.  Go, Lee!
09. Crystal Bowersox		“Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight – Changing it up, Crystal!  I loved the piano, and this was an awesome song choice for her!  I loved the look, I loved the change–noticable enough, but still infused with crystal-ness.  That said, I have to agree with Simon that she was concentrating too hard on the piano-playing.
10. Aaron Kelly		“Aint No Sunshine” by Bill Withers – It is tough not to compare with Kris’s version from last year, with which he obviously can’t compare.  But it could have been worse.  I think because of his pimp spot, he should pull through.

So, best tonight?  Lee, for sure, followed closely by Crystal and maybe Casey in a distant third?

Worst tonight, Tim Urban, obviously.  Followed closely by Siobhan, who was awful tonight.  She might even make a surprise bottom 3 appearance because of her dead-man’s spot.

Everyone else fell somewhere in the middle.

4 comments March 30th, 2010

It’s cut-some-much-needed-fat night!

Oh, elimination night, I am looking forward to you.  Especially after last night.  We need to cut some fat.  And fast.

First up is the group song by Wham! obviously. Wake Me Up Before you Go Go – such a classic 80s.  Though I can’t say I would categorize this as Billboard #1s.

After the break, Ryan does a bunch of banter with the contestants, including Big Mike, with his baby bjorn carrier.

I think I missed the Ford commercial because I was actually trying to pay attention in class rather than watch streaming video in the last row.  Fill me in if there was anything groundbreaking that I missed.

Onto the beheadings. Siobhan is up first.  And she is safe and on the tour.

Lee and Casey are up next. They get their reviews but told to sit tight.  Ryan calls up Tim and Paige next.  (which is awkward for Siobhan in the middle). Tim and Paige hit up the bottom 3 again, while Casey and Lee are safe.

R&B Soul is next week, and usher (or Ursher) will be the mentor.

Now Miley gets to sing. Though I wouldn’t necessarily qualify this as 100% singing, but rather a singing/straining combo, it was much better than her performance last year.

After the break, Crystal, Michael, Aaron, and Didi are safe, which leaves Andrew and Katie.  Katie gets to be in the bottom 3 tonight, which has to be disheartening after her improvement last night.

But as soon as she is sent to center stage, she is sent back to safety, leaving the two most deserved members in the bottom group tonight.

The newly pronounced couple Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, sing some duet next.  I heart Demi Lovato and I generally think she is a good singer. The duet was blah, but the singing was pretty good.

After the break, the moment of truth…  Paige is out, and she sings “All Right Now” for her swan song, and it was infinitely better than last night.

OUT TONIGHT:

Paige Miles

Honestly, I would have rather seen Paige on the tour than Tim, but since I put my points on Paige in the idol pool, I am happy.

2 comments March 24th, 2010

Holy Miley

It is teen idol Billboard #1s tonight.  With guest mentor Miley Cyrus.  A 17-year-old mentor.  Wowzers, Idol is sinking to a new low.  Don’t get me wrong, I like me some Miley, but in this capacity, it seems like a publicity ploy, at best.  (I won’t mention the “at worst”).

I’m just excited to see Miley schooled by Bowersox.

