Last night's "American Idol":
We're down to five singers. And here's my summary of it:
Jasmine Trias -- a little of her goes a long way. I didn't realize that until her second (and better) vocal of "Almost Like Bein' in Love." Jasmine doesn't "get" that presentation is almost as important as performance, and her consistent selection of jeans with funky belts/chains/scarves don't cut it. A nice dress with a flowing skirt and some sassy choreography would have balanced her one-notish vocals and given her more oomph.
That said, I think she's far better than any former "American Idol" runner up other than Clay Aiken.
George Huff -- he's out of his league. He's congenial, he's fun and he has a future in music. In fact, he's a far better singer/performer than Ruben Studdard ever was or will be. But this year it's not enough. (Ruben wasn't last year's best, either, but that's a whole other issue).
Diana deGarmo -- she's fun, she has an astonishing appreciation for/understanding of all sorts of song genres, and she has had some really good turns on AI. But she's in third place, IMO, and it has to do with the maturity of the final two. She needs to lose the baby fat (or mask it better), and she needs to work harder on staying on pitch! She's a powerhouse, but she overdoes it when she doesn't need to. She has a brilliant future ahead of her.
In alphabetical order:
Fantasia -- Quirky, unique, imaginative, and a true stylist. She's equal to the task of being the best, yet, "American Idol." Her "Big Band" performance was magnificent.
LaToya -- Classy, elegant, and a stylist in her own right. She has a classic voice and her performance in "Big Band" was extraordinary, IMO. She, too, could be the best, yet, "American Idol." I'm damned if I can choose between them. (I could NOT vote for LaToya last night. I tried her line for an hour and 45 minutes and it was consistently busy).
I don't know what Simon's big problem is with "Big Band," but Big Band encompassed music from ALL areas...movies, Broadway, and, of course, from the band leaders themselves. Big Band should never be mistakenly limited to songs from the 1940s. Most singers sang songs EXACTLY in the manner that songs were sung on stage last night. Pleasant, crooning vocals. The swing was saved for the dance floors and trios that could sing multiple parts in harmonies.
I'd have loved for someone to have sung "I'll Be Seeing You" or "Moonlight Serenade," but given the audience and ages of the performers, "Someone to Watch Over Me" was a huge enough surprise!
Bottom line about this season, IMO: Last year, we rooted more for Clay or Ruben or Kimberly because they were head and shoulders above a gruesome lot. The year before, it was Kelly and only Kelly. Look how far Justin Guarini has fallen...he was all crotch-thrusting on "AI" and that got old, fast, apparently. He never had a good enough voice. So, yes, Kelly shone through, as did Clay and Ruben.
This year, though, they've all been much much better singers and have given much much better performances and now we're jaded. We keep wanting just that little bit more....that little bit more that is so totally beyond Kelly and way, way beyond Ruben to provide even now.
Clay had it, though....and it was damned for all AI eternity by Simon as "Broadway performance."
