Comments on: American Idol: Top 6, or “It felt like the longest two minutes of your life” http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/ Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:49:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Derek http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7376 Derek Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:17:05 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7376 People are giving Cook too much credit for his performance last night. For starters, he was rushing throughout the performance. The song was also too easy in my mind. Anyone can sing that song, albeit not well. Cook was serviceable, but he definitely didn't shine as having a magnificent voice (which is what the song is designed to showcase). I was really hoping he would crush something from Jesus Christ Superstar like "Heaven on Their Minds." If he had nailed that, I would have been in awe. Instead, I think he just turned out okay. People are giving Cook too much credit for his performance last night. For starters, he was rushing throughout the performance. The song was also too easy in my mind. Anyone can sing that song, albeit not well. Cook was serviceable, but he definitely didn’t shine as having a magnificent voice (which is what the song is designed to showcase). I was really hoping he would crush something from Jesus Christ Superstar like “Heaven on Their Minds.” If he had nailed that, I would have been in awe. Instead, I think he just turned out okay.

]]> By: jade http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7377 jade Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:16:06 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7377 Yes I agree! Heaven on their minds would have been fantastic. I think it's not such a mystery why ratings have been down this year - with themes like Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey and now ALW, I almost didn't tune in. I'm not putting those artists down at all, I just think they are very 'niche' themes and forcing the idols to sing them doesn't show versatility, it shows them wayyyy out of their comfort zones in performances that will never measure up to the originals. Plus what makes Broadway music distinctive is the context and storyline - unless you understand the story, it's hard to relate to the music (NOT putting down broadway, i'm the biggest musical theatre addict there is). I want to see what the idols could be like as recording artists in the future (i like jason and liked MJ but well...), not whether they are tripped up by the week's impossible theme. Last night was painful to watch. Yes I agree! Heaven on their minds would have been fantastic.

I think it’s not such a mystery why ratings have been down this year - with themes like Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey and now ALW, I almost didn’t tune in. I’m not putting those artists down at all, I just think they are very ‘niche’ themes and forcing the idols to sing them doesn’t show versatility, it shows them wayyyy out of their comfort zones in performances that will never measure up to the originals. Plus what makes Broadway music distinctive is the context and storyline - unless you understand the story, it’s hard to relate to the music (NOT putting down broadway, i’m the biggest musical theatre addict there is). I want to see what the idols could be like as recording artists in the future (i like jason and liked MJ but well…), not whether they are tripped up by the week’s impossible theme.

Last night was painful to watch.

]]> By: YouSoHip http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7378 YouSoHip Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:22:15 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7378 "Music of the Night" is an easy song? Anyone can sing it? The range is quite difficult for a man's voice (very low in the verse, very high in the chorus) and the fact that Michael Crawford and David Cook make it SOUND easy is testament to their talent. Take a look at the sheet music; it requires at least a two-octave range. I don't think anyone else spanned that much of treble clef last night. “Music of the Night” is an easy song? Anyone can sing it? The range is quite difficult for a man’s voice (very low in the verse, very high in the chorus) and the fact that Michael Crawford and David Cook make it SOUND easy is testament to their talent. Take a look at the sheet music; it requires at least a two-octave range. I don’t think anyone else spanned that much of treble clef last night.

]]> By: AM http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7379 AM Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:27:35 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7379 Mr. Leahey, spot on about David A. STE, too funny on David C. It is too bad Brooke and Jason stumbled. Brooke is very talented and both have a nice style. Still like Jason's Travelin Thru best. Mr. Leahey, spot on about David A. STE, too funny on David C. It is too bad Brooke and Jason stumbled. Brooke is very talented and both have a nice style. Still like Jason’s Travelin Thru best.

