Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Top 6 Results - This is Our Country

After tonight only a quintet of hopefuls will be left standing. The show's barely begun when musical guest Rascal Flatts is introduced to perform their new single "Unstoppable." Gary LeVox's voice sounds extra whiny and strangled tonight. Once again, the irony of the show is that the established artists can sound crappy and the ones competing for a shot at a career can't. Lesson? Get a record deal and you're allowed to sound like garbage!

In the Ford video (for some song called "Believe") they all get to be vampires except for Michael, who plays the attack victim that scares them off with a garlic pizza. It actually made me laugh, simpleton that I am.

I'll skip the Shrek promotional stuff and get to the results.

Siobhan Magnus is sent to the far side of the stage.

Aaron Kelly is sent to the center of the stage.

Michael Lynche is sent to the near side of the stage.

Lee DeWyze joins Siobhan.

Casey James joins Michael.

Crystal Bowersox joins Aaron.

Ryan leads Siobhan over to Michael and Casey and proclaims them the Bottom 3. That was weird. Also, who'd have figured Casey to end up in the Bottom 3 after most people considered him the best of the night? I'd be shocked if he went home, and Siobhan got the pimp spot, so...my prediction that Michael's leaving looks solid right about now.

Carrie Underwood introduces the next musical guest, some band called Sons of Sylvia. Hey, wait a minute! That's not just "some band," those are The Clark Brothers, who won The Next Great American Band! They were great. Too bad no one watched that show except me and my mother. Apparently their album is finally being released, and this is their single, called "Love Left to Lose." What's with this opening part? Is that a mic problem or is he breathing too heavily? Aside from those early sound issues, I kind of like the song. It doesn't sound very country, though. It comes across more like some modern rhythmic-pop type of thing with a little mandolin and fiddle thrown in. I'd be happy for these guys if they had some success with this song, because they're a talented bunch of dudes.

Next is Lady Antebellum with "Need You Now." According to Wikipedia this song was released last August, but for some reason I feel like I remember hearing it regularly on CMT back when I still lived with my parents, which was a year and a half ago. I know I've heard it in passing in public places, but I don't think that'd account for it. I hardly listen to the radio. Did they perform this song live on CMT before it was recorded? Am I just going crazy? Argh! Whatever the reason, I know this song better than I probably should.

Boy, they just won't stop throwing musical guests at us, will they? Next it's Shakira and Rascal Flatts! Darn you, Rascal Flatts. Because I like country music I feel forced to tape this due to your inclusion. Surprisingly, there's something captivating about this song (apparently called "Gypsy"). There are gypsy-style backup dancers on stage, and Gary LeVox joining in adds little to the performance. You know what? Recapping these result shows is really getting boring. I think I may retire from the recapping business once this season is done.

Finally some results. Michael is safe! Wow! I thought he was a goner for sure! So the one leaving is...Siobhan. Wow! That pimp spot sure has lost its power over the last two seasons! She sings out with "Think," and of course includes the annoying glory note my brother hates so much. There's still some time left after she's done singing, so we get to see her give out hugs and talk to the judges a little before the credits roll. They sure packed a lot into this hour, didn't they?

Power rankings:

5. Aaron Kelly

4. Michael Lynche

3. Casey James

2. Lee DeWyze

1. Crystal Bowersox

No comments because they're pretty much the same as what I've been saying all season.

Next week Harry Connick Jr. mentors the Idols on the songs of Frank Sinatra. In other words, it's Standards Week designed to honor a specific performer, who just happens to have sung most of them. See you next time!

3 comments:

BeckEye said...

I really liked Sons of Sylvia, and I knew they looked familiar so I had to look them up while writing my recap. As I suspected, they were those Great American Band dudes who I HATED the first time they were on AI. I guess the name change worked.

Unknown said...

Sons of Sylvia grew on me. I think I would have liked the song sooner if I hadn't been distracted by the poor sound quality. Anywho, I'm giving up blogging Idol after this season too. I didn't want to do it this season but got roped into it. I will say that I don't go into quite as much depth on performance nights as I have in the past. I think Glee coupled with my lack of interest caused that. I think either Mike or Casey will be going home this week followed but the one that's left the next week. As much as I want Aaron to leave, I think he's here until the final 3.

Ian said...

Beck - I probably wouldn't have remembered Sons of Sylvia if I hadn't watched NGAB. I don't know if any of their performances from that show are on the internet somewhere, but if they are they're worth checking out.

Kristi - I've never seen Aaron as Top 3 material, so I'll be pretty surprised if he makes it. Then again, I was predicting he'd be gone back in the Top 11, so perhaps you're right. It'll be nice to sit back and enjoy the show next year without having to worry about critiquing each performance.