Audio Review: American Idol Top 6

Theme: Songs of the New Millenium
Well, this is not promising. Popular hit music in the last 10 years hasn't hit many high points for me, personally. Whenever I listen to the Current Hits stations, I end up wondering how three quarters of the songs ever reached hit status.

Carrie: "When God-Fearing Women Get the Blues"
One phrase food-analogy summary: Overcooked, soggy noodle
A country song, done country style, which is right up Carrie's alley. I really don't like the tone of her voice; it always sounds so brittle to me, like it's on the brink of cracking. Once again, it made me think of severely strained vocal chords. On the last high "wooo!", where she was arguably not really singing and just exclaiming in a semi-falsetto, her voice sounded quite lovely. Too bad she doesn't sound like that most of the time. There was some character in her performance this time, she actually sounded like she might be having some fun. Not a whole lot of it, mind you, but we should be thankful for what we can get. She also lost her pitch on quite a few notes, so she fell short in the one area that she usually pulls off competently.

Bo: "I Don't Want To Be"
One phrase food-analogy summary: Budget-chain housebrand chocolate
This is supposedly a song currently on the charts. His voice got lost on a couple of notes in his lower register and he completely bailed on one high note (which I think he might have needed to either wail or sing in falsetto) and sounded rather scratchy on another. Vocally, this was not one of his better efforts, but there was energy aplenty and his voice sounded as solid as ever for the most part. The song, though, is not all that interesting, so the overall effect lacked a Wow factor.

Vonzell: "I Turn To You"
One phrase food-analogy summary: Reject batch pretzel
Wow, another really difficult song to sing. The first part of the song was disastrous; flat in many places and notes cut off due to bad breath support. The runs and modulations were particularly rough. She corrected course eventually and it ended far better than it started, although she cheated on the very last note. I like the sound of her voice, but this was not pleasant to listen to. The pitch problems were difficult to overlook, although she made sure to be on key on the high, held notes. I give her credit for getting it together at the end, and finishing off strongly. But she should stop being so ambitious with her song choices. She still does not have complete control over her voice to be completely successful at these types of songs.

Anthony: "Surrender"
One phrase food-analogy summary: Salt-free egg-white omelette
A really breathy and whispery first verse, which I found aggravating. When he kicked into the chorus (and got away from his shaky lower register), he was spot-on. This song was suited to his vibrato-free style of singing. The held notes were strong and clear, without signs of strain. His voice lacked its pretty head-tone today, but that was probably not appropriate for the over-wrought sentiments of this song, anyway. An excellent effort, if you forget about the first verse.

Constantine: "How You Remind Me"
One phrase food-analogy summary: Burnt hamburger patty
He's back to singing rock this week, and it's not a wise move. He does not have a voice suitable for rock, and his deliberate "dirtying up" of his tone sounded studied, rather than spontaneous. He was also completely off-key whenever he tried to inject the "scream" elements into the song. When he is playing rock star, his enunciation becomes damned near incomprehensible. So it was again tonight - I could hardly make out the words for half the song. What a contrast to the purity of tone he used in My Funny Valentine (I did not care for the way he interpreted the song, but his voice sounded good and was well utilised).

Scott: "Dance With My Father"
One phrase food-analogy summary: Sunken souffle
When he was in pitch, he sounded rather nice. When he went off pitch, as he did several times, it was rather excruciating. He has a good voice, but lacks technique. His singing sounded lazy and tired tonight, but I think that might be his own lack of experience with nursing and using his voice. He lacked expression and passion, which is something he usually has no trouble with. His vibrato tonight was also out of control, especially on the last note. That sounded like he was doing a thrill in an augmented fourth.