GROUP ONE SUFFERS IDENTITY CRISIS
Last night’s show definitely had a theme and it was this: identity crisis. Many of the contestants, perhaps in an effort to “take risks,” sang songs that completely contradicted the artists that they had claimed to be in weeks prior. There is a sense that the contestants feel that they have to be a Whitney Houston or a Celine Dion to impress the voters and the judges. Look at David Cook, though. He is no Whitney Houston.
BAD SONG CHOICES ABOUND
Arguably the worst of the night was 17-year-old Stevie Wright. In an effort to be “younger,” she attempted Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” complete with a mallrat outfit and dance moves reminiscent of Tiffany. Her nerves were palpable and her singing was, well, “atrocious,” as Simon would say. Rachel Bilson look-alike Casey Carlson also seemed like she was trying to be someone she is not when she sang “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” While she is a very pretty girl, her good looks were overshadowed by her strange facial tics and over-annunciating. Even Paula mentioned her extraneous winking.
Even the singers who had good vocals suffered from the identity crisis epidemic. Ricky Braddy, whose voice and shy Southern charmbrought to mind Clay Aiken, had one of the most outstanding voices of the night. The problem is, everybody had already forgotten him by the end of the show. No personality equals no votes. Brent Keith, who in earlier rounds had come off as much more soulful, has apparently decided that he wants to be a country singer. To be fair, this is not a bad tactic. We all know that Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood has gone on to win Grammys and CMA Awards but many “Idol” losers have also found a place in country music, including Kellie Pickler, Phil Stacey and even Bucky Covington. It may have been a good move on Keith’s part to position himself as a country artist, though he probably won’t be around next week to continue that campaign.
Another “soulful” singer who toned down his runs last night was oil roughneck Michael Sarver. He is still extremely relatable to America as an “everyman” but his rendition of Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be” was not a standout, though the vocals were good technically. Stephen Fowler, the contestant who left the stage after forgetting the words during Hollywood Week, made the mistake of singing Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You.” While it was pleasant, the song never really went anywhere and, well, it’s Michael Jackson. It’s best to leave it alone.
Ann Marie Boskovich fell victim to the wrong song choice also. The professional demo singer’s aura radiates “hippy chic,” yet she tried a song that was more “diva.” While her version of “Natural Woman” brought the audience to its feet, the judges did not have positive feedback, even calling it “old fashioned.” Kara offered that she would’ve liked to hear her sing something more like Sara Bareilles’s “Love Song,” but Boskovich countered that she thought that would be “not as good” as “Natural Woman.”
