AI S9: Top 5 [Idols Sing Sinatra]

IT WAS SINATRA WEEK on Idol and I think it’s the most boring week this season. I love Norah Jones but I am not a fan of old fashioned jazz. Having Henry Connick Jr. ‘s arrangement didn’t help the contestants. I mean it’s all grand with all the brass, the strings, and the jazz piano but it failed to make the performances sound current. It felt like most of the contestants were a little lost in the intricate arrangement. And speaking of being lost, it was Casey James who completely lost it, in my opinion. It was very evident on how he held himself on stage. He was off till the end. There was no swagger that emanated from him and he moved very awkwardly without his guitar. I remember Kara commenting about his vibrato and that it sounded like a lamb. He can’t sustain a note and it sounds strange if he tries to. I think it was one reason why he sticks to songs without flying notes. Having said that, I was quite surprised that Aaron took the fall this week. Well, he too was not fantastic but way more commendable than Casey. In Aaron’s performance, the first part was not good. It sounded like he was having hard time finding himself in the music. But it’s a common difficulty experienced by performers accompanied by an orchestra. He pulled himself together by the end but the technique was still lacking. He’s only 17 and he’s still got a lot to learn.

Crystal—I have a feeling she’s losing it: OK performances for two weeks now. If she don’t go back to her element I think Big Mike could steal her supposed slot in the finale. Big Mike and Lee did as much as they could with their songs despite the old-fashioned arrangement. They marked the songs with their signature style. Big Mike gave his performance an RnB twist while Lee, like what I’ve already said like a million times: his tone makes it contemporary. And clearly, he gave the best performance this week.

It’s going down the wire now…Woohoo!