american idol 6: three weeks left
We’ve got just three more weeks before American Idol crowns its newest champion, and I remain disappointed with the season. Yet here I am, addicted. Here are our remaining four contenders:
LaKisha Jones—This season’s resident Large Gospel Girl. Compare with Season 5′s Mandisa. No, really. Compare the two. I submit that if they aren’t apples from the same tree, they were at least grown in the same orchard. The orchard where the oranges have distractingly huge breasts and the cherries express happiness by screaming at the tops of their lungs. LaKisha was, for a time, the favorite to win, but as the weeks have gone on she’s failed to maintain that initial spark, and frankly I think she’s a little overrated at this point. A great singer, certainly, but unfortunately there’s at least one better sharing that stage.
Jordin Sparks—The judges insist on saying it every week, but I will say it only once: I cannot believe that this woman is only seventeen. Everything about her feels like it’s been Supersized–her voice, her smile, her hair, even her stature. She towers over the Hummel figurine that is Ryan Seacrest. When I look at her, I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s taken a photo of her and blown it up by about twenty percent, and that’s what I’m actually seeing. I have to wonder what she’ll be like as a singer when she gets a little older. If she had auditioned, say, three years from now, I’m sure she’d be the front runner.
Blake Lewis—Like I’ve said before, Blake is really, really interesting, and still a favorite of mine. The Little Beatboxer That Could has lasted much longer than I thought he would, and as I predicted is the last male contestant standing. Vocally inferior to his three remaining competitors, Blake compensates by taking some real creative risks in his performances. This week’s rendition of “You Give Love A Bad Name” is probably the most daring performance in Idol‘s history. The judges, celebrity coaches, and even the contestants themselves often throw around the phrase, “make it your own,” but Blake goes one step further. Blake doesn’t just cover the song, he remixes it. Blake’s creative energy makes me genuinely curious about what an album from him would sound like.
Melinda Doolittle—She’s going to win this thing, as has been obvious since February. I didn’t mention her in my first Idol post because at the time she had only done brassy, Gospel-ish versions of “Since You Been Gone” and “My Funny Valentine.” I mistakenly wrote her off as another apple from Mandisa Orchards. I am willing to admit when I am wrong. So very, very wrong. Her rendition of “I’m A Woman” made me break out in an involuntary smile. It blew me away. Watch it and tell me that’s not incredible. I dare you. All I could think was, “No, wait! Do the full version! Give me more than 90 seconds!” She has continued to churn out nothing but incredible performances every week since. What’s most remarkable about her is that no matter what song she’s singing, even if its something way out of her comfort zone, she sounds like she wrote the thing. “Pitch perfect” doesn’t even begin to describe it. To top it off, she might be the most adorable contestant ever. Think Kellie Pickler, only not a moron.
In a perfect world I’d like to see a final showdown between Melinda and Blake, but in this world I think Jordin’s the only one with the popularity to end up next to Melinda at the finale. Then again, Idol can be surprising. It was at exactly this point last year that Chris Daughtry, god-king of ancient Sumeria, got booted out instead of Katherine McPhee, to the shock of absolutely everyone.
All things considered, this season’s talent pool is nowhere near last year’s. LaKisha, Jordin, Blake, and Melinda would be utterly destroyed if forced to compete with nuclear arsenal of Katherine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, and Taylor Hicks. Well, maybe Melinda would stand a chance, but no one else. Taylor sounds better talking than most of this year’s contestants do singing.
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