AI Top 11: A picture is worth ... not much in music??

I listened to the live TV sound feed first, before watching the show on tape later. It is always an interesting experiment to experience these contestants aurally, without the lights and flash of AI getting in the way. After all, this show involves people who are singing, even if “it is not a singing competition” (strike one for Peter Noone this week!). Impressions of the audio, followed by thoughts on the televised performances.

Haley: Tell Him

Audio: Is she prancing around a lot? She seems to be breathless during the chorus and sounded best during the slower verses. The "staccato" accents during the chorus lacks zing, but I think she just does not have the type of voice that would do staccatos well. She's more a legato type of singer. Some okay bits, but If This Was On The Radio (known as the ITWOTR rating), I would rate it: Switch Station.

Video: Holy Legs, Batman!! And Holy bared back! The singing is sort of secondary, isn't it? The girl is accentuating her positives with a vengeance. I am intensely fascinated by the resolutely in-place side-hems of her top - that's some mighty strong doublesided tape under there! I think her outfit, deserve its own voting line. 1800-IDOLS-WHOA.

Chris R: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying

Audio: Chris does a slow ballad, with a simple guitar accompaniment in the opening bars. Still far too nasal for my liking, but the boy has good musical instincts, I will give him that. He does the "runs" (tm Randy) sparingly and keeps the song slow and sweet. The falsetto at the end is very, very nice; sounds better than his usual voice. Underneath the weak technique and the nasality, there might be a voice there. ITWOTR: Leave it on in the Background.

Video : He's got a guitarist sitting beside him on the stage. It reminds me of one of those figure skating exhibition programs with solo instrumentalists on the ice (Plushenko with a violinist?) I like this visual touch, although the close up on the guitar on the background screen is distracting. Chris doesn't try any interactions with the guitarist and I feel strangely robbed of a Rockstar: Supernova moment.

Stephanie: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

Audio: Nadia Turner knocked this out of the park back in Season 4; Stephanie has her work cut for her, especially since it sounds like an almost identical arrangement as Nadia's. Ooh, she's shaky and running short of breath. She's a better singer than this! What is happening? She cracks on a high note and she's failing Vocal Technique 101 - Breath Support. Man, this is strange; she sounds so … untrained. ITWOTR: Switch Station.

Video: Love the blue strapless dress, she wears clothes really well.Great as she looks, it is not enough to distract us from the faltering vocals. I think she should have gone for full-out drama; big hair or purple and green sequined harem pants or something. It would have livened up the performance. Big hair is probably the secret to Diana Ross's career.

Blake: Time of the Season

Audio: He's beatboxing, but when he starts singing, he's using that very pleasant voice he sometimes lets us hear. It's gone within a few bars, reappears briefly then goes away again. The chorus is definitely better than the verses - why won't the boy sing consistently through a song? There's some beat-boxing again and then he's singing, not as strongly now and in fact, becomes very ragged. He sounds downright bad for a couple of lines but mercifully, the end is nigh and he wraps it up with some beat-boxing again. The triumph of this song is less the singing and more the arrangement; it has a cool updated retro sound to it. ITWOTR: Perk up and listen.

Video: Seeing this really helps enhance the enjoyment of the performance. Blake pulls off some dance moves and is very assured on stage. The fashion choice is puzzling; is he going for the 'preppy' look that ANTM tells us originated in England (thanks, Tyra!)?

Lakisha: Diamonds are Forever

Audio: The girl can sing, and she is assuredly in key and in control most of the time,bar a few low notes. But I am a little discomfited by this performance. For some reason, she sounds like around 4 different people, as she moves through her register. In one monotonic "forever", I even hear a different voice for each syllable. It's not so much inflection or phrasing, where you can still hear that there is one underlying voice. It sounds like 4 people inside her randomly popping up to sing selected phrases and words, or for that matter, syllables. ITWOTR: Check the reception.

Video: So, she chose this song so she could wear those diamonds? What a nice touch by the AI stylists. I wonder if they have security guards shadowing Lakisha. Great colour on the dress as well. But this is better listened to than watched. She is not quite connecting emotionally; I am not feeling it, dawg! There is something about her eyes that seems to be warding me off and telling me to keep my distance. I feel almost uncomfortably self-conscious - do I have bad breath or something ?

Phil: Tobacco Road

Audio: This is not the first song that comes to mind for Phil, but he is doing a commendable job. There are a few surprisingly mellow lower notes and within his comfort range, he sounds strong and confident. He is trying to rough up his voice to achieve some "edge". Again, he's not really that type of singer, so it is something of a failed experiment. Not bad, but no better than competent. ITWOTR: Leave it on in the background.

Video: Phil, please wear a hat. If you will not consider growing some hair back, I implore you to invest in any form of skull-covering gear. I’d even take a beanie and I was not too fond of those with Ace last year. I really cannot say what reaction I have to this visual performance because I simply cannot look at his head. At one stage, I look at the screen and see what looks like a giant sweat stain on his shirt although it might have been a pattern on the fabric.

Jordin: I, Who Have Nothing

Audio: Well, the girl is showcasing that beautiful voice to its best advantage! Not a pitch problem in sight (or within hearing). She sounds impassioned and does a proper 1960's wail. When she is properly focused, like now, she sounds sensationally good. ITWOTR: Turn the volume up.

