Two hours of music with only four contestants was sure to result in a show that had plentiful filler. The show we got, however… was just full of filler. It was bloated. It was ridiculous. It was painful. It was a good thing that the last 30 minutes of the show had some pretty good singing; otherwise it would have been a complete waste of two hours.
The first theme – California Dreaming – was not a shining success. Hollie “won” that particular round, but it was more a case of sucking less than the rest of the field. Let’s go over the field in performance order.
Phillip Phillips’s first performance was yet another Phillip-styled performance – with all the pluses and minuses that means. Truth be told, he was overshadowed by the sax player. Two things about the judging: was Steven Tyler’s whole “road to success” comment another backhanded compliment? It sure sounded like it. Other item: I did not appreciate how ugly Randy Jackson’s tablecloth suit was until he started babbling. My eyes, they bleed.
Hollie Cavanagh’s Faithfully had something of a “that’s it?” quality for me. The vocals weren’t the problem – they were impeccably clear. It wasn’t robo-Hollie singing out there – maybe she connected a bit imperfectly, but not her worst. The one thing it was not was “over the top”, as Steven Tyler claimed. If anything, it was very strangely restrained. Just okay, but she could have done better.
I was not a fan of Joshua Ledet bringing Gospelized Josh Groban to the Idol stage. I’m not even sure it was a great song choice for Joshua at all – it calls for a delicacy and subtlety that’s not his strong suit. It turned into very generic, unremarkable singing that you forget right after it’s done. The one thing that people will remember is Joshua getting raised literally. I will remember it, but not in a good way. And to think, that wasn’t even the worst bit of overproduction of the show!
Similarly, I did not get Jessica Sanchez’s song choice. At all. Since I’ve weighed in on Jessica’s song choice skills – or lack of them – before, I feel no need to repeat myself on that point. The performance itself… was strangely disjointed. She sang it well (as we expect from Jessica), but it was in an effort that ultimately left me in a head-scratching, what was that mood. It just never got into a consistent flow for me.
The second round of songs was infinitely better. This was basically another “inspirational” theme by a different name. The Season 11 crew did very well with this theme: two great performances from Jessica and Joshua, a surprisingly good song from Phillip, and Hollie… well, she’s had better nights. Let’s go over it in performance order again.
I vastly preferred this subtler, more serious Phillip to anything I’ve seen so far from him. Great song choice, great arrangement that suited Phillip perfectly, and a side of Phillip that we really hadn’t seen before. For the first time in some time, I could take Phillip seriously after his performance. Well done.
Simply put, Hollie tried to do too much. Last week’s Bleeding Love worked in part because they kept things relatively simple: she sat on the piano and just sang. This time, they had her moving around all over the stage (even if it was just at a walking pace.) With more stuff to do, she was not able to connect to her song as well as she did last week. It was also a somewhat dubious song choice: if she wanted to do a breakup song, fine. But this was far too serious and “heavy” for Hollie. Simply put, she had an off night.
Unlike the judges, I will not go into creative flights of fancy to praise Jessica and Joshua. They were both very good. They both made great song choices that allowed them to showcase all of their talents. They both sang supremely well and felt what they were singing. In Jessica’s case, I loved how they stripped the staging down: just Jessica singing in the middle of the stage, no fancy props. They both earn a well done.
Can we just pretend the duets and group song didn’t happen? The best that can be said about Phillip and Joshua is it wasn’t a trainwreck. For Jessica and Hollie, I can’t get past the swings. In a season full of over the top staging – burning oil drums, lovers on benches, disembodied heads – this was the most ridiculous. The duet itself, well… the girls did what they could. But Hollie and Jessica are both power singers, and good duets are rarely made of singers who are so stylistically similar. It just didn’t work. (For what it’s worth, I’m rather fond of the Atomic Kitten version, so I may be a bit biased.)
I’ll completely ignore the group song and pretend they didn’t sing Foreigner.
Hollie’s going home, right? Don’t be so sure
Phillip had one good performance. Jessica and Joshua each had one great performance. Both of Hollie’s were middling, at best. So she’s going home, right?
Don’t be so sure. Hollie’s fanbase – no matter what it’s size – is motivated. The vote margins are probably razor thin. This season has had some unpredictable and unexpected boots, so anything could happen.
