Tonight was indeed the Twilight Zone episode!
I mean, the people who I thought will deliver good performances were lackluster and those who I wanted to suck were surprisingly good. Geez.
Just when I thought this season will be as predictable as Carrie Underwood winning the whole thing in Season 4, things got really interesting tonight. I don't know.
But the thing that surprised me the most tonight was that I have a new found respect for Shania Twain, her song writing and vocal abilities. Really. I have always liked her - even though I was NEVER really a big country fan - and saw just how well crafted, clever and nuanced her songs really were through the performances.
Anyway, here we go!
It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing
Big Mike began his performance sitting on the steps and somehow I felt he stopped the stairs from moving!! Haha. Ok. Enough with the jokes. To be perfectly honest, I thought he did very well tonight. His performance was sweet, emotional and his vocals - save for some shaky falsetto - were good. However, I've been so turned off by his arrogant behavior at times that I'm now having a hard time believing his performances. Not sure if he was faking all the sentimentality - maybe not - but I just don't care about him anymore. Michael also has reached his ceiling and we all know it. It’s only a matter of time before he has to bow out of this competition and go on to make whatever he wants to make. Haha. Oh, and the cheese.. I drowned in it. Haha.
No One Needs To Know
Ok. Now this feels weird. After Crystal sang, I just sat on my bed and stared. I looked around the room to see if someone was playing a trick on me then I realized that my siblings were still sleeping that time. So, it wasn’t a joke. Surprise! Surprise! Haha. This week, Crystal was underwhelming! I was actually shocked by how unauthentic Crystal's performance came across. Who would've thought? Sure, she sounded great and her falsetto was very impressive but the performance lacked as much swagger as the original. I don't know. I thought the female harmony singer sounded tentative, which somehow threw off the arrangement a little bit and it just didn't seem to go anywhere. I appreciate that she stuck with the theme better than anyone else though. Oh, and note to Ryan: There is a time and a place to comment on teeth. An interview with Crystal Bowersox is not that time or place. Haha.
You're Still The One
Somehow, it sounded like Lee was trying to pull a David Cook Always Be My Baby moment, but failed. Haha. Don't even go there Lee! I mean, I liked his arrangement of the song and he played a little with the melody to suit his range and style but I found his vocals to be a bit shakier and forced than usual. There were parts where the melody seemed way off - although I thought it was more an issue of his interpretation than his pitch. Ultimately, the performance wasn't bad but it could've been better considering he had a great song to work with.
Any Man Of Mine
I'm confused! The judges criticized her for When You Believe and Suspicious Minds, but this performance got her unanimously praised? Seriously. Don't get me wrong, I thought she did really well this week but her vocal performances the past few weeks were so much worthy of good reviews, which she obviously didn't get. But yes, Siobhan was totally back to her sassy self again! To me, this was the most energetic performance of the night. It was really great to see her do something fun for a change and really interact with the crowd. The rhythm of the song was a bit bizarre but her endearing awkward delivery almost made up for it. The moments at the end of the performance were absolutely perfect to close out the evening and we better hope that Siobhan makes this the beginning of a comeback and not a fluke. Now, this dark horse still has a chance.
You've Got A Way
WTF! How is this possible? Haha. I can't believe that I actually liked Aaron's performance tonight and ranked him this high. Well, maybe because he managed to deliver exactly what I’ve been waiting for all season from him. I thought his tone was beautiful with the song and his voice had character. It wasn't perfect vocally but he sure has a nice upper register. Sure, this week was pretty much in his wheelhouse, but he also managed to perform the song in a very mature way I wasn’t aware he possessed. I really felt that he was tugging at the heartstrings. Finally! Good job Aaron!
Don't!
The rollercoaster ride continues. Haha. Casey just gave me a reason to like him again! Haha. Frack. I actually loved it. To be fair, I never doubted his talent, it was just that he never showed any charisma until now. This, to me, was the most believable and authentic performance of the night. I was actually glad that he just sat on a stool, played his guitar and sang his heart out. Maybe a little more emotion and a tiny more grit in his voice will make this performance THE moment for him. But what the heck! It was awesome. This was much closer to Jealous Guy than Don't Stop, quality-wise. It did show off more of his voice - including the tiniest bit of falsetto - and it was the first time, I thought, where he sounded it could go straight to radio. I was fairly impressed.
