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by The Trades Staff Published: June 24, 2005
Greg Kihn - "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" Raul writes: It looks like Greg brought a couple of buddies from the accounts payable department with him. And they brought their guitars. If only no one had to sing. Sadly, Greg must sing. Greg Kihn's voice was never supurb and now it's pretty much shot. It sounds like he's talking the lyrics. But those guitar riffs sound good, at least. Howard writes: Okay, we can lump Greg in the group of former rockers who went the way of Meat Loaf. But this is a great song -- they don't write 'em like that anymore. I wasn't expecting Greg to do this good a job, but I'm liking this. I don't know if he could do a whole concert, because I thought he was ready to pass out from the exertion on this one. Molly writes: For absolutely no good reason, I loved this. That long note was a horror, and the rest were just adequate, but I just had too much fun listening to it. And the guys seemed to have fun doing it. It was like watching a cheerful karaoke band. Paul writes: At the risk of dating myself, this song was one of the first singles I ever bought, back when they actually sold singles, at 45 revolutions per minute, on vinyl, taken from albums with cool titles like "Rockihnroll". When he came on stage I had the impression of a rotund uncle slinging a guitar at the family picnic. Although his voice is lower, he still has that rock ‘n' roll growl and the performance was surprisingly effective. Club Nouveau – "Lean On Me" Raul writes: They all look surprisingly youthful. And they revamped Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" once again for a modern audience, but it sounds off. Vocalist Valerie Watson is strong, but the male vocals are almost indistinguishable. Are their mics on? Howard writes: This just doesn't seem as full-bodied as it sounded on the radio. If the audience had sneezed, the sound would have overpowered the solo vocals. At times the sound was so weak it was almost like they were singing a capella. Nice harmonies though, they just needed to pump up the volume. Molly writes: Club Nouveau was under a handicap arising from their own success. Their version of this song has been played so often, in so many venues, that it was hard to think about hearing it again. I think that they did a good job of making it sound fresh, though. I say that I "think" that, though, because I suspect that the tech crew was once again having trouble getting the mics to read properly. Paul writes: When this tune began it totally sounded like they were playing an instrumental track of the original recording. Then, when the band invited the audience to sing along it only enhanced the notion that they were leading a karaoke performance. Nevertheless, it was karaoke on steroids. They've still got the skills, and know how to work an audience. It brought to mind Howard's frequent question about previous acts that still show talent: "Why aren't they still recording?" Glass Tiger – "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" Raul writes: Growing up Canadian, I had my fill of Glass Tiger. They were enjoyable but just one of many big hair Canadian pop bands of the era. Their biggest distinction was Alan Frew's Scottish brough. Coming on stage, it seems they've lost two members (I wonder if they were eaten back stage). But by now I choose not to be shocked when a performer of yesteryear has put on a few pounds. "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" has more than a few potential pitfalls. I'm pleased to see that Frew powers through them like it was still 1987. Glass Tiger does a fine job. Howard writes: I've seen a lot of the old bands come up who dropped things an octave in place of the original high notes, but not Alan. Nice stage presence, great interaction with the audience -- this is the best performance I've seen so far tonight, except for that rather abrupt ending. Molly writes: These guys were mediocre at best in the '80s, and haven't gotten any better. Greg Kihn was cheerful karaoke, and this was just dull karaoke. (Except I have the feeling that "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" isn't on any karaoke machines.) Paul writes: I seemed to recall lead vocalist Alan Frew having weight issues during their band's heyday, and I expected an entrance of Mike Reno/Martha Davis proportion. Thus, I was amazed when this sleek and sharply dress man showed up and proceeded to belt out a picture-perfect rendition of their 19-year-old monster hit. I'm serious; it sounded exactly as it did when I saw them as the opening act for the Moody Blues and Frew superciliously proclaimed, "you'd have to be from another planet not to have heard this song." Frew tried to get into this performance but seemed to be standing around a lot. Billy Vera – "At This Moment" Raul writes: Billy Vera was old when this song was a hit. 20 years later, he's 20 years older (duh!), but hasn't lost his touch at all. He's as melodic as ever and the entire performance seems effortless. His one consumate professional. Howard writes: Billy starts off with the quiet Howard Jones technique. And, oh my God, he sounds so crystal clear! Is he lip-synching to a recording, because nobody has sounded this good, not just tonight, but throughout the entire series! He didn't need to do the falsetto at the ending, though, and I think he might have hesitated a bit at that point, as he was waiting for the applause to die down a little. Molly writes: Oh, that was nice! I think it's hard to go to a slower pace after the bouncy tones, but Billy got the crowd into it. I just wish he hadn't gone for that falsetto at the end. It looked like he was considering whether or not to do it, and then realized it was a mistake and quickly covered. Still, a good performance from someone I hadn't really expected much from. Paul writes: This heart-felt song suffered from this show's continued practice of truncating performances to where they are little more than sound bites of their hits. Part of this tune's original appeal was its live setting with pauses for effect. Billy's voice is still phenomenal for an old guy. I thought his piano playing, however, was a little mechanical. Thelma Houston – "Don't Leave me This Way" Raul writes: Someone call Tina Turner. Thelma Houston's robbed her waredrobe! Granny shouldn't be wearing that