Jacob Lusk Annoys, Haley Reinhart Excels on “American Idol”

This week’s “American Idol” results show could bring an answer to the question of how much voters value the pre-performance video packages.

Jacob Lusk‘s strong, convincing rendition of “Man in the Mirror” is generating virtually no buzz from “Idol” commenters and bloggers. Instead, the attention is on his video package comments, in which he said that if he ends up in the bottom three following this number, it will be because “America wasn’t ready to look themselves in the mirror.”

It is unlikely that Lusk meant to be vitriolic towards voters–having switched his song selection from “Let’s Get It On” to “Man in the Mirror” based on the fact that the latter seemed more suited for who he is, he was probably trying to articulate that if America would have preferred he instead do the Marvin Gaye classic, it would have been asking him to abandon what he stands for as an artist and person. But what he probably meant and how it came out are two very different things, and the line delivered on television definitely came out like an arrogant, bold assertion that he will be too good on the Michael Jackson song to warrant elimination.

Headline Planet’s previous “Idol” reviews, for instance, are getting search hits from queries along the lines of “Jacob Lusk insults America.” Clearly, the notion that America could not possibly believe Lusk underdelivered on this song struck a nerve.

But, as noted, Lusk was definitely not the worst–an accomplishment given the fact that this was easily one of the best performance shows of all-time. No one was less than “good,” and the elimination stemming from “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night” will be very intriguing. If Lusk goes, it might not be because America was unready to look itself in the mirror, but it could be because the usually-likable, sensitive Lusk lost some major personality points.

Going against the grain
While Jacob Lusk’s song selection was motivated by a desire to remain true to who he is, contestants like James Durbin and Pia Toscano vowed to explore different sides of themselves.

After consecutive “hard rock” performances that involved lots of crowd-pleasing screaming and movement, Durbin got serious, emotional and sensitive on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Though it is not a certainty America will love what it saw–Durbin built his fanbase singing Judas Priest and gushing about pro wrestling, not looking directly through tears into the camera–this was a great performance that proved Durbin is a legitimate force in this competition. He sang tenderly, openly and honestly, providing a great vocal take on a classic, beautiful song. Yes, in going the straight vocal route (even his previous “Maybe I’m Amazed” featured his loud, rocker brand of energy), Durbin exposed he is not the best singer in this competition, but he also proved that he is, indeed, a great singer who has what it takes to put forth a true catalogue of great music. The only thing preventing this performance from emerging as a true “moment” was the late build; it probably should have raised in intensity a few seconds before that tremendous final note.

Toscano, meanwhile, wowed with another fantastic vocal on uptempo “River Deep, Mountain High.” Though not her best performance of the season (the vocals actually fell short of the tremendous rendition Naya Rivera and Amber Riley delivered on “Glee”), she proved she could sing the hell out of a song that requires more than simply standing around and belting. In the vocal battle, she again reigned supreme.

Of course, there, again, was the question of whether this should “count” as an uptempo number. It was definitely the most risky, dynamic thing she has done this season, but ultimately, she still sang this like a “Pia song.” She didn’t dance or move with excitement–she simply walked around the stage. The elements of fun were more present than they have been to date for her, but this still wasn’t that “Pia goes wild” number for which everyone is hoping. And, on the night she does a Tina Turner song, Pia covers up her legs? Great fashion advice, Gwen.

At the end of the day, though, if “Idol” watchers have to sit through two more months of Pia singing like this, there are unlikely to be any serious complaints. She’s simply one of the most talented vocalists ever on the show.

Returning to glory
It’s sad to think that Haley Reinhart, who by all means should have been a female frontrunner after her Hollywood version of “God Bless the Child,” is now, at best, grasping for that “dark horse” straw.

That’s what a few bad song choices can do for a singer. Hopefully, however, America stays warm to the contestant–her “Piece of My Heart” was again a dominant performance that proved she, from a talent standpoint, is a real threat in this competition. The performance and vocals themselves were even better than the prior week’s show-stealing “Bennie and the Jets,” and while it is not clear she always captured the emotion and “grit” of the original, some of that shortcoming is not her fault. Unlike other “soul” singers on “Idol,” Reinhart doesn’t have to force the growls and raspiness–everything comes effortlessly. Instead of milking the vocal struggle, therefore, she instead is able to focus on being energetic and exciting for the live crowd. The movements and facials can occasionally come across as immature in missing the gravity of the lyrics, but they also work with her persona–they help her engage the crowd.

