Another One Bites the Dust on American Idol
The rewards and perils of attempting Freddie Mercury.
April 30, 2012 - 8:30 am
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The contestants perform with Queen musicians Roger Taylor and Brian May.
So last week, speaking in the context of singers with big voices, I warned never to cover Freddie Mercury unless you have the goods. The diabolical American Idol producers must have been thinking the same thing: last week was Queen Week. Each of the remaining six contestants had to cover one Queen song, and we got to find out who had the goods and who didn’t.
Dave Matthews wannabe Phillip Phillips.
Had the Goods:
- Jessica Sanchez sounded great on the non-rocking half of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The rocking half, not so much. (It was a weird arrangement to start with. The scary Jessica face floating on the screen behind her didn’t help.)
- Skylar Laine slayed “The Show Must Go On”— if you can get over the twang on a song that didn’t call for twang. No, the show must not go owe-won.
- Joshua Ledet sang a crazy-good rendition of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
- Hollie Cavanagh did a passable job on “Save Me,” but perhaps there was something Freudian in her song choice.
And who failed to deliver?
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“One final point. I’m getting a little tired of J-Lo lecturing Hollie on how to just lose herself on stage. Turn off your mind and just sing, J-Lo says, something she apparently has no trouble doing — the mind part, that is. But if J-Lo had half the talent of Hollie, she wouldn’t have to rely on Auto-Tune on all her songs. I’d love to hear her under the exact same conditions on a live stage. I suspect we wouldn’t all get goosies.”
Amen, brother.
I can overlook the fact that JLo can’t sing as well as the people she’s critiquing until she starts to harp and nag on the same thing over and over.
Hollie may not be the best on the stage, but the judges seem to enjoy picking on her. Or maybe it just seems that way because they’re busy heaping praise on underserving “artists” like Philip and Colton.
I miss Simon
Holly is the main impediment to Jessica’s success. Since the judges clearly favor Jessica, it’s incumbent upon them to damage Holly. And yet, Holly marches on.
Phillips is practically begging to be voted off. Were he to leave now, he could be Daughtry, ie do his own thing and still make it big. A win would box him into crap songs and halls full of 14-year-old girls. I think the Idol producers should find some excuse to dump him, lest he bring down the whole enterprise.
First, there is no such word as “slayed” unless you count the title of Slade’s great 1972 album. Second, two nights ago on The Voice, Chris Mann brought down the house with his magnificent rendition of … wait for it … the Schubert “Ave Maria.” I rest my case.
The Voice? Really?
I’m sure Mann was great if you say so, but I’d rather watch JLo and Steven Tyler two nights a week than have XTina, the whiner from Maroon 5 and CLo inflicted on me. No, thanks.
I might give X-Factor another chance this year, though. Maybe.