Everybody seriously brought the rock this week, finally. Still nothing too heavy which I'm lamenting, but some serious rock at least.
Welll, except there was another frikken Nirvana tune (at least no stones this week. I love the stones but too much OK).
The Reviews:
Patrice Pike - Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Higher Ground": I should note, I prefer the Stevie Wonder version. Patrice was a little more comfortable this time, considering the pressure she was under. She came up with with decent energy, professional, but still the rock isn't there; and this is a song you really need to rock (or bring the soul, which she jsut doesnt have). Also the timbre was wrong here. She wasn't loud enough, or gutsy enough. More scream less grunt. Tommy is outdrumming the vocals (which I'm somehow not surprised about). Hell, the backup singing was covering the lead. Definitely a good performance, she jsut can't pull the song off vocally. Tommy went nuts, as usual, and it was cool. I loved the insane wardobe and the look on her face by the way. I'd call her safe here, because it was at least fun. Dave said it right though, if you aren't a real rock star, you WILL disappear in front of Tommy Lee.
Josh Logan - Sublime, "Santeria": Ehhhh, I like the song, and he did a straightforward cover, which I was surprised about. I thought he actually did a half decent version, though still too much performance and not QUITE enough funk and soul. The little bobble on the opening wasn't too bad. Too much reverb on the mike, but that wasn't his fault. At least I didn't hate him this time. The scat thing was a bit silly, but not bad. Fun, and good energy. Really the guy can sing, he's jsut on the wrong show. He needs more rock, and less pop. Safe today I think.
Dilana Robichaux - Bad Company, "Can't Get Enough": I can't get enough of this chick. Kick ass rock and roll. Straight up bad to the bone bad company. Takin it through the crowd and to the band was awesome. Good straightforward rock singing, maybe a little flatter than I'd like, but the scream and grunt made up for it. The best energy and motion of any of her performances I think. She was having a great time, and she really is a rock star. Oh, and those pants...
Toby Rand - Nirvana, "Pennyroyal Tea": I didnt like it. I think it was good , but I didnt like it if you understand what I mean. He defintiely made the song his own, something hard to do with Nirvana, but it just didnt work for me. For one thing I'm jsut sick of Nirvana on this show; but I jsut didnt like the sound of his voice, the pacing, the arrangement... Plus I didn't think his performance worked. I think it was a case of him doing everythign technically right, but jsut not working.
Zayra Alvarez - Tommy TuTone, "867-5309 Jenny": Much better singing, but still not very good. Not really enough energy (odd for Zayra)... didn't much care for the arrangement. Wild wardrobe, still not working for her. The song is jsut wrong for her voice; I can think of some stuff she could do great, but this aint it. I'd really like to see her do some Sugar Cubes and/or Bjork (thus making Magni more homesick). Also her english diction issue was very apparent. Still, probably her best performance so far; which isn't saying much. Waaaay to much shit on stage. At least she gets the lesbian vote. The chick is just nuts. Probably bottom three again, but not horrible, especially in comparison.
Magni Asgiersson - Coldplay, "Clocks": Not the right song for him. He's not quite sweet enough, and he was a bit flat in parts. Not breathy enough. Decent performance, quieter than general for Magni but appropriate to the song I figure he was trying to change things up a bit from his past performances. Not bad, but not great. Oh and that gesture from the band... awesome.
Jill Gioia- Simple Minds, "Don't you Forget About Me": Too much grunt and scream for this song, and way to high a key, but the heavier guitar arrangement is cool. She sings great as always, at least great in terms of hitting every note she wants in the way she wants, and she was playing the crowd well. Maybe a bit too much posing and posturing on stage. Definitely missing the breathiness in the bridge. That mike stand shit... she's not Storm and she should stop pretending. It felt fake, and forced, and too much. Great abs on the girl, but should I really notice that over her performance? Bottom three I think.
Ryan Star - R.E.M, "Losing My Religion": All right, I'm impressed with the guys performance ability. He played the piano very well, the accompaniment was great, and he sang it very well given the unusual arrangement. Great vocal power. Very different from everything else he's done before, and his best performance yet; but I'm worried about the American Idol factor here still. I'd say he'll get the encore here, but they may not want to ruin the magic by making him try to repeat it.
Lukas Rossi -Hole, "Celebrity Skin": I say again "What the fuck was he thinking picking this song"? The band has already made clear how much they hate hole. At least he pilled the drama back a little bit on performance, but his voice was still WAY off. He was back to the audience almost the hole time. Growling and gravelly when he shouldnt be, phony sweet when he should have been growling. He did exactly what he wanted, but what he wanted just wasn't good. Bottom three definitely
Storm Large - David Bowie, "Changes": I LOVE this song when the duke does it. White soul, sweet and sad and hopeful. Storm does it like she's Nancy Wilson. Again this is a performance meant to show her range, show that she doesnt have to be all kick ass and stage diving punk. Thin is, if youre gonna do it, you need more sweetness and breathiness. She did a good job, but I didn't much like it. She DID show however that she can just be a straight singer. Oh and that hair didn't suit her.
Dana Andrews - The Who, "Baba O'Reilley": Ummm, ok she could have picked a harder song, but I dont see how. Too much country to start, but good energy. Stripped down performance, just enough rockin and fun, maybe she needed a little fist pump instead of the crowd reach. Not bad, especially for such a tough song. I love the spunk in this chick, but she IS a bit too sweet and innocent.
Bottom three? Lukas, Zayra, and Jill, no doubt in my mind; and I think the country is going to agree with me on this one. As to who's going to be eliminated... I'm guessing Lukas actually. Zayra is at least fun to watch, and Lukas has showed that he can't get past his fear and limitations on his voice. If he's take advice and learn and grow, he'd be good, as it is I think he's gone.