Video: This does not seem so powerful when watched. I wonder why that is. She looks great with the straightened hair, and not at all too young or precocious to be singing this very grown-up song. She does not have any particularly annoying mannerisms when she sings apart from a few too-literal gestures miming the lyrics. Still, something about watching this is putting me off simply enjoying the excellent vocals. I cannot put my finger on it.

Sanjaya: You Really Got Me

Audio: Hahahahahaha … sorry, I don't think I am supposed to take this seriously, am I? I am not watching, but obviously, Sanjaya is doing something totally unexpected on stage. He's roaring and screaming and his voice drops off and picks up like he is engaging in some vigorous mike-handling or possibly head-banging? I imagine him doing some Bollywood moves, actually, which is horribly stereotypical but I just can't help it. Man, good on him for having a sense of humour and just throwing caution to the wind. Strange, wasn't that what Paula told him to do last week, to just let go and 'explode with his vocals', or something? Man, Sanjaya, of all the judges to listen to!! ITWOTR: Hahahahaha … I can't imagine hearing this on the radio, other than as a AI clip replay.

Video: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha….. boy, Sanjaya might just get himself a place in the top 3 with this. It is so relentless horrible but in an utterly fantastic way. We are returning to AI’s roots – the bad auditions! – except on a much larger stage. He is prancing around and running into the audience and stalking on the catwalk and then, he sings into Paula’s face. The camera pans towards and settles on a tweener (obviously a plant) simply bawling her eyes out. So fitting to have a girl in tearful hysterics on British Invasion night. Sanjaya is stomping up a storm (of sheer awfulness) but the camera will not leave the poor crying girl. I feel torn between pity for the child and relief that I am temporarily spared from more of Sanjaya’s rock stylings. Just in time for the ending, the camera returns with him to the stage, where he does a little screaming bit that just about split my gut, so hard am I laughing. If this was a high school performance, he would get pelted off the stage. But on AI? He gets deafening cheers and an invitation from Ryan to hug the crying girl, thus cementing his place in the top 5. Did I not say this show is a circus?

Gina: Paint It Black

Audio: Very weird start to this, is she going overboard with the edgy thing? This song has a tune, Gina, let us hear it! I can see what she is trying to achieve, a sort of disaffected coolness before kicking into the hard-edged part with the thrumming chords. The problem is that she sounds flat and is singing tunelessly, slurring everything into a monotone. The slurring thing can be done and works wonderfully when done well, but she is not managing that. ITWOTR: Switch Station.

Video: Great, great haircut. Very nice indeed. Other than that, it is usual Gina, full of the right type of rocker attitude on stage. I still sense a little bit of awkwardness but I think she is a lot more comfortable now than she has been previously. Watching this helps make the vocals more enjoyable. Her outfit and her general demeanour helps to sell the song, and even her particular choice to modulate to the point of tunelessness seems to make more musical sense with these accompanying visuals.

Chris S: She's Not There

Audio: Thank goodness he sounds more animated tonight than he did last week. Nice work with the high notes and the sing-spoken chorus. It's a song that needs more attitude than actual aptitude and he manages it okay. ITWOTR: Listen till it ends.

Video: I still prefer to listen than to watch. He starts in the audience and works his way through the crowd, narrowly missing Simon on his way back to the stage. It is a good attempt at some audience interaction, but he is not really that type of performer. All the while, there is a certain lack of engagement about him on stage, although his singing voice sounds better than it has for a few weeks.

Melinda: As Long As He Needs Me

Audio: For the second week in a row, I wish she had chosen a different song, although I love Oliver and I love this song (which was also sung by Nadia Turner in S4). I just would like to see Melinda do something completely different. Does this song really qualify as British Invasion? But again, the AI rules appear to say it does. When the strings start up, I think maybe this is not such a bad song choice after all. After a string of dramatic slow songs in minor-key, preppy up-beat tunes and rock songs with strong rhythms, we hear this major-key Broadway tune which is immediately easy on the ear. This song choice might bore some people, but I think many might enjoy the change in pace. She sings it, as always, wonderfully well and with simplicity and heart. I think this would have worked better if they were doing broadway night. As it is, a performance that lacked the excitement of others who stuck more closely to the British Invasion theme, but vocally superlative. ITWOTR: Perk up and listen.

Video: What are the stylists up to with Melinda? Why are they putting her in these drab colours? As for the hair-cut, a younger look for sure, but not doing her particular facial frame any favours. She starts sitting down and then gets up and does her thing. It’s a bit static, but with her, there is always an emotional engagement and we can see it.

Judging the rest:

Lulu: Best. Guest. Ever. She was tres-cool and most of all, gave great and *useful* critiques to the girls.

Peter Noone: He did not seem to much like any of the boys, did he? He was no Lulu, but I didn’t hate him. He just seems too inconsequential for me to hate, really, with his slightly inane grin (or is that his permanent expression? I can’t tell!) and that rather overly larrikin-like demeanour.

Simon, Randy and Paula: Same old, same old.

Results show summary: Peter Noone sings; it is enjoyable enough but nothing to write home about. Ford video is tee-hee-inducing. Ryan “randomly” calls out people in groups of three. Phil is in the 2^nd group called safe and celebrates like he’s just become a father again. The third and last threesome (not that way!) comprises Sanjaya, Haley and Gina. They are safe and the bottom 2 are Stephanie and Chris Richardson. While the sweat over the result, Lulu tears up the stage with her signature tune. Then, sadly but not surprisingly, Stephanie is sent home.