I wasn’t able to watch television Tuesday evening, so the Wife and I watched both the performances and the results show Wednesday evening. One can certainly get through the shows quickly when you skip the commercials, fluff and repetiion.
The theme for the week was songs of Shania Twain.
Lee Dewyze
You’re Still The One
Loved the opening. It was really in a sweet spot of his voice. But why is he doing that John Mayer thing with his mouth, wonders the Wife?
The rest of the song didn’t hold up to the opening, but it was good.
Michael Lynche
It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing
“Ouch,” said the Wife. “He started the song sitting on the stairs. That’s never good.”
But Big Mike breaks the Stair Curse and has a great performance. Simple, emotional songs with a pretty melody are his forte. Maybe his best yet.
Casey James
Don’t
Neither the Wife nor I were familiar with the song, but we liked it and Casey’s performance. It was much more of a vocal than he’s given in a long time.
Crystal Bowersox
No One Needs to Know
She went full-country on this one. The Wife thought it was not really her type of music, but it was still pretty good.
Good, but not her best. She’s starting to remind me a bit of Melinda Dolittle. Good every week, and sometimes great, but Melinda didn’t win.
Aaron Kelly
You’ve Got A Way
He changed the melody a lot, but it worked. The Wife thought it was one of his best. The song wasn’t too big for him, so for a change he wasn’t straining.
Siobhan Magnus
Any Man of Mine
“I don’t like it,” said the Wife.
And she was correct. The vocal was ok, but the whole thing was a bit strange for me. And I hated the scream at the end. Not good.
So, Casey was the best of the night, followed by Michael and then Lee.
Siobhan was the worst of the night, and she paid the price by going home. She just wasn’t consistent enough, and the screams were getting pretty bad. If she can find a producer to channel her strangeness just enough to be commercially viable, she could do well.
I’ve had a number of people ask if Crystal is going to win this season. I would have to say that the smart money would be on her. She’s clearly the most talented, but that’s not why she should win.
She’s the most consistent. Every week, she’s really good. Even her bad weeks, she’s pretty good. However, American Idol can certainly surprise. Adam was clearly more talented and more consistent than Kris last year.
I think Michael and Aaron are not long for the competition. Michael, in particular, seems to be barely holding on.
Casey’s had some great moments, but has also had some not-so-great moments. He could go all the way, or he could flame out.
After Crystal, Lee has been the most consistent the last few weeks. While some of his earlier performances bored me, he’s been plugging away with solid showings recently. He could surprise people a la Kris Allen.
We’ll see!