This week’s American Idol studio recordings include all 3 duets and group numbers. Hooray? My favorites this week are, in no particular order: Phil Phillips‘ “Volcano,” Jessica Sanchez’ “Steal Away” and Joshua Ledet’s “This is a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”
Listen to the streams and post about your favorites in comments.
Phil Phillips – “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” – Still not crazy about the jaunty tone of this new arrangement. It robs the song of its melancholy. Too bad. On paper, it’s a good song pick for him. – Download from iTunes
Hollie Cavanagh – Hollie Cavanagh – “Faithfully” – I’m still not convinced this was a great song choice for Hollie, but she sounds fantastic. She’s got a distinctive, radio friendly voice that just needs a little seasoning. At his point, she needs a deal with someone who would be willing to develop her talent. Does that sort of deal even exist anymore? – Download from iTunes
Joshua Ledet – ““You Raise Me Up” – Blargh. Hooray for Jimmy who said he’d steer Joshua away from putting drippy tunes like this on his album. Sorry Joshua. It’s for your own good. – Download from iTunes
Jessica Sanchez – “Steal Away” by Etta James – Jimmy is right about the growling. Jessica’s smooth vocals on the recording–punctuated by a growl or two–are an improvement over the live version. It must be so hard to sing with restraint in front of the panel when a contestant only has a couple of minutes to impress. – Download from iTunes
Phil Phillips and Joshua Ledet – “This Love” – Phil and Josh’s vocals don’t blend well live, but this is a solid cover. A good choice for a dude duet. – Download from iTunes
Hollie Cavanagh and Jessica Sanchez– “Eternal Flame” – I can’t stop thinking about those lulzy swings from the live performance. Very sweet, like a Disney duet. Neither of them should ever ever sing music like this in the real world, however. – Download from iTunes
Hollie, Jessica, Phil and Joshua – “I’ve Been Waiting For a Girl Like You” – Scoured the web and could not find an uploaded stream of this song. Hell no, not downloading it myself! just in case you’ve heard it or want to download it, I’m leaving a link here. – Download from iTunes
Phil Phillips -“Volcano” – I’m still not buying into the idea of “Volcano” as some creative breakthrough for Phil. But this was a perfect song pick Vocally, maybe Phil’s personal best on Idol. A very compelling interpretation. – Download from iTunes
Hollie Cavanagh – “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – Anybody who has heard Bonnie Raitt’s version of this song, knows how it should be sung. Hollie just doesn’t have the emotional or vocal chops to pull it off at this time. Hollie’s pop sensibility is all wrong for this deeply soulful tune. – Download from iTunes
Joshua Ledet – “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” – Ah. This is more like it. Josh is soooo good on these old-school classics. When Josh feels a song, he gets lost in it. A beautiful thing to behold. – Download from iTunes
Jessica Sanchez – “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” – Jessica does not re-interpret this song—it’s almost a note by note copy of the original. But it was a perfect song choice for her, because it allowed her to show off her big voice in dramatic fashion–essential at this point for keeping her in the game. If you liked her live version, you’ll love the recording – Download from iTunes
