American Idol Top 6: Classic Love Songs

Hahaha, Andrea Bocelli and David Foster on American Idol! In a season that has also brought us Barry Manilow, Queen and Rod Stewart as a standards singer. I don't know what to say. This show has become even more like a circus than ever.

David Foster: He was not really making an effort to be diplomatic. I cannot decide if I find this offensive or just hilariously funny.

Andrea Bocelli: He's not much of an opera singer (the bits of Nessun Dorma he sang were NOT good), but when he sticks to his genre of semi-operatic pop, he's a star. And he did come across as very sweet.

Katherine: She tackled "I Have Nothing". She hit a few rough, screechy spots and she's no Whitney. But I enjoyed it, even while I sort of agreed with the judges. I don't think they were that harsh (as being reported in some corners of the Internet) - they did not say she sang badly, just that the song exposed her as not being at the level of Whitney Houston. That's fair enough and absolutely true, although I do think she should have been given some credit for pulling off the song and putting some of her own personality in it.

Elliot: The beautiful voice was in full force tonight and he sang 'A Song for You' as well as he has sung anything during this competition. The arrangement was a bit busy for my liking, but it allowed him to show his chops and technical abilities. This was a great vocal performance, but even so, Paula's blubbering reaction was over-the-top. My instinct was to stand and clap, not to have a nervous breakdown.

Kellie: Oh dear, she's singing "Unchained Melody"? Oh dear, this will not be good. And it was just abysmal. She simply does not have the technical ability nor the vocal quality to sell this song. There is no point to note pitch problems or issues with her non-existent technique. This was just a complete mess, possibly even worse than the worst of Jasmine Trias and Carmen Rassmussen. Not only did she sound horrible, she looked like a lifeless blow-up doll. Without the make-up, band and lighting, this would have qualified as a "bad audition". The judges finally turned against her this week, and Ryan had to cut Simon off just as he was about to drive the Pickler to breaking down in tears. Darn!

Paris: "The Way We Were" is a strange choice for a 17-year old. Melodically, it does suit Paris's voice and range. This was another strong vocal performance, although she had some strange modulations and spots where her tone became somewhat strident. She lacks the life experience to bring out the world-weary wistfulness of the Streisand original, but that will come with time. Her voice and musical instinct always makes listening to her a worthwhile experience.

Taylor: Boy, this was boring. He sang "Just Once" as if he was warming up his voice in the morning. He even had pitch problems at the start, which is a first for Taylor. He just seemed so uninterested and disengaged. I wonder if he was unwell.

Chris: He sang that Don Juan De Marco song, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?". And he had TWO flamenco guitarists on stage with him. Can this show be any more obvious in the championing of this chosen one? He sounded good and the performance worked, but I was put off by the aggressive favouritism. Not fair to Chris, but being on this show is like striking a bargain with the devil.

Randy: The dawg made a bit more sense this week than he usually does. I loved it that he pulled no punches in declaring his hatred for David Foster's arrangements. Professional jealousy or rivalry, perhaps? Or perhaps just a matter of taste.

Paula: Wow, she must either have been medicated to the gills or suffering withdrawal symptoms. The crying and incoherence after Elliot sang was downright uncomfortable to watch. And I really hate the way she talks over Simon when he is still in the middle of making his point. For the supposed "nice one", she is incredibly rude.

Simon: I strongly dislike him, but I really liked the way he was snickering at Paula's breakdown. In that moment, he was reflecting my thoughts exactly. And I also rather enjoyed his tearing down of the Pickler - he called it "the unending melody", boring, robotic and monotonous. If Ryan had not cut him short, he could perhaps have moved on to even more vicious adjectives. We'll never know and are the poorer for it.

ETA:

Finally, Pickler leaves! At least two weeks too late, but I will take it.

The judges apologised to Katherine? Huh? It was not as if they were that harsh to begin with! They certainly should have given her some props for doing a decent job, but it was NOT wrong to say that the song was too big for her, or that she does not come close to Whitney Houston at her prime. Katherine is technically adept and a good singer, but she is not a great singer, which is what Whitney was.