It's hard to write a recap while voting.
Just kidding.
Not really, the lines are pretty busy, so I'll take a break and talk a little bit about what happened tonight. To me, it's pretty obvious that all the contestants really want it. Also, no one really did a terrible job out there. So I think fan bases and casual voting is going to come into play.
Up first was the personal choice round.
Scotty chose "Amazed" by Lonestar. I think is the deepest I've ever seen Scotty tear into a song. I loved how you could tell he's been working on his microphone technique, and he really borught out a lot of interesting things in his voice. The judges loved it.
Lauren sang "Wild One" by Faith Hill. I love when Lauren does fun songs, but it still sounds like she's not supporting her softer notes, and she has a lot of breath control problems that she hides well with her belting. I don't love love it, but it's quite competent. The judges give it muted praise.
Haley chose "What" by Led Zeppelin. On song choice alone she wins this round. Really, she did an amazing job. She looked relaxed and happy and her voice was just on fire. (Also how about her dad's guitar playing? Damn.) The judges love it and declare Haley the winner of round one.
The next round is Jimmy Iovine's pick. This used to be producer's round, but after what they did to poor Syesha Mercado, I'm not sure that anyone would trust them to pick a song again.
Jimmy chooses "Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not" for Scotty. What I like is that this connects to Scotty fun side without going into his crazy faces or weird mannerisms. (Although his guita stance...) A very good job. The judges love it.
Lauren gets "If I Die Young" from Jimmy. I do not know this song, and Lauren sings it well, but I'm not sure how well it works. I think it's one of those songs that woujld come in the middle of a concert, and I'd forget by the end of the night. The judges do praise Lauren for recovering from missing the key change, and she has never looked more comfortable than tonight.
Haley sings "Rhiannon", which is a song I remember quite vividly from Didi last year. She definitely gets into the song, and I love the arrangement. I'm with Jennifer in that she should have amped it up more, but I can't complain about the performance.
The judges pick Scotty as winning this round. (I smell a patttern. Although Steven picked Lauren. Way to go off script buddy.)
Judge's choice is next. This is where I miss Simon, because he tended to pick interesting songs. I also was sort of mad that the judges picked as a team, because there were all sorts of statistics on who picked what when that just got invalidated tonight.
For Scotty they choose "She Believes in Me." I loved that this was the most Scotty has ever stretched, and the most current he's ever sounded on that stage. I hated that it was on a song that felt dated and a bit overdone.
For Lauren it was "I Hope You Dance." She knocked one out of the park here, and I want to complain it isn't hard, because she got thrown a softball. But I can't because she really connected to the song and I was really rooting for her by the end.
For Haley it was "You Oughta Know."
Look. I love Alanis, and this song sort of loses its power when you disinfect it. Also why choose something with such fast choruses when you know they are going to be hard to sing? That said, Haley killed the choruses while really struggling in the verses. So I'll call it even.
Round three, of course, went to Scotty.
The night went to Haley or Lauren depending on who you talked to.
What I liked about tonight is that the judges finally were giving fair and balanced critques to everyone. That we got to see glimpses of their hometown visits without spoiling too much. That we were treated to their auditions all over again so we could be reminded of where they started.
So here's my assessment on how any of these three will make the finale:
Scotty: he's all-American country. He loves God, his mama, and America, and not necessarily in that order. He's old enough to find cute but young enough for us to want him to marry our daughters. His vocal tone is simply unparalleled. He has an ease about him onstage and off that 16 year-old boys simply do not have.
But there's a lingering sense to me that he doesn't want this. Not yet. Then there's the fact that many weeks I could sustitute any one of his performances for another is a problem. Sure he's consistent, but he's also sort of boring. And I'm just not sure how well he really is liked by country fans.
Lauren: she has this raw natural talent that just blows me away. She's a bubbly fun typical 16 year-old who just loves to sing. She has moments where I think to myself she could really have a great career.
But there's the sense that she's not emotionally ready, and lately I'm not sure she's vocally ready either. I end up wanting to like her instead of actually liking her.
Haley: I'll try to keep my fannishness out of the way and say a few words. America loves an underdog. (see Allen, Kris.) America also loves someone who takes risks (see pretty much every Idol winner at least once.) Say waht you will, Haley's probably the only one of the three left that's had a genuine Idol "Moment" on that stage, and that counts for something.
She was also in the bottom three four times. She has an attitude. She growls too much. She's the undeserved critical darling of many an Idol fan.
I could go on and on, but after tonight it's sort of hard to pick a final two. I know I want Haley there, but I think both Scotty and Lauren have their merits. I think it's going to be Scotty, but I don't think any result tomorrow will shock me.
Scotty does not in any way deserve final 2. He really is not that good.
Vocal ability: 1) Haley, 2) Lauren, 2) Scotty
Stage Presence: 1) Haley, 2) Scotty, 3) Lauren
iTunes Recording Quality: 1) Haley, 2) Lauren, 3) Scotty
Giving 110% Effort on Stage: 1) Haley, 2) Scotty, 3) Lauren
Marketable "Looks": 1) Haley, 2) Lauren, 3) Scotty
Distinctive Sound: 1) Haley, 2) Scotty, 3) Lauren
Artistic Expression: 1) Haley, 2) Lauren, 3) Scotty
where Haley wins in all cases, except:
Popularity with Southern AT&T Text Messengers: 1) Scotty, 2) Lauren, 3) Haley
Who the Producers Want to Win: 1) Lauren, 2) Scotty, 3) Haley
Of course, I could be completely wrong, but that is how I see it!
I agree Haley is the best one left, James SHOULD have by all means won, but they pulled a Daughtry on him. Haley is the only one left which can make widely enjoyable music, the other 2 will just be country or pop country singers with occasional "wide" radio hits like previous country Idol winners (Carrie Underwood), otherwise only will be found on country stations. So I am all for Haley and she has been my 2nd choice after James since about round 6 or 7 now. Also, she is ridiculously sexy! This girl looks super hot even without having the hollywood treatment for years, just imagine how she will look in a few years.
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