AI5 - Top 8 - Queen (4/11/06)

Bucky: "Fat Bottomed Girls" - the band said Bucky has a good attitude and is a showman and performer. Bucky is great! Seems to be very comfortable and having a lot of fun; pulled the crowd into it and they had fun as well. He even got the rock "treatment," with lighting, appropriately rockin' accompaniment, etc. Great way to start the night!! Randy agreed; Paula said he made it country rock & was great; Simon said it was a good choice but the song was bigger than him & it was just "mediocre."

Ace: "We Will Rock You" - the band called Ace very "interactive," hee! When he gave them his arrangement ideas they were, understandably, hesitant to change their song. Ace was persistent and they came up with a compromise... he started off like the original and made it a bit more R&B/Urban for the last third. Ace rocked! I thought he did an awesome job though admittedly out of his comfort zone; his vocals were awesome, they really can be strong & full at times; he took charge of the stage; and he was, well, hott!! Randy disagreed & said it was just ok, a 5 or 6, karaoke; Paula liked that he took a risk; Simon said it was a "complete & utter mess", that Ace forgot some words, and he hated it. Oh well. Maybe that'll bring in some extra votes.

And yes, the spoiler was correct, Kellie sang "Bohemian Rhapsody." She said her dad listened to Queen when she was a little girl, and that she was taking it as a good sign when the band called her "brave" in song choice. She went all out - Simon called the look "Night of the Living Dead," and I'll agree it was strange - Blondie-style straight hair and a black leather jacket w/jeans. This isn't your grandmother's Kellie Pickler... this is Kellie attempting to be a rock vixen! She came a lot closer to pulling it off than I expected her to. The vocal was only bad in a few spots and she walked out to the platform by the judges. All of the judges said they were nervous hearing her choice - as Simon said, "on paper" it's disastrous (prompting tonight's scripted dumb blonde response of, "On paper? What do you mean?") - but said she did fairly well on it.

Chris: "Innuendo" - the band complimented his voice and his "rock sensibility;" they seemed quite impressed w/him. He performed well I guess; it was pretty much his normal, screamy thing. Randy said he "delivered" and Paula liked it as well. Simon said that while it's the best vocal so far tonight, the song itself is not great and it was again "indulgent" of Chris to choose this instead of a classic that would have better entertained the audience. So, then Ryan tries to spin by asking Randy whether people should vote "for the song, or for him?" To which Randy, of course, answers to vote for Chris. I'll also note here that my husband, a huge Chris fan, called this performance "just ok."

Kat: "Who Wants to Live Forever?" - Excellent choice, as it allows her to just stand & sing, highlighting her vocals. I really think she's the only one at this point who could really pull off a song like this that showcased Freddy's incredibly voice so well. I thought it was very good; definitely the best girl of the night. Randy said spots were pitchy but it was good overall; Paula said it was the right song and she did great; Simon said it was "almost the moment" (um, ok then) & was pitchy though still "one of the strongest" of the night.

Elliott: "Somebody to Love" - shockingly, Elliott had never heard this song before! But as the band explained Freddy wrote it "inspired by Aretha" (& gospel style), he thought it very fitting. He was great!!! Incredible vocally, and added some of his own style as well. Randy said it was the hardest song of the night and somewhat pitchy but that he loved it and thought it was "really, really good;" Paula said it was the best vocal of the night; Simon agreed it was a tough song but said he "probably" pulled it off.

Taylor: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen was also impressed with Taylor, and said he has a good voice ("instrument") with a "nice quality." I was a bit nervous about the choice as I thought it could be too gimmicky/comedic, but as soon as he started I knew it would be great! Very, very good; probably the best overall performance of the night. The background vocals were very good (balanced w/him, etc.), and the crowd loved it as well. Randy said "Taylor is back," "kickin' and takin' names," and Paula liked it. Simon asked Taylor if he was drunk and said it was "ridiculous." Ok then; the rest of us loved it!!

Last is Paris with "The Show Must Go On." The band also thought she has a very good voice. I didn't like her look; not incredibly flattering & the Tina Turner-ish hair made her look 17 going on 50. Her vocals were good and she was fairly convincing at the rock thing, but not completely. It's possible I would've liked hers better had she performed earlier, but I was so impressed w/several others that Paris left me wanting. Randy said the start and middle were rough but that she "worked it out" (which apparently isn't as big of a compliment as I thought before tonight); Paula called her a "rock powerhouse;" Simon just said "I found it all a little weird" (me too!!) and then the music cut him off.

My personal bottom 3 tonight are easy, as they're the 3 performances I didn't enjoy: Kellie, Chris, & Paris. However, there are only 3 girls left and 5 guys; also, Paris is the sole remaining African American. So she's not going anywhere this week. I think the bottom 3 is a tough call, as anyone other than Taylor & probably Chris could make an appearance. I'm going to go with Elliott, Bucky, and Kellie, with Elliott leaving. I voted on & off for Elliott, Bucky, and Ace, all 3 lines getting quite a few busy signals but Bucky's cleared up for the last half hour. It may be him instead of Elliott but I'm sticking with wishful thinking for now. And Ace or Paris could take Kellie's spot.

I also wanted to say that the whole night was more "rock" than I was expecting, but I'm glad. Since the frontrunners' preferred genres are rock and country, it's only fitting that they make everyone else sing those as well. There were a few pleasant surprises (mainly Ace) and I thought it was one of the best performance nights this season.