1. Lee Dewyze		“The Letter” by Joe Cocker- Oh, Lee, awesome song! I heard a few pitch problems, and the performance wasn’t extremely charasmatic.  However, I think he is the most interesting guy in the top 12 this season.
02. Paige Miles		“Against All Odds” by Phil Collins – Um, that was horrid. I’m pretty sure Corey Clark did more justice to this one back in season 2.  I want to like this girl, but she is just not a good singer, and she proves this week after week.  Too bad.
03. Tim Urban	+1/2	“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen – While this may not have been quite as bad as the previous performance, it still qualifies as horrid.  It pains me that he is still in the competition.  He is the Sanjaya of Season 9.
04. Aaron Kelly		“Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” Aerosmith - Not too shabby, Aaron.  This song has been overkilled on this stage, so he loses points for song choice.  But following the last two performances, I have to give him some credit.  Good effort, Aaron.
05. Crystal Bowersox		“Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin – Holy Awesomeness.  This girl is so amazing.  Can they give her more screen time, because I would tune in each week for a two-hour Bowersox concert.  I know that people complain that she does the same thing every week, but when the same thing is awesome, why complain?
06. Michael Lynche		“When A Man Loves A Woman” – Meh, it was ok.  The judges all gave him an overindulgent vote, and I agree.  But in his defense, pretty much everything he does is over the top–it is how he has made it this far.  So although he really doesn’t have a chance in hell of winning this competition, he was good enough to stick around.
07. Andrew Garcia		“Heard It Through The Grapevine” – Oh, Andrew.  He seems to get progressively worse each week.  And even worse than contestants in previous seasons who peaked early, he is still riding the wave from the first day of Hollywood week.  The momentum would already be gone, if this top 12 had the talent of Season 7 (IMO, the best overall talent pool of any season. )
08. Katie Stevens	+1/2	“Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie – The beginning of the song was excellent.  When she started straining, it wasn’t as great, but overall, I have to say that this was her best performance, and honestly, the first time I really enjoyed her.  Good job, KS.
09. Casey James		“Power of Love” by Hewey Lewis and The News - Not too shabby, Casey.  This is probably his best performance.  Is he relevant beyond this show?  That remains to be seen.  But within the context of Idol, he is at least entertaining.  And can play a four-note riff of the electric guitar.
10. Didi Benami		“You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt- I liked this performance!  I have concluded that Didi comes across better on TV than live, because the judges are always so critical, but I think she does quite well.  Maybe a bit pitchy? It didn’t really bother me.  I loved the song choice for her, and thought she did well.
11. Siobhan Magnus		“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder – You mention the Adam Lambert, and now she thinks screamy can come to play every week.  Not so, Siobhan.  I like her, I thought the vocal was pretty good, but I am not on board.  I could potentially get on board in the future, but I am reserving judgement.

Tonight we got off to a little bit of a rough start, but it seemed to end on a not-so-disaster-ish note.  Top tonight was by far and away Bowersox.  Katie also did surprisingly well, and I’m really impressed with how much she seems to be taking the direction she is given, and seems to be making improvements.   

I wish I could send both Paige and Tim home, and have a Bowersox encore next week. Anyone with me on this?

1 comment March 24th, 2010

Jumpin’ Jack Flash! A results show!

Results Show!

We have some Irish lighting in honor of St. Patty’s Day.

We also have confirmation that there is a judges’ save.

And Mr. Cook ROCKS it. ROCKS. IT. Singing Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Awesome. I’m also equally excited for his new album.

The requisite Ford commercial – Tick Tick Boom, complete with paintballs! Looks fun! And for some more Ford goodness, they are creating their own fiesta graphics. I didn’t like any of them. Stick to singing, kids.

Paige is up first. And she is sent directly to the stools of death. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Lee is up next, and gets a little chatty with Ryan. He is told he is safe.

Siobhan is next, and is obviously safe.

Aaron Kelly is next, and is safe as well.

That brings us to Andrew and Tim. Andrew is safe, but Tim is in the bottom 3.

Orianthi sings her single “According to You” and I have to admit I kind of like this song. Too bad she sucks at singing.

After the break, the bottom row has its turn for the killings. Didi is up first, and is wearing super cute boots. And she is safe!

Crystal is up next, and is obviously safe.

Katie Stevens is up next, and after much debate about the type of artist she should be, she is safe. Way to confuse the poor girl, judges!

Big Mike is up, and is safe as well.

That leaves Casey and Lacey (with appropriately rhyming names), with Casey being safe, and Lacey being in the bottom three. First thing, Tim gets sent back to safety. BOO.

After the break, Kesha, no, Ke$ha sings a song called blah blah blah. This girl cannot sing. I am suspicious that she is lip-syncing. In headdress. Fast forwarding….

After the break we find out that Paige is safe, and Lacey is POSSIBLY out.

She gets to pick her exit song, and she chooses The Story. It is an average performance, but considering the emotion of the night, it was alright.

