It's Soul/R&B week...with guest mentor Usher. Ryan called him the "ultimate showman, with a style and swagger all his own." He's sold 45 million records worldwide and has 5 Grammy's. And he is apparently ranked #1 on the Hot 100 artists of the last decade. His new album, Raymond V. Raymond, is available now. He describes the title as a dichotomy of himself...kind of like Beyonce and Sasha Fierce.
SIOHBAN - "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan
Usher thinks that Siohban actually has got the voice. He wants her to make sure that she doesn't have too much going on with her wardrobe. But he loves her unique vocal ability. I kind of loved her outfit this week...especially the amazing boots and the top with the red lips on it. Her upper register was kind of awful tonight, but she did actually hit her big notes this week. The tone of her voice is really nice too. The performance (and song) was pretty boring this week...not at all interesting.
RANDY - "wasn't your best performance, babe"
ELLEN - "loved you, but not that song"
KARA - "at the end of the day, you're still a great singer"
SIMON - "it was so all over the place"
CASEY - "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave
Usher was really impressed with Casey. He told him that he has an incredible voice...and a great swag and confidence. Casey is rocking the guitar...AGAIN. He seems to be very happy singing this song. But he doesn't really sound all that bluesy on it at all. It's very disjointed and kind of jerky. I'm not into it at all.
RANDY - "this was another hot night for you"
ELLEN - "felt a little generic"
KARA - "you have more range in you"
SIMON - "it was your strongest week so far"
MICHAEL - "Ready for Love" by India.Arie
Usher felt that Michael was giving him to much one on one attention for this song. He wants him to open up so everyone can feel the energy. Michael brought his guitar back this week. It seems a little out of place for him...to me. But he's sitting on a stool with it on the outer stage behind the judges. He has a nice sound going for this song. But the song is pretty boring...as is the performance. Although, I do appreciate that he's toned it down a lot and I can appreciate his voice a lot more. But the whole thing didn't really pull me in. I wasn't compelled to keep listening.
RANDY - "you are in the zone"
ELLEN - "that was beautiful"
KARA - "you did an incredible job"
SIMON - "I can actually take you seriously as an artist now"
DIDI - "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin
Usher thinks that Didi needs to make the whole performance personal, not just break down after she finishes. Why is she wearing that gown? We are not at the Miss America pageant. And this is a really bizarre version of the song. It doesn't work at all for her vocal style. She threw in some crazy theatrics at the end. And the notes were all over the place. But she looks stunning...hair and make-up were flawless.
RANDY - "it never quite caught"
ELLEN - "thought that was way too dramatic"
KARA - "you've lost your way"
SIMON - "it just didn't do it"
TIM - "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker
Usher didn't believe Tim at all the first time he sang the song. He told Tim to make sure he feels the song...and to hold onto that moment and own it. Tim just can't sing. He sounds awful. He is putting nothing into this song. It sounded like a bad show choir soloist. And what's with that stupid look on his face. Is that what he thinks it means to connect to a song? Just awful from start to finish. He had no idea what he was doing up there.
RANDY - "it had nothing"
ELLEN - "OH BOY, WHY?"
KARA - "you took the soul out of the song"
SIMON - "completely inappropriate song, but it doesn't matter what we say, you'll be back next week"
ANDREW - "Forever" by Chris Brown
Usher told Andrew that he has to take this seriously. Usher loves the Chris Brown version of this song, but loves this version of the song even more. Andrew made it back to the acoustics...and he sounds so much better this week. He seems a lot more comfortable on stage this week too. The arrangement is really beautiful with the strings to. He finally found himself again. A great job...one of my favorites of the night.
RANDY - "Andrew is back!"
ELLEN - "really amazing, strong performance"
KARA - "one giant leap in the right direction"
SIMON - "come across very boring as a person"
KATIE - "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin
Usher told Katie that she's needs a little pizazz and attitude for this song. He thinks that she'll score high if she personalizes the song more. Katie decided to go for the Jersey vote by wearing her Snooki Poof this week. I really hate that stupid shorts jumper. It's like Paige left it in the house, so she decided to wear it this time around. I do like her lower register. It has a nice smoky sound to it. Her upper register becomes really nasal and hard to listen to. She really has no idea what she's singing. She just singing words...nothing more. And she's casually meandering around the stage for no real reason. I just don't like her.