If there’s one person that is probably in more danger than people think… it’s Joshua. Yes, he’s singing brilliantly, but he has two issues: the over-the-top judging is going to turn some voters off and make other fanbases vote harder. It is not always a good thing to be on the receiving end of effusive, but meaningless, praise from the current Idol judges.
The other problem is style. For all his singing prowess, Joshua is the most throwback singer of this group. You can’t help but wonder if this is what really appeals to today’s Idol voters. His fanbase has already been tested with bottom three stints twice. If there’s somebody at risk not named Hollie Cavanagh, it’ll be Joshua.
That said…
Going home: Holle Cavanagh
I picked Josh to go home as well.
There was an outcry in the Idolsphere when Hollie got bussed again. It was similar to last year’s top 4, when Randy decreed it was a tie between Lauren, Scotty, and James. Unfortunately for Hollie, she didn’t have an “I Who Have Nothing” to follow that comment up; her second song really felt like a Swan song. I really wished she had picked a better second song. I think she was seriously affected by the loss of Skylar this week; both her songs showed serious restraint. I think her second song would have been better if it was kept more intimate, but it did two favors for her non-withstanding. The first is that its country tones might court some new voters over to her with Skylar’s void; those voters are not going to pick up their phones for Josh and Jess, maybe Phillip, but Hollie is definitely the most country, having done Jesus Take the Wheel, The Climb, and being from Texas. Secondly, her restraint on ICMYLM paints her in STARK contrast to the Js, who to many come off as shrieking messes, especially the older crowd. I also think her close bond with Skylar will pull a lot of those voters who are still engaged over to her side, especially those who look at the season as a whole and not just last night.
There’s also a lot of backlash against the overpimping of Ledet; you would think the judges would have stopped by now, but I think the reason they are pimping him so hard is that he is only slighlty above Hollie in votes. I don’t think he’s as nearly as popular as they want us to think. His performances can be very polarizing. I think his fans might be complacent, while Hollie’s fans will be voting for her like Kat McPhee’s after her top 4 trainwrecks. While Hollie didn’t bring it like the others this week, the judges essentially dismissed her, like when Simon told Jasmine Trias that every person in Hawaii better have a phone because she should pack her bags.
Top 4 is pretty much always a shocker/injustice boot. Tamyra, Latoya, Daughtry, Allison, James. Most of the other top 4 eliminations were mercy kills, such as Josh Gracin, Federov, Lakeisha, Castro, Big Mike, and the only person I could make a case for that kind of elimination is Phillip, but he did excellent on the second song and he was bulletproof last year.
I’m nervous to say the least.
I agree with pretty much everything Landon said except for the backlash. There are definitely people complaining (and voters too) but those are people who would never vote for Ledet anyway. The judges comments are somewhat effective and influential but there is no doubt that a large portion has been inoculated by now.
Philip had a great night. No one had two good songs but of the 4, Philips second song was the best of the night. Pains me to say it but it was very true. Unfortunately for Joshua though, he didn’t have one. I know there was a lot of hubbub about his second song but it was a vocal mess. The staging was beautiful but seriously, he sounded constipated at parts. There was absolutely no nuance in the performance and no magic. He really peaked two weeks ago with “Ready for Love”.
Base don last night, I would send Joshua home. Based on a body of work, I’d send Philip in a heart beat. The finale really should be between the two remaining girls. Jessica has shown that she has command of every note in her arsenal. Living her life will do her good though as she needs to be seasoned and get the emotions down just right. Hollie needs to practice on the opposite though. She worries too much about not hitting the notes but all the emotion is there.
I forgot to mention how karaoke Philip was in the first song. The bar has been lowered down to a kid’s level for him. Jessica and Joshua were almost equally as bad with their first tune. I quite liked Hollie’s faithfully but it was like she tripped herself up in the second one. Please send Philip home.
Damn! At the most crucial time, Phillip was lucky enough to choose THIS night to do his finest performance and Hollie paled with an only decent take on the 2nd round.
Hope a shock boot with a guy happens and the question now is: What do you consider at this point, whole work of art or tonight’s performances?
