"American Idol" contestants give birth to old songs
(CBS) When there are only 12 contestants left in season 10 of "American idol," you begin to take them seriously. Or at least you try. Could these be stars? Could they at least have a hit? Or, at the very least, could they front an ad for yoghurt or Pringles?
In last night's round, they each had to pick a song from the year they were born. This meant we saw a lot of home movies and young people reviving the work of those whom time has buffeted. Some managed the kiss of life. Others, regretfully, didn't stand out, sending their songs to the mortuary. They are now hoping the voters will revive them on Thursday night's results show.
Pictures: "American Idol" Season 10
Special section: "American Idol"
Here they were in order of performance:
How do I know? Because if Jennifer Lopez, the thinking man's Paula Abdul, took pains to point it out, then it must be true. It would be kind to suggest that Adedapo danced well.
2. Paul McDonald hoped to be Elton John. Or at least put his own stamp on John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." McDonald was clearly having the blues with his voice, and it made for a difficult couple of minutes. For him and for the audience, although if one were to be charitable, he sounded like the love child of Rod Stewart and Barney Frank.
3. Thia Megia was born halfway through the 90s. So her choice of "Colors of the Wind" by Vanessa Williams was a curious one. This is a fairly obscure song from "Pocahontas," not exactly one that you might imagine would move the audience to do anything but lay down in their wigwams.
This was the first performance of the night where the majority of the notes might have been recognized by Bach. What was strange, however, was to see such a young person seem so keen to be so ancient. The Colors of the Wind were all gray.
4. James Durbin had his hair gelled on end, but made sure that the rock he delivered would flatline along the mainstream. He chose the world famous rock'n'country band, Bon Jovi, as his inspiration.
"I'll Be There For You" was the song. Durbin was there for the audience, honing his performance skills while trying to ensure the song sounded just authentic enough for the voters. Even Steven Tyler noticed. "Don't get too pop-py on me," he said. This was the pop calling the kettle black. "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is as straight a pop song as you'll ever hear.
5. Haley Reinhart's parents are in a blues band. Her version of Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight" tried to reach for that bluesiness too and get under the skin. Regretfully, this was not musical acupuncture.
6. Stefano Langone sang. Really sang. He chose "If You Don't Know Me By Now," originally recorded by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes - but, in the year he was born, 1989, a Simply Red song. Langone has no identifiable image - the sartorial style of anyone you might see in a Des Moines bar on a Friday night. But he delivered range, power and not one blue note.
7. Pia Toscano understands that songs have bricks. She built a powerful house of feeling and put the roof on it at precisely the right moment. Once her version of Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" had the house in place, she brought it down. It was about as modern as a McMansion, but it was very professional.
8. A lot of kids apparently used to think Scotty McCreery was weird. He has made up for it by walking the very straight line into classic country. He sang Travis Tritt's "Can I Trust You With My Heart?," and he was as conventional as a three-piece suit, or Travis Tritt. This was country music that glories in being the stasis that you can believe in. Many people love it, and Scotty delivered. Is it anything new?
9. Three years ago Karen Rodriguez appeared in "Objetivo Fama," the Spanish version of "American Idol." She came seventh. She will be lucky to finish that high in this competition. She sang Taylor Dayne's "Love Will Lead You Back" in English and before producing what Tyler called "her ethnic what-it-isness". I fear that what it is, isn't quite what we're looking for.
10. Casey Abrams came out of hospital, explained that his condition is the very painful ulcerative colitis and then tossed caution to the jet stream by performing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
"Is this too big of a risk?" he said in the pre-performance clip. "I don't care," he replied to himself.
It was one of the more bizarre, maniacal events ever seen on "Idol," which would be a good thing, given that Idol is in desperate need of the bizarre, the maniacal and the trippy - among the performers rather than the judges, that is.
11. In her little film package, we learned two things about 16-year-old Lauren Alaina: her parents look barely older than she is and she has the flu. Unlike McDonald's coarse hoarseness, Alaina's version of Melissa Etheridge's "I'm The Only One" featured very few vocal germs. It was, as some kids love to say, really quite sick - in a slightly predictable way.
12. Jacob Lusk took a song of pomp and permed hair - "Alone" by Heart - and tried to turn it into "Alone" by Soul. He largely succeeded, even though there were times when his voice felt like it would drift from musical notes to the wailings of a grieving mother. At his best, Lusk evokes the quite brilliant Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. When he drifts off course, you want to call 911.
THE TOP THREE: Stefano Langone, Pia Toscano, Casey Abrams
THE BOTTOM THREE: Naima Adedapo, Haley Reinhart, Karen Rodriguez
Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He is also the author of the popular CNET blog, Technically Incorrect.
