The Final Three performed two songs, one selected by the judges and one hand-picked by them. Two sides of the coin in terms of artistic relevance.
Ding ding...round one!
Danny was given an obscure song (Dance Little Sister) by Paula. His vocals were fine but not great. The problem is that the song was beautiful but it was unknown (at least to us) and it was up tempo, hence Danny has to dance which is not his cup of tea. It ended nice but awkward.
Kris was given OneRepublic's Apologize by Kara and Randy. He sang it on piano and stayed true to the original, which is disappointing considering Kris’ uncanny ability to rehash a song and make it his own. Kara pointed this out and received a lashing from Simon. He said she cannot blame Kris for interpreting a song SHE chose.
Adam was given U2’s One by Simon (even bragging about calling Bono to ask permission). His performance was expectedly amazing, given a song that strong.
Round one belongs to...Adam Lambert.
Ding ding...round two!
Danny sang the classic You Are So Beautiful To Me. His rendition was soulful and heartfelt. He has a staggering connection with the audience that you can’t help but be moved. But it was something we’ve seen before.
Kris sang Kanye’s Heartless and words will not be enough to express my amazement. He sang this rap-sung masterpiece on the acoustic guitar, giving the songs an entirely different feel. It was jaw-dropping! I already liked Heartless even before this but I swear his version is more likable the original version (Kanye might not be happy hearing this).
Kris’ greatest talent is that he does not oversing, he focuses on delivering the song. Adam has better vocals but they are overwhelmed by his flashiness.
If I will have to remember this season with a single performance...hands down, it will be this. It was not the best performance of the season (or even for Kris...his best for me was his take on Falling Slowly) but it was indelibly memorable (that’s redundant, I know...but that’s how it really is). And as friend said, this is bound to follow the crossover success of David Cook’s Always Be My Baby(eventually stealing this song from Mariah Carey’s repertoire).
Adam sang Aerosmith’s Cryin’ complete with all the requisite wailing and screams. After all, this is his turf. Screeching rock. Yeah, it was great but it was something expected of him. For me, he is at his best when he surprises with a slow song, like what he did with Tracks Of My Tears.
Round two belongs to Kris. Woot-wooo!
The results episode was nerve-racking to say the least. It was really anybody’s microphone...ok, I mean ballgame.
I wished for a Danny-Kris finale showdown but I know that’s next to impossible considering Adam’s strength.
By now, the world knows that Danny Gokey was voted off. Which is ironic coz he has never been in the bottom three but he was cut from the Final Three. He was a shoo-in for the finale from the very start but Kris really outshone him in the later weeks. Danny is very talented and I like his personality, but he is not as “revolutionary” as the other two.
Like Matt Giraud, we are bound to see him in the charts sooner than later. I just hope that he finds his musical niche because his voice is middling, and I mean that positively (unlike Matt’s which is surefire soul/R&B). He can pick any genre but he may fall into the trap that destroyed Taylor Hicks. I hope they learn from Carrie who chose country and led that genre.
In a competition ruled by choices, I just find it indulgent (to borrow from Simon) how they allowed bias so blatantly. I am talking about Adam Lambert’s name emblazoned on Katy Perry’s cape. Like they were already bestowing victory on him. I mean if they will do that, then they should be fair and tattoo Kris Allen’s name on Jordin Spark’s big hips. Sorry Jordin, for being the unwarranted victim of my famous sarcasm.
Any-hoo, for next week, here’s my fearless forecast:
Who Will Win: Adam Lambert
Who I Want To Win: Kris Allen
But it will be so close that the Dark House will have a 50% chance to upset the Rock God.
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In this photo (taken during the Top 3 results) Kris shows the black polish on this right thumb. Adam has black polish on all of his fingers, except the thumb. Yin and yang? An act of camaraderie or a bad omen?
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