Tonight's theme: The Year They Were Born.
Rambling reactions follow!
Ramiele (1987): "Hearts Alone"
Thank God we're done with the Beatles.
Anyway. Not bad. Not great.
(Apparently she's sick. Awww.)
Jason (1987 -- go, Jason! It's your birthday!): "Fragile" [playing the acoustic guitar]
Suffers terribly by comparison to the original. Possibly the time constraints are an issue; it's supposed to be laid-back (which possibly wouldn't do him any favors on Idol, though soulful could work for his demographic), but this is closer to frenetic.
Syesha (1987): "If I Were Your Woman"
Yawn.
Chikezie (1985): "If Only for One Night"
Following his heart and going with a ballad... the lyrics of which include "I must be crazy." So sad, so true. Chikezie may actually get booted this time. That was weak, borderline painful.
(Is it just me, or does his jacket look like it was the target of a flock of seagulls? By which I mean actual birds, not the group.)
Brooke (1983): "Every Breath You Take" [playing the piano]
Ooh. False start! ...okay, maybe she won't come in first. Decent performance, but ehh.
Brooke can't stop replying, can she. [sigh]
Michael (1978): "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions" (I think?)
My landlady called just as this was starting (side note: I just found out my house is being sold this Thursday). I had to turn the volume way down and pretty much missed the performance. It looked good, though... I'll have to YouTube it later.
Carly (1983): "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
S'okay.
L'il Davy (1990): "You're the Voice"
No. Just... no.
Kristy (1984): "God Bless the U.S.A."
(Interesting choice; the season 2 performance stands as one of the greatest moments in Idol history.)
Good selection. The performance itself is just okay, but the song itself carries-- oh dear. What was that key change? Bad, bad key change! This is not a song that needs to be messed with! (Quite the contrary.)
Oof. Destroyed by the arrangement.
David (1982): "Billie Jean"
Oh, I love it. I love it. If I had a lighter on me, I'd totally be waving it in the air. He's got my vote.
(I will await the usual outraged posts explaining who did this arrangement first. [There's a passing resemblance to Neil Finn's take, offhand.] These are all supposed to be covers, people. The point isn't to compose or arrange the song yourself; it's to pick the song, pick the arrangement, and sing it well.)
Posted by Shmuel at March 25, 2008 9:31 PM