Stevie Wonder came to town last night on American Idol and as anticipated, not everyone lived up to the difficult song choices.
Ace Young kicked off the show with "Do I Do." I usually really like this guy but this song was just, as Simon would say, "Okay". Ace really stuck to the original melody and that worked against him I think. Last night it became crystal clear that in order to stand out or at least do a music legends' song a bit of justice, you had to make it your own. Kellie Pickler followed with a truly sleep-inducing, "Blame It On The Sun." Again, not bad but it wasn't memorable either. If this was the first time I'd ever seen Pickler I would probably have wondered how on earth she'd made the final 12. She was charming though in her country bumpkin kind of way and will likely survive to see another week.
Elliott Yamin did a very good job with "Knocks Me Off My Feet." He was the most emotional finalist when the time came to meet the great Stevie Wonder and his rendition probably did his mentor proud. It is hard for me to imagine Mandisa blowing any song to bits. "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" was absolutely the perfect choice to showcase her powerful vocal range. She was the first person of the evening to really step up and make a song their own.
I'll admit, Bucky Covington is not a favorite, but I'll also readily admit that I enjoyed seeing him tackle "Superstition." It was simply different and the whole performance suited him. His vocals weren't the best but I think his delivery was still fun to watch. If I were Melissa McGhee my bags would already be packed. She followed Covington with a dicey rendition of "Lately". The judges thought this was her best performance to date in spite of her forgetting the lyrics. I doubt the voters were quite as forgiving.
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was a good song for 16 year old Lisa Tucker to choose. Her vocals got stronger as she went along and she really worked to get the audience involved in her performance. Am I the only one that laughed my head off while Kevin Covais sang "Part Time Lover"? In the past few weeks Covais has made cracks about being a "Gansta" and a "Sex symbol." I thought it was tongue-in-cheek but after last night, I'm wondering if he believes his own hype.
Article comments
1 - Pat Fish
Taylor Hicks...I dunno. There's an old saw that white guys can't dance. Hicks is proof.
And I do think he should dye his hair.
2 - NR Davis
Why should he dye his hair? His natural gray looks great - anything else would be a lie. And I think Taylor's a knockout. His "Livin' for the City" was spine-tinglingingly good.
3 - Ty
"My only beef with her is that I'm not sure that it's fair for her to be in the top 12. She comes from a musical family that already has connections to the music industry. I can't help but believe that she was destined to make it anyway, without AI's help. Maybe someone without existing help should have had this opportunity."
THANK YOU!!! I've been saying this ever since her audition, but no one listens. She deserves to go because she has connections.
4 - Trinket
I think Taylor's gray hair makes him unique. I'd hate to see him dye it!
Your welcome Ty!
5 - AMerican Man
Who's that old man with grey hair that sings? Good Golly Grief, he should dye that mop grey, black.
6 - Jewels
That is one Sexy "old man", and as far as his dancing I don't know why, but I like it - alot; He's absolutely fascinating.
7 - Joanie
Congrats! This article has been placed on Advance.net
8 - Trinket
Thanks Joanie!
9 - sam ..from wales ! uk
katherine mcphee is goin 2 win .. oo shes hot 2 :P
10 - soul patrol baby
taylor is 29 (gray haired guy) and he's gonna win, becuase he actually has a good voice, can dance without loosing it (his voice) and is a GREAT entertainer!!! he makes everyon smile just by watching his performances, GO TAYLOR!
11 - Soundesigner
After last night's travesty on American Idol, the show should now more appropriately be titled "Fallen Idol" -- referring not to Chris Daughtry, but rather to the show itself as a "fallen" entity.
Who is at the helm these days? Perhaps a better question would be, is ANYONE at the helm? The show seems to be running itself.....into the ground. Over time, Randy, Paula and Simon have undermined their own credibility and authority by hamming it up for laughs. And Ryan Seacrest (whom we can't help but like) has sadly added to the demise of their credibility.
The talent on American Idol is just as good as ever, but the contest itself has become a farce. The voting has now resorted to (and after last night there is no doubt this is happening) America frantically supporting the person they don't want to get booted off the show.... yet. Chris Daughtry should have been one of the final two contestants, if not this year's American Idol. Everyone "knew" Chris would go to the finals, so they voted for the person they wanted to keep in the running ALONG WITH Chris. The approach obviously backfired, but the problem is not that viewers are dimwits, but rather that the whole stability of the show is beginning to crumble. The judges no longer respect each other's opinions, so why should we? And the problem is exaggerated by Ryan Seacrest's playful banter with the now "dysfunctional family".
By far the worst problem with the show is the voting method. The most reliable method for determining who are the most wanted contestants on the show would be for the viewers to vote for the contestant they want to go home each week. Using this method, the least effective contestant is eliminated each week, until the truly best performers (at least in America's opinion) are left. This voting method WILL work, because viewers would be choosing the ONE person they want to leave the show. Instead, with the current system, viewers are having to choose among several of their favorites and guess which one needs to be voted for in order to survive another week. The current voting system only works when there are two remaining contestants to choose
between. And, tragically, at that point some of the better singers (Chris Daughtry is the best example in the history of the show) have already become victims of the flawed voting process. It is not difficult to predict the beginning of next week's show, when Ryan Seacrest will acknowledge the tragedy of Chris leaving the show and then blame the audience for not voting for him. How many times does FOX expect viewers to buy that worn-out argument?
After last night, American Idol is simply too flawed to watch any more. If FOX is attempting to produce a farcical parody, they are succeeding. But if I want to watch really good farce on television, I'll tune in to "The Office". American Idol has become a joke.
12 - Beth
Chris Daughtry deserves to be the next American Idol. At least he doesn't forget his lyrics.
13 - Carrie
Can someone please explain to me why Chris Daughtry left? Katharine forgot her lyrics. I agree with Beth. I think there should be a recount.
14 - Karina
Chris should NOT be the next ai. Simple reason. He can sing but sounds the same week after week. He has no connection with his audience and copied Live to the T. He call himself a rocker but never danced a step. Taylor Hicks, on the other hand, can jump and goof around the stage without losing a beat and can still sing without panting or missing a tune. He never forgets his lyrics and is the PERFECT AI for me. Love Taylor.