On the whole, the third week of live “American Idol” competition was easily the weakest of the season to date. No performance was legendary, and several were quite terrible.
But as a consequence of the modest all-around showing, the value of the competition was almost strengthened–a contestant previously viewed as “fodder” demonstrated that he, on a given night, can out-sing the competition’s true powerhouses.
That contestant, Stefano Langone, delivered for the first time this season (on performance shows) in a big way. His “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” was simply brilliant, supported by powerhouse vocals and the inclusion of a jazzier tone. The young singer moved a bit away from the David Archuleta comparison, coming across far more like a Bruno Mars rival than he did on Mars’ own “Just the Way You Are.” Already likely to appeal to young voters (even with the alleged DUI story making waves), Langone opened the door for true music connoisseur’s to also become fans. With no other contestant “killing it” Wednesday, Stefano benefited from a true chance to shine.
He, in fact, even out-delivered the always-strong Pia Toscano. Her “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” was, as expected, vocally impressive, but the performance felt surprisingly cold. No one can question her tremendous voice, but as this was her first attempt at something “uptempo,” one would have expected a bit more personality from a supposed frontrunner. Despite having the most potential to actually “excite,” this performance easily came across as the least-connected showing of Pia’s “Idol” tenure.
By no means should that read as Pia being even remotely in danger of elimination–she is not and very much remains the contestant to beat. But she’s already proven her ability to deliver stunning vocals. Actually WINNING this competition, especially given the strength of the opposition, is going to require a “wow” moment. And for someone who can so blatantly sing, that “wow” will have to either come from a creative, risky arrangement or a massive improvement in her stage personality.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Jacob Lusk, who took his “connection” and emotions too far on “Alone.” There were some absolutely-spectacular moments, and it was indeed one of the night’s best performances, but he also came up short on some big-time vocal risks and ultimately delivered something that suggested he was singing “at” the song rather than “with” it. Carrie Underwood’s classic, competition-defining version of this song was surprisingly simple and textbook–she simply sang the Hell out of the song. Instead of using his big, range-y voice to accomplish that (he probably could have done it better than Carrie straight-ahead), he turned the performance into something way over-the-top and thus insincere despite the supposed “sincerity” of his emotions.
Ultimately, the aforementioned three contestants were still fairly good. So too was James Durbin, who easily stands as the biggest personality on the show. His “I’ll Be There For You” was somewhat underwhelming from a vocal standpoint (and adversely affected by a silly “dance” beat), but he just worked the stage, audience and camera like a legitimate rocker. His pre- and post-performance comments also reflected someone with a great sense of humor who “gets” the concept of appealing to a mass audience. This performance would not lead anyone to believe he is a vocal match for the similarly-sounding Adam Lambert, but it again showed that he is beyond welcome in this competition.
A frontrunner who bombed, however, was the usually-dominant Casey Abrams.
It is so disappointing to have to criticize a contestant for performing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on “American Idol.” But Casey’s take on the iconic grunge song was simply a travesty–it made for one of the most unpleasant, embarrassing performances ever on the show. No, its vocals did not sink to the level of something like John Stevens’ “My Girl,” but the overall dynamic was so far from what a frontrunner like Casey should be delivering that it bombed just the same.
The entire thing was a mess. He opened with a verse so offensively dainty and effeminate that one would have believed it was Thia Megia performing Nirvana. He then launched into this brutal growl for the chorus and outtro, losing all of the emotion and nuance found in Kurt Cobain’s voice. Add insane facials reminiscent of a villain in a B-movie, and this was just a total massacre.
The risky nature of the performance will get people talking and maybe even strengthen Casey’s star, but he showed none of the artistic brilliance he had in prior weeks.
After getting far more credit than she deserved for last week’s take on “Umbrella,” Naima received a fair share of judge criticism for a disappointing version of “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” The vocals were rough, the facials were ill-applied and the dancing was distracting. At no point did Naima suggest she was going to be this kind of artist, and if she does survive into next week, she really needs to find a better gimmick. The choppy, way-too-intense movements are simply not cutting it.
Haley Reinhart may or may not be eliminated, but she is quickly sealing her fate as someone who will never be viewed as a serious contender to the “Idol” crown. Darkhorses can always emerge, but her weak “I’m Your Baby Tonight” again solidified the fact that for all of her potential talent and appeal, she simply cannot turn it into a package that works. She seemed so rushed and awkward on some of the phrasing and delivery that the moments in which she dipped into her arsenal of bluesy growls went largely unnoticed and unappreciated.
