While most people are still shocked over the exit of Chris Daughtry, I'm beginning to think it's probably the best thing that could have happened to him.
It bumped up the level of attention he's getting, he got an offer to be the lead singer of Fuel and he has many more doors open to him than if he had won.
Here are my thoughts on last night's performances by the Final Three:
Elliott Yamin - Elliot's first song was "Open Arms" by Journey, as picked by record label legend Clive Davis. At first, it sounds like the "Yodeling Gnome" has toned down the vibrato. And he's not wearing a tie this week. Whoops. I spoke too soon. The Gnome came back in full force on the chorus. The verse wasn't too bad vocally, but his timing seemed to be off a little. The chorus was not good, to put it mildly. He didn't show a lot of emotion or personality. Not a good start for him, however, it's a great start for someone like me who wants to see him booted off the show.
Katharine McPhee - Katherine's first song was "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly, as picked by Davis. Wow. Another ballad from Katherine. 'Who'd have thunk it?' Big....surprise.... Let me say for the record, that while Katherine too has a lot of vibrato in her voice like Elliott, she doesn't have a pronounced "I sound like a CD that's skipping" distinction. It's not as jumpy, so it works. With Elliott, it sounds like someone's hitting him in the throat - try it. You, too, can sound like him. So, her version wasn't bad. She oversang a few notes at the end. She just needs to take it down a notch and let her voice shine. Again, she also needs to have more fun.
Taylor Hicks - Taylor sang "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen, chosen by Davis. My initial thought was that Springsteen's voice and Taylor's would be a good fit - and it was. It was the best performance of the first three. It was a perfect fit for his tone, style and personality. Some people think he's annoying, but he's a true performer that loves what he's doing, entertains and has fun. However, I'm getting tired of the whole "Soul Patrol" thing. OK, Taylor, we get it. Give it a rest.
Elliott Yamin - Elliott's second song was "What You Won't Do For Love" by Bobby Caldwell as chosen by Paula. Good job, Paula. Pick a nice, obscure song that no one recognizes or will remember. That's the way to get the Gnome kicked out. I appreciate your efforts. Again, he lacked emotion and it was almost boring. I really don't understand how he's made it this far.
Katharine McPhee - Simon chose "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for Katherine and she sang her best in the competition so far. She has an effortless power. It was a good song choice, though I'm still tired of all of the ballads. Why can't she sing Dido, Norah Jones or even Shania Twain? Something fun. Her performance on this song should be her ticket to the final two.
Taylor Hicks - Randy chose "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. Of course, Taylor could do a great job with any Joe Cocker song. I would have preferred one of the more upbeat songs, but this one wasn't bad. It was a good contrast to his first song. He didn't have the goofy dancing. It was good and soulful and there should be little doubt that he's been the best male singer this season.
Elliott Yamin - For his final song of the night, Elliott picked an obscure Ray Charles number, "I Believe To My Soul," that should ensure his demise. Suit jacket, untucked shirt and jeans. Nice outfit there, Mr. Sloppy. His voice isn't deep enough to pull off Ray Charles. The runs are awful in his singing. Overall it was a non-memorable, bad song choice. Hasta la vista, Gnomey.
Katharine McPhee - She chose "I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues" which was a good choice. Sure, it was obscure, but it had an old-timey feel to it that worked with her voice. She needed to do more like this during the competition. It was a little more fun. She had a couple shaky moments and it was tough to follow "Rainbow" but she did well.
Taylor Hicks - Taylor picked Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness." Great song choice. He had a slow, soulful intro, slowly built up the power and tore through the chorus. Taylor's voice as the right tone and energy to carry a song like this along. He dominated the competition tonight and should be a shoe-in for the final two, if not the win.
Bottom two: Katherine and Elliott, with The Gnome making his long-awaited exit.
Posted by jeffhahnedisabled at May 17, 2006 8:38 AM
Comments
Right on... Elliot - out, Katharine - would be a home run if she can display more personality by combining songs from a diverse group of artists - i.e. a fun/flirty number from Better Midler, a Blues/Jazz vocal from Norah Jones/Diana Krall, an all time favorite from Dionne Warwick and certainly a great surprise if she can work in a Latin hit!...Taylor - would certainly like to see him moves away from being a soul master in the final. What about a Michael Jackson or even a pick from Sting's collection?
Posted by: PYT at May 18, 2006 9:22 AM
