After watching tonight's show, I feel the same way as I did last week. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but in reality, it didn't quite suck, but it wasn't great either.
It was a weird night. Simon was really in rare form, and although I agree with him 80% of the time, I thought he overdid the negativity tonight. And didn't the contestants seem especially mouthy tonight too?
From the top:
Amanda - Great song choice. 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' is such a fun song, even Amanda's lack of vocal subtlety couldn't ruin it for me. Simon said something that I think everyone else has been thinking for weeks now... namely, that Amanda is "getting" predictable. Well, there's a remarkable observation! Still, she didn't totally suck, and there were worse, so she stays...
Kristy - Toast. She should have been the one to sing 'I've Just Seen a Face'. That song countrifies up real good. Instead, she chose one of the Beatles' best little ballads, and managed to sing it not as a ballad, nor as a pop song. I don't know what she was doing up there.
David A. - Yeah, very nice. Very well sung. Check. We all know the kid can sing songs like this. So what's for dinner?
Michael - I like this guy and I love the song, but it just doesn't compress well to a minute and a half. The arrangement seemed to jump all around. What he sang sounded okay for the most part, but it was just too disjointed.
David C. - I liked his version of 'Daytripper'. I totally disagree with Simon on this one. In my mind, this guy has been on point, and totally entertaining every week.
Brooke - Simon said she should have sang 'Yesterday', I think that 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away', or heck, even 'Norwegian Wood' would have been great choices for her. Still, I didn't hate her version of 'Here Comes the Sun'. Yes, her performance was a little spastic, but to me, that's part of her charm.
Carly - I'm not a big fan of 'Blackbird' but she sounded very nice.
Jason - Mr. Sensitive goes for another sensitive guy song, 'Michelle'. I didn't hate it. Jason has very nice eyes and I could see maybe thinking he was dreamy if I were an 11 year old girl.
Syesha - She saved herself with a pretty nice performance. She totally sold it. I thought her heart was actually breaking. Oh, and she had the guns working for her with that low cut dress. That'll add some votes!
Chikezie - I'm starting to like the big goof a little. I thought he did a reasonably good job with 'I've Just Seen a Face'.
Ramiele - One word. Adorable. I think she was right to choose a fun, uptempo song, because I think she needed to remind everyone how cute and young she is. 'I Should Have Known Better' was an interesting choice, because they pretty much used the original arrangement, with all the harmonica and all. I wonder if they had tried to contemporize it, and had she sang it more in a sassy pop tart style, might it then have gone over better.