Whoops! That post just came late after posting it right after takakupo’s.
Yup, bummed that Hollie left and now, we basically have The Judges’ Pets Final 3. Yuck!
I’m a Philip fan but i think he’s not great in the first song…the saxophone player did a great job covering philip’s poor performance. And on the second performance what was that pop filter doing on his microphone?
Man, the bloating was ridiculous. I think there was a good half hour between “Steal Away” and “Volcano.” And while the duets were not as bad as we’ve heard them in the past, that Foreigner cover (which I’m guessing was not a “judged” performance? WNTS didn’t rank it and the judges didn’t comment on it) was so disjointed all you could do was laugh.
After a couple of weeks where Phillip not only sounded bad but seemed to lose his knack for song selection completely, he really scored with “Volcano.” That was so much more interesting and well-sung than the DMB knockoffs he’s been saddling us with all season. As for the CCR song, he’s fortunate the judges have been so reluctant to criticize him (probably, as Michael Slezak believes, because they assume he’s going to win, and don’t want their winner trailing a long list of negative reviews behind him).
I am probably in the minority in preferring Hollie’s second song to her first. I don’t think the more restrained Raitt cover would have hurt her if she had poured it on more with “Faithfully.” It just kinda died out. Her other problem, of course, is that there are only four left, and the other three had a song they totally nailed. (Also: what was that whole “I didn’t understand the lyrics” thing about? It’s not like she was singing “Hallelujah.”)
Joshua would have benefited from a more stark approach to the Groban cover. It’s a “big” enough song even if done straight. But while the JB song might have been much too much for some, I loved it–it’s a song that rewards going over the top, and he makes you believe it, even if (as I suspect) he’s as virginal as Hollie.
After saying a few weeks ago they wanted to have Jessica to start singing younger songs, they have apparently forgotten that completely. I liked “Steal Away” well enough, though I understand it’s a strange fit with her youth (also, the camera angles seemed to focus on everything but the singer, which was weird). But “And I Am Telling You…” was really, really good–and she stayed in tune and in breath all the way through what was the longest performance they have had to give thus far. The people who call her out for being imitative don’t seem to appreciate how hard it is to imitate at this level.
I don’t agree with the “busing” charge being made in regards to Hollie. Leaving aside that the criticism was more for the song choice than for the performance, the plain fact is that there are only four left, and someone has to be fourth best. And on this night at least, it was Hollie. I’d prefer Phillip to go home based on total body of work, but we all know that won’t happen, and Hollie is clearly inferior to Joshua and Jessica. All just my opinion, of course.
I have to agree with pretty much everything written here, and I want to put an exclaimation mark on the idea that some of us are willing to throw Joshua under the bus JUST to shut those judges up. Rarely have I been so eye rollingly (?!) offended by three idiots blathering praise on someone. Joshua is good- sometimes great, but last night? I didn’t enjoy him. He was screeching in my opinion. It’s all a matter of taste, I guess. I’d buy Phillips music and I’d buy Hollie’s. That’s the end game right?
I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is, but Jessica is like fingernails on the blackboard to me. I’m very meh on her voice, and there’s just something I can’t square about her personality- The “Bebe Chez” (or whatever it was) and the way they can’t dress her in a way that doesn’t always look ridiculous! The Tina Turner and Etta James? She’s 16! Just strange to me. People complain that Hollie doesn’t have a “style”, what is Jessica’s? Anyway, it’s been an odd year with all the great talent, but I really feel like the judges have tainted Idol this year with their blatent favoritism. I haven’t voted for anyone since the David Cooke days, but I did last night; over and over for Hollie. I don’t know that it will help, but it was my way of giving the judges the finger. I definitely think it will be Hollie or Joshua, and if it IS Joshua, I don’t doubt for one minute that we won’t hear all about “How America got it wrong”. They might even go over the line and SAY Hollie should have gone. sigh.
Did I mention I hate these judges?
Oh, and don’t let me forget to roll my eyes at the big push for Rock of ages. Embarrassing. Just embarrassing. And forgive me, but I don’t find Ryan and his (ahem) “girlfriend” cute. at all. Just intro the songs and skip the insight into your love life, Ryan.
I know. I AM grumpy today.