Top 7 - The Classics (4/18/06)

This will be (relatively) short, as I got home late and (*gasp*!) didn't take notes. ;-) This week's theme was not Rod Stewart. Heh. Rod worked with the contestants, who could choose from some of the songs on Rod's series of 4 albums of American Standards. Here's the list of performances:

1. Chris- What A Wonderful World
2. Paris- These Foolish Things
3. Taylor- You Send Me
4. Elliott- It Had to Be You
5. Kellie- Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered
6. Ace- That's All
7. Katharine- Someone to Watch Over Me

I would say everyone except Kellie was "good" to "very good". Kellie was just ok... no blatant errors, but incredibly boring, and you'd think with a song title like that she should express some emotion in singing the song, rather than just stand still and smile. (She looked great though.) Some of the judges thought Kat blew everyone else away, but I disagree (she was very good & in her element, but several others were too...). Chris was great, just sang for once, and showed that he really does have a nice tone to his voice and can be versatile when he chooses. Paris was awesome, maybe her best since Midnight Train. Taylor was very, very good - mostly just sang straight (the mp3 will be awesome!) & then 'Taylor-ed' it up at the end. One of his top performances as well. Elliott chose a great song and looked smashing in a purple shirt and velvet jacket! Sang very well; his voice & style are perfect for this genre. And Ace... um, he sang? ;-) Just kidding. He wore a dark suit and had his hair slicked back into a pony tail; a very different and rather striking look for him. The song was a great choice for his voice and while there was a segment of falsetto (Randy, please stop telling him to sing a whole song in that!!), overall it was a good mix and he didn't over-melisma (or gesture) it. A very solid performance.

So... "good" isn't enough at this point. I have my fingers crossed that Kellie will finally make an appearance in the bottom 3, but I won't hold my breath. Ace & Elliott are pretty certain to. If Kellie's not the 3rd, it's a toss-up, really, but I'll guess Paris because I think some are tiring of her. I think either Ace or Elliott will be sent home - boo! If I have to choose... I'm afraid it'll be Ace. (I tried to vote for both of them & the lines were mostly busy.)

Rod will be performing on tomorrow's results show. He really had a great sense of humor & seems to be somewhat of a goof-ball, which surprised me a bit. But he enjoyed working w/the contestants and complimented most of them, some to the point of saying he really couldn't offer much advice (Ace included)! And he said he's done w/standards and returning to rock.