The guys punched up their game this week, making the final outcome much tougher to call. Overall, song choice was better, vocals were stronger, and the performances were all-around more powerful.
The evening began with Mario Vazquez, who continued to showcase an extensive wardrobe of hats. While his song was upbeat and a crowd-pleaser, the lyrics lacked depth, and I just can't shake the sense that Mario is all show. He's a good enough singer, but he needs to display a bit more range.
Music teacher Anwar Robinson opted for Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." His vocals were as smooth as ever, and he exhibited good control of the song. He's been a consistently good performer, and tonight was no exception.
I got distracted by Joseph Murena's mismatched outfit, which consisted of a striped suit coat, a white button-down shirt, and jeans. While I've seen blazers work with jeans, this one didn't for some reason. He also sang "Let's Stay Together," which wasn't the strongest choice. While he was decidedly better than last week, Simon compared Joseph's performance to something one might hear in a Portugese nightclub circa 1974.
David Brown's number started out muted; he didn't hit his stride until about halfway through the song. I liked David a lot when we first saw him audition in New Orleans, but he hasn't been living up to the early promise he showed. All of the judges said something similar tonight - David can do much better, if he gets the chance.
Rocker Constantine Maroulis continues to be a crowd favorite, and his take on "Hard to Handle" gave credit to his personal style. Constantine isn't afraid to work it - all of it: the microphone, the stage, the camera, and the crowd. While his voice might not be the best of all the guys, Constantine is clearly a showman, and his fans do love him.
The talent versus appearance debate continues to rage around Scott Savol, who has an uncannily rich voice. Each week is less of a question of whether he'll sing well- - he always does (and did again tonight) - as whether he'll finally have found the "look" that'll work for him. Tonight he was closer, sporting slightly tinted specs that gave him a bit more edge, but not quite there yet.
Article comments
1 - Anthony's Friends
Check out the new video: Anthony Fedorov and his fans!
2 - Trish
Quote:
"Then again, if the girls who love(d) Clay take a shine to Anthony as well, Anthony's fortune cookies may be on the mark after all."
Not a snowball's chance in hell. The girls who love Clay....STILL LOVE CLAY! There is no substitute...I can assure you...and Anthony is not even c.l.o.s.e.
3 - Eric Olsen
thanks ZM, I agree entirely about Bo, he just blew the whole thing open, and I was very pleased to hear the judges say the same thing. As Simon said, it was an epiphany moment. You could hear the difference in depth and richness between he and all the rest, many of whom were quite good themselves (though not Constantine, who sounds very thin) - he rocked.
4 - Shark
Other than for Bo, your title could be
"Tin Men"
5 - Natalie Davis
Heh. I thought Mario and Nikko were OK and Scott was somewhat better, but Bo -- who blew away his Constantganger -- is the man.
6 - Temple Stark
Are you talking over for Pepper? I only ask because I've been putting his AI posts up on Advance.net.
I've just done that for this one as it was nice concise writing. And I'll show it to a friend who forgot to watch last night.
Three nights in a row. Egads.
Thanks. Temple
7 - Scott Pepper
Temple, I am still covering the womens' performances and results night. ZM is covering the men to lighten my load a bit.
8 - Eric Olsen
good thinking, thanks to both of you for doing such a great job on this!
9 - Temple Stark
A wise move indeed. Thanks.
10 - ZMethos
Yeah, Scott's going to cut me out once we're back down to two nights a week. In the meantime, he can't be bothered to gush about the boys the way I can.
;^P
11 - PB
Anthony is NO Clay Aiken by a longshot! He no way has the vocal power or vocal ability that Clay has!
He needs to stop trying to be Clay! Only one Clay!
IDOL FOUND! GAME OVER!!!