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Posted on 03/24/2006 9:00:43 PM PST by silent_jonny
RECAP TIME ( with a little copying from various sources )
Remember the old Donny amd Marie song in their 1970's show ??
Well,
They're a little bit country...and Chris has lost his rock edge !
We've got Country Night - YEE HAW.
The first thing that came to my mind is this --- they're trying to build the advantage for their favored --- Kelli Pickler because of the many bad nights she's been having. And oh yeah, Bucky Covington too.
Question --- DID THEY EVER DO Carrie Underwood this favor last season HUH ? There was no country night then ? So, why
suddenly a country night now ??
For you folks in Asia, unfamiliar to this genre ( as Simon Cowell himself admits), Country music, also called country and western music or country-western, is an amalgam of popular musical forms developed in the Southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, Celtic Music, Blues, Gospel music, and Old-time music.
However today, country music is actually a catch-all category that embraces several different genres of music: Nashville sound (the pop-like music very popular in the 1960s); bluegrass, a fast mandolin, banjo and fiddle-based music popularized by Bill Monroe and by the Foggy Mountain Boys; Western which encompasses traditional Western ballads and Hollywood Cowboy Music, Western swing, a sophisticated dance music popularized by Bob Wills; Bakersfield sound (popularized by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard); Outlaw country; Cajun; Zydeco; gospel; oldtime (generally pre-1930 folk music); honky tonk; Appalachian; rockabilly; neotraditional country and jug band.
IN SHORT -- YOU'VE GOT A WHOLE HEAP OF ARTISTS TO CHOOSE FROM --- John Denver, Johnny Cash, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynnete, Martine Mcbride, George Jones, Willy Nelson and even Jim Croce. Heck, even Ray Charles did some country. We even have great coutnry bands like Alabama and groups like the Dixie Chicks.
Each style is unique in its execution, its use of rhythms, and its chord structures, though many songs have been adapted to the different country styles. With this, you should have a wealth of artists to choose from even if you hate one, you should be able to pick someone else.
Well, firstly it boils down to song choice. Some of these songs are horrible, and others, you can't do justice to given only 90 minutes to perform. The reason is a lot of country music tell stories. You can't do justice to them in under 2 minutes.
So, Has my world gone absolutely crazy? I think it has. Tonight, Ace Young had one of the best performances of the night. Taylor Hicks, usually among the top 4, had one of the worst. And Bucky got the Pimp spot!
Kenny Rogers helped the kids work on their tunes. He's 67 years old this year and boy, I think he's had plastic surgery...
ON WITH THE SHOW....
Whoa. Good analysis.
The question of the night, and one I hope to see answered in a tell-all book someday, is WHY DID TAYLOR SING THAT SONG?
Geez. Any old John Hiatt song drawn out of a hat would have kicked butt with Taylor's voice and personality behind it.
And what's with all the ballads? I am so bored with ballads. If they don't start singing some up tempo songs, I'm going to bail on Tuesday nights. And THEN they'll be sorry! : )
How can someone butcher a country music song? They come that way.
Exactly. What in the world are people like Kellie and Mandisa going to sing? BTW, I disagree about Constantine nailing Bohemian Rhapsody last year. I thought he murdered it. Did he get voted off after that performance? Nobody should ever try that song. It cannot be done justice.
the 6 kids are your's and mine....i don't believe there was a "their's" when she died....
Personally, I like the tone and depth of Taylor's and Chris's voices. Personal preference obviously.
For the past weeks, the Manila Bulletin featured interviews of "American Idol" contestants who were voted off the phenomenal star search a few hours before they were forced to leave the season earlier than the others. Idols–out Kevin Covais and Lisa Tucker disclosed bits of information any Idol fan will be interested to know. In the process, they were able to share a few things you only get to confirm if you’re an insider, from a contestant’s point of view.
These are the following trivia we’ve gathered straight from Kevin and Lisa via phone interviews:
_Goodbye dinner. Voted off contestants get to hang out with the remaining contenders immediately after they were sent home. It’s a sort–off goodbye dinner where the contestants get to relive their experiences with the one who’s leaving the show. Common topics: Assuring each other that there’ll be more of everybody when they reunite for the "Idol" tour after the season ends and emotional ‘we’ll miss you’ messages especially from fellow Idol roommates._No casual talks with judges. The judges don’t get to speak to the contestants other than what is seen during telecasts. How the audience perceive the judges is just about how the contestants know them also. The judges don’t get to advise them backstage.
_The seating arrangement scare. During elimination nights, the contestants are informed of the seating arrangement right before they go out on stage. No one knows how host Ryan Seacrest is going to shuffle your-safe or not-safe statements. The only clue you have is if you’re seating beside someone who frequently trips the ‘bottom three.’ But since America has consistently been an unpredictable voting population, no clues are solid. During vote-off days, the contestants spend the entire day wondering what the seats’ order will be and how Seacrest will break the bad news for those at the bottom three.
