Obiter Dictum

Woman's virtue is man's greatest invention --- Cornelia Otis Skinner

Wednesday, April 19

I can only give you love that lasts forever

So, AI.

Rod Stewart was our guest freak host. I like Rod. I do. I admit it. I do not like Rod singing the standards. It just sounds wrong. I hated the first songbook. Now, admittedly, I haven't heard v.4 where he does some interesting duets. (I also haven't heard v. 2 or v.3.....)

But anyway.

Chris "What a Wonderful World" Daughtry. I don't like this song. Can I say that here? You won't hold it against me, will you? I liked Chris' version of it. I don't think it merited the rave reviews it received, but I thought it was good. It showed he could do something different (not that I don't like what he does.....because I do. Oh, I do!) Ahem. Anyway, it showed he could do something different and do it decently. But, on a night where almost everyone was on their game, he was in the weaker half, I thought.

Verdict: He's safe because he'll get the hot votes + the votes for doing a good job.

Paris "These Foolish Things" Bennett: My favorite of the night. She is a powerhouse, and she sang this song. She did. And not just the words, but the song. It was fantastic. I kept saying that over and over last night until my sister wanted to slap me. (ha ha, she's in Illinois and I'm out of reach.) Gripe: Did she need to be dressed like she'd just spent her day at the office? Women singing torch songs should not be dressed in suits. It looks odd.

Verdict: She went early, and there were so many other good performances after her that she might have been forgotten about once phone lines opened at the end of the show. But, if she survived that hurdle, she should be safe.

Taylor "You Send Me" Hicks: I love Sam Cooke. I thought this song would be perfect for Taylor, yet.....I started out being very disappointed. It sounded nice, but there was absolutely no personality in it. And that's fine for some people, but not for Taylor. Hey, blame him for making me expect more, it isn't my fault! Anyway, he livened up towards the end, and I felt like he was enjoying himself.

Verdict: Safe.

Kellie "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" Pickler: Pickler should be banned from singing any song Ella sang, wanted to sing, thought about singing, sang in the shower, dreamed about singing or even whistled or hummed. If Ella's neighbor sang a song in the shower, Pickler should be banned from singing it. I'm not a singer, but I would imagine that this is a very difficult song to pull off, even under the best of circumstances. It is nuanced and understated. Its angsty, but in a quiet way. You don't scream this song, its a lament. Until the end, where its vindictive. "Burned a lot. But learned a lot. And now you are broke, so you earned a lot." I love this song. And, in all fairness, I gave Pickler a chance. Halfway through, though, she got the first mute button of the season. Egads, she was horrid. BUT, I will say that she looked good. She was the only one, of the chicks, who got it regarding wardrobe.

Verdict: Should be cast off, but will probably survive thanks to that stupid vote for the worst website.

Elliott "It had to be you" Yamin: Love the song. Love the singer. Elliott was fabulous, as usual, but I wonder if he didn't take too long getting there. It was a gorgeous rendition, for jazz fans, but that isn't the majority of the voting AI audience. I don't know. He makes me nervous, flirting with the bottom three when he should be safe every week.

Verdict: So, I'm nervous. Have I mentioned that? I don't know what is going to happen here, but he should be safe.

Ace "That's All" Young: It was charming, I'll agree with Simon. I don't know. I liked the look he put together (the hair, the suit....) I wasn't crazy about this slightly up tempo version of the song. Its a more beautiful song when its slower and more of a ballad. I thought it was fine. I would put him in my bottom three, but its almost as a default this week since almost everyone was good.

Verdict: Probably safe. Again with the hot vote + did good votes.

Katharine "Someone to Watch Over Me" McPhee: FINALLY! Finally, she did a song with feeling. I've been wanting to like her, and finally, finally, finally I had something to like. I don't think she made everyone else look like amateurs (as per Simon) but I thought she was excellent. I was worried at first, because this is a song that has been sang by lots of people, women in particular, who have done it masterfully. I, personally, thought she should have done "I Only Have Eyes for You." But, she didn't ask me. And, once she started with her song, she was really, really good. More importantly, she put some personality and feeling into it. I was very impressed. Gripe: the clothes again. Didn't match the forum or the song.

Verdict: SUPER safe.

That's it, kids.

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