Up until the final performance show, Scooter McCorny was destined to bask in Wednesday night’s confetti shower, thanks in no small part to the judges‘ incessant pimping. Enter a near-perfect performance by Lauren Alaina on Tuesday, and things don’t seem so cut-and-dried.
With our two honky-tonk teens neck and neck, this contest may just come down to who has the bigger high school -- the backwoods baritone or the boot-scootin’ belter.
It’s amazing that they made it this far at all, despite having some of the most memorable first auditions of the year. As Jimmy Iovine mentioned last week, the country vote is a very powerful one. While that has been clearly illustrated this season, it’s surprising that they didn’t cancel one another out by splitting the votes of country fans. Instead it seems that just the opposite happened; Lauren landed in the Bottom Two just once, while Scotty has never been in danger of going home.
Until now?
Scotty is nothing if not consistent -- the rich voice, the questionable mic technique....those eyebrows. Consistency is a double-edged sword, though. There is nothing about Scotty that is exciting or unexpected. It’s just a good ‘ole boy singin’ with a good ‘ole voice about going to barn raises (or wherever hillbilly folk go). Yes, he has a golden voice but that’s not what separates him from fellow country crooner Lauren.
Despite his questionably corny facial expressions and “Bubba Fierce” stage persona, Scotty radiates confidence every time he performs. There definitely is a market for the “humorous” country singer (See: “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” or virtually anything by Brad Paisley), and Scotty is poised to fall right into that mold.
Lauren, on the other hand, is her own worst enemy. Though she has a much bigger voice than Scotty, at times you could practically hear her heart beating through the television screen. I hate to say it, but while she may be more talented and marketable than Scotty, she’s just not ripe enough and needs a couple of years to mature. If she can’t handle the pressure of the weekly results show, perhaps being picked apart in Us Weekly is not the best thing for her self-esteem.
Interestingly enough, a tuxedoed Seacrest, with help from the staff doctor, explained that Lauren was suffering a “vocal injury” and was “on medication.” Would she be able to rely more on her performance skills and less on her actual voice? More important, would the “meds” lead to a hard-partying downward spiral, a la Tanya Tucker?
This week, the two-steppin’ twosome competed in three rounds. Round 1 was a reprisal of their favorite songs from the season. The numbers for Round 2 were chosen for them by their personal idols -- Carrie Underwood for Lauren and George Strait for Scotty. (Sadly, we caught a glimpse of neither star.) Round 3 consisted of original songs chosen specifically for each contestant. The winner will release the song as her (or his) first single; however I think it’s safe to say that both songs will eventually be released.