Not surprisingly the judges choose to send her home. She exits gracefully, which is good for her.

OUT TONIGHT:

Lacey Brown

I had most of my points on Paige to go home tonight, but Lacey was ousted instead. And I can’t believe Tim is still here. ugh.

Word on the street is that next week is Teen iodl week. Really, idol? Anyway, see you guys next week!

1 comment March 19th, 2010

The Stones!

The stones are on tap for tonight!

1. Michael Lynche	+1/2	“Miss You” – I thought it was pretty good, but not fantastic.  His vocal was good, so maybe I just didn’t like the arrangement.  Either way,  I didn’t love it.
02. Didi Benami		“Play With Fire” – Wow – I thought it was amazing!  I heart Didi and I think she is just growing and getting better.  Wow, awesome!
03. Casey James	+1/2	“All Over Now” – It was good, but not great.  I dunno – I wasn’t as excited as the judges were.  I still think he can be a little better, but I don’t think he has a shot in hell of winning this competition.  He is, however, winning the height competition with Ryan.
04. Lacey Brown		“Ruby Tuesday” – Eh, I don’t like the arrangement at all, and I wasn’t really impressed with her vocal at all.  She can really only do one kind of thing with her voice, and her whole vibe is going to get real old real fast.
05. Andrew Garcia		“Gimmie Shelter” – He liked caressing the mic stand, which in the world of idol, translates to I’m gonna be a rocker.”  I have to give him props for trying.  There was a weird last note, but other than that, I thought it was a good effort.  And like Simon said, he had to get out of the pattern he was in, and this was a step in the right direction, anyway.
06. Katie Stevens		“Wild Horses”  Katie gets the sit-down interview again – TCO strikes again! I have to admit she actually sounded pretty good.  The arrangement was a little weird in that it never seemed to go anywhere, but as far as vocals go, it was pretty good.
07.Tim Urban		“Under My Thumb” – I dunno – I found myself dozing off during the performance, and it seemed lazy.  His voice is just so weak and not up to snuff with what the vocals should be at this level.
08. Siobhan Magnus	+1/2	“Paint It Black” – And all of a sudden Siobhan is the Adam Lambert of this season!  The screamy, the boots, the dramatic lighting.  I still don’t love her voice, and i think she sings through her nose, or maybe she is permanently congested, I’m not sure. She can do some amazing things, but I’m still not 100% on board.
09. Lee Dewyze		“Beast of Burden” – Hell yeah, Lee!  That was amazing.  His voice is incredible, and he is growing and getting better. I am super impressed.
10. Paige Miles		“Honky Tonk” – I love this song, and I LURVED this arrangement, but I just wish her voice was better!  Maybe it is because she was sick, but I really think that even at 100%, she would still not quite cut it.
11. Aaron Kelly		“Angie” – It was actually not bad.  I wish his voice was stronger, but he can do some awesome things with the riffs.  I think he has good instincts, and I hope he keeps getting better.
12. Crystal Bowersox	+1/2	“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Every week, she is extremely consistent and dependable.  I loved the arrangement, and I loved her voice. And maybe not her absolute best, but its damn close, and worthy of the pimp spot tonight.

So I know the judges are all on the Siobhan wagon, but I loved Didi tonight!  And Lee. LEE!  I love both of them.

That said, Tim needs to go home.  Like, yesterday.  And I think that Paige has gotten enough free passes, although she did get the sympathy laryngitis nod from the judges.  With 12 singers and big Mike being in the dead-man’s spot, he might be in trouble as well.

So what did everyone think?

2 comments March 16th, 2010

Aaaand, we’re back.

Hey, All!  (If there is anyone still reading) I am back, with a case of Idol fever.  I have so much to catch up on, but I will be blogging live tonight, So be watching for a review.  I have a backlog of things to do and reviews to post, and I will get around to it as quickly as possible.  I also need to post some predictions, and some MAPS!  because it is about that time of year.  Be watching for some serious updates!

Stones, tonight!  MJ has the spoilers, so it should be a good one!

3 comments March 16th, 2010