Barry Gibb, one of the greatest songwriters and producers in rock history, was the mentor this week. By extention, the contestants had access to one of the best music libraries ever generated. Yet the night fell a bit flat. Here's my recap...
ROUND ONE:
Melinda ("Love You Inside Out"): She started off a bit flat but by the chorus she was making this #1 smash from 1979 her own, and by the end she was giving me chills. Once again she rocked the house.
Blake ("You Should Be Dancing"): The judges were so wrong in their critique of this performance. Blake's falsetto was spot on, the reverb was excellently arranged, and I think he took the beat-boxing thing to a brilliant new level. I knew he'd do a superb job with a Gibb tune and he did more than that here. Listen to a Bee Gees album - or an album by another artist that Barry Gibb has produced - and, if you listen real hard, you'll hear his voice backing up not only the artist, but the instruments. It's brilliantly done and Blake successfully attempted that here.
Lakisha ("Stayin' Alive"): Again...this girl needs a full length mirror in her dressing room. I don't know where she got that dress, but she looked like the love child of Condoleeza Rice and a bloated zebra! As for her performance, I was not impressed in the least.
Jordin ("To Love Somebody"): I'm one of Barry Gibb's biggest admirers, but if he thought this was the best cover of "To Love Somebody," then he needs to have his hearing checked. As always, Jordin only managed to hit a double when she needed to hit a homerun.
ROUND TWO:
Melinda ("How Can You Mend A Broken Heart"): Again, she started off a bit flat but turned this #1 classic into her own by the end. Another excellent performance from Doolittle.
Blake ("This Is Where I Came In"): Ok...this song was only a minor hit for the Bee Gees, peaking at # 23 on the Billboard charts back in the spring of 2001. It's a song I personally love and, knowing the track as I do, thought it was a really bold choice for Blake.
So, how did he do? Sigh. All of my hopes for Blake on this night came crashing down here. He destroyed this song.
With his stellar voice and exquisite ear for arrangement, a night based around the music of the Brothers Gibb was custom made for Blake. The music library at his disposal was loaded with tunes that were perfectly suited for him, yet he chose this one? (My personal choice for him would have been "More Than A Woman") I think this will go down as the ultimate "wrong song choice" in "Idol" history.
Between the judges negative critique in round one, the bad performance here, and the relative obscurity of this song, it wouldn't surprise me if Blake wrote his ticket home this week.
Lakisha ("Run to Me"): She didn't send shivers up my spine or anything. Not the greatest rendition of this song.
Jordin ("Woman In Love"): Ok...pretty ballsy for her to tackle a classic from Barbra! Streisand's voice isn't just any ol' voice...it's a musical instrument in and of itself. If this performance did anything, it proved that Jordin is not Streisand...by any stretch of the imagination.
Who won the night? Melinda...barely. No one really knocked it out of the park this week. And that's a shame because, with the Gibb brothers catalog, the four finalists had the second best musical library in rock n' roll history at their disposal.
Who should go? At this point it doesn't matter. Every one of these four finalists will have a career, no matter what happens between now and the crowning of the next "American Idol." The three who lose the contest will still get healthy recording contracts. But who they let manage them and the career-paths they follow will determine how successful they are.
