The Motown Song

After the most frustrating evening involving my car being about 3 hours later than they estimated, having Alex miss soccer practice, I settle in to watch my Idols...I'm a little behind.

Why is Idol still 2 hours? We can't condense this at all? Are there no midseason replacements? It's feeling quite a bit like filler to me, but hey...it's my show!

Okay, so it's Motown night, usually among my favorites. Naima, Paul, Stefano and Lauren should rock tonight, but it might be hard for James Durbin. I think Jacob will either kill it, or stink - there will be no middle for him. One would think Scotty would struggle, but if he picks a bluesy number...one of the slower Temptation songs, he should do well too.

First up is Casey, who is singing I Heard it Thru the Grapevine. He's growling and doing his thing. He's just batsh!t crazy, but I think I love that about him. Either that, or I fear him. The judges are feeling me on this, because Steven just flat out calls him crazy. I believe he said he was "crazy ass out of control". Seriously. Jen and Randy says he can only do him and that he knows who he is. Translation: batsh!t crazy sells, and if we do this right, we can bottle the Casey Abrahms drug"...and speaking of that...Charlie Sheen? Wow.

Thia is singing Heatwave by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Okay, I like that she picked a faster tune, but this still seems dated. Why does she seem old to me? Her vocals are lovely as usual, but this is not a happening performance for me. Oh, and I don't like this ending. Eh. Jennifer compliments her on the refreshing change of tempo but that it still feels safe. Randy and Steven like that she took a chance, but needs her to believe in herself more so that she'll take more chances. Get it together, Sweetie. You're in danger of being forgettable.

Next up? Jacob is singing You're All I Need to Get By. The producer says there's no one more natural to sing Motown, citing his gospel background, and well...see my note above. The producer (still don't know his name) wisely advises him to not keep using the runs. One of the Funk Brothers is joining him on stage. Nice. Hey - this is nice! He is controlled and he builds to a lovely crescendo. He's nicely invoking the Aretha Franklin version and I'm loving it. So is Jennifer, and I cannot say enough how contagious her enthusiasm is. Okay, my first time saying this, I think, this season...or maybe the second. He sang the almighty sh!t out of that. And the end was kickin'!! Nicely done, Jacob. he obviously took the advice of Producer. That was easily my favorite performance of the entire season. I loved it. I consider this to be his breakout moment. Steven loves it too, going to the stage to embrace him...and it was nice. A little disconcerting that Steven's ass looks better in the skinny jeans than most women, but it was a nice moment. I'm loving Jacob even more as he thanks the band and the backup singer. Randy says that Berry Gordy was saying somewhere saying OMG! He notes that he took the producer's advice...JIMMY! the producer's name is Jimmy. Steven says he milked this performance and Jennifer chimes in and says he made them beg, that they were sitting there saying "Give it to me give it to me". And um...yeah. All around praise for a spectacular vocal.

Lauren takes on You Keep Me Hangin' On, by the Supremes. We will just see how this goes. I'm not loving this choice, and she's already going to pale in comparison to Jacob. We know this. It begins well, I think, oh, she's working the stage. I'm eh about this, and it may be her bad luck following Jacob tonight. She looks lovely though. Steven loves her tonight, and says she does her own thing every time she's on the stage. Jennifer says she brought it to life for everyone (maybe not me). Randy says she's got her swagger on. Okay, maybe I'm still having the Jacob love. I still like her though.

Back from break, Lauren notes how hard it was to follow Jacob, and. Word.

Stefano's Mom made the entire house dinner and I know this because AI doesn't need to be TWO HOURS! Stefano is singing Hello, by Lionel Ritchie. Why? Of ALL the songs in the Motown songbook? Don't get me wrong, I love the song (though I never got the video). Wow. They all cautioned Stef to keep his eyes open and it's clearly killing him to do so, and the result is wonky eyes. Here's what I like about Stefano...his voice. It's very clear and easy on the ears and he has a nice range. What I'm eh about - this arrangement. It's too sleepy for me. Yeah, that didn't work for me so much...Jennifer begins with "All right, Baby. Let's talk." she hated it. She says everyone knows he can sing, but that he's not connecting with the audience. She said she doesn't want the intensity from him wanting to do well, but from him wanting to let the audience know that his heart is breaking. Randy says the connection is missing, and they all agree that is what's keeping him from greatness. Even Ryan has to note that he got some amazing advice.

