The debacles from the events over the past few days were looking to put a damper on last night's catalog of songs from the Rat Pack era, but everything seemed to fall in place by the time 8 p.m. ET rolled around. There was not one bad performance, even though the Top 5 finalists had to scramble last minute and drop one of the two songs they had been rehearsing in order to ensure there were no time overruns. And Jamie Foxx actually gave some good tips despite having to deal with negative perceptions going into tonight.
After Foxx's lengthy intro montage and his "surprise" unveiling to the finalists was shown, Kris took the stage and did a subdued but smooth rendition of Frank Sinatra's staple "The Way You Look Tonight." Kris' vocals were a little bit better than usual, but it's fair to say they were consistent and the use of his falsetto enhanced the overall result. Simon's critique of the performance being "wet" may or may not resonate with the voting public, but it is quite apparent that the other three judges thought highly of it. What could end up hurting Kris is the fact that he went first, which seems like it would be a non-factor this late in the season, but it is always a possibility.
Following Kris was Allison, who looked a lot more mature and sounded years beyond her age, even more so than usual. She sang Ella Fitzgerald's "Someone to Watch Over Me" with grace and poise, proving that even the rocker chick can simmer down for enough time to show that she is capable of delivering heartfelt low key showcases. Allison was also able to get a few Christina Aguilera-isms in and even belted out the last few notes. Her performance was a few notches better than Simon's weak 7 out of 10 score, and Kara let him know he was "crazy" for his critique since she was so sure that Allison is not a one-trick pony and that she didn't need anyone watching over her last night.
More importantly than any of her critiques, Allison truly looked like a contender regardless of Simon's questioning of how badly she wants to win it. This should be enough to keep her out of trouble tonight.
Someone who had his name written all over last night's theme was Matt, as he is a jazz music major at Michigan State. That being said, he did not do the best with his rendition of "My Funny Valentine," which was made famous on this show by Melinda Doolittle on its sixth season. Matt was his regular self with hat and all, but his lack of piano playing was actually missed a bit last night. Still, his vocals on the classic standard were among his best yet, which was noticed by Simon.
The deal with Simon, however, is that he was using his signature reverse psychology on Matt, which will be realized by the majority of the public when tonight's results are read. It's true that Matt deserved some praise for his efforts, but Simon was the noticeable sore thumb sticking out among the rest of the judges with the exception of Paula, who gave her usual dribble drabble about seeing a "pure and simple side" of Matt. Randy and Kara were actually dead on when they noticed a lack of emotion and connection to the song, and these comments will ring true once things become more clear tonight.
Danny, on the other hand, came out and gave the performance of his life with "Come Rain or Come Shine," which he needed to do in order to revitalize his chances for the title. Danny started off in his usual rhythm and blues mantra, but near the end he really came alive despite incorporating his usual growls into the otherwise smooth vocal performance. It was not a surprise that the judges raved about the showing, and even Simon's comments about Danny finding his confidence and agreeing with Kara that he had swagger seemed appropriate. Even though he did not get the coveted pimp spot, Danny showed that he could still deliver despite the assertion that his Idol star has waned over the past few weeks.
And then there was Adam, who really wore his theatrics on his sleeve with an over the top take on Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." The performance fit Adam to a T, and was definitely a sight to see with a dramatic descension of the staircase lit in hot pink florescent lights. The vocals were a bit too much, though he had a great note near the end that has seemed to be lacking from the current season of Idol. There was a time when the glory note was considered the cherry on top of a performance, but it has since fallen from popularity.
As usual, the judges had no qualms about Adam's showing, and Simon's "a cow moos" comment injected some humor into the critiques. It goes without saying that Adam is not going anywhere tonight.
After looking back at last night's performances, it can be said that this was perhaps the best performance episode of the season, with no one being so blatantly bad that they warrant a ticket home. Someone does have to go, however, and it will probably be another obvious boot. But just to cover all the bases, there have been stranger things to happen on this show.
One last note: Jamie Foxx was actually a more effective mentor than many thought he would be. There were times when his advice made a lot of sense and he seemed to care about what he was saying to the contestants, even though he probably did not mean much of it. He's still not a nice person, but whatever.
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