I never get why they keep choosing Motown Week year after year. I mean the Motown catalogue is great. It’s especially great as background during the credit sequence of a rom-com, a marathon housecleaning session or during a wedding reception. Perhaps that’s snarky, but on shows like Idol that keep talking about being current and musically relevant, Motown is an odd choice as it rarely feels either current or musically relevant. Perhaps that can all change tonight, though?
As I always do, I’ll rate each song on a scale of 0-5 along with a short blurb and then pick my favorite and least favorite performances of the night.
Daniel Seavey (“How Sweet It Is” by Marvin Gaye) – * *
After many years of watching Idol it shouldn’t surprise me that Daniel squeezed through. This is a show where people like Sanjaya and “Chicken Little” Kevin Covais all surpassed the top 12. Although, to be fair, I remember Covais’ name and not a lot of other Idol finalists. (When you look back at it, Covais’ season five was amazingly strong: Katherine McPhee, Elliot Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Kelly Pickler and Ace Young, hot damn!) Anyways, this is all a roundabout way of saying Daniel isn’t very good. He’s awkward on stage and his voice is far too immature. His “How Sweet It Is” is a tad more relaxed and melodic than last week’s offering, but it was still really, really safe and forgettable.
Mark Andrew (“Papa Was A Rolling Stone” by The Temptations) – * * *
Last week, Mark’s The Band cover felt like something he’d play mid-set at his local bar. This felt kinda the same. I mean, I’d enjoy his “Papa” if he was playing it live while I ate dinner on some patio but for national TV it was dull.
Rayvon Owen (“My Girl” by The Temptations) – * * * *
Rayvon is a crazy good singer. Hands down, one of the best in the competition. So I can’t knock him on a single note. But his Temptations cover was so by the book it ultimately felt like really, really good karaoke. If he had flipped the arrangement or threw in some more current runs, we could have had something really special.
Adam Ezegelian (“I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5) – * * * *
Now this is what I’m talking about. I mean, his R&B arrangement of “Back” didn’t always work but at least it showed originality and musicality and a desire to pull these songs out of wedding band territory. His vocals too were surprisingly on point. And, above all, once again Adam is just so much fun. I didn’t think I’d say this last week, but I’m glad Adam is back.
Clark Beckham (“Tracks Of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson) – * * * ½
There’s still a blandness that permeates Clark’s performances. I don’t know what it is. He has a good voice and good vocal control. He’s a talented musician and did a nice job rearranging the track (although it’s nowhere near Adam Lambert’s Idol version). But he’s just oddly disconnected and flat for me.
Nick Fradiani (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder) – * * * ½
The first (short) stanza where Nick played alone with his acoustic guitar I was totally onboard. While the band added energy, it turned the song into just another Stevie Wonder cover. It was a strong Stevie Wonder cover, but (and this is going to be my mantra tonight, I’m sure) it lacked originality.
Qaasim Middleton (“I Wish” by Stevie Wonder) – * * * *
Stevie Wonder is the perfect artist for Qaasim to emulate as Qaasim’s endless energy and bouncy soul voice fit nicely with Wonder’s catalogue. So, yes, Qaasim was a blast to watch flying around that stage like a seasoned pro. He’s ¾ths of the way there, but if Qaasim wants to go the full monty, he’ll have to work on vocal technique. He’s a wild beast that needs just a little taming.
Quentin Alexander (“Master Blaster” by Stevie Wonder) – * * * *
I’m so glad America voted Quentin through. I was worried there for a moment that he was a little too out of the box. While this didn’t live up to last week’s stellar “I Put A Spell On You,” Quentin’s take on this surprisingly difficult Stevie Wonder track was smooth and groovy.
Show VIP: (I never thought I’d say this, but for sheer fun it’d go with) Adam
Who Should Go Home Next Week: Daniel & Mark
Who Went Home This Week: Michael Simeon, Savion Wright, Trevor Douglas & Riley Bria
There has been a critical error on your website.<\/p>
Learn more about debugging in WordPress.<\/a><\/p>","data":{"status":500},"additional_errors":[]}