Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Great Scot! It's 80s Idol!

Last week's American Idol theme was music from the '80s. It was music only, though, with no one trying to capture the style of the decade. Way to not have fun, Idol contestants. Also, no one sang "(Don't You) Forget About Me." After the performances, though, we're actually glad no one attempted the classic tune.

So onto tonight's million dollar question: Were any of the remaining contestants even born in the 80s?

The Guys
Joshua Ledet commented that he'd never heard of his song, "If You Don't Know Me by Now". It's surprising that these contestants, who apparently LUV music and immerse themselves in it, don't know top hits from the past generation. Nonetheless, Joshua did an okay job. We're tiring of the soul man because everything is sounding the same—screechy and overly emotional.

Speaking of screeching, what about Phil? Phil's facial gestures indicate that it hurts to sing! Phil, when you slow it down and sing without growling painfully into the microphone, you seem lost. No one should be lost singing Genesis. Jimmy was quite critical of Phil last week, saying: "In my opinion, this was Phillip's worst performance of the entire show...It's difficult to push yourself when everyone's telling you you're so great." Ooo! You tell him, Jimmy!

While the comment probably bothered Phil, he tried to play it cool. However, his retort seemed to show his lack of appreciation for his fans rather than Jimmy: "I don't care about the hype or shakin' hands with the crowd, or dancing around stage. I'm just hear to sing and play music." Phil, listen. If you don't please your fans, you'll soon be singing in a garage to no one. 

As for the other guys, Colton put his emo spin on "Time After Time." The judges really liked it with Steven telling Colton that he could make a record right now. DeAndre did well, too, and his hair totally matched the theme. In all seriousness, we think he gave his best performance yet. He could be the next El DeBarge

The Girls
How did the girls fair? Well, poor Elise couldn't find a note in her rendition of "I Wanna Know What Love Is." Unfortunately, it was her worst performance yet. I don't know if she couldn't hear the band/melody or what, but she was flatter than a pancake. She deserved to be in the bottom three (again). 

Hollie followed Elisa dressed in an outfit from homecoming circa 2001 and singing "What a Feeling." She definitely did not perform well, but the judges were a bit critical of her pitch. Sure, the beginning was pitchy, but once she hit the chorus, she was on a roll. J'Lo gave her honest advice about letting go and just singing, which was spot on. Hollie shook her head in agreement, and Jimmy said she'd be there with DeAndre possibly going home.


On the opposite end of the spectrum were Jessica and (for once) Skylar. After a series of predictable performances, Skyler wow'd us. She sang "Wind Beneath my Wings" fantastically. We finally got to hear her range without the unnecessary screaming of the entire song. Nice job, Skylar! 

Jessica's choice of "How Will I Know" came across well. It was her second successful Whitney Houston performance. She was entertaining—using the stage and dancing a bit. In her attempt at another upbeat song, she controlled her vibrato much better than when she sang Gloria Estefan.

The Results
So following 80s-cover night, the results show had DeAndre, Elise, and Hollie in the bottom three. We thought for sure Elise would go because of her awful performance, but no, the lights of dejection fell on DeAndre. He sang for his life, and Jimmy gave his two cents:

"No, Jennifer. No, Randy. No, Steven! DeAndre was not great," Jimmy said. "DeAndre needs to come out and grow at a much faster pace. If you look at the boys, Joshua is growing leaps and bounds; DeAndre is growing marginally. DeAndre was the weakest of [the] boys last night. He could be going home unless Jennifer, who's been supporting him this entire show, saves him. Jen?"

Alas, J'Lo couldn't convince Randy and Steven to save the young man and DeAndre was sent packing. Not that we would've saved DeAndre either, but we get the feeling the judges are holding onto their save for Colton or Phil, especially after last year's Pia-Casey debacle. Got news for you, though, judges. Those two will make it to the final four along with Skylar and Jessica. Can you even use the save that late in the game?

So that's the recap. Onward to this week's show where the contestants will undoubtedly butcher songs from...this decade? Like 2010-2012? Because we haven't heard these songs enough on the radio. Adele anyone?

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