RANDY - "one of the best vocal performances of the night"
ELLEN - "you always sound so mature, but I want you to sound young"
KARA - "one of your best vocal performances"
SIMON - "very robotic and quite cold"
LEE - "Treat Her Like a Lady" by The Cornelius Brothers
Usher thinks Lee has an incredible voice. He wants him to own that more. And he warned him that if he doesn't believe, the audience isn't going to believe it either. Lee continues to mumble. Someone needs to give this boy some diction lessons. But he sounds really good vocally. The gruff sound is really working for him on this song. He finally sang with lots of confidence and that made his performance so much more enjoyable. Really good. One of the best of the night.
RANDY - "unbelievable"
ELLEN - "best performance of the night"
KARA - "it was amazing"
SIMON - "this was the night your life may have changed forever"
CRYSTAL - "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight
Usher told Crystal that she has a real shot...and that she's going to be great. She's playing the piano this week instead of the guitar. She seems a little uncomfortable at the piano and it's showing a bit in her vocals. She got up from the piano and her vocals improved. But she seemed to be really concentrating on walking in the stilettos she has chosen to wear. Strange. Her dress is really cute, but it doesn't really work for her. It seems way out of place. She did some weird falsetto notes that were really bad. She finally smiled during her performance...and she looked cute.
RANDY - "another great performance by you"
ELLEN - "you are in it to win it"
KARA - "so many things about you that I love"
SIMON - "do not let the process suck the identity out of you"
AARON - "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
Usher wants Aaron to personalize the moment and take control of the song. He thinks that if Aaron tells the story of the song, he could win. Aaron sounds a little off vocally, just under the notes throughout. And he got a little too performy and dramatic during the "big" moment. I wasn't thrilled with it at all. He didn't really connect to the song...he just sang it and acted it out.
RANDY - "just alright for me"
ELLEN - "really good job"
KARA - "I liked it, didn't love it"
SIMON - "wasn't as good as last week, but you'll be back next week"
BARRY'S BOTTOM 3...
While Siohban had her worst week yet, I still don't think that she'll be in the bottom (and she still remains my favorite this season). Casey was close to the bottom group for me this week too, but he should be fine too. So here are my choices...
Didi Benami - because it was just all kinds wrong
Tim Urban - because he should have gone home twice now
Katie Stevens - because I hate her
Going home this week...PLEASE let it be Tim Urban. I can't listen to him anymore. I don't know why people are voting for him (maybe it's the Vote For The Worst people that are keeping him around). But I really just want him gone.
Ruben Studdard is back on Idol this week. And he's got a new single. It's called "Don't Make 'Em Like You No More." It looks like Ruben has lost some weight. Good for him. The song was a mess and he sounded kind of bad. But whatever. He has nothing to prove. We found out that he is now a vegan and works out everyday. AND...what is probably the biggest news ever...he's going on tour this summer with Clay Aiken. HA!!!
Usher gets to perform since he was the mentor this week. His first single is "OMG." And it appears Usher has learned a few things from his stint in the Broadway musicale, CHICAGO. Lots of Fosse-esque dancing...very little singing. The song was pretty horrible. The dancing was entertaining. And Will.I.Am is there to help him out...singing, not dancing. You could barely hear the music through the entire song. I'm not sure if it was technical difficulties or it was meant to be done that way. And I'm curious to know if the song lyrics are actually "oh my gosh" or if they weren't allowed to sing "oh my god" on Idol. It made the song sound weird.
Guess who else made his first appearance on Idol? Diddy. But now he's Diddy Dirty Money. Although I'm not sure if that's his real name...or if Dirty Money were the 2 hookers he hired as singer/dancers. I really don't get the appeal of Diddy Daddy Doodie Dirty Money. He just does nothing for me. I will admit that he knows how to put on a shoe. And he was very nice to the Idolettes...and the Idol crew and staff. I liked that.
