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And the West Coast Wrapup ....

It seems we have reached that point in the competition when it is no longer quite so fun (at least for me) to critique the singers, simply because we've gotten rid of everyone I really enjoy putting the shiv to. All the truly bad singers that I felt I could vent my spleen upon without retribution have gone, not to return until the beginning of next season. (Ah, me!) We're left with a small cadre of exceptionally decent young singers, whose screwups now are no longer because they are fundamentally bad singers, but just the result of ordinary week-to-week bobbles. That said ....

Elliott: Not his best performances by a long shot. Elliott was simply not in good voice tonight. My guess is that this is the result of long hours and too much rehearsal. (As was commented upon, Chris also was not in his best voice tonight, but as a rocker, it mattered less to him.) I hope that "I want to go home" will not be realized literally, but fear that it may be.

Paris: Her songs tonight were well-performed, but I could not get excited about them. Her voice in those songs sounded like a dozen other singers' voices. I agree with someone else on this thread who called Paris a chameleon. I do think that has prevented her from connecting with the public ... after watching this talented young woman, I am always left with the question, who *is* she, anyway? What does she actually enjoy singing? What songs move *her*? Her many hairdos and the different characters she portrays with her costumes leave me unable to penetrate to the "real" Paris ... so I fall back on her speaking voice and then recoil, unable to listen to her sparrowish chirping without cringing. I don't know who she is, which makes me wonder if she knows. (Probably not, at 17! Goodness knows I had no idea who I was at that age, either. But it makes it hard to get to know the "real" Paris.)

Chris: Very good performances tonight, though they didn't give me the chills that his Johnny Cash song did. I think Chris will be hard to knock off the podium.

McPhee: Will having big gazongas and pretty hair make up for bad singing? Tune in tomorrow to find out ....
(Well, actually, the second song was not bad, except that I was totally distracted by her knee-walking routine. I have to admit that for me, it heightened her resemblance to Monica Lewinsky.)

Taylor: I was giggling through his entire first song, so can't really judge it. (That song has *memories* for me ... it was the only halfway decent song on the jukebox in my high school cafeteria, and as a result got played at least six times during every lunch period. Lordy, the memories that brought back! LOL!) As for his second song, I rolled my eyes at the thought of him doing Beatles, but I actually really enjoyed it. I thought it was an excellent and sensitive performance. Good on you, Tay-tay. :)

Who goes home tomorrow? Well, it won't be either Chris or Taylor, and that's all I'm certain of. Before this evening, I would have included McPhee in that safe group, but that first song was really not her best work. She was never *exactly* flat, but there were so many notes where I found myself gesturing to the screen: "Get up! Up! On top of the note! ... ah, finally, there ya go." And that's a crappy song to begin with. Bad songs can be the kiss of death.

So I'll say the one to go away will either be McPhee (for reasons aforesaid), Elliott (just not his best work, and you have to be on top of your game at this point), or Paris (for season-long failure to connect with her audience). Should be interesting!