After watching tonight’s episode of American Idol, I have just one question: What the hell was that??? I ask that now because I found myself asking it after most of the performances and almost every single critique (individual and collective) made by the judges tonight. So far Season 1o has been fairly strong, with only a handful of weak performances since the finals began and no true train wrecks. Well tonight that changed, and the Top 5 gave us only 2 great vocals with an assortment of fair, bad, and awful performances. It was the worst performance night of the season by a long shot, and makes me wonder if trying to tackle 2 solos in one weeks is a bit much for some of these contestants. James Durbin was terrible tonight, which is surprising given how strong he has been the past few weeks. Jacob Lusk was marginally better, but his first performance was beyond appalling.
Even more appalling were the judges, who were so pathetically out of tune [sic] with their criticisms (or lack thereof) they actually lent credence to the conspiracy theories floating around that the judges/producers manipulate the audience to ensure certain results. How in the world James gets a pass for an absolutely atrocious performance to start the evening and Haley Reinhart gets blasted for choosing an unreleased Lady Gaga song – that she actually sang very well – is beyond me. Jennifer Lopez saying Jacob is one of the best singers ever on the Idol stage is breathtakingly vapid, especially after he delivered a rendition of “No Air” that belongs on the bad audition highlight reel, not the Top 5 of the finals. And while Lauren was competent on “Unchained Melody,” she brought absolutely nothing new or interesting whatsoever.
Enjoyment of music – or any art form for that matter – is inherently personal and subjective. Yet there are objective technical aspects to music, and if those technicalities aren’t sound then the subjective enjoyment is severely undermined. I don’t mind disagreeing with the judges on subjective enjoyment of certain styles or genres, but when they completely miss the boat on their technical critiques there is something seriously wrong with the way things are done in this show. Thus it was a frustrating night in terms of the mediocre overall showing, but even worse was the judges’ failure to call them on it. Here’s how I thought things stacked up:
1. Haley Reinhart – her performances were the two best of the night by a mile. She had the best technical vocals on each of her two songs, and displayed good stage presence with an authentic emotional underpinning. Her first song was an unreleased Lady GaGa song suggested by Jimmy Iovine, and while it wasn’t my favorite song I enjoyed her rendition and vocally she was sound. “House of the Rising Sun” was a true show-stopper, especially the a cappella opening with her sitting on the stool – haunting and perfectly rendered. While she garnered a well-deserved standing ovation for the latter, she received no positive remarks for the first song, which is a travesty, especially considering how it compared to the other performances of the evening. Like Pia, Haley’s superb performances have unleashed criticisms (even if mild) from the judges, while the caterwauling of Jacob gets a pass week after week. I hope she stays in it – she’s the only contestant to receive my votes tonight.
Though his critiques aren't exactly insightful, Steven Tyler does produce a wide range of "What the hell?" moments.
2. Lauren Alaina – choosing between her and Scotty was difficult, but in the end I wound rate Lauren’s vocals slightly superior to Scotty’s, even if neither of her performances were anything approaching greatness. Her first song was an up-tempo country song and she sang it with typical Lauren-esque charm, though I agreed with Jimmy Iovine and Sheryl Crow when they recommended that she just stand still and sing rather than move around the stage. Her solid but ultimately uninteresting version of “Unchained Melody” was forgettable, and again I have to wonder why the judges didn’t criticize Lauren’s song choice, or at least her arrangement of it. Most weeks Lauren would be in the middle of the pack with these performances, but somehow she’s in the 2nd spot tonight.
3. Scotty McCreery – I’ll give Scotty credit for singing an up-temp country-rock song for his first performance of the evening, and for effectively showing the broadest range in terms of song selection. The second song was yet another sleepy country ballad that was just fine technically, but that didn’t really pull me in the way other songs did tonight. Scotty knows how to work the stage and how to appeal to his fan base, so I think he’ll be safe this week. I would have liked his second song better if I liked country music, but I still see his talent and apparently broad appeal.
4. Jacob Lusk – Jacob was worse than usual this week, particularly in his almost unbearably bad performance of “No Air.” His “dancing,” his lack of emotional poignancy or consistency, and his switching between both melodies of the duet were comically poor. Sure he hit a few high notes as always. And yes, his second performance was significantly better than the first. But it was still just mediocre, and on a night when he really needed to shine he fell rather flat. I don’t know who votes for him but apparently some people still do; no one should vote for him tonight.
5. James Durbin – look, I like James. I have consistently ranked him in the Top 5 of the finalists – last week he was #2, the week before he was #1. He has a solid voice, great stage presence and comfort, and a natural authentic emotional reservoir. But tonight he was beyond bad, turning in what I consider the worst performance of the season to start the evening. He followed that up with a hollow, tear-soaked performance that was almost entirely off-key. Randy Jackson even commented (correctly!) that he was alternately sharp and flat throughout the song, but then went on to (incorrectly?) declare him the Idol front-runner because of his emotion. The tears may have been authentic, but what he is upset about exactly? Having limited time with his wife and kids? I get that, but tens of thousands of fathers/husbands across America have the same limitations and don’t get a major tour and an audience of 25 million each week. Sobbing may earn him some sympathy votes, but in my book it was an absolute mess. James is normally a good singer, but tonight he was way off.
Bottom 3 should be: Scotty McCreery, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin
Bottom 3 will be: Lauren Alaina, Jacob Lusk, Haley Reinhart
Should be going home: Jacob Lusk
Will be going home: Jacob Lusk
What are your thoughts? Who was the best/worst and why? Interested to read Brooke’s and Suzanne’s (and other) opinions…
M. MANDY SCRIPSIT