]]> By: groucho http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7381 groucho Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:40:15 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7381 I think the so-called niche themes for the remaining contestants in AI are both cruel and strangely compelling. It brings out untapped potentials from underappreciated singers but it also necessitate fatal nosedives from others who are not up to the demands of the songs. Sure, it is unfair, for example, to have Jason Castro sing "Pie Jesu", or Carly Smithson warble "Poor Fool He Makes Me Laugh", but ALW's oeuvre contains a wealth of material that they can choose from, and make these songs work for their range, styles and idiosyncratic delivery. Having said that I agree that Syesha restored my faith in her ability to sing and inhabit the song. The last two weeks saw her tackling obscure materials from the Maria Carey and ALW canon but she made them all come to life (or at least to my ears). Her sassy cabaret turn may assure a career in musical theater, but she also showed a personality not seen before. Talk about stepping up the game, yet the judges only offer faint praise (i.e. career in Broadway) but never the kind of affirmation that positions her as a frontrunner. Poor Jason. He didn't know that a feline sang "Memory" but I thought he was exquisitely vulnerable in parts that may not have been intended. His whispered singing would have worked had her tackled, say, I don't know, maybe "Tell Me On A Sunday" or "Whistle Down the Wind". Brooke was even more endearing with her faux and was it just me or did she resembled the Material Girl in certain angles? Plus who can resist her entreaties to love her? I actually sort of melted when the camera panned her face for a close-up when she was singing that line. Maybe a deliberate attempt from the producers to keep her one more week. I won't complain if she doesn't go home tonight. David Archuleta's choice to perform "Think of Me" was puzzling but his re-arrangement made it (almost) work for him. I didn't really like the smooth-jazz vibe sandpapering the song. Maybe it was deliberate too so he can conceal flubbed lyrics in the mass of mumbles. But what do I know? I do know that Carly's decision to follow ALW's advice to sing "Superstar" is really a smart choice but I have this curiouser and curiouser desire to hear how she would have approached "All I Ask of You" no matter how miles away this may be from the natural fach of her voice. Unlike Simon, I like the 'shout-y' part that Carly chose to sing the song. Totally in keeping with the exaltation anyone can have for someone like Jesus H. Christ (sorry can't resist). The dress looks fetching too. David Cook surprised me last night for being unpredictable. He sang the song straight and I thought he channeled the nice qualities of Michael Crawford's vocalism. His ending however reminded me of his past performances and much as I am just personally not liking the face he makes when he hits the high notes, I thought his performance really rocked in a different economies of scale. My bottom two would be like most people's: Jason and Brooke. If I may add one more, it's probably a toss between David Archuleta and David Cook. Only because I thought Syesha and Carly did magnificent, plus I have my own subjective biases like everybody else. I think the so-called niche themes for the remaining contestants in AI are both cruel and strangely compelling. It brings out untapped potentials from underappreciated singers but it also necessitate fatal nosedives from others who are not up to the demands of the songs. Sure, it is unfair, for example, to have Jason Castro sing “Pie Jesu”, or Carly Smithson warble “Poor Fool He Makes Me Laugh”, but ALW’s oeuvre contains a wealth of material that they can choose from, and make these songs work for their range, styles and idiosyncratic delivery. Having said that I agree that Syesha restored my faith in her ability to sing and inhabit the song. The last two weeks saw her tackling obscure materials from the Maria Carey and ALW canon but she made them all come to life (or at least to my ears). Her sassy cabaret turn may assure a career in musical theater, but she also showed a personality not seen before. Talk about stepping up the game, yet the judges only offer faint praise (i.e. career in Broadway) but never the kind of affirmation that positions her as a frontrunner. Poor Jason. He didn’t know that a feline sang “Memory” but I thought he was exquisitely vulnerable in parts that may not have been intended. His whispered singing would have worked had her tackled, say, I don’t know, maybe “Tell Me On A Sunday” or “Whistle Down the Wind”. Brooke was even more endearing with her faux and was it just me or did she resembled the Material Girl in certain angles? Plus who can resist her entreaties to love her? I actually sort of melted when the camera panned her face for a close-up when she was singing that line. Maybe a deliberate attempt from the producers to keep her one more week. I won’t complain if she doesn’t go home tonight. David Archuleta’s choice to perform “Think of Me” was puzzling but his re-arrangement made it (almost) work for him. I didn’t really like the smooth-jazz vibe sandpapering the song. Maybe it was deliberate too so he can conceal flubbed lyrics in the mass of mumbles. But what do I know? I do know that Carly’s decision to follow ALW’s advice to sing “Superstar” is really a smart choice but I have this curiouser and curiouser desire to hear how she would have approached “All I Ask of You” no matter how miles away this may be from the natural fach of her voice. Unlike Simon, I like the ’shout-y’ part that Carly chose to sing the song. Totally in keeping with the exaltation anyone can have for someone like Jesus H. Christ (sorry can’t resist). The dress looks fetching too. David Cook surprised me last night for being unpredictable. He sang the song straight and I thought he channeled the nice qualities of Michael Crawford’s vocalism. His ending however reminded me of his past performances and much as I am just personally not liking the face he makes when he hits the high notes, I thought his performance really rocked in a different economies of scale. My bottom two would be like most people’s: Jason and Brooke. If I may add one more, it’s probably a toss between David Archuleta and David Cook. Only because I thought Syesha and Carly did magnificent, plus I have my own subjective biases like everybody else.

