Well, for the second night in a row, an episode of American Idol has left me appalled. Last night, it was realizing that the new Rush Week Top Ten deal meant five contestants who came this far would be unceremoniously dismissed, without even the chance to compete; tonight, it was seeing who got dismissed. I mean, while I could have envisioned that tonight’s Forgotten Guys would include baby-faced Jordan Brisbane, whiney-voiced Briston Maroney, and I-can’t-remember-anything-about-him Ethan Harris, I never could have fathomed that red-blooded country rock guy Caleb Thrasher and big-time R&B stud Maurice Townsend would be left out in the cold, too, with nothing but brave smiles. I cannot tell you how much that shocked me; I assumed both were locks.
Then again, I’ve seen enough Idol to know that predictability isn’t always in the cards. I saw when big-voiced-but-bland Carrie Underwood beat the much more musically-talented Bo Bice in the Season 4 finale, and this after the season’s most dynamic contestant, Constantine Maroulis, was tossed out in sixth place. I was as shocked as the rest of the world when Chris Daughtry went out in fourth place when he was the crowd and judges’ favorite in Season Five. I remember when Kris Allen spoiled Adam Lambert’s long-anticipated coronation, and I remember when chill guy David Cook beat heartthrob David Archuleta for the Idol championship one night after being, well, cooked in the head-to-head competitions in the final round. So…
Well, having swallowed the unnecessarily-icky dynamic of the Rush Week cuts, I was able to settle into tonight a lot more (being able to see the whole episode certainly helped). As a group, the guys were exponentially better than the girls, even though I think they left two of the best talents sitting on the table. Host Ryan Seacrest was his usual affable self, and judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban got to give out plenty of praise dotted here and there by “dude, you over-sang that” or “dude, that was not your song”. (Oh, and, in Big News, someone other than this season’s big meanie-face judge, Harry, got resounding boos for being a naysayer (Keith).)
I was a little surprised to see the relatively one-note Caleb Johnson lead off the group. While he’s proven to have mad stage presence and a powerful pair of pipes, he’s just seemed a little too much like a blah big rocker dude. But, as all the judges attested, he got the show off to a rollicking start with a fantastic rendition of “Stay With Me”. It was definitely over-the-top, but he showed that he knows his strong suit and he’s going to attack it 150 percent every time. He has a strong, clear voice, and if he can show a bit of musical flexibility going forward, he could be one of this season’s serious contenders.
Caleb was followed by his opposite, mellow sweetheart C.J. Harris, who—I can’t lie—stands out in my mind as the black guy who sounds like a white guy (he’s also the emotional guy with the even-more-emotional girlfriend). He’s super likeable, and though I felt his cover of “Shelter” was a little on the safe side, I was reminded he’s got a great voice that blends country and soul perfectly, which will make it easy for him to cross over if the themed weeks ahead get really interesting.
It’s kind of funny: I thought plucky Emmanuel Zidor did just fine with The Emotions’ “The Best of My Love”…right up until he obediently sang a few lines of a love ballad at JLo’s request during the judges’ remarks. Then I realized what a waste it was for him to sing an oldie that was pretty much made for him—I think he really could have wowed us. I wasn’t surprised by his performance and I enjoyed it, but he might have one of the best overall voices in this group, and he definitely should have showcased it more in this high-pressure Rush Week round. Emmanuel’s impossible not to like, and, though he faltered a little here (thanks, JLo, for making him show it), I’d like to keep seeing him around.
Coming on the heels of three progressively-older guys in their twenties was seventeen-year-old Sam Woolf, who may take himself a little too seriously but clearly knows who he is as an artist. His rendition of “Babylon
I told you what happened when Emmanuel showed his real musical talent side, but the first performance I really didn’t care for was George Lovett’s cover of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”. He was just flat-out trying too hard. He obviously has a good voice, but the way he performed the song, he was like a clenched fist, forcing out every note and every word, something the judges called him on (Harry said he “sang himself right off the mic”—an apt description). He had the passion, but it was an underwhelming go-round.
