Prior to watching this show, the only famous song by Barry Manilow which I know is that famous (or rather infamous) Copacabana. So who IS this iconic manilow fella, the person who has been deemed "what Clay Aiken would look like in thirty years time"?? Well, besides being the possessor of a very funny looking nose, Barry Manilow also has a whopping 41 albums, and 38 top 40 hits under his belt! On top of that, Barry has received Grammy awards, Emmy and Tony awards and has garnered numerous other nominations for his work. Pretty impressive, eh??
The Good
It is hard to believe that It's A Miracle was ever a Barry Manilow song after seeing and hearing the fabulous Fantasia Barrino perform it on-stage (she was all over the place actually). Fantasia had successfully made the song her own without having to tear it apart with the over-the-top vocal pyrotechnics which she would normally employ in her up-tempo performances. However, that little trick Ryan pulled by presenting Fantasia's wee little daughter to tv audiences through-out America was a brilliant (although conniving) idea; I'm certain it would have a positive effect on fantasia's votes. Latoya London's All The Time is easily the second best performance for the night. She was able to pull off all her notes flawlessly and even sounded much better than Fantasia, but I think the one department where Latoya is sorely lacking is personality. Jennifer Hudson though, is constantly letting more and more of her competitive side shine through. I concede that she has always been overtly dramatic and her rendition of Weekend in New England was no different but I cant help loving this gal~ The sheer power of her voice and her charisma is just too irresistible! She has definitely become one of the forces to be reckoned with in this competition.
The Middleground
Diana Degarmo's One Voice was a far cry from the mediocre pieces she had done in recent weeks and her voice had never been better! Excluding a couple of flat parts, it was actually the perfect song choice for her. Jasmine Trias too, seemed to be bouncing back with I'll Never Love This Way Again. Some notes at the end, however, were abit shaky but other than that, it was a pretty good rendition. When all is said and done though, i dont think that either Jasmine or Diana will ever perform anything spectacular enough to really distinguish themselves from their older and better contemporaries.
The Bad
I had a feeling that George Huff was trying his very best to regain the support of his fans after last week's dismal showing and what better way to do it than by singing Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again. Unfortunately, the result was only adequate at best. Georgie's gospel-stylings seem abit overwrought and out-of-place somehow; I much prefer his heartfelt and low-key Against All Odds last week. This is NOT a good sign. My only hope is that Georgie will just stop trying too hard and do what he has always done best; i.e. singing with his heart. Not surprisingly, John Stevens' Mandy was intolerable! I'd rather torture myself by listening to the boyband version (the one by westlife) rather than listen to his weak and pathetic interpretation. Sorry, John~ your crooning aint so bad but evrything else you do just sucks! ;p
It's obvious that we are now in the age of the Dueling Divas; Fantasia, whom I've always felt was too complacent for her own good, is now a favorite of mine after her heart-wrenching Summertime from last week. That song seemed to have humanized her somehow (or at least in my eyes) and as long as she tames her "yeah yeah yeahs", I'm certain she'd make it to the top eventually. I believe that Latoya has the best voice in this competition but she hasnt got the magnetism of Fantasia's edgy charisma and I fear this might handicap her chances of winning. Jennifer Hudson has done well so far by choosing songs that manage to showcase her dramatic vocals effectively. Nonetheless, her strength can easily become a weakness if her theatrics are not properly controlled. Despite all my conjectures, I'm really looking forward to seeing these three powerhouses battle it out as the top three in this year's AI... ;)
my bottom three predictions: John Stevens, George Huff & Diana Degarmo/Jasmine Trias.
