Steve Eighinger, The Herald-Whig’s resident (and self-proclaimed) Idol expert, is enjoying some R&R this week, so he’s asked News Coordinator David Adam — his newsroom neighbor — to handle the blog for a few days.
Steve is taking a little vacation with his wife, and if the stories he’s told me thus far are true, you’ll get to have a laugh or two at his expense when he writes about them in his columns on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So when he asked me to review this week’s shows for him, I said sure. If Steve could do it, certainly I could. How tough is it?
(At least I won’t have as many typos as Steve does. His spellcheck never works.)
Now that it’s time to actually put my thoughts about the show into words, I’ve wondered: What have I got myself into? I have followed the show (it’s almost impossible not to when you sit next to Steve) for years, but I know very little about music. When Randy says you have to make it your own or Harry says you’re singing a little sharp, I just roll my eyes. I really have no idea what they’re saying.
But I know what I like and what I don’t like. I called Carrie Underwood as the winner from her audition (OK, maybe that wasn’t so tough), I loved imitating Scotty McCreery’s “Baby, lock the doors and turn the lights down low,” and I thought Lee DeWyze was a horrible champion. So maybe I’m just as qualified as Steve and the rest of the viewers.
The slippers are on, the living room recliner is up, my favorite green blanket is on my lap, so let’s get started.
RECAPPING WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Before ranking the performances, a few random thoughts.
• Jennifer Lopez never fails in her wardrobe, does she? Always something interesting. Not quite so risque tonight.
• Does Keith Urban spend no more than 5 bucks on his T-shirts from the kids section at The Gap?
• Ryan Seacrest says if the Idols survive this week’s cut, they’re in the top 10 and will be on the summer tour. “That means they’ll be going to a city near you, playing sold out shows night after night.” Um, maybe not. Last year, nine dates on the 40-show tour were canceled, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
• People may like Harry Connick Jr.’s honesty, but he’s so much better than some others who have sat in his chair. You think last week’s harsh words made a difference in this week’s show? Seems that way. But since Simon Cowell has nothing to do right now, could he come back? There’s room for four.
• Not a big fan of when Idol asks the contestants to poke fun at the rest of the finalists. Sometimes they’re funny, many aren’t, and some of them don’t know when they have gone too far.
• Randy Jackson as a mentor? OK, sure. He probably deserves that. But continually trying to find ways to involve him in the show? Please stop.
Here’s how I ranked Wednesday night’s performances. The theme: Music from the Movies. Thursday’s blog will have our updated season rankings.
1. CJ Harris
Song: “Can’t You See,” by the Marshall Tucker Band.
CJ Harris
Keith Urban: “Killer, man. You completely nailed that, man.”
Jennifer Lopez: “From the first moment you walked in, I thought that you could shock the world. You have the talent. You have the ability.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “You just picked and sang your way back to the forefront of this competition.”
My comment: He got a new guitar, which he seemed to like. This was a solid performance. He showed off his personality, he smiled a little more. He sang softly, he sang with emotion. Really good choice of song for him. Maybe his best performance since America started voting. He brought Keith to his feet. By the way, he looks a lot like Herald-Whig Photo Editor Steve Bohnstedt. Same teeth, same smile. Wonder if Steve can sing?
2. Malaya Watson
Song: “I Am Changing,” by Jennifer Hudson
Keith Urban: “That song was perfect to play to your strengths.”
Jennifer Lopez: “Good girl, Malaya. A perfect song for you. That was killer.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “You just showed everybody there’s a big belter (in this group).”
My comment: Love, love, love, love, love, love this girl’s personality. This girl just wants to have fun. I don’t know if she’s the best singer in the bunch, but what a fabulous song choice. She crushed this song, if not with her voice but with the passion that she sang with. I worry that Idol picked her a year early, because she’s only 16 and I don’t know if the world is ready to pick a kid with glasses and braces as their Idol. But next year, with that voice and contacts and straight teeth, she would be dangerous. As it is, she was really, really good on this show.
3. Caleb Johnson
Song: “Skyfall,” by Adele
Caleb Johnson
Keith Urban: “You have such a great vocal gift. I thought that was an amazing choice.”
Jennifer Lopez: “This is what I’ve been waiting for from you. That was a perfect song choice.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “That was fantastic. You’re going to be very hard to beat.”
My comment: When Jessica said Caleb looks like the love child of Jack Black and Meat Loaf, I thought, “What a perfect description.” She nailed it, and he nailed it. He is just so at ease on stage and in front of the camera. He reeks confidence, even if he might not yet have reason to do so. He’s a great rocker, but he sang that song beautifully and showed some artistic range. Dexter could learn a lesson from this guy.
4. Jena Irene
Song: “Decode,” by Paramore
Keith Urban: “I love when you play the piano. There’s a ferocity in the way you perform.”
Jennifer Lopez: “I don’t know what you were doing in the bottom three last week. America, please gert on board with this. This girl is the real thing. Best performance of the night.
Harry Connick Jr.: “I think
My comment: Maybe she’s more comfortable behind the piano, but that was very good. I’m going to use a reference that Len Goodman makes on “Dancing With the Stars.” (Yes, I’ve watched that too. Would love to learn to ballroom dance.) She used light, and she used shade. She was soft, and she was strong. She looks like a star, and she also exudes confidence. She should easily stay out of the bottom three this week.