From the R&B guy, we got the Country Guy: Dexter Roberts. One of the ones I had no doubt we’d see tonight, Dexter is radio ready: I feel like I could turn on the country radio station I listen to in the car every day and hear him. He’s country to the bone, yet he proved he has more than just a twang singing Craig Morgan’s “This Old Boy”. For a brief moment, he went a cappella, and showed he has a real rich, resounding voice. All the judges love his country act, but are worried he can’t branch out or really distinguish himself as something other than a country act, a perfectly valid concern. Still, this guy is ready to be on the radio.
After Dexter came another guy I knew we’d see, the low-key, music-worshipping guitar guy Alex Preston. Alex has cruised this far mainly because he doesn’t look or sound like any other American Idol contestant I can remember. He sings the kind of indie rock where a singer, keeping their voice low, goes up and down scales and touches varying levels of emotion all while plucking lightly at their guitar, and could probably go on doing it for hours. While watching him perform “Volcano” I had the distinct thought that while I would probably grow bored listening to his type of music for very long, I can tell I would worship one or two of his songs and come back to them repeatedly. The judges laud him because he reminds us there are other types of music out there other than radio-friendly ballads and pop tunes, which is pretty much exactly his appeal.
I think crisply-dressed Malcolm Allen disappointed the judges, because, while he obviously has a well-rounded R&B voice, he started out singing so low his performance almost immediately felt kinda boring. Even once he got louder, his “Comin’ Where I Come From” just didn’t sound quite right, as though Malcolm didn’t quite believe in himself or what he was singing. The judges hit him for both over-singing and under-singing, with JLo saying “I should have gotten goosebumps from that one”.
Last night, he made the Top 15. Tonight, he made the Top 10. Ben Briley, whom Harry apparently nicknamed “Gumbo”, got to perform less than 24 hours after realizing he still had a prayer on Idol. And he made the most of it, putting his ability to mix country, rock and soul in play for a performance of “Soul Shine”. I think Ben over-sings, but he is 100 percent fiery passion; he’s the kind of guy who leaves it all out on stage, and his actual, true ability should surprise people just expecting another bearded-country-hick-with-a-guitar. Basically, I watched his performance and thought—in the words of a previous Idol judge—“he made it his own, dawg”.
The night closed with the shocking realization that neither of the supposedly-set-in-stone contenders, Casey and Maurice, were moving forward—instead it was female-melting poster boy Spencer Lloyd. Lloyd’s looks made him a hit from his first audition, and he comes from a steady musical background, but he stumbled in the Group Round and didn’t impress the judges with an off-key original song in the final Solo Round. (And on a personal note: not only did I appreciate his performance less because he beat Casey and Maurice, but he looks too much like disgraced baseball star Alex Rodriguez for me to be a fan). I hoped he would vindicate his entry into the Top 10 with his performance, but his cover of “Love Don’t Die”, by The Fray, was more karaoke than anything. He’s got a decent voice, but I think he got a little over-confident with his song choice. Harry chided him, saying sitting at the piano and singing was his “thing”. He should get back to it.
Well, that was all great. But who will America
For some reason, I think Dexter and Sam are the absolute safest of this group, with their respective country-to-the-bone and young/soulful/indie appeals easy to identify and remember (not to mention Sam’s got a chance to snag some of the Adoring Female vote). Spencer didn’t give a great performance, but he’s a Looker who’s been a familiar face on Idol this year and has some real musical talent; plus he went last on the night and is perhaps freshest in people’s minds—I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get the votes despite a less-than-spectacular reception. An obviously-talented and obviously-likeable guy like CJ, who blends country and soul well, is another hot pick—I’d count on him making it. And for the fifth…America America
Which Guys would I pick? As much as I’ve enjoyed Emmanuel, I’d take CJ, Dexter, Alex, Sam and Ben, with Caleb as an alternate.
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