Haley is now on my nerves. It's nothing she's done, other than we all know she should have gotten the boot last week. Hey Otis!! I think he's the last surviving member of the original Temptations. She's singing You've Really Got A Hold On Me. Let's see how this goes, but I'm skeptical. Producer Jimmy tells her she's got to give it everything because she HAS to connect this week. And. Word. And 2 notes in, i. Hate it. Hate that shes on the stage. Hate the outfit. Hate that she's not showcasing her voice, aside from the guttural thing she does, which I'm also starting to hate. Even the somewhat cool run at the end doesn't redeem this for me. I liked her hair though. Randy says he started rough, but by the middle/end she was into it and he liked her. Steven says it was beautiful and that she sang her heart out. Steven goes onto show her how the growl is supposed to be done. Jennifer says she has one of the most soulful voices and it does exactly what she wants it to do. But notice how that's not exactly praise? I don't know what they heard, but I didn't like it.

Scotty is doing For Once In My Life, by Stevie Wonder. Sounds as though they are country-ing it up...uh-oh. Scotty said he didn't want to come off as a lounge singer. And...uh...well. Maybe a little, but overall it wasn't bad. Actually, it was pretty good, the vocals were nice. His lower register actually calls my cougar a little bit. Steven says he took a big chance and that he loved it, and that his lower register is where he lives. I KNOW. Randy doesn't know if it was his best yet, but he loves that he made it his own. He did kinda remind me of Barry White with that note. Scotty did his one trick tonight. It worked.

Pia is singing Stevie Wonder's All In Love Is Fair. Big song. I kinda want her to speed it up at some point, but i admit she could own this. Pia is so pretty, and I love her voice. Hot-cha-cha she looks smokin'. Okay, so here's the thing. She is singing this well, but I don't feel any sort of OH MY GOSH with that. It was simply good. I wanted to like it more than I think I did. Jennifer is feeling me on this...I can tell. She says another beautiful ballad, but said she needs her to move around the stage (notes this was her THIRD ballad). Yeah, Jenny from the Block is bored. Randy likes her impeccable vocals, but says too many ballads, in short. Randy is bored too. Steven is mesmerized by the Pia love and just rambles about how wonderful she is...and I get it. Pia is wearing that dress...I can see how she would void the mind of independent thought.


My man Paul is singing Tracks of My Tears, and Walter's face just went slack...as you know he LOVES Smokey. Producer Jimmy says he needs to feel this song. If I remember correctly (-and everyone knows my short term memory is SO suspect), didn't Adam Lambert changing the entire course of the competition when he sang this song? Paul's hair reminds me of a baby duck. I kinda like this...kinda. It's a completely different version, and It showcased his different voice. Randy says he needs to embrace his different voice. Steven compares him to Bob Dylan. I get it. Jennifer says he's the complete package and all he needs is a good producer. Walter always gets a vote on Smokey songs. He says it didn't work for him, but he can't figure out why. Because for a bit, it seemed like it was all over the place.

Naima is up next, singing Dancing in the Street. And Girl! Stop with the dance-y dance-y already!! The band is rocking tonight. But Naima...and it pains me to say this, but I think Naima has gone as far as she's meant to go in this competition. She's being consistently out sung...and what the ham sandwich is she doing up there...as I said earlier in the paragraph: STOP IT WITH THE DANCING! It's enough, it's random, and it's scaring me. And it leaves me with a bad taste...it's one of the few times I wish Simon were still here. Can't you hear him? Steven takes a sip from the PaulaCup..."it was A to the Z to the twiddly dee". Jennifer says she got the goosies, and that she's a great performer. Randy calls it a smart performance, that she didn't move around, saving her voice, and that she took the advice from earlier weeks. Hookay. We will have to agree to disagree.

Random? I gave up fries for Lent. And the Big Mac has never looked as good to me as it does now.

Last up, James Durbin is singing Livin Just Enough for the City. Producer Jimmy says if he gets this right, it could be his moment. I might not get to see his moment though because torrential downpours are killing my satellite. James works the stage pretty well, and I think he does the song proud. Okay, this was pretty good, I think. Jennifer says Oh My God about 14 times. She calls him incredible and that he leaves her speechless. Randy said it started kinda rough for him, but he gets more confidence when he hits the high notes. Steven says it takes a little bit of crazy to make a difference in this world. So that's it. That's what's happening in my office - they are trying to make a DIFFERENCE! I see. Anyhow, they'll loved it and I liked it more than I expected I would.

So that's a wrap...bottom 3? Stefano, Thia, and maybe Naima? I think Naima and Stefano have a legitimate shot at the save.




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