Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
May 4, 2005 - Double Shot
Copyright
2005 Fox Broadcasting
Now that American Idol is down to only five contestants, they had two themes and each contestant sang two songs. The first theme was songs by Lieber and Stoller, the songwriting team who wrote a lot of classic hits. The second theme was to do any song from this week's Billboard charts.
Anthony Fedorov started out the evening with "Poison Ivy." He said he was trying to have fun with it, but he was still stiff. The song was much like his other performances, flat and uninteresting.
Judge Randy Jackson said it was very out of tune at the beginning. Nice judge Paula Abdul credited him for choosing a song that shows versatility but said she was a bigger fan of him singing ballads. And tough judge Simon Cowell said he was very lucky he was doing two songs, because that was an insipid, amateurish performance.
Next up was Scott Savol, who performed "On Broadway." He attempted a funky version but had a number of rough spots. Randy acknowledged there were some bad notes but said every week he comes up with enough of the right vocals to pull it out. Paula said that he's got a lot of moxie, probably because he chose a song about how he wasn't going to give up until he made it. And Simon told him he's had more escapes than Houdini. Even though there were a few bum notes, he called it his best performance so far.
Vonzell Solomon did "Treat Me Nice." She was really off. It was a truly dumb performance; she just howled through it. But Randy called it one of the best vocals and said she was clearly trying to win. Paula said that any producer would sign her up. With the reality check, Simon said that while there were elements that were good, overall it was a mess and that it was childish and cutesy.
Bo Bice took the stage with a soulful version of "Stand By Me," commanding the stage and finishing with a strong last note. Randy said he always picks the song that's right for him and that he's on his way. Paula agreed that it's great to sing a song that both young and old can enjoy. Further, she said there's no reason to critique him. And Simon said he chose the best song by a mile.
Finishing up the first round was Carrie Underwood with "Trouble," originally performed by Elvis. It was a screechy country version, absolutely awful. Randy said, "You know who you are" and called it a great song choice. Paula called it fun and said, "You're a star." And Simon said that you have to give your fans what they want, and this is what Carrie's fans want.
The next round, Anthony did "Incomplete," a Backstreet Boys song. He gave a very wobbly performance with a lot of pitch problems. Randy pointed out the pitch problems and gave it five points out of 10, compared to the Backstreet Boys version. Paula said it's hard to take on a song done by a group and that overall it was a good job. Simon said that, despite a disastrous start, he did very well.
Scott Savol sang Brian McKnight's "Every Time You Go Away," proving why he doesn't deserve to be on the pop charts. His delivery was too harsh and frequently off key. But Randy said he'd pulled it out again, and Paula said that she had "so much joy" watching him and that it was his best night of the competition. Simon said he was more flat than in tune and that he'd done much better on the first song.
Vonzell turned in a weak performance of "When You Tell Me That You Love Me," which Randy called "perfect" and Paula called "beautiful," leaving only Simon to speak the truth. He said that it was not a perfect vocal and that she was really vulnerable this evening.
And Bo really got into it with "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys. He was really comfortable on stage and, compared to his competitors, he was actually on key. Randy promoted him to "captain of the Dog Pound." Paula called him fantastic. Simon said he'd had a good night and he'd made the other singers look like amateurs.
Rounding off the evening, Carrie delivered the sappy ballad "Bless the Broken Road." Listening to this song could give you tooth decay, if it didn't make you throw up. But Randy called it another great vocal. Paula called it simple but "eloquent." Simon said it was very good, other than the fact that the performance was robotic.
Given my
recent track record, I'm not sure I should dare to predict who's going
home tonight. But I do know that, in the past, there's frequently been
a backlash after a favorite contestant is eliminated. The next one to
go is often the one blamed for that result. If that holds true, Anthony
may be the one to take his bow.
More Musings on American Idol:
Moral:
Rely on Simon to speak the truth.
Copyright
2005 by Alyce Wilson
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