Yep; that was the theme for this week's performances and i guess "Soul" would be the most appropriate term to encapsulate other amorphous words like "motown" or "blues" and the like. Whatever~ The most surprising thing was that no guest judge was present and therein is already one fault with this season's American Idol. In my honest-to-goodness opinion, it would be much better to have someone who's working within the genre/theme presiding over the performances so that a more objective opinion could be heard. Furthermore, i think it'll give the show a certain edge especially since the usual trio of judges are becoming rather predictable with their comments. The way I see it, the only advantage about not having a guest judge is that Simon, Paula & Randy will be able to sway the outcome of the votes without any outside intervention. Well, it could also be a measure to cut production costs but i'd bet it's the former... WIth Simon being paid $5.5 million while Randy & Paula, $1.5 million each, who needs a guest judge anyway?? Thus the fate of twelve young people with fragile dreams and hopes now lie in the hands of the three stooges...
On with the show~!!
Latoya London had been given a makeover (and as we shall see later on, so was evryone else) and through her bio, we learn that she's already married with two step-kids and moonlights as a wedding-singer when she's not a domesticated homemaker. Belting Ain't Nobody, she proved that she's one funky mommy and her new hair-do (yeah, the spikes-over-the-face-look is kinda cool, dontcha think so??) made her look waaaay younger than we've ever seen her before. However, I'm afraid she would never be able to top her amazing performance of All By Myself a few weeks back; anything less than spectacular from her is such a let-down. BUt hey, it was still a superb performance.
QUirky Amy Adams slowed down the pace abit with You Make Me Feel Brand New but it was only a passable performance. This is such a shame because I really like Amy; she's got such a colorful and goofy personality and doesnt come across as ingratiating or affected as Vanessa Olivarez (whom Amy is often compared to). I'm sure Amy has got some latent show-stopping power somewhere but she has yet to demonstrate her full potential.
Matthew Rogers has the honor of being the most aggravating contestant this season (to me, at least) and having a "presidential" bio to promote himself is certainly not in his favour. Seriously, i think Matthew is just an attention-seeking jock trying to prove to everybody that he's actually a nice all-american guy... Having said that, his cover of Hard to Handle was credibly executed but like Amy, he's got potential but just not showing it yet. Interestingly, Matt reminds me of Josh Gracin (both of them have that "you must love me" smile and they are anti-simon to the core) and like Josh, he might be be around for awhile...
Camille Velasco's Son of A Preacher Man was sooooo inadequate & uninspired, I could have cried in disappointment.. She was still a beauty though but what's up with the unflattering big hair, gerl?!? Her impressive vocal tone and color was all there and towards the end of the song, Camille managed to come alive abit. Unfortunately, it wasnt enough... I'd have to agree with Simon (albeit reluctantly) that if this keeps up, Camille's chances would be practically trampled on by the others. *haiz* But she's such a pretty & sweet little thing; i really hope she does better next week.. (this is weird but Camille's situation is suddenly eerily reminiscent of Julia Demato from last season).
John Peter Lewis managed to liven things up with his very sprightly take of Drift Away but i much prefer Corey Clarke's understated version from AI2. However, just when i thought John is another irritating jock, his bio revealed that he worked in a plant nursery and has plans to go to med school to become a paediatrician. Since I'm a sucker for guys with brains and who are musically-inclined, i suddenly find myself liking John's goofy grin and less-than-fabulous vocals. Muahahha... well, john is certainly in a class of his own and i'm hoping that in the weeks to come, he'll tone down his dancing abit and let his vocals shine instead. ;-)
Up next was Fantasia Barrino and in her usual sassy manner, she belted out Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered to shimmering perfection. One thing about her though; she's infuriatingly complacent but i'm probably just jealous because she makes singing seem so effortless. I hope AI would teach her a thing or two about humility...
Despite a sterling take of Dock of the Bay, George Huff still reminded me of the scarecrow from Wizard Of Oz (it must be the thing he always does with his arms.. they just look too dangly ;p ). The good: George was in his element during Soul week and his funny moustache was gone, revealing a much younger, but still funny-looking George beneath. The Bad: he has yet to transform from ugly duckling to swan ala clay aiken and i doubt if he'll ever make that leap into true idol material like what clay did for himself.
Jennifer Hudson must have fired her old stylist because she looked really cool and chic.. at last!! Better still, her Baby I Love You rocks!!! After seeing her sing dramatic ballads all this while, i was literally blown away by her more uninhibited side~ it was a flawless performance but that idiotic Simon injected some negativity into the whole thing by saying that Jennifer, like most of the others, had a tendency of over-singing. Well, he could have said that about Latoya and Fantasia too so why did he have to wait 'til it was jennifer's turn before airing his dirty little grievances?!!?? i Hate simon... he knows just how much his peculiar yet brutally honest criticisms can influence voters and he's willing to abuse his power to put down people like Jennifer. She doesnt deserve it... and i'm entirely in favor for jennifer because unlike some of the others, she has the potential to grow and continually amaze us with her evolving presence.
JOhn stevens was, in all honesty, dreadfully bland but Randy's negative critique was too vicious. I must concede though that Stevie wonder's Lately was certainly the wrong song choice for this red-haired sixteen yearold crooner. Then again, i'm not at all sure he's cut out for soul at all (on a sidenote, RJ Helton from AI1 did a much better cover of this song). erm.. i'm not sure if John Stevens could sing convincingly in any other genres anyway. oh well, time will tell... i'd hate to see this affable youth being voted off; he's unique and provides a welcome change from the run-of-the-mill power-belters that dominate this competition.
Our Bulgarian immigrant, Leah Labelle had rebonded her curly locks and she looked quite pretty actually. However, if she had done her research properly, she might have discovered that Vanessa Olivarez sang You Keep Hanging On too for last season's Motown episode but consequently, was the first amongst the twelve finalists to be kicked out. Perhaps i'm just being too superstitious yet i cant help having an ominous feeling about all this especially after simon's insensitive "pack your suitcases" comment. There was a sneak peek of Leah performing in a gospel choir in her bio and i'm convinced that this girl can sing... maybe her bulgarian accent is just making it tough on her to know which notes should be emphasized and which shouldnt. Or maybe she shouldnt be singing in english at all... :P
Incidentally, Jasmine Trias' fascination with the flower-above-the-ear look was finally explained in her bio. Offstage, she may be your typical hula-dancing & wave-surfing, girl-next-door but onstage, Jasmine is simply awesome!! Her amazing rendition of Inseparable made me entirely forget Kimberley Locke's showstopping version from last year and that's certainly no mean feat for a seventeen year-old. The one thing about Jasmine that endears me especially is her asian roots and i feel a sense of pride somehow seeing her up there, just oozing charisma and talent. Latoya, Fantasia and Jennifer may rule the roost as the Soul sisters but sweet jasmine has just proven that she's got a good shot at winning the competition too. you go, gerl~!!!
Last but definitely NOT the least, Diana Degarmo reminded us why she was picked for the final twelve by bringing the house down with a rousing Aretha Franklin number, Think. Diana decided to forgo her straight tresses for a curly-blonde look and with her strong vocals, she's evoking images of another young prodigy, namely LeeAnn Rimes (who was immensely successful while still in her teens). With a wonderful showmanship and voice which are far beyond her sixteen years, Diana was scarily good... she's another hotshot contender for the idol title too.
On the whole, it was quite a satisfying week with quite a number of good performances and a couple of upsets. With so many contestants giving this competition all they've got, I dont think my Camille could stand a chance but then, i do believe in miracles (so i'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the next few weeks.. LOL ). ;-)
