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by The Trades Staff Published: May 25, 2005
Eliminations Reactions Mary writes: Ooh, big surprise that Vonzell was the one to go. Dan writes: Vonzell didn't stand a chance. Even if she outsang Bo and Carrie she still would have been sent home. Molly writes: Poor Vonzell! It was a foregone conclusion, but I still wish she could have made it to the finals somehow. Brian writes: Well, they were all good, but if one had to be cut, I'm glad it was Vonzell. I hope she goes on to have a fantastic career. Bo Bice - "The Long Long Road" Mary writes: I didn't like the beginning of his first song very much, but when he got to the chorus, he did a much better job. He ended the song well. Dan writes: A little shaky start, but Bo really picked it up midway through the song. He's a much better singer when he doesn't feel the need to rock out; he's got the power ballad down. And as a plus, the disheveled look adds to the song's mystique. I'm guessing he has been down the long road and back. Molly writes: Bo's proved he can sing ballads, but he just did not seem to have a handle on this one. Maybe it was because it was a crappy song. But this was a surprisingly weak start from Bo. Brian writes: As performed, I don't like this song that much. I can imagine it being a radio hit, though, even if it is a little gospel-y. Bo did have a good bit of trouble, and I don't think it's because it's out of his comfort zone--I'm not sure it is. I expected more passion, more energy. It could very well be that he just doesn't like the song and didn't care about performing it well. Carrie Underwood - "Inside Your Heaven" Mary writes: I'm with Randy on this. I didn't like the song. She did a decent job with the song, but I don't think the first songs did either contestant any favors. I suppose for round 1, Carrie did the better job, but I'm not jumping up and down for either one. Dan writes: The nerves are out tonight! Carrie was definitely pitchy--and it wasn't pleasant to listen to. I don't think she brought it around in the end as well as Bo. Molly writes: Wow, was Carrie energized by the opening that Bo gave her? While this was also not a great song, she did a pretty good job with it, and even approached facial expressions. Unfortunately, her pitch seemed to waver in the middle of the song. Brian writes: This was a frustrating performance to watch. It was very good, missing greatness by the slimmest of margins. It could have been, hands down, the performance of the season if only a few minor things (eg. notes, expressions) could have been corrected. I can tell it's going to be a tough night. Bo Bice - "Vehicle" Mary writes: Okay I liked his second song a whole lot better. He sang it with energy, covered the stage, raised the microphone stand. Bo was back. Definitely a much better job. Dan writes: My main gripe the first time he performed this song was that it's technically not a dance song. The judges let him slide through "70s Dance Music" week without going disco. That's bogus--I wanted to see Bogart suffer a little. Fast forward to tonight: great performance, but do the teenyboppers really want to listen to rehashed oldies? We'll find out tomorrow I guess. Molly writes: I'm surprised that Bo chose this one to reprise tonight. I'd think that maybe "Drift Away" would have been a good choice, or "For the Love of Money" (maybe Trump wouldn't give the rights to that up again). Brian writes: A typical Bo performance. The second round is all about comfortable songs, so I'm not putting too much stock in it. I'd be disappointed if he did it anything other than perfectly. Carrie Underwood - "Independence Day" Mary writes: I liked the second song better for her too. She is still a robotic performer, but she hit the notes. Dan writes: See, this is a song I think the kids would rather listen to. And I think Carrie performed this round as well as Bo. On a personal sidenote, however, I agree with Simon in that I much rather would have heard her perform "Crying" again. Molly writes: This is a really good song for Carrie, and it's the song she has on the American Idol Showstoppers CD. Maybe it's from having heard the full recorded version, but she seemed a little off here. I wonder if nerves got the better of her, because she just didn't let loose the way I would have expected. Still, a decent performance. Brian writes: Again, comfortable. I wouldn't have chosen that song, though. I would have chosen one of the songs from last week, but I don't think she really hurt her chances by singing this one. Bo Bice - "Inside Your Heaven" Mary writes: Geez. They need to stop making the Idol contestants sing original songs. These are horrible. This is the same song that Carrie sang first, I believe. This song didn't do Bo any favors. I think he did the best he could, but he definitely had a better night last week. Dan writes: I thought vocally it was pretty weak. This song is a much better fit for Carrie and if she hadn't been so pitchy her rendition would have beaten out his. These lyrics are just too cheesy for Bo, his first song was a much better fit. Molly writes: Good golly, I don't think I've ever said this about a Bo Bice performance, but this was terrible. Notes were off, and the entire reading was wrong. Way too rough, and when he tried to soften it up he bobbled the notes terribly. His version of "Time in a Bottle" was delicate, so it's not like he doesn't know how to sing this type of song. I have no idea what the judges were listening to. Brian writes: Bo started out great--the best I've heard him--but at the chorus he fell apart. (Of course, I mean that relatively; Bo "falling apart" is still miles above half of the other Final Twelve.) I did like the amount of feeling Bo put into his performance. Carrie Underwood - "Angels Brought Me Here" Mary writes: She sang the song okay. I don't think she feels the music. I didn't care for this song but I think she did a good job with it. Dan writes: Outstanding! Carrie delivers her best performance ever when it counts the most. This just might have won her the competition. Molly writes: Are we sure this isn't this year's AI song? "It's been a long and winding journey, but I'm finally here tonight."? It would be better than that other one. Carrie went for broke on this one vocally, and it worked for her. This was her best performance of the night. Brian writes: Oh my. Carrie spent most of the song flat, and she didn't make up for it with a great performance. I'm also surprised that she sang the single from Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian. This was probably the low point of the night. Final Thoughts Mary writes: You know, I have a bit of a bad taste in my mouth this season because Simon so nakedly pumped up Carrie this whole season. I have not really warmed up to her after all these weeks. I still think Bo is a much better performer and he is someone who I could possibly listen to on the radio--except for the three songs he sang tonight. There is no way I'd encounter Carrie willingly. I want Bo to win, I think it is a toss up as to who will win. Dan writes: Up until Carrie's last performance I would have declared Bo the winner... but after she sang, it was a different story. Carrie will be your next American Idol. Molly writes: Boy, who would have expected this? Overall, looking over the season, Bo has clearly outperformed anyone else. But looking at tonight's performances, Carrie is the clear winner. So far we've seen this type of contrast on America's Next Top Model and on The Apprentice, and in both of those cases it was the big finish that won out over the steady season, so I'll predict that Carrie will win. (And I hope that will be the case, just because I think Bo will have more artistic freedom as number two, and Carrie needs the push of being number one to be a success, so they'd both benefit.) Brian writes: This is hard. Even if I were counting the second round in my decision, I'd call it even. I liked Carrie's version of "Inside Your Heaven" better, while I preferred Bo's "The Long Long Road" over Carrie's "Angels Brought Me Here". It's very close, but I give my vote to Carrie. I think she could have the better career with what AI can do for her. However, I won't be surprised if Bo wins--he seems to have more support among people I know. Earlier Recaps: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 Hollywood 1 | Hollywood 2 | Hollywood 3 | Top 24 Men's Week 1 | Women's Week 1 Men's Week 2 | Women's Week 2 Men's Week 3 | Women's Week 3 Week 1: Sixties | Week 2: Billboard Number Ones Week 3: Nineties | Week 4: Show Tunes Week 5: Birth Year | Week 6: Seventies Dance Week 7: 2000's | Week 8: Leiber & Stoller/Current Billboard Week 9: Country/Gamble & Huff | Week 10: Choices Other sites: American Idol | Sirlinksalot.net |
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