Simon's right. We deserve better.
Last night was country night and just like last week, generally speaking, it was plain boring. Whoever thought country music night was a good idea was wrong. Maybe they should have asked Kenny Rogers before doing this episode. If you watched all his individual sessions with the kids, he kept talking about how country music is a story-telling style of music. You want to make people feel something with the words and with sincerity. Does this scream short-form American Idol to anybody? These songs aren't like other forms of popular music where you can take each song and turn it into a 90-second highlight reel and still have something nice left over at the end of it.
We already saw how this played out with Ace doing "Drops of Jupiter." That song is all about the slow build until it hits the emotional high about four minutes into the song. You can't just pop in somewhere, sing a verse, and then slam out the final chorus and expect us to feel anything at all. These songs weren't meant to be little pop nibblers that everyone can groove with after just a few seconds. I would argue that most country songs are the same way. There are some poppy country songs that could hit their stride in 90 seconds, but those songs definitely weren't the ones sung last night.
One possible exception could have been Paris, except that her tone was almost painful. I am willing to bet that tonight on the results show that the judges will pull back from some of their compliments last night on the few songs that they liked. I think sometimes that they can't really hear what is going on from their vantage point up front in the live setting. I think the mix on TV sometimes tells a different story.
Speaking of the mix, can someone tell me why they aren't mixing these things on the fly and more actively? If a singer is super low in the mix at the beginning of the song, it is up to the sound people to bring them up a little bit so that we can hear them over the band. You can't expect a singer in a live environment to control the softer notes. It is quite easy to back off a microphone when you are going to hit the high one, but to try to bring up the low notes is next to impossible. The producers of this show have to know that and mix to the lower range of the singer as well as the higher parts of the range. You can't tell me that they don't have a rack of compressors sitting in that studio somewhere.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Grandpa Idol
Let's just get rid of Taylor, Jethro (Bucky), and Ace at one time and focus on the top six. I thought Chris, Elliot and Ellie May (Kellie) shined through the otherwise dismal evening.
2 - Mark Saleski
why they aren't mixing these things on the fly and more actively?
ahh, so it's not just me! damn, the mix on the tv is awful.
song selection: i wonder if they could have chosen from any tradtional country. it would have been a ballsy move for one of they guys to sing their version of Lyle Lovette's take on "Stand By Your Man". Chris could have killed on that.
3 - FilteringCraig
Taylor is a tough one. He really doesn't fit the mold for American Idol, but he definitely has some skills and abilities.
4 - NR Davis
No, it's not just you. The audio people are just awful on a consistent basis.
Now, did Kenny Rogers look like something out of an alien film, or was that just me?
What a terrible week, so lackluster and unsatisfying. On the whole, the gang was "aiight" with a crop of stultifyingly boring songs. (I give props only to Chris, really, and that is with reservations.) Even my Taylor disappointed - song choice, man! Be yourself! AI ought to rethink their themes...
I suspect the bottom 3 will be Ace, Bucky and Taylor (i'll sob like an infant if it happens, but hey, it wouldn't be undeserved). I predict it will be bye-bye Buckaroo. Though the Buckster certainly deserves to go as well, I hope the ousted finalist will be Ace.
My prediction
5 - Connie Phillips
I'm with you, NR Davis, if Taylor goes tonight I will be crushed. He is so differnt than anyone who has been on the show ... but he came short of shining last night.
6 - FilteringCraig
I am still thinking that Bucky's performance will buy Taylor another week on the show.
7 - Connie Phillips
I hope you're right!
8 - Ty
Ummm, yeah, Mandisa was flat out HORRIBLE. Paris's tone was way off.
Both will be in the bottom 3 with Taylor, who had a lackluster performance.
The worst was Mandisa without a doubt (I can't believe people don't think Mandisa was god awful last night), but Paris will go home.
9 - Craig Lyndall
For whatever reason, Mandisa's performance didn't stick out to me the way it apparently did to you. I still think Bucky, but I am not all that confident in the prediction.
10 - Craig is a Bucky Hater
I think you are just a Bucky-hater Craig. Bucky will not even be in the bottom 3 tonight considering all the red states tuned in to watch and vote during Country Week.
I agree with Ty. The Bottom 3 will be Paris, Mandisa, and Taylor, with Paris going home, although based on performance alone, Mandisa should go home.
11 - Craig Lyndall
I think I am a Bucky hater. He isn't very good. Why shouldn't we all be Bucky haters? What does he bring to the table?
12 - Craig is a Bucky Hater
"Last night was country night and just like last week, generally speaking, it was plain boring. Whoever thought country music night was a good idea was wrong."
Actually it was not a boring theme, it's just that this bunch can't pick songs worth crap, just like last week with the 21st Century theme.
Even if you are a Bucky hater, you are a fool if you think he is going home when his fanbase is voting hard for him. You must be deaf if you didn't think Mandisa was absolutely horrible last night. Based on worst perf last night, she should go.
But since Mandisa has a slightly bigger following than Paris, who also wasn't great, Paris will go home.
"Why shouldn't we all be Bucky haters? What does he bring to the table?"
What does Mandisa bring to the table? Just her ROLLS of fat in a society where if you are white and fat you are treated like crap, but black and fat and you can win AI. I smell a double standard. Oh yeah, and she can't sing too, just scream everything.
