Fancast: Inside TV

To the show…
David C. - “Hungry Like The Wolf”
This is not my favorite song in the world, the song itself, nothing to do with David’s performance. I think the biggest comment I can make about his performance is that he showed such ease. He went out and delivered the song without really straining or over performing. I don’t think it was the best song choice, but when you only have a day or two to choose from such an extensive catalogue like the one found at the rock ’n roll hall of fame, I can understand. In my humble opinion, I think he coasted on this one, relying on the fact that he’s him and is all but guaranteed to go to the final. Everyone needs a little holiday, some time away…

“Baba O’Reiley”
Hmmm. I don’t know how to feel about this one. Much better song choice, but I think the only real downfall of this song was that it had to be 90seconds. The song took too long to take off, and that was not really David’s fault. When you’re in concert you can take as much time as you want, on Idol you’ve got to be slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am about it and this song fell short of that mark for me. Again, I don’t think David is going to have a problem at all going through to next week. I just want him to come back stronger next week. He seemed pre-occupied, or something this week, and whatever is going on in his personal life shone through this week. As a performer, I tend to loose myself in the moment of performing and use it as a vessel for the release of whatever I’m going through that day. In this instance, I feel like it’s a skill David has yet to master (hell, I haven’t mastered it either, so no judgements), but like David, I too had a family member (my Mother) who was battling cancer during the show, and I just had to put it all aside and shine. The same goes for David, and I have no doubt that he’ll be back next week to do just that…shine.

yesha - “Proud Mary”
Well first of all, she looked beautiful…not that she hasn’t before, but tonight she really turned it on. “Proud Mary” is not for the faint of heart. Tina is no joke, and neither it seems is Syesha. I really wish she had found this side of herself, or shown us this side, earlier in the life of the show. I think her fan-base would have been much stronger, and she would have avoided the bottom’s. It’s performances like this that really make me miss the band being on stage. The interaction and the fact that there isn’t so much negative space for the singers to have to fill, makes for a great show. Randy had the right line when he said that Syesha’s timing was perfect. She’s come on strong in the end. I didn’t agree with Simon when he said that it was “shrieky”, but I will say that she let her voice get away from her sometimes. Meaning that she over-sang in places and missed the notes. Moving around like she did and singing correctly at the same time is a very challenging undertaking. She’s got the talent, no doubt, and I can’t wait to see her continue to grow.

“A Change Is Gonna Come”
Again she looked beautiful. She’s the Tamyra Grey of this year. Like Tamyra, Syesha is someone who has an undeniably good voice, and continues to look more and more beautiful by the week. My only criticism is that she seemed to push her way through the song, and again her control got away from her. She sounds beautiful when she caresses the notes, not when she muscles the higher ones. Once she finds the balance, and doesn’t have to run herself ragged each week (which contributes to the need for pushing) she’s gonna be an absolute dynamo. I think that she handled herself so well, even when she was crying her eyes out. I like the fact that she was so emotionally connected to the song, and did her homework. That’s a sure-fire way to get yourself and the audience connected (at a heart-level) to your performance.

Jason - “I Shot The Sherrif”
From the start it looked uncomfortable. It was as though he had watched tape of Bob and was trying to copy his movements…but without the soul, or the massive amounts or marijuana. As soon as he pulled the guitar in and started playing it, it seemed as if his performance was going to be less erratic, and it was…until he slung the thing back to his side and started moving all over the place again. Not my favorite performance by a country mile. Even the judges looked bummed out by it, and I can’t blame them. Even Paula gently put him down, and that’s saying something when she does it. Simon ripped him a new one. Fortunately for Jason he’s got serious charm (even if it’s a bit doofy) and he played off the scathing remarks with ease. Big trouble for Jason on this one.

“Mister Tambourine Man”
At the start I thought to myself, ‘ah Jason returns’, he looked comfortable and sounded more like himself…even if he did cop Dylan’s phrasing a little. Then he dropped the lyrics, and didn’t do much in the way of covering it. Fortunately for him the steady-cam shot was pulling around and back away from him on his snafu. He picked up the pieces with no problem after that, but the damage was done and there was no way he was going to get away with it. I think that he’s going to find himself in the bottom this week, and after the solid performances that came before him…he’s in trouble. I will say this, his ‘aw, shucks’ charm is a great quality to have considering he’s weathered some pretty harsh criticism. I think we’ve seen the last of Jason, and there’s no way around it. I like the guy, you like the guy, but he’s fallen apart at a critical junction.

David A. - “Stand By Me”
The kid has it, movements aside. He doesn’t need to move, really. I think that he did push a little bit throughout the song, and a telltale sign of vocal tiredness is when a singer puts their hand on their abdomen. Not their chest, but their belly. It’s a subconscious distress signal. Our hands go there because we need the extra support. We may not be physically pushing on our stomachs, but the sensation of our hands there is comforting and helps us get through. Still, it was a great performance. I’m getting a little tired of giving him praise, but it’s all I can really do. Again, if I could have sung like that at his age…and I mean have been able to have the mature sound(which could partially be a result of the vocal paralysis thingy) AND be sensible enough to make such mature choices regarding notes… ah, well, no one is surprised by his great performance.

“Love Me Tender”
Wow, Elvis is not to be trifled with, but if there is anyone who could do some trifling with Elvis it would be David. Does it really matter? He took it and made it his own. Simple, easy, and plain Archuleta. I will be surprised if he doesn’t win. I do get the critique about the eye-opening thing. Anywhoo, he’s gonna be fine.

My guess for tonight:

David Cook and Jason in the bottom two.

I know, I know, David Cook you say? He’ll be fine, it’s all good…

Homepage photo credit: Matt Beard