Mandisa — or Mandiva, as the signs read — knocked off my bobby socks during tonight’s flashback to the 1950s with “I Don’t Hurt Anymore.” She went somewhere deep inside to a place only she can see with this one, but hot damn, we FELT her in that place. I love, love, LOVE her. She was great. And I so totally have the same shoes she’s wearing tonight, which she says are comfortable but I must beg to differ. She gets my vote based on wearing those acrylic shoes and still sounding like an angel.
Bucky — “Oh Boy” indeed! I love me some Bucky, BUT … enh. I felt like he couldn’t find his groove. Only Simon hated it, calling it a “pointless” performance. I disagree fundamentally, but this wasn’t his best. I hope he can recover and come back next week. The boy’s at least unique, and while I won’t be voting for him, he’s entertaining, and that’s more than I can say for a lot of the others.
Paris — “Fever.” She’s dressed for the ’50s, with the hair all done up and with a bow in it to match her dress. Ooh, Constantine Maroulis is in the audience. (Shiny!) She’s jazzy without the jazz hands — I hate how the judges always refer to her age, but truly, she sang the song with the intonation of someone three times her age.
Chris — My boy. Doing Johnny Cash. I wish I could be doing HIM. Ahem. *cough* Anyway, “I Walk the Line” was better than Mr. Cash could have imagined it. I’m making my prediction now that Chris wins this thing this year. He rocked the fuck OUT. I like how Simon commended him for not compromising his own style. Every week, the boy takes whatever genre is forced upon him and makes it rock. I used to be like that. I used to be defiant and full of conviction. These days, it’s a victory if I slip through a day unnoticed — it meant I didn’t make any waves. I hate it, personally, but peace of mind isn’t a bad thing to have. Chris gives me back some of my old spirit every time I watch him — well, that and fantasy fodder for days. … 😉
Katharine — “Come Rain or Come Shine.” She’s amazing, no doubt about it. But I just don’t know what grates on my nerves about her so much. The dress is much more gorgeous this week, not so much Holly Hobby with cleavage like she was last time around.
Taylor. My boy Taylor. He’s dressed the part in a blue skinny suit. I really wanted to be wowed, but I’m with Simon — the performance was kind of a mess. He danced his ass off, but the song wasn’t much of a challenge. It’s the commercial break and I already forget what it was. But I remember his smile, his enthusiasm, his vibe. He’s not going to drop off anyone’s radar anytime soon, so he’s entitled to experiment, even if it isn’t the best performance we know he can give.
Lisa. So cute. So ridiculously pretty and sweet and smart and you can just tell she leaves her heart on that stage. But maybe she just needs to spend a few days inside a Dairy Queen, because she needs to eat something. Cake. Lots and lots of cake. Ice cream cake. You’ve got Mandisa with that powerful voice and then these skinny girls who are probably too hungry to pack a punch behind their pipes. I’d like to pinch her cheeks, even though there’s nothin’ to them. Eat something, woman!
Kevin. “When I Fall in Love.” I think it’s ironic and interesting that Jasmine Trias was shown at the end of his performance. She made it pretty far through the season she was in, and none of us could figure out why. She was good, but not great. And I think that’s true of Kevin. Like tonight, he wasn’t spectacular, but probably good enough to please the people who vote for him. I didn’t like him as he tried to sing softly and all vulnerably and shit. He seemed uncertain. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. And thank goodness, now it is.
Elliott. I dozed off during his performance. And I feel bad because he can sing his ass off. But there’s something about him, like Katharine, that I just do not like and I cannot for the life of me put my finger on it. And they both have some serious pipes and control, too. They both pick the most difficult songs possible and do very well with them. But they’re both lacking that “it” factor.
Kellie — “Walking After Midnight” by Patsy Cline. Oh, she was perfect. She was back, as last week’s performance was kind of anticlimactic. I love her doing Patsy. Seriously, perfect all around. She didn’t bother dancing like every single performer has done tonight, thank god. She just strutted around, which of course was perfect with the song’s lyrics. She looked kind of vacant and distracted, but as I am feeling the very same way myself, I can forgive her. Rock on, Kellie! Actually, rock on Barry Manilow, who trained all the kids this week and did their arrangements and coached them — I’ve never heard any of them sound better.
Ace. “In the Still of the Night.” Enh, he got a haircut. Damn. My sound on my crappy fucking TV keeps going, unless it’s Comcast being a bitch, which is also entirely possible. That blue shirt brings out his eyes in a fucking hypnotic way. He’s the chameleon of the crew this year — no matter what song/genre he picks, he falls into character. Barry had him end on a falsetto type of crescendo, and it’s the best moment of the whole performance. I so want to make out with him right now! 😉 Forget all the 34 girls with signs asking Ace to marry them — I just want to dry-hump his leg, and I’d be happy. LOL.