5. Jessica Meuse
Song: “The Sound of Silence,” by Simon and Garfunkel
Keith Urban: “What happens when you come from singing in a lot of clubs, you have to be right up on the mike. You need to explore the dynamics of the microphone.”
Jennifer Lopez: “That seems like the perfect song for you … but I just felt you never got your groove on it.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “If that’s your lane, standing there, singing, focused, no matter what goes on around you, I think you’ll improve every week.”
My comment: Not a fan of how the show is trying to “soften” her. She has kind of an attitude with the “broke musician” schtick, and while she’s very pretty with a nice smile, I kind of liked the hard rocker Jessica better than what I saw tonight. As she sang, a camera shot had Harry and Keith kind of looking around going, “Um, what is this?” Didn’t care for her song. She can do better. But she has great pipes.
MK Nobilette
6. MK Nobilette
Song: “To Make You Feel My Love,” by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood
Keith Urban: “Your performance is what you’re still working at. Your voice is great.”
Jennifer Lopez: “I really loved that. We talked last week about connecting, and I felt you really trying to do that.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “You sit or, and you sing. Maybe there’s ways to make you do something else, but that’s not what you do.”
My comment: MK appears to be uncomfortable with how Idol is dressing her up. When she auditioned, she was practically grunge with a backward ball cap on her head. Tonight, she’s bright red from head to toe, wearing an Elton John-esque sparkling jacket and bleached blonde hair. Why you got to go changin’ on me, MK? (Wait a second … was that crazy Emmanuel Zidor in the audience? Now he’s simply “MJ’s friend?” He was in the top 30 last month.) MJ’s performance in front of the judges looked like someone talked her into that. She has a nice voice, but I think she’s struggling with the costumes, the stage, attention, the makeup, the theatrics.
7. Dexter Roberts
Song: “Sweet Home Alabama,” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Keith Urban: “You’re really starting to feel … you know … the thing now.”
Jennifer Lopez: “When I see you up there, you’re starting to believe you can win.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “With a tune like that, you have to be bigger than the song. You have to bring something completely different.”
My comment: Dexter does a nice job singing karaoke with popular songs, and who can’t start clapping and singing to that song? But he doesn’t do anything different with any of the songs he sings. He seems like a genuinely nice person and a good ole’ country boy, but he’s yet to do anything original. Keith said he’s got to put his “Dexter-ism” in there. If he doesn’t, it will eventually cost him. Maybe sooner than later. When Keith and JLo start talking about his haircut, you know the judges are struggling to come up with anything different to say to him.
8. Majesty Rose
Song: “Let it Go” by Idina Menzel.
Keith Urban: “That’s a big song to sing. Most of it was really good. You’ve got to ease into it a little bit more.”
Jennifer Lopez: “You can do anything. You have that capacity. I think that’s a positive.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “I’m starting to lose sight of who you are, because you’re spreading yourself so stylistically thin.”
My comment: The Flower Girl sang a tune I was not familiar with. A Disney song? Whatever. Maybe I need to get out more. I couldn’t understand the first few lyrics. I guess because I’d never heard the song, I couldn’t get into it. The judges liked it better than I did. And I’ll never pretend to be a music expert, but I thought she was out of tune in parts of the song.
9. Alex Preston
Song: “Falling Slowly,” by The Swell
Keith Urban: “It’s raw, and it’s fragile. The way you play has a raw fragility. It’s very real.”
Jennifer Lopez: “A perfect song for you. You sang it beautifully.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “It’s just nice to see something simply stated and elegantly done.”
My comment: I like Alex. He seems to be very talented. He seems to be very intelligent. He’s creative. He is an OK singer. He’s just … not … can’t put my finger on it … he’s just not ‘it.” He sort of reminds me of Phillip Phillips, but he’s just not as good. He’s just kind of tentative. I worry for him this week.
Ben Briley
10. Ben Briley
Song: “Bennie and the Jets,” by Elton John
Keith Urban: “What I’m struggling with is, what I loved about you, is the easy authenticity with which you sang. Now it seems to have all of these things that don’t seem authentic.”
Jennifer Lopez: “You were so country last week. This week, it was Elton John. I’m trying to figure it out.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “You needed not only to pound the piano, but it felt like a lackadaisical walk through the song.”
My comment: Not bad. Kind of wish he had stayed at the piano, but at least he moves around on the stage, unlike some of the other contestants. Can he win this competition? Doubtful. He isn’t afraid to show a little personality. Probably ought to stick to country and wear his Tennessee orange. Nothing terribly original. He might not survive another week, because the teen girl vote might save Sam.
11. Sam Woolf
Song: “Come Together,” by the Beatles.
Keith Urban: “It was great to hear that side of you. … I said to Jen, you’re loosening up a little bit. Just get looser.”
Jennifer Lopez: “You’re like a baby rock star. We need a big rock star.”
Harry Connick Jr.: “I think it was an average performance, but you’re on the way.”
My comment: He seems very uncomfortable in front of the camera, though the girls squeal every time he’s on stage. He’s uncomfortable moving around the stage, and I have no idea what the boxes were intended for. Very sleepy version of the song. Jennifer talked about this song could have given him a chance to show more personality. He failed. Zzzzzzzz.