If she ends up in the bottom group this week, it will be because her first few competition performances put her at a permanent disadvantage. It won’t be because the performance was less than stellar.

After landing in the bottom two last week, Paul McDonald brought back the style everybody loves on “Folsom Prison Blues.” Some will call this a trainwreck, but those who gravitated towards Paul several weeks ago will probably view this as his best performance. It was chaotic, it was wild, it was fun–things that can often go missing when “Idol” contestants get too far into their heads. On a night in which so many contestants took advantage of the fact that the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” welcomes musicians who are not “rockers,” it was nice to see McDonald give a vintage performance with the spirit of rock and roll at it core.

Outside of country can be scary
Poor Lauren Alaina. A week after her quest to shake the overhyped label truly started to pay off–first with a great, country-fied rendition of “Candle in the Wind” and then one of the best moments of the season on a duet of “I Told You So” with Scotty McCreery–and she is back in the middle of the pack. Instead of embracing that country side of her, which allowed her to basically come across as a more vocally-inspired version of someone like Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, she went right back into Kelly Clarkson mode with a take on Aretha’s “Natural Woman.” She certainly didn’t fail on the very solid performance, but she also took herself out of the “moment-making” game. Alaina does not have the vocal power or control to truly nail a song like this, so while it was quite enjoyable, it lacked the “punch” that exists when a contestant selects a number more aligned with his vocal identity. This was a girl trying to be Kelly Clarkson, not a confident, country-pop star making a song her own.

In one of the biggest judge-reality disconnects of the season, Scotty McCreery received ample praise for his take on Elvis’ “That’s Alright, Mama.” Yes, the vocals were fine, and it was fun to see Scotty do something outside of country-ballad territory, but the performance was also terribly cheesy and insincere. The vocals and poise created some distinction, but at the end of the day, was this really much more artistic or serious than Jon Peter Lewis’ trainwreck take on “Jailhouse Rock?” The “hip-hop” hand gestures, reminiscent of what every suburban teenager tried to do a decade ago as he imitated Eminem, felt entirely out of place as well. Scotty should not be penalized by voters for having fun, and this might even help his case towards winning that “Idol” crown, but by no means did this performance seem like that of a major country-pop star.

Leave it in the hands of the voters
Likely still haunted by his shock almost-elimination from a few weeks back, Casey Abrams again played it fairly safe on “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” No, “safe” is not being used in the wholly-negative “American Idol” connotation. Instead, it simply means that he kept the growls and outrageous facials to a minimum. He sat there with his upright bass and simply sang the hell out of the CCR classic. The non-offensive, sensitive performance did not make Casey must-see, edgy or outrageous, but it did again prove that he is a true artist with legitimate talent.

Still, in being so basic, will he have left enough of an impression to get voters dialing and texting?

Stefano Langone, one of the few contestants remaining who has no conceivable chance of winning, was similarly non-offensive on “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Save for the ill-advised falsetto (this song needs some soulful rasp and grit), he sang the number perfectly well, but nothing ultimately popped. It was a standard “American Idol” performance, which might not be enough to cut it among this talented group of season ten finalists. Though not a lock for elimination, it would be very surprising if Stefano escaped the bottom three this week.

Elimination Thoughts:
Based on fanbase and the lack of fire behind the performance, Stefano Langone seems a likely candidate for elimination. One should not, however, assume Jacob Lusk is safe–his performance was not amazing enough to erase the sour taste of his video package comments. Someone like Lauren Alaina could make her first trip to the bottom group as well.

Top 9 Performance Rankings:
1) Haley Reinhart
2) James Durbin
3) Pia Toscano
4) Casey Abrams
5) Paul McDonald
6) Jacob Lusk
7) Lauren Alaina
8) Stefano Langone
9) Scotty McCreery

Ratings Average After 5 Weeks
1) James Durbin – 2.8
2) Pia Toscano – 4.2
3) Jacob Lusk – 4.6
4) Haley Reinhart – 5
5) Casey Abrams – 5
6) Lauren Alaina – 5.4
7) Scotty McCreery – 5.8
8) Paul McDonald – 6.2
9) Stefano Langone – 7.6