_Going first. Like the seating arrangements, nobody knows how the order of performance is arranged. The contestants know that it’s random but they only get to know who goes first before the airing starts.
_Your choice alone. "American Idol" contestants are solely responsible for their choices of songs. Yes, they do get a list of suggested songs after elimination episodes but the decision is all theirs. Usually they arrive at a decision two days after the elimination then it’s all practice from there until the next performance night. By Friday or Saturday, the contestants are pretty much ready with song choices.
_Fashion help. Contestants get fashion help from the show’s production staff. Confined to their respective close door practices, the contestants are given few choices on what to wear, what to look like and how to wear their fashion. There are at least two stylists on board. So when Simon Cowell bickers on a hopeful’s fashion sense, he or she is not much to be blamed for it.
_Good vibes. Contestants of this season claim that everyone has been nice to everyone. It’s all friendship backstage and in their Idol confinement. No one’s getting on the nerve of anyone despite the different personalities. Well, not yet...
_Big deal about song choices. Each week, the judges keep on smacking contestants’ song choices as if it’s the one important mistake an Idol can’t commit yet always falls prey for. Well, guess what? It’s really a big deal. It’s not just something the judges would talk about out of habit, it really matters.
_Finish the song. Voted off contestants don’t know that they are cut off the air even before they finish their farewell numbers. They felt it’s unfair to cut their last big stand off the air when it’s about giving it everything they’ve got at the final moment
_Comment ban. Contestants who are voted off are not allowed to comment, campaign and predict the fate of those who are left to compete. Obviously, people behind the show want the outcome to be on equal footing as much as possible. Because voted off contestants are interviewed by the press, whatever they say about possible outcomes may affect the voting strongly.
[NOTE from Wolfstar: I'm not sure how they could interview voted-off contestants a few hours BEFORE they are "forced to leave." Maybe it has to do with the international dateline; when it's Monday night here, it's Tuesday morning in Manilla. Also, the show is taped here in L.A. the afternoon of the day it airs, so maybe the vote-off contestant is busy doing international interviews while the show is airing here in the U.S. Or maybe it's a deep, dark conspiracy. ;-) ]
Sir Links, you go to a lot of trouble to cobble together these reviews for us, and I thank you for your effort.
The statement above is incorrect, if my memory serves. There was a country night last year. It was the first one on AI.
On the other hand, deep, dark conspiracies can be good fun when the subject is light and fluffy, like AI. ;-)
Probably way, way off, but here's my predictions of who (if they survive tonight's cutdown) will sing what:
I know there was a country night in season 3 -- John Stevens' memorable performance of "King of the Road" still stands out to me. There also was a big band night scheduled that year, but Stevens was voted off the week prior.
I had another listen to Taylor Hick's version of Country Roads. GO Here and listen to a stripped-back version. It is much, much cleaner. On second thought it isn't as bad as I said it first sounded :
http://www.overmused.com/sixapart/
I can only imagine it sounding like if they gave him full time to perform it in the studio.
I think the sound quality for the stage and band has been bad. Another thing to consider is that when you are forced to sing genre or era specific songs it becomes a lot harder for the contestants to have done a decent cover version like they might have in their bands or previous performances prior to Idol.
I that that is one reason why you are seeing the judges unhappy with the results. You get a few days to figure out the song.
Great review, as usual.
I am worried about Elliott. I think he may go home tonight, although he does his best every week. If so, he can do an album like misterrob suggested..."How To Close With Your Girl"...or one like that old Jackie Gleason album, "Music For Lovers Only."
I cannot picture Mandisa, in her present form, as an American Idol. The way she dresses...emphasizing her large points...it's a turnoff. Especilly with the current War on Obeity going on in all the schools to get the kids to eat right and exercise more. Mandsa is not a healthy role model for today's youngsters.
Who would have imagined Ace owning on Country night? Ace, sitting on a stool, canned all the corny mannerisms and delivered a straightforward, intimate and heartfelt performance. His vocals, rather than sounding breathy and weak were sweet and highlighted his earnest vulnerability. Despite a few pitch problems here and there, his vocal was good and he acquitted himself nicely on the falsetto parts. When Ace isn't self conscious or trying too hard, there's a real attractive sincerity that comes through his performances. He'd be fine if he relaxed, and allowed himself to tap into that quality.This Ace, with all the pretension and awkwardness stripped away, is the guy who could advance deep into this competition.
I agree. In fact, I thought that was the best performance we've seen from Ace during the entire competition.
I would LOVE to hear Chris sing that! Yummie!
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