Aphrodite and Cupid were watching over the Kodak Theatre this week as Final Six Idol Contestants sang love songs this week. Being a closet romance freak, I was hoping to find some moving performances from our stellar six. Coached by the incredible Andrea Bocelli and his "buddy" Dave, the idols were truly prepared for this weekÂ’s vocal battle.
Katherine McPhee tackled Whitney HoustonÂ’s "I Have Nothing" with the poise of a champion songstress. She lost focus on a few notes here and there, but the overall performance was far beyond solid. Finally, Randy and Paula had some good constructive criticism to hand out to Katherine this week. The judges were all quite harsh, but America didn't seem to agree. Katerine was in the top two this week and seems all but assured of a spot in the finale. If Katherine can just keep pumping out the star quality, she will be this seasonÂ’s winner. Katherine does have the competition nipping at her heals.
Chris Daughtry sang a vocally clean and powerful performance of "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman". I was disappointed that the judges had no real criticism of him this week. I know he sang the song powerfully, but his interpretation seemed askew to me. Maybe his love just is not as tender as I imagine. He sang the song with an intensity that made him seem almost angry. The instrumentation didn't seem to fit with his delivery. Still, it is easy to appreciate Chris as a vocalist and uncompromising rocker. He was also put in the top two by America.
Taylor Hicks sang a vulnerable and moving version of James IngramÂ’s "Just Once". Not his most vocally stunning performance, still Taylor proves that if you pick a great song and sing it with a little emotion, listeners will appreciate it. He was safe to sing again.
Elliot Yamin is the kind of guy that you want to see win the competition. After his rendition of Donny Hathoway's "Singing this Song to You", Simon Cowell proclaimed his performance to be a vocal master class. As a vocal performance major in college, I would have to whole heartedly agree. Elliot came through in a big way this week. If he can deliver this kind of performance with more recognizable songs, he really could be looking at shot in the finals. If you watch the show to see true vocal genius, you can't help but see it in Elliot! His performance brought Paula to tears! What more does he have to do? I would like to see someone make Simon cry! Elliot is now in the top 5.
Paris Bennet took a slight step back this week. She was in the bottom two for the first time this week. Singing Barbara Streisand's, "Memories" seemed like such a foolish move on her part. Whoever helped her picked this song this week must want her to be the next cast out. I am a Paris fan. She didn't have vocal problems with the song. It was just a foolish song for her to sing. It made her seem like a little old lady. Not the image of a 21st century American Idol. She got lucky this week that there was one other foolish performance. She will sing again next week!
We must say sayonara to one of the bright spots of American Idol season 5. The lovely Kelly Pickler naively tried to pull off a rendition of "Unchained Melody". Her performance was far from her best. She has to be proud of her "Idol Journey". She has far less experience than the rest of the final 6 and she still holds her own. Pickler reminds me so much of these generations Dolly Parton. She is sincere country. I will miss her southern fried diatribes every week. I will remain a Kelly fan.
It's getting closer to the finale and it looks like this season is turning out to be the most competitive season ever! The only thing that could have made it better was having a little Timmy C in the mix! Ah well! Maybe in an alternate universe. At least Timmy keeps watching with wonder and a little personal pride.