I'm not a Bucky love, just not a Bucky hater. We need Bucky around longer if we are going to have the ultimate final of Taylor vs. Chris. If Bucky leaves now (he won't, not during country week) than we could be in a position where we have a PATHETIC Mandisa vs. Chris final, or (shudder), Mandisa vs. Paris.
If it's Mandisa vs. Paris, I won't watch. 2 hours of screaming and that annoying voice from a girl whose granny Randy Jackson was awestruck to meet (and thus she can get a deal right now, no need for AI) doesn't sound like fun to me.
13 - Mark Saleski
y'know...if we package this conversation right, it can be transformed into perfomance art.
or something.
14 - Craig Lyndall
I asked you a question, "Why shouldn't we all be bucky haters?" and you answered by deflecting into Mandisa.
Answer the question. What does Bucky bring to the table?
15 - Craig is a Bucky Hater
Bucky is a half-way decent country singer, period.
That's much better than numerous pathetic r&b wannabes we've seen over the seasons in American Idol.
Face it: People are tired of seeing R&B types win this thing. That's one reason I want a Taylor vs. Chris final, so we don't get Frenchie II (Mandisa) vs. Wannabe Fantasia (Paris) in the finals.
16 - Dawn
It was physically painful to endure. Kelli was the highlight, but honestly, I am not a fan of modern country.
It's just so, contrived.
17 - Craig Lyndall
What was funny to me is that Simon is apparently not a big fan of country either. Shouldn't the producers and Simon and everyone get on the same page here?
18 - Amrita
i think they did the country thing coz they're trying to give all the contestants a night where they can shine.
that said, bucky doesnt annoy me half as much as ace and his scar and his goggle eyes and perm. bucky is the ghost of idols past - all those you booted off coz you hated them, come to haunt you forever on this show. its all karma. and i took some advil and my mcpheever just wore off.
19 - sal m
the country music block has proven to be one of - if not the strongest - voting block involved with the show. so despite personal feelings towards bucky, the fact that he survived stevie wonder week and 50's week indicates that he should be safe this week. i'm not a fan of his, but i wouldn't be surprised if he's not even in the bottom three.
the mix on the show with the big band has been consistantly awful over the years.
and i think it's time to cut back on how many opportunities the contestants have to pick their own songs.
bottom 3: taylor, paris and ace
20 - Craig Lyndall
I think maybe they need a better consultant working with them on their arrangements and stuff. Also, are any of these people going to sing any other notes than were in the original songs? I thought that was the point of covering something. Adding a different spin. "making it your own."
21 - IdolBoomer
Elliot, Paris, Kelly, Bucky, and Chris all great. Kathrine very good. Taylor, who I really like, not good at all; song sounded too high in parts for his voice. Mandisa was okay; getting tired of her singing every song week after week the same as the previous week. She sings great, but needs more versatility, like Chris showed tonight. Did not like Ace at all tonight. Can not stand him bugging his eyes out at the camera in that supposed "I'm really into you" look. Hate his voice. Listen without looking at the TV....painful. Hope he gets voted off tonight.
22 - Joelline
OK, the results show is just beginning, and I'm predicting the bottom three will be: Katharine McPhee, Elliot Yamin, and Ace Young.
I don't know why but I can't stand Katharine. Yes, I know she has an OK voice, but I can't bear to hear her sing!
Ditto for Elliott.
I adored Ace for 2 shows, but now he's boring and phoney--and that falsetto has become annoying.
So, I'm voting based on personality or "star quality" and not on vocal ability or song selection, etc. Not fair? Yeah, I know, but when they all suck as they have for 2 weeks now, it's the way I'm going.
23 - Ty
What's up now Craig???? I called two of the bottom 3, and said Mandisa was the worst of the night.
And now she's gone. Hahaha
24 - Craig is a Bucky Hater
Mandisa was the absolute worst last night and low and behold, NOBODY VOTED FOR HER.
Looks like you were flat out wrong Craig, but I didn't expect any different: you are just a biased Bucky hater who didn't realize that Mandisa was flat out horrid last night.
Finally, a deserving person goes home. Yes!!!!
25 - Judge Judi
Well folks, I can't even explain to you my disbelief and disappointment with the voting off of Mandisa!! Are these voters NUTS!!??? You're going to tell me that strictly on a VOICE basis, Bucky or Ace or even Paris SINGS BETTER THAN MANDISA???? Give me a FREAKIN' BREAK!!! I could hardly sleep last night, thinking to myself that Ace and Bucky are sitting in the top 8, and they vote off one of the best singers they've had on A.I.
I know it's all based on popular vote, but there's something wrong with America this time!!! They MUST be voting on looks alone which explains why Ace is still "sitting pretty" up there!! And to top that off, they place ELLIOTT in the bottom 2 with Mandisa?? Come on America, let's start judging VOCALS instead of who bats their eyes at the camera (Katharine!) or who can act the most stupid (Kelly!) or who can point their shaking finger at the camera and look like a deer in the headlights (Ace!) PLEASE!!!! I swear, if they vote off Elliott or Chris in the next few weeks, I'm done with this stupid show!!!!