Music

AMERICAN IDOL RECAP: Sing one new song, sing one old song (4/18/2012 & 4/19/2012)

by Aaron Zorgel

Pop Hunter is re-capping the grotesque display of culture that is American Idol all season. Here’s what you need to know from this week’s round, which aired April 18th and 19th.

Something just occurred to me. When did American Idol season 11 premiere? Let’s check the archives. Ok, it was January 18th, 2012. That means we’re 3 months deep into American Idol Season 11. With the finale scheduled for May 24th, that means that Idol is almost a 4 and a half month long competition! Man, they really could have saved us all some time by naming Josh Ledet or Jessica Sanchez the winner in Week 1. I feel like without all the bells and whistles, we could just scream through in an entire season of Idol in an afternoon. But, this process is drawn out to the max, so we have to sit tight and endure Steven Tyler’s wrinkly maw, and Randy’s incessant YO-ing for another 5 weeks.

This was a big week for Ryan Seacrest. His mentor and friend Dick Clark passed away, and you could tell that Ryan wanted to do right by Dick as a tribute to his memory. A lot of people thought Seacrest was seeing dollar signs when the news of Clark’s passing hit the internet, but the American Idol tribute to Dick Clark, while brief, showed clips of a kind of weird but adorable bond between the pair. Clark’s contributions to music and pop culture are undeniable, and even though Seacrest said that LMFAO would have been a perfect act to perform on American Bandstand, you can tell that his heart was in the right place, and that his mentor will be missed.

This week, the contestants were tasked with singing two songs each, the loose theme being that one song had to be classic, and one song had to be contemporary. The judges used their only save of the season on Jessica Sanchez last week, so we’re still dealing with a Top 7 lineup. Let’s see how the contestants fared.

Performances:

Jessica Sanchez – Fallin’ (Alicia Keys) & Try A Little Tenderness (Otis Redding)

For once in his leathery old life, Jimmy Iovine brought up an interesting point. Jessica may not be connecting with the audience as much because she’s so young, and a lot of the songs she’s singing are very mature. She’s only 16, so it’s hard to hear her sing songs about heartbreak and love are harder to take seriously. She always delivers spot on vocal performances, so all she really needs at this point is to connect with America, and she’s golden.

Colton Dixon – Bad Romance (Lady Gaga) & September (Earth Wind and Fire)

Jesus! Colton’s “Bad Romance” was a nu-metal NIGHTMARE. It was such a bizarre arrangement, and the very theatric Colton even seemed like he was uncomfortable being pushed into the weird leather/pyro/industrial aesthetic. For a God-fearing Christian, Colton sure did look a lot like a demon this week in his bizarre red pleather get-up.

Hollie Cavanagh – Rolling In The Deep (Adele) & Son Of A Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)

It’s like Hollie is a singing android from the future. She’s programmed to hit notes, but you can’t make a computer feel feelings. There’s no emotion when she sings, and even though she’s technically sound, I feel absolutely nothing when I watch her. I think she should have been eliminated ages ago. But, as I’ve said before, America loves skinny blonde white girls. So, we’re stuck with this throat-singing automaton for a little while longer.

Phillip Phillips – Usher (U Got It Bad) & In The Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett)

Strike 1: Singing “U Got It Bad” while accompanied by a djembe player. Strike 2: His dancing makes him look like a hunchback. Strike 3: He is exactly like Dave Matthews, and any attempt at originality or legitimacy is therefore null and void, unless he wants to become a Dave Matthews impersonator, which I am okay with. Be warned: every comment I make about Phillip Phillips until he is eliminated will involve comparing him to Dave Matthews, because really, it’s insane that no one seems to talk about it.

Joshua Ledet – I Believe (Fantasia) & A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)

Joshua earned his nickname this week. By the end of both of his performances, Mantasia seemed to be on the verge of tears. I think Ledet is the real deal, and I hope America agrees.

Elise Testone – No One (Alicia Keys) & Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye)

I thought Elise over-sang both of her songs this week. There were too many raspy vocal runs and melodic acrobatics, and she didn’t let the songs breathe at all. She’s already proven she can sing well, now she needs to tone it down and deliver tasteful, and emotional performances. It was like she was just showing off, trying to sing everyone else off the stage.

Skylar Laine – Born This Way (Lady Gaga) & Heard It Through The Grape Vine (Marvin Gaye)

Skylar added a country twist to two very popular songs tonight, which pretty much ensures her safety for another week. I’m ok with that, because she brings a lot of energy and personality to the stage. I have no trouble imagining Skylar Laine opening for Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, or even Carrie Underwood, joining the ranks of the hugely successful Idol country music alumni.

On Thursday, the Party Rock crew paid the Idol audience a visit. LMFAO performed their new single “Sorry For Party Rocking,” showing the Idol contestants first-hand that sometimes it makes absolutely no difference if you’ve got a horrible singing voice. Dress up like a clown, and flail around like a trained-chimp dancing for nickels, and you will be rewarded by the music industry.

It was revealed that the bottom three vote-getters of the week were…

Hollie Cavanagh, Elise Testone, and Colton Dixon.

In a bit of a shocker, Colton was eliminated from the competition. He’d never been in the bottom three before, so I guess his red pleather lunging didn’t sit well with the teenage girl voters who would normally ensure his safety.

For his final performance, Colton got down on his knees and sang the Christian rock anthem “Everything” by Lifehouse, changing the chorus to “He’s all I want, he’s all I need. / He’s everything, God, you’re everything.”

I guess God doesn’t vote for American Idol, eh Colton?