I can't believe we're already at the top 3 here....
OK 3 songs each--I feel like it's going to be another rushed show.
"And So It Goes"--one of my favorite Billy Joel songs, and one of my favorite melodies of all times, really. Thanks for choosing it, Paula (since I know you read my blog). I sit and play this one at the piano often. OK--I wish he would have let the melody stand on its own more. There were too many licks for me (although they were all clean). Well done. Oversung. Great job.
"With You"--I don't know the song (and didn't like it all that much). He did a great job, though, as always. Not amazing.
"Longer"--again--more licks than necessary, especially at the beginning. Well done, though. Abrupt ending, again. I hate feeling rushed in this show....
"If I Ain't Got You"--I'm glad Randy chose this song, to let us hear something a little different on her voice. She's singing it very well.... Yet again, I will say that she has enormous potential to be an amazing vocalist (far beyond being extremely good, which she is). Great job, Syesha.
"Fever"--She'll probably do well with this song. I don't really like the personality that's starting to come out with her all that much in the interaction with Ryan, etc. It's good that she's feeling comfortable, though, I guess. I LOVED the wah pedal on the guitar, and it was a good choice to bring the upright bass guy out, as that is the critical instrument through the song. I feel that she did better than the judges let on, but it wasn't amazing. This is just the kind of song that a musical theater buff would pick.
"Hit Me Up"--don't remember hearing this song before (but evidently, I guess I did, since I remember suffering through the "Happy Feet" movie). Lots of pitch problems through the song. It really didn't feel like a song for her to me. Bad song choice, I think. Too bad for Syesha.
"The First Time Ever Saw Your Face"--Good job. It's about what I though he would do. It felt like the end was a little much, but it seemed that the crowd loved it. I do like that he branched out, and did something a little different with it...let me take the opportunity to say that what these contestants pull off every week is borderline miraculous. Not only do they maintain incredibly busy weeks, but they have to learn new songs, and sometimes pull off originality in arrangements, etc. Kind of tough for a professional musician, let alone an actress, bartender and high school student....
"Dare You to Move"-- by Switchfoot (a great band, whose music I've been listening to a bunch lately)--It was pretty good. I could have picked a better song by Switchfoot for him. Paula was right--you can't really present a song like that completely in less than 2 minutes. It's kind of unfair to them, but it's a level playing field.
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"--Neat Beatles vibe to it, with the string ensemble and all at the beginning. He's going to make it go huge at the end. You can tell that he's just keeping it small to give it somewhere to go...I told ya so...there it goes. One of the marks of a good musician is being able to keep something very simple at times in order to go somewhere else with it later. CONTRAST makes things pop. It seems so simple, but MuSiCiAnS often don't get it. Hopefully, you understand what I'm getting at here. I'm making my own eyes go buggy, trying to demonstrate the point. Great job, David.
Tomorrow night--Syesha is going home. See ya!
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