Ooh, country! The week when, traditionally, most contestants crash and burn! Let's see how this plays out.
Kenny Rogers? Cool. (And once again, bless you, Idol producers, for not confining contestants to Kenny Rogers songs. Maybe you've gotten the hang of this.)
Taylor: "Take Me Home, Country Road."
Taylor is so not a country singer. Which is not inherently a disqualification -- Bruddah Iz did a wonderful Hawaiian cover, very mellow -- but this attempt at just singing it straight just isn't working.
(And Paula's with me. And so is Simon. Consensus!)
Mandisa: "Any Man of Mine"
Eh. Not really working for me. And that dress (blouse?) is doing her no favors, either.
Elliott: "If Tomorrow Never Comes"
Not bad. Pleasant. Competently done. All of which I can't say for the first two singers.
Paris: "How Do I Live"
A bit shaky. Or maybe it's just that she's substituting vibrato for twang? Hmm. Anyway. It's nothing great, but it's okay.
Paula's getting booed? Wow. ...and Simon is so enjoying this.
Ace: "I Wanna Cry"
Not bad. That falsetto at the end might've been a bit much, though.
Kellie: "Fancy"
Well, this oughta be good. Or, at least, there'd be no excuse for her to screw this one up.
...and, indeed, she doesn't. Definitely the best performance of the night thus far.
Chris: "Making Memories of Us" (Why are they not displaying the song titles this week? I had to Google this.)
And for the first time, Chris bombs. Nice try.
Katharine: "Bringing Out the Elvis" (see above parenthetical)
...and Katharine connects with the song. Not technically flawless, but a totally entertaining performance. Good job.
Bucky: "Best I Ever Had"
Y'know, it may be his element, but I just don't care for Bucky's singing. Nor do I know what he's singing about, as I'm only Googling the titles, not reading the lyrics. Sorry.
I'd have voted for Kellie or Katharine. Maybe both. Otherwise... well, it's country week. Four decent performances (including Elliott and Ace) is probably above par.
Posted by Shmuel at April 5, 2006 7:44 PM