On the subject of detriorating contestants, Thia Megia again missed the mark with “Colors of the Wind.” The cliched song choice can potentially be excused due to her age, but the boring, lifeless vocal delivery simply cannot be. As Jennifer Lopez correctly pointed out, she dropped the very appealing, very unusual jazz quality to her voice–instead, it appears she is too “in her own head” as she nervously tries to hit all of the notes. There was no emotion, no facial intensity, no movement; it was just another boring “dud” from a contestant who, theoretically, has the tools to make a big impact in this type of competition.
Karen Rodriguez was even weaker on “Love Will Lead You Back,” which showcased weakness in her voice and a general “pageant” quality about her performances. She comes across more like a fairly-talented woman trying to be a singer rather than a talented singer trying to be a pop star. The Spanish line also fell flat given her video package comments about not wanting to be a gimmick.
The impossible-to-analyze Paul McDonald finally elicited some judge critique for his “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues.” He definitely ran into some vocal trouble, and the weird stage mannerisms are increasingly coming across as random; the artistic value behind them seems very suspect. Of course, he has never been amazing vocally–the value has always been in his James Blunt-esque tone and quirky stage presence. So in applying his craft to a more recognizable song than last week’s number, should he really have to worry about alienating fans? Only the results will tell.
The ten aforementioned contestants generally fell into either a “pretty good” or “pretty bad” column. Where did country teens Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina land?
In both cases, it was fairly positive. Scotty is unlikely to ever “wow” on stage as everyone knows the gist of what he will deliver, but he remains consistently-strong and his “Can I Trust You With My Heart” definitely showed some new vocal talents and personality. Scotty has always been good, but in prior weeks, he almost came across like someone who does a brilliant country music “impression” rather than a true country singer. The growth he showed on this performance changed that–Scotty McCreery is for real, and as long as the themes allow him to find a song in his wheelhouse, he will be tough to beat in this competition.
Lauren Alaina sounded very good on “I’m the Only One,” but the judges were a bit kinder than was warranted. Yes, she improved dramatically from last week’s disappointing showing, but she still lacked the vocal control and intelligence needed to really make this song pop. Everything was very appealing, fan-friendly and entertaining, but the “edgy” side of Lauren Alaina’s voice was not nearly enough to do justice to the far more gritty original. In many ways, the performance was reminiscent of Carrie Underwood’s “Piece of My Heart.” Though a totally respectable performance, it came across as weak since many were evaluating it against the Janis Joplin version (even though Carrie felt she was covering Faith Hill’s cover)–country twang does not directly translate to soulful grit.
Still, this was indeed a performance that thrust Lauren back into the mix, situating her with Pia as one of only tow females who appear to be in contention to win the competition.
Leading candidates for elimination are Karen, Naima, Haley and Thia. Paul could slip into the bottom group as well, but the others should all be safe.
Top 12 Performance Rankings
1 – Stefano Langone
2 – Scotty McCreery
3 – Pia Toscano
4 – James Durbin
5 – Jacob Lusk
6 – Lauren Alaina
7 – Paul McDonald
8 – Haley Reinhart
9 – Thia Megia
10 – Karen Rodriguez
11 – Naomi Adedapo
12 – Casey Abrams
Rankings Average After Two Weeks
Pia Toscano (2.5)
Scotty McCreery – (3.5)
James Durbin – (3.5)
Jacob Lusk – (4.5)
Stefano Langone – (5)
Lauren Alaina – (6.5)
Casey Abrams – (6.5)
Paul McDonald – (6.5)
Haley Reinhart – (8)
Thia Megia – (10.5)
Naima Adedapo – (10.5)
Karen Rodriguez – (11.5)
Interesting how the David Archuleta comparisons are to David’s AI performances not to what he currently sings.
David did great on AI and he has only gotten better. David does jazzy, bluesy, countryish, pop, operaish, soulful, ballads, and lets not forget spanish, ballads, rancheras with mariachi, salsa..dancing included, without missing a beat.
You should youtube him and check out all that he is.
wow a review that i agree with……….steffano was clearly the best with scotty a close second. Pia is in the spot that makes her hard to win……shes already been fantastic and how does she top this……..so much is expected of her and lusk…….in the past its who peaks later that wins…..