Frank Sinatra holds a special place in my heart. The story goes, as told by my Grandma, is that when she was young and hot(ter), she used to go with all the other young hotties in Hollywood and press up against the glass in the recording studio when Sinatra was in town. As she tells it, as she was pressed up against the glass one morning, watching Frank record, Sinatra stopped his recording session and motioned his manager over. Next thing Grandma knew, the manager stuck his head out the door and asked her if she'd like to come in. Sinatra thought she was cute. hehe She remains a stalwart fan to this day!
(Oh, and for those not watching, Mr. Harry Connick Jr. himself is on the keyboard tonight.)
1. Aaron Kelly (Fly Me To the Moon) - Ok, first of all, Mr. Aaron looks ADORABLE all greased up and suited. (Also? At my wedding reception, instead of a "first dance", I sang this song to Lo Gung on the stage, and grabbed him in the middle and made him dance with me. He returned the favor by serenading me with a Josh Groban song. *swoon*) The beginning of this was a smidge rough...but the kid brought it OUT at the end. Really, really fun...and he just looks so pleased with himself.
Randy says: Dude, you did a really good job!
Ellen says: I didn't hear any country at all...and it was GREAT.
Kara says: Not as strong as last week. Get a little more charisma.
Simon says: I'm with Kara. Frank was the kind of cool...and you didn't have the conviction. I thought the vocals towards the end were a bit corny. However, people like you - you try hard.
2. Casey James (Blue Skies) - Erk. First line was Pitchy, with a capital P. This is totally not working for me. The song is too high for him...and this is just painful. I'm sorry, dude! I wanted to like it. I really did. Let's see what the judges have to say. (They love his voice, and we may just differ on that point.)
Randy says: Your worst performance. Pitchy all the way through.
Ellen says: The whole thing should be smooth and swagger, and that felt stiff.
Kara says: It took you a long time to warm up, but at least you held some notes! I've never heard you hold notes before...but you sounded like a lamb. (talking about the vibrato)
Simon says: Good news - band was great. Bad news - you weren't fantastic. You came over a bit embarrassed and awkward.
(Harry just jumped in and let us know that rehearsals were WAY better, and the sound system on the stage is not totally up to the task tonight...so Casey couldn't actually HEAR the band. d'oh!)
3. Crystal Bowersox (Summer Wind) - Girlfriend cleans up GOOD. She looks like a fashion doll I used to play with when I was a kid. I swear I had that dress for her! Oh, and this girl can SING. Have you ever noticed?! This is a totally different style for her...but I've got chills. I'm grinning. I don't want the song to end. I absolutely LOVE this style for her. LOVE.
Randy says: Great arrangement, subdued performance. You didn't do much with it.
Ellen says: At first, it felt like you were swallowing every word...and then it really came out. I just wanted you to loosen up a little bit, but MAN. If I'd never heard you before, I'd never know there was this "other girl" to you. You have so many different sides. You're so impressive. (Note - She's doin' it RIGHT. Coming on stage and saying that you don't want to be defined by a style is pretty much a sure way to get kicked off the show. Adapting your own style to whatever the weekly challenges are and ROCKING it...that's how you win.)
Kara says: I loved your phrasing. It was out of your element, but I kind of liked it.
Simon says: I love this song, but I don't know if I would have chosen it for you. The first half was a little too jazzy for me, and the second half got better. This wasn't one of your strongest performances. If you survive, you need to NAIL it week after week to win. No more indulgent song choices.
4. Big Mike (The Way You Look Tonight) - This song is taking me back. When Lo Gung and I were first married, if a song like this came on the stereo, I'd throw down whatever I was doing, grab him and make him dance with me. *sigh* Anyhow, this is just great. Smooth voice, believable lyrics. Yes, it's a little lounge-y...but, come ON. They're singing the songs of the ORIGINAL lounge lizard. Fabulous. Just fabulous.
Randy says: Unbelievable arrangement, unbelievable vocal. When you're great, it doesn't matter what you sing.
Ellen says: You seem to have the most stage experience. You looked and sounded the part. Really good.
Kara says: You found the drama in the song....you did everything right, but you didn't lose yourself. Good.
Simon says: You just changed the game for tonight. I felt that you listened and everyone worked together on that performance. Fantastic. Well done.
5. Lee Dewyze (That's Life) - Umm. Ok. He just finished singing. Notice this: I could not say ONE THING while he was singing. I might have missed something. THAT was amazing. He looked confident (or at least like he was TRYING to look confident.) I was so afraid he was going to go too "rock" tonight...and he didn't. That was fantabulous.
Randy says: Another great arrangement...I love that YOU stayed your rocker self.
Ellen says: If this was the last night of performances, you would have just won the whole thing.
Kara says: You need CONFIDENCE. You can win this thing.
Simon says: What I liked...Harry brought out your personality and confidence, and I loved that you gave it 110% and it was by far the best performance of the night.
Who's going to go home.... poor Casey, I think your time here is done. For that #2 spot...the judges didn't think Crystal was great, nor Aaron. But I'm going to have to stick it to Aaron. Sorry, guys.
I have to say that I LOVED Lee's performance! I am not even familiar with the song he sung, but I replayed it a couple of times... because I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeletePoor Casey. I agree. I kinda cringed when I was listening to him. He still looked good, though. :)
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