Prior to Tuesday’s “American Idol” performance show, Lee DeWyze had finally done the impossible. Through steady growth and maturity as a performer, as well as consistently strong vocal showings, Lee DeWyze had eclipsed odds-on favorite Crystal Bowersox as the contestant to beat.
In one song Tuesday, DeWyze almost undid everything he accomplished.
His opening number for the top four show, which brought back the “songs of the movies” theme, was easily his worst performance to date and one that provided a crystal clear case study for any critic who doubted DeWyze’s ability to sing on key. The atrocious take on “Kiss From a Rose” was emotionless and distracting, with Lee barely showing a glimpse of the skill and passion that made him such a formidable challenger this year.
Though his vocal tone is charming enough to make anything tolerable, this tested the absolute bottom from a quality standpoint. He made all the wrong decisions vocally, throwing in rasp when it was not needed, and falling into a softer part of his voice when he did not have the skill or range to support his notes. The falsetto was simply awful.
Because Lee has been so consistently strong, it is far too early to rule him out of contention. Assuming he survives through this week’s elimination, one great performance can instantly send him through to the finale as the favorite. But the unfortunate reality this week is that while a good performance Tuesday would have continued the momentum and made him almost unstoppable going into that final performance show, he now will have to fight for a spot.
And let us not forget that Top 4 week is historically one in which anyone can go home. Just ask Tamyra Gray, La Toya London and Chris Daughtry whether even a major frontrunner should assume immunity from danger at the final four stage of the competition.
There was, however, one saving grace for Lee Tuesday night–the duet. In addition to his solo performance, DeWyze also duetted over “Falling Slowly” with fellow frontrunner Crystal Bowersox. Kris Allen introduced this Oscar-winning song to much of America with a strong, albeit safe rendition last season, but Lee and Crystal redefined how to perform this song. Their chemistry and harmonies were nearly perfect, and they knew exactly how to tell the story of the song. Particularly notable was that while Crystal generally carried the melody with an understated yet powerful vocal display, when it came time for someone to steal the show, it was Lee and his raspy tone that emerged as victorious. Lee was the star of this duet, and he very well might have made up for that disappointing opening number.
Crystal, on the other hand, did not rely so extensively on the duet to save her evening. Her take on “I’m Alright” represented a marked improvement from her recent performances and finally revived the gritty, soulful vocals and song ownership she previously parlayed into becoming the show’s early frontrunner.
That is not to say the performance was perfect, nor is it even to say that it stands out as one of her best moments of the season. For all that was good about her voice and freedom to show some artistry and power, the song itself provided a major bottleneck for the quality of the performance. There simply was not enough melody for Crystal’s vocal talent, and the end result was a situation of self-indulgence–Crystal was showing off her voice but not necessarily making it work within the structure or emotion of the song. Was it anything less than strong? No. But if this was one’s first time watching Crystal, he would again question whether she is anything more than a great coffee house performer.
The other duet pairing linked Casey James and Michael Lynche. When they sang “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” in unison, everything worked brilliantly, and the duo showed almost as much chemistry as Lee and Crystal. But the brilliance did not so consistently spread across the individual components. Casey’s solo portion suffered from detachment and generally-underwhelming vocal control; Michael was clearly the better singer, but without Casey’s fine guitar playing, much of the song would have fallen flat. It ultimately came across as a duet that, while good, worked as a duet and did not make either contestant come across as special in his own right.
The solo songs were a bit more dreary. Casey James’ “Mrs. Robinson” brought nothing to the table and suggested that he put no stock in mentor Jamie Foxx’s words. Foxx’s advice was to “seduce” the audience with the song and make those watching feel like the song was directed at them. Casey did the very opposite. He was looking down, he was looking up, but he was never looking at anybody, and his overall lack of confidence and passion were not, in any way, “seductive.” His nasty vibrato was more pronounced than usual as well, affecting almost every note–not just the sustained power phrases.
Michael Lynche probably sounded the best of the four contestants on “Will You Be There,” but this easily goes down as his most boring performance to date. There was just no connection and no conviction, a rarity for a singer who usually seems to believe what he is singing. The song itself also just failed to make any sort of an emotional impact, a shocker given Ellen DeGeneres’ correct statement that the use of a background choir seems to make everything feel bigger. It added nothing to this performance, and while it was not the worst of the night, it could go down as the night’s most forgettable.
While no one was perfect vocally, the night’s true point of disappointment was the song selection. Although “The Graduate”‘s “Mrs. Robinson” is a signature movie soundtrack song and “Kiss From a Rose” is recognizable from its “Batman Forever” presence, the songs selected did not truly capture the grandeur of cinema. Movie songs are supposed to be big and allow for expansive showmanship; these were low-key, sing-along songs. Does “I’m Alright” really compare with songs like “Summertime,” “I Have Nothing,” “As Time Goes By” and “Somewhere” from season three? Those are “movie songs”–the songs Tuesday represented another four additions in this season’s boring, uninspired array of song selections.
Solo Performance Rankings:
Crystal
Michael
Casey
Lee
Duet Rankings:
Crystal & Lee
Michael & Casey
Duet Performer Rankings:
Lee
Crystal
Michael
Casey
It appeared to me and many others that things were set up in Lee’s favor. Nobody else had a full choir as background.
Casey has no vibrato. He has a wonderful raspy quality to his voice which some could mistake as vibrato, but he always sings on key, which I cannot say about Lee.