Mariah Carey's the mentor this week. I hope they're not dumb enough to confine the selections to her songs—single-artist weeks are never a good idea—but they probably are.
...yeah, they are. Hmmph.
Davy Baby: "When You Believe"
Oh god. This week is going to be a travesty. This would be a demonstration of how David Archuleta is not Mariah Carey.
Carly: "Without You"
Okay, there are some good bits this week. Solid performance. I'm torn between thinking she should have toned down the runs at the end, and thinking she couldn't afford not to take 'em on.
(Oh, I totally disagree with Randy. I liked the beginning better. It was more Carly.)
...and here's the person most likely to go for a direct cover, but also the person with the home-court advantage this week...
Syesha: "Vanishing"
I'm not familiar enough with the original to judge this one, but I suspect this week's theme's gonna give Syesha a one-week reprieve.
(What's gonna be interesting is seeing what the two Cooks come up with. I'm half-hoping for a countrified "I Still Believe," though I can't quite get it to work.)
Brooke: "Hero" [playing the piano]
Ooh, good song choice. Almost an obvious one, in hindsight. She should have gone with the guitar instead of the piano, though... the piano overpowered it, and she flubbed a few of the chords along the way.
...we're arguing the semantics of a hamburger metaphor. I love it.
Kristy: "Forever"
Kristy is continuing to have the best upward trajectory this year. A couple notes a bit off, but on the whole that worked really well.
David: "Always Be My Baby"
Ooh, love the violins. Otherwise... I don't think this actually worked, but it was a valiant attempt. Probably the most interesting failure since Fantasia.
Jason: "I Don't Wanna Cry"
...okay, I didn't think Jason would be able to get anything to work this week. I was wrong. Good job.
...Randy isn't wrong about the luau vibe, but succeeding in getting a Mariah song to work at a luau is something.
I am once again voting for Carly. I am afraid for Carly. But I really don't know what to expect this week. I don't think anybody's safe.
Posted by Shmuel at April 15, 2008 9:04 PM