"American Idol": Does Haley Reinhart's fall mean an all-country final?
The contestants got one choice of song. Mentor Jimmy Iovine got one choice and the collection of buffed, beige, baggy-pantsed bloviators known as the judges also had a choice.
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The mentor for the first songs was Beyonce. (She has a new video to sell.)
"His voice so full and warm," she said of Scotty McCreery, as the boy offered notes of varying accuracy and provenance. Apparently, the pink fluffy pre-pubescents' favorite has been saving his tricks - his upper register - for this final. Ah, the brazen confidence of youth.
His performance of Lonestar's "Amazed" showed just how sweetly limited his vocal range is - something that was exposed fully by country star Josh Turner, who happened to turn up to McCreery's homecoming concert and sing with vast impact. (Link: http://tasteofcountry.com/josh-turner-surprises-scotty-mccreery-hometown-concert/)
Steven Tyler was sure he'd heard McCreery get angry in the middle of the song. Jennifer Lopez was delighted to hear McCreery's vibrato. Randy Jackson detected some pitchy areas. Jackson has managed to veer into astounding, though only occasional, judgmental accuracy over the last few weeks.
Lauren Alaina sang Faith Hill's "Wild One," which absolutely does not describe Alaina. Oddly, Hill had never recorded "Nervous, Unselfconfident One," as that might have been more appropriate.
Alaina's voice has genuine power, though she still tends to leave notes standing outside the movie theater while she goes on to date another one. It's endearing to see someone with such raw talent exhibit such insecurity.
Jackson opined that it was a nice song choice. "Nice, very nice," he said. "You're ready for America to be all over you," offered Tyler. Not, you know, all over like we've had enough, but, all over physically. I think.
And so we had Haley Reinhart and Led Zeppelin. "It shows her BLEEP," said Beyonce. I think the word she uttered was "balls."
"What Is and What Should Never Be" was the song, one to which Reinhart gave heart and originality.
However, just as I was pondering the brave, and perhaps foolhardy, hand of alleged boyfriend Casey Abrams in this song selection, Reinhart fell over. She was attempting the difficult artistic maneuver of walking in one direction while singing in another and tripped on the step.
As her father, on guitar, watched helplessly, Reinhart bounced back up, as if this was just another of the hurdles she had been forced to overcome. Perhaps she might have also thought that Jackson, something of a critic of hers, had greased the step.
The longest-sitting "Idol" judge was, though, full of praise. "This is what it's all about," he said. "You're fearless. You chose a song that's not for the weak at heart."
"Did you fall for me?" asked Tyler, in a suitably creepy Tyleresque moment.
"Round One is hands down Haley," offered Jackson.
So we were back to McCreery. Iovine chose "Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not?," a song that was apparently perfect for the Chaste One.
He appeared with a guitar and sturdily spread legs. Iovine appeared in the audience with a nodding head and a smile that said he could make a lot of money out of this kid's talent.
"I think you know I love you a lot, I think we got a real shot," trundled the lyric, as another rote performance jiggered to the end.
"You were livin' that one," said Tyler. Lopez declared she wanted McCreery to shave his head for the finale, as if McCreery's accession was a foregone conclusion.
They played Alaina's audition tape before her second performance. One was reminded of just how powerful and effortless her voice truly is.
Iovine chose "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry. Alaina - finally, finally - gave this song everything she had stored away for so many weeks. She missed a key change when she was affected by someone applauding in the audience. But this was a performance of range, professionalism and sheer exuberant talent, one that surely made viewers roll back their DVRs and watch it all over again.
"Hey, look what I found," Alaina appeared to be saying.
"You have the most beautiful tone of our finalists," said Lopez.
What would Reinhart possibly do next? Some Deep Purple, perhaps? A little Mario Lanza? Almost. It was Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon." Yes, she was simply going through her Mom and Dad's record collection.
Though she started with sultry sensuality, Reinhart struggled with the middle section of song, the notes somehow slipping away to a port further down the coast. She recovered by the end, but this was not an affecting performance.
"Your pitch was perfect during the whole thing," said Jackson, curiously.
"I thought you were going to take it a little further at the end," said Lopez.
Round 2, according to Tyler, went to Lauren Alaina. Lopez and Jackson plumped for McCreery.
Iovine suggested that McCreery was the baby following a tryst between Garth Brooks and Bruce Springsteen.
I have a feeling Springsteen might have something to say about that - something that would have been entirely bleeped out by the "Idol" producers.
The judges selected the very daring "She Believes in Me" for Scotty McCreery. Kenny Rogers' song became nothing new under McCreery's direction. Unfortunately, it became nothing old either. He seemed to strain in order to reach some of its more powerful and affecting areas, leaving a very anodyne version of a meaningful song.
"That's the first big chorus you've sung in a big way like that," said Tyler. But was the bigness good? Curiously, Ryan Seacrest asked McCreery's dad to sing. Now that guy is excellent.
For Alaina, the judges chose "I Hope You Dance" by LeAnn Womack. For her dress, someone who has been in solitary confinement since the Carter Administration, chose a dress from a 1975 Idaho prom.
Still, with the violins in full flow, Alaina proved that she is the most genuine, soaring talent left.
"You gave me goosies from head to toe," said Lopez. With no due respect for Reinhart, she added: "I'm going to dare to say you won that round for me already."
"Singing is an extension of who you really are," said Tyler, with curious insight. Alaina really is all talent and no artifice.
Reinhart was given Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know." She struggled at the beginning of the song, the low notes emerging a little lower than they really oughta have been. However, when it came to the chorus, she offered power and the right melody.
"Those were some amazing choruses," said Jackson, with another spurt of bizarre accuracy.
Tyler believed Reinhart won the third round. The Lopez/Jackson cabal went for Alaina. The little girls in their frilly nightgowns in country land again went for McCreery.
Those who are fond of betting will, I imagine, believe that Reinhart's daring and her occasionally inaccurate singing, will mean an all-country final. Certainly, the show has had a southern bias ever since its inception, so this would be welcome at the voting core.
But wouldn't it be far more fun to have an all-female final? I know that would make McCreery collateral damage. But, just occasionally, good things do happen, don't they?
Perhaps some might find criticism of McCreery as harsh. But country radio, which opened its ears and arms to "Idol" winner Carrie Underwood, has not been so kind about McCreery.
Take this from Toni-Marie, music director of country station, KUZZ: "I wish people would quit comparing this kid to Josh Turner. He attempts to sound like him, but the only thing he is successful at is looking like the kid on MAD magazines."
So, will Seacrest begin the results show by speaking of a shock? One can only hope.
TOP ONE: Lauran Alaina
BOTTOM ONE: Scotty McCreery
