OK -- I'll start this post by saying that I was never much a Beatles fan. I was more into the Motown sound. Hey. . . my southern roots. What can I say? But here we are again with a night of American Idol showcasing songs that are (again) twice as old as some of the contestants. There was no mentor tonight. Apparently, Sir Paul couldn't be bothered any more than sending a "good luck, old chap" video message. And, of course, we pretty much knew Lennon wouldn't show up. Instead, the time was filled by the contestants telling stories about each other. And, of course, they all lerve each other. I was waiting for one of them to say "He's an a**hole," but no such luck. Oh well. . . . My favorite songs of that ilk are the Wings songs of the late 70's -- "With A Little Luck," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Junior's Farm," "Live And Let Die," "Band On The Run," and so forth, but they all chose songs from the "Classic Beatles" era.
Query: Why does Ellen insist upon looking more and more mannish every week?
First to go was AARON. He sang "The Long And Winding Road." Off key and boring, I thought it was his worst performance yet. He looked like he was about to cry while the panel was ripping him a new one. Aaron usually gets good reviews from the judges, but tonight, he picked the wrong song and didn't sing it well at that. Oh well, everyone has their bad days from time to time.
Next up was KATIE. Katie's selection was "Let It Be." At first I thought we were in for another snoozer, but I'll be damned if Katie, who has been in the bottom three for the last few weeks, didn't turn in her best showing so far. She sang it as the ballad it's supposed to be, but put her own spin on it and it worked. I don't think Katie will be in the bottom three this week. Maybe she and Aaron will flip flop.
ANDREW was next, singing "Can't Buy Me Love." It was a very safe choice for Andrew, who has shown us over the past few weeks that he really doesn't have much of a range. This song kept him within that limited range. Not much more to say about Andrew. He's pretty much the same week after week. A disappointment from Mr. Garcia. At least we didn't have to put up with his mother's shenanigans. I wouldn't be sad to see him go.
Are we gonna hear anything new from MICHAEL this week? He's kept himself in the "Vandross" zone every time so far, and he's doggone good at it, but I think we all want to see something new from the big man. Michael's choice was "Eleanor Rigby." Hmmmm. . . . Interesting choice. . . . He started it with a haunting falsetto, then broke into a more rockin' version building up more and more to the pretty impressive climax. We wanted a change and we got it. I've said before that Mike is great and it was nice to see him show us what else he has inside of that big container. Too bad we were subjected to the stupid banter between him and Simon. Challenge Simon to a "pec contest????" Puh-leeeeeeeez!
CRYSTAL in the hizzy next. One of Crystal's biggest strengths is that she knows exactly which songs to choose that show off her natural talent. Tonight, she picked "Come Together" from the drug years of the Beatles. Odd choice. She did an admirable job, kinda rockin it out, but not quite measuring up to her earlier performances. She did, however, establish an AI first -- she introduced the Didgeridoo into her performance. What????
Next to light up the stage at 7800 Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax District was TIM. I like Tim more and more each week. He's made it far enough to go on the Idols Tour, and now he's just riding it out until he gets eliminated, which I think will be in the next couple of weeks. But not this week. He sang "All My Lovin." It was what it was. Kind of Michael Buble-ish, but not nearly as good as the real Buble would have been. Surprisingly, the judges all gave him decent props. I think they've grown tired of trashing him every week only to see him weather the storm.
CASEY was next. It's hard to believe he's only 27 years old. He seems so much older. Anyway, Casey sang "Jealous Guy," a John Lennon song that I had never heard before. I thought it was OK. He seems like a one-trick pony to me. Observation: Casey and Ellen should switch hair-dos. Goldilocks will be around for another week.
SIOBHAN took to the stage next. She was berated by the judges last week. Will she screech her way through her song again this week? Siobhan chose "Across The Universe," one of the more obscure songs from The Beatles. She sat on a stool, and sang it very well without screaming her way through it. It sure was refreshing to hear her just sing a pretty tune. I have always thought Siobhan had a great voice and tonight she showed it.
First a Didgeridoo, then bagpipes??? Finishing up the night was LEE. He sang the classic "Hey Jude," complete with bagpipes. Don't know what he was thinking, but there was the Scotsman in full regalia. Lee is good. He definitely has a style that he stays true to and turns in a powerful performance every week. Tonight was no exception. Aside from the bagpipe distraction, Lee did great. He showed even more confidence this week, smiling throughout the song, very comfortable behind his guitar. He'll be back.
So, this reporter's bottom three for Wednesday night are: Aaron, Andrew, and Tim. All dudes this time. We shall see.
See ya next time.
