This week’s Idol studio performance reviews! Listen to the streams and leave YOUR reviews in comments! My favorites this week are both from Elise Testone, with “Bold as Love” coming in at #1 and “I Want it All” at #2. I also enjoyed Joshua Ledet’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and Phil Phillips’ “The Stone”.
Jessica Sanchez – “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Jessica’s wide vibrato is prominent on the recorded track, giving it a Broadway feel. The background vocals are distracting. With the camp and the bite missing from Jessica’s rendition, it’s a very dull affair. The bridge is very strange. I give her props for taking a risk, but this song was a bad fit. – Download from iTunes
Skylar Laine – “The Show Must Go On”- I thought this worked on stage for the most part, but her nasally twang juxtaposed with the dramatic rock-opera like strings is weird. Not feeling this at all. Oh, that echoy finish is REALLY strange. – Download from iTunes
Joshua Ledet – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” – Ha ha. I ‘m dancing in my chair listening this. I can’t help it. Without the forced vocals (mostly) of the live version, this track is absolutely charming. – Download from iTunes
Elise Testone – “I Want It All” – Oh Queen Elise. How I will miss you. Elise’s raspy vocals totally rock this tune. She goes free-form in the bridge and it’s awesome. The best of the Queen tracks. She’s going to be fantastic on tour. – Download from iTunes
Phillip Phillips – “Fat Bottomed Girls” – The song isn’t exactly a challenge for Philip, but he does a solid job. His gravelly vocals are perfectly suitable for a shit-kicker. Although, I prefer Freddie’s camp. – Download from iTunes
Hollie Cavanagh – “Save Me” – Hollie sounds absolutely gorgeous on this track, although she’s still lacking a connection to the lyrics. The song’s protagonist is a person who has hit bottom and is begging to be saved. Not feeling the urgency here, although the live version did manage to convey some passion. – Download from iTunes
Jessica Sanchez – “Dance With My Father” – Luther dedicated this song to his father who had passed on. That kind of deep loss is hard to understand until you’ve experienced it. And no, your father getting deployed overseas doesn’t count. Vocally, Jessica is perfect, as she always is. But I feel unmoved. – Download from iTunes
Skylar Laine – ” Tattoos on this Town” – I agree with Jimmy–this isn’t a c0mpetition-worthy song. But Skylar sings it well and it is a good representation of the type of artist she’ll be out in the real world. That’s a good thing. – Download from iTunes
Joshua Ledet – ” Ready For Love” – There’s almost too much restraint in the recorded track, which is unusual for Joshua. But there are some beautiful vocal touches here. A very tender performance – Download from iTunes
Elise Testone – “Bold as Love” – Freaking. Awesome. Oh my God. Elise’s phrasing is AMAZING. The song, stretched out properly, is an absolute thing of beauty. My favorite track of the bunch. Download from iTunes
Phil Phillips – “The Stone” – Phil has been compared so often to Dave Matthews, I suppose it was inevitable that he finally cover one of his songs. It was smart to pick one of DMB’s more obscure tunes to keep the comparisons at bay. This sounds a lot like the original. Having said that–I really liked Phil’s vocal here – Download from iTunes
Hollie Cavanagh – “The Climb” – A perfect, age appropriate song for Hollie. I believe her here. No arguing the girl can sang. Her crystal-clear voice totally pwns Miley’s – Download from iTunes