With the 2010 season of American Idol having so many ups and downs, and even losing in the ratings to “Dancing with the Stars” – it brings up the question – will American Idol survive another season? — Especially without Simon Cowell?
I think the announcement of who will be replacing Simon will either make or break the future of the show.
But now on to tonight’s performances. Who do you think will win American Idol this season?
Let’s begin with Casey James – he sang “It’s alright with me”. Ah, not a great choice. Kind of a one sentence, one grove song without a big moment, without that emotional showcase, and really without much excitement. I think Casey came out of the gate as a fan favorite, but as the season has progressed he seems to have floundered and lost a bit of his confidence and coolness. I think once he was in the bottom two that was the turning point for him and he hasn’t quite gotten it back. But … with that being said, he has a big enough fan base that even if he doesn’t make it into the top 2 – he will do fine and I expect to see an album fairly quickly from him. The judges agreed and said he needed to “blow us away”, but it didn’t do that. Simon said “that song will leave no lasting effect” and a “dud song choice, but you sounded good”. Comparing the song to a salad in a meal – hoping that something more substantial is coming – Simon was hoping that the next song Casey performs will be bigger and better.
Crystal Bowersox – I found out last night that Crystal is my brother’s favorite on the show – and when I commented that she’s super talented but seems to lack a little connection with the audience, his quick comeback was – “It’s because she has a direct connection with me.” Well, that explains it. So, he’s voting for her, and I’ll be voting for Lee – hopefully I’m a bigger fan than he is and Lee will come off victorious.
Crystal chose “Come to My Window” by Melissa Etheridge. Coming to the stage with both her guitar and harmonica, the audience and judges seemed to expect great things from Crystal tonight. But did she deliver? Getting off to a little bit of a rough start, and not really making it her own version, she did a respectable job of performing the popular song. The tone of her voice fit the song well, but it didn’t really allow her to shine either. The judges are looking for a winner – Randy didn’t love the arrangement, but he liked is that Crystal’s vocal was great and it worked for him in the end. Ellen agreed and thought it was the exact type of song she anticipating from Crystal. Kara said she struggled but it was a good vocal – hesitantly stating that Crystal is capable of having “a moment” and hopes she will get that tonight. Simon commented that she hasn’t compromised herself and has remained true to herself as an artist, calling it an “honest performance”.
And now on to Lee DeWyze. I love that when Ryan says Lee’s name – all the girls in the audience scream (that bodes well for his career). Singing “Simple Man” by Leonard Skinner – Lee commented that he always likes to pick a song that he relates to because he feels that he can give a better performance that way. I loved the way the song fit Lee’s voice perfectly and seemed to bring out a bit more raspyness – I was hoping he would take it really big at the end and do something outrageous, but he kept it a little mellow and cool. I liked it though. Randy said it was a great song choice and he could see Lee doing that on an album. Both Randy and Ellen said he is confident and they loved it. Kara – “What you did tonight is what every contestant needs to do. In my opinion – round one goes to Lee”. Simon said the song choices during the evening had been “Okay” but Lee’s song choice was “on the money” and “I don’t think you won round one, I think you crushed it!” (Yeah – that sounds good for Lee – I just hope all his fans don’t take it for granted.
Now on to the judge choices for songs:
Casey James sang “Daughters” by John Mayer selected by Randy and Kara. The song didn’t work for me – the reason it works for John Mayer is because his voice is so unique and it fits his style completely. But instead of mixing it up, Casey sang it straight and it was a bit boring for me – nothing that was a “wow” moment. But Randy said the song “fit him like a glove”. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara said the song showed the more artistic side of him and complimented herself for picking the song. Simon said it was a much better song choice, but it was a bit of a lazy arrangement – the climax was quite limp and he held Kara and Randy responsible for not providing him a vocal climax. Kara, of course, was very defensive. But, Simon continued that the song didn’t have a “Wow moment” – he was right – but Kara jumped right back in that “it’s because that’s the way that song was written”. Hmm.. I think a bit of skewed thought there from Kara – as she’s typically the one telling contestants that they need to bring it up a notch, have a “moment”, etc. But obviously she helped pick the song, so it couldn’t have been the wrong choice. (insert sarcastic smirk here).
Ellen DeGeneres chose the song for Crystal Bowersox. I was interested in seeing what she chose and if it would really allow Crystal to shine. “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney. Hmm. Interesting choice. I only thought the song phrase “maybe I’m a man…” were a little awkward and it didn’t seem that Crystal was loving the song, but she did a good job and it was certainly different than her typical song. Randy “Great song, Great vocals, and we’ve got somebody else in it to win it!” Ellen “You did it. I couldn’t have asked for more.” Kara “you really showed parts of your voice that I don’t think we’ve heard until tonight – you did a lot of risky things tonight and I think it paid off.” Simon, “I must admit that when I heard the song choice, I was a bit surprised. But now I get it…. you’ve got soul… after that, you may be thanking Ellen next week for putting you in the final.”
I have to admit I was happy that Simon chose a song for Lee – and excited to hear what the choice was – with the hopes that it would be a “wow” song. “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Simon said he thinks Lee will do the song and have a “moment” – “This is his night”. Lee began to sing and I got chills – I would absolutely buy this. Excellent choice, and even having the gospel choir join in seemed to work. Even with a couple bad notes, I still loved it and the depth he gave the song. My predicted winner of the night as well as the competition. The crowd just kept cheering and cheering on and on and on. Randy “I’ve been waiting all season to see who is going to throw down the gauntlet – (Simon) set you up, that was the biggest moment, that was unbelievable”. Lee thanked Simon for choosing the song even though he was a little scared about it. Ellen said “there is nothing more to be said – that was stunning”. Kara “Lee, you are what this show is all about – incredible epic moment… you just owned the entire night.” Simon “I’m very, very, very proud of you… before this show, you were working at a store, and looking for a break… you’ve proved that you are a fantastic singer, a great person…” Lee seemed so overwhelmed. I love that someone like him can finally have his time in the sun. I hope he keeps his humility because that’s what I like the best about him.
And on to the voting…
If anyone wants to help me beat my brother… VOTE FOR LEE!