AI Recaps-April 24th
The Top 6 Perform
On the eve of the “Idol Gives Back” extravaganza, our Idol contestants sing songs of Hallmark card sentiments like inspiration, hope, and compassion. Will Blake give Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” the beat box treatment? Will Lakisha diva shout her way through Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time?” Will Chris nasal up U2’s “Walk On?” And will tears spring to our eyes or will we cringe from all of the cheese? Just be grateful Sanjaya isn’t around to simper and whimper his way through “Climb Every Mountain” while wearing a nun’s wimple.
Chris (Change the World)-The chosen one gets the solo guitarist of pimpage and an inexplicable tongue bath from the judges. I thought he sounded weak, wimpy-a very insincere vocal. I just didn’t buy his performance. Before Chris changes the world, he might want to change his nasally singing. Plus, he’s such a Justin Timberlake wannabe, which might be the reason why he got the judges’ praise. The Idol machine probably wants to play it very safe and go with the tried and true rather than support something new.
Melinda (There Will Come a Day)-If anyone can make me like a treacly Faith Hill song it’s Mindy Do. Her vocals were tremendous, and she injected this song with a lot of soul. She really gave this song a strong gospel feeling. It was heartfelt and she made it her own. On a shallow note, I wish the stylists would put her in some jewel tones. That gray schmatte just washed her out.
Blake (Imagine)-This is one of my favorite songs, and I’m so glad Blake sang this song straight, and didn’t give it a lot of unnecessary runs and melisma. And he also sang this song very sincerely. But still something was missing. It kind of left me cold. Then again, nothing could ever approach the original. And Blake has a lot of guts to sing this iconic John Lennon song. I’ll give him that much credit.
LaKisha (I Believe)-I believe that KiKi is not progressing, and it’s probably not a good idea to sing yet another song by an Idol winner. Fantasia is so unique that KiKi can’t help but get compared to her unfavorably. Plus I didn’t get an inkling that KiKi connected with the song. She seemed to be doing things by rote. “I’ll move my hand this way...I’ll shake my head like this...” I think she has a beautiful voice, but I can’t get to excited by her anymore. I wonder if she’ll survive.
Phil (The Change)-Last week Phil proved country music is definitely his genre, so it’s a good choice to go with a Garth Brooks’ song. This song really started out like a total dirge. But Phil gained steam at the end when he was able to showcase his belting skills. Phil usually bores me, and I kind of find him creepy, but I can see him cracking the country market. But I wouldn’t exactly be beating down the doors to buy his CD.
Jordin (You’ll Never Walk Alone)-This was an amazing way to close the show. Jordin sounded beautiful and had a good connection with the lyrics. This song could have been a bucket of saccharine but Jordin made it very fresh. I got a little misty-eyed, as did Jordin. So cute of Ryan to hand over his $80 tie to let Jordin dry her tears. And though Melinda is very close to my heart but I think Jordin might be better off winning American Idol. She’s younger and more malleable, and is probably a better fit for the youth market Idol is going for.
By the end of the show, I realized I was more interested in the projects “Idol Gives Back” is involved in much more than the actual performances. It’s very easy to be skeptical about all of this charitable giving considering AI is one of the most manipulative cheesefests around, but I know a lot of people who are involved in these issues both in the US and in Africa. And they are doing very important work. Wednesday’s show should be very interesting with Ellen DeGeneres sharing hosting duties with Ryan. And guests like Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Pink, Gwen Stefani, and Original Recipe Idol, Kelly Clarkson will join show. My personal favorite, Bono, will also be making an appearance. I’ve been a huge U2 fan for many years, and I really admire Bono’s work on behalf of Africa. So if you hear a bunch of squealing and cheering coming from Milwaukee’s east side when Bono walks on the Idol stage, that will be me.
Can't really explain it though. 
That's all his performance was though..."nice". Good song choice in regards to the theme, not a good song choice in regard to showing off vocal talent.