]]> By: Taltos1667 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7382 Taltos1667 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:13:23 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7382 A brief comment on Brooke's false start. I have seen a number of "professional" musicians start into a song, only to restart it after a few bars. A fine example is Simon & Garfunkle from the Concert in Central Park where at the beginning of The Boxer (though I may be quite wrong, haven't heard it in a while, but it doesn't really matter what song they screwed up) had to restart because they missed the vocal entry - and they (Simon) wrote the song and had performed it live before. Dylan's done it, the Stones have done it, Clapton's done it and others have covered it up by extending a guitar riff or drum pattern until the band can get it together. Better I think that she re-start than try to fumble to catch up - she is not yet a seasoned professional. Otherwise, why is AmIdol forcing these kids (a loose term) to perform music (as mentioned by the AMG staff) that they would otherwise nevr touch? Maybe Mr. Lythgoe should spin off AmIdol to Braodway Idol, Rocker Idol, Pop Idol etc. and give those who have a specific career path in mind an opportunity to strut their stuff in the genre of their choice. A brief comment on Brooke’s false start. I have seen a number of “professional” musicians start into a song, only to restart it after a few bars. A fine example is Simon & Garfunkle from the Concert in Central Park where at the beginning of The Boxer (though I may be quite wrong, haven’t heard it in a while, but it doesn’t really matter what song they screwed up) had to restart because they missed the vocal entry - and they (Simon) wrote the song and had performed it live before. Dylan’s done it, the Stones have done it, Clapton’s done it and others have covered it up by extending a guitar riff or drum pattern until the band can get it together. Better I think that she re-start than try to fumble to catch up - she is not yet a seasoned professional. Otherwise, why is AmIdol forcing these kids (a loose term) to perform music (as mentioned by the AMG staff) that they would otherwise nevr touch? Maybe Mr. Lythgoe should spin off AmIdol to Braodway Idol, Rocker Idol, Pop Idol etc. and give those who have a specific career path in mind an opportunity to strut their stuff in the genre of their choice.

]]> By: Jon Thomas http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7386 Jon Thomas Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:44:39 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7386 It was definitely an interesting show the other night. One thing that struck me was that in the bigger numbers, the idols' vocals were getting buried in the mix. Carly's vocals in particular was barely getting over the backup singers', and it's not as if she has a weak voice. I would imagine that anyone doing a big production number could unfairly hide any shortcomings. People like Brooke and David C. are fully exposed, good bad or indifferent. On the Brooke faux pas, my immediate reaction when it happened was "Jesus, don't stop!" But several people including the judges have since convinced me that there was probably nothing else she could have done. It happens. It was definitely an interesting show the other night. One thing that struck me was that in the bigger numbers, the idols’ vocals were getting buried in the mix. Carly’s vocals in particular was barely getting over the backup singers’, and it’s not as if she has a weak voice. I would imagine that anyone doing a big production number could unfairly hide any shortcomings. People like Brooke and David C. are fully exposed, good bad or indifferent.

On the Brooke faux pas, my immediate reaction when it happened was “Jesus, don’t stop!” But several people including the judges have since convinced me that there was probably nothing else she could have done. It happens.

]]> By: Dave http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7389 Dave Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:43:56 +0000 http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/04/23/american-idol-top-6-or-it-felt-like-the-longest-two-minutes-of-your-life/#comment-7389 One minor correction: Andrew Lloyd Webber's LAST name is actually "Lloyd Webber." So referring to him as "Webber" is incorrect. One minor correction: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LAST name is actually “Lloyd Webber.” So referring to him as “Webber” is incorrect.

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