outfit. Is she going to shimmy around stage in that thing? And what's this whole build up? Does Thelma realize she's only got about 2 minutes to belt out as much of the song as she can? When she finally gets around to the words, it's good. She makes solid use of the backup singers (whom we can finally hear after four weeks!) But I could do without her strutting around the stage. Really, please. Howard writes: Reaching back nearly 30 years for this one. She certainly takes her time building up the audience without bothering with lyrics. However, Thelma got some bad advice from her stage fashion consultant. Something a little less sultry would have been less distracting from what was otherwise a well-performed song. Molly writes: You gotta give props to someone from the Disco era joining this show! And holy cow, but she looked great! Talk about stage presence -- she owned the floor. On a night with a lot of surprises, she was the biggest -- and the best. Paul writes: Are there any words to this song or is she just going to stand up there and hum? Once the song finally kicked into gear it lost momentum when it abruptly ended (as is the norm, don't get me started on this again). Still, her voice and emotion are fantastic, and she's wearing a lovely light blue dress. Great locks, too, for that matter. Greg Kihn – "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Raul writes: OK, so now we know that the young stud on the guitar to Greg's left is his son. And, LORD, can that kid strum an axe! Get him a contract so he doesn't ever have to do this with his dad again. Greg's vocals are more talking than singing, again. The guitar work - like in their previous performance - is supurb, but undermined by the vocals. The ending - where Greg and the boys thrash around like punk rockers - is inappropriate. Nevermind that it's wrong to be seeing old folks thrashing around. Green Day has songs expressly made for thrashing. This isn't one of them. Howard writes: Greg is a master of the guitar. There's no denying that. I just don't hear any range in his voice. Musically, he's a star, and his son is a supernova. Vocally, however, it's good, even very good, but not marketable. Molly writes: I love this song ... but it was an awful choice for Greg Kihn. I think that Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong's vocals add so much to this song, and Greg Kihn just wasn't up to it. He tried to disguise that by trying a rougher rendition overall, but it failed miserably. I'll have to listen to my CD of "American Idiot" to get that out of my head. Paul writes: The "where are they now" segment reminded me that I almost bought a Greg Kihn novel once... almost. This performance of fellow Berkeley, California bandmates Green Day had fiery energy and I couldn't believe my eyes when they were actually showing a guitar solo. Of course, the camera-work seemed uncomfortable with that and instead cut to the ever-frequent and gratuitous cleavage shots of all the young babes in the front row of the audience. Club Nouveau – "Thank You" Raul writes: I've heard this song so often it makes me sick. I've clearly got too many easy listening stations programmed into my car radio. Club Nouveau adds a dance-y edge to it, but Watson's stylized vocals are almost incomprehensible. And did she really ask the audience to sing along to "Iiiiiiiiiiii... want to thank you..."? Howard writes: Valerie's a great singer, but this re-envisioning of Dido's song doesn't do anything for me, particularly the repetitive back-up singers. Maybe it's because I like the original so very much that I just can't get into this one. Molly writes: Another dismal choice -- or at least a dismal rendition. The background "thank yous" sounded downright creepy, like something you'd hear in a horror movie. Paul writes: Speaking of babes, Val Watson is still hot and does a fine job with the vocals on this performance. To be fair, she'd better since she's a "real" artist with a currently active solo career. This rendition of the Dido's hit took some getting used to, but in actuality this is what Club Nouveau does best—turning a familiar tune on its stylistic ear. Glass Tiger – "Everything You Want" Raul writes: SNOOZE! Technically, it was great. Like their previous performance, this one is full of potential pitfalls and Alan Frew manages to hurdle every single one. But I can't help but feel he's singing me a lullaby. Howard writes: Okay, this is an interesting remake -- they've taken a driving bitter pop song and turned it into a lilting ballad. Alan still plays to the audience like a pro, and it's obvious the band still has its act together. A well-done job. Molly writes: While the first two covers were disappointments, Glass Tiger's "Everything You Want" was not. It exactly lived up to their performance of "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone." It was bland, note terribly tuneful, and, well, forgettable. Paul writes: This is a bit of a tough song to attempt and while the performance was again flawless, there was lack of energy to it. This great song by Vertical Horizon was annoying pruned, but I don't think I need to belabor that point. The band seems to have never lost a step in the intervening years. Billy Vera – "True" Raul writes: Dude, he sang a whole verse in Spanish! He's got this thing down so pat, he can sing it in foreign languages. Billy Vera is clearly the most talented and experienced musician on stage tonight. But this is our fourth cover ballad in a row, and I'm wondering if there's some great conspiracy to put me to sleep. Howard writes: At this moment, I'm wishing Billy had picked a different song. The chorus is just too far out of reach for him; one falsetto note is a power strike, a string of them starts sounding like Tiny Tim. Molly writes: What's going on? Billy Vera's "True" was also absolutely unremarkable. And he even pulled out the falsetto again -- and again, it didn't work. I did like that he included Spanish lyrics. Paul writes: Bring on the dry ice! Plenty of atmospheric smoke covered the stage floor as Billy attempted Ryan Cabrera's ballad. He effortlessly hit the high notes on this strong performance. I don't know what he was saying in latter verses since I didn't have my Klingon Dictionary handy. He looks very comfortable on stage. Thelma Houston – "Fallin'" Raul writes: It's the American Idol standard. If you can nail this song, you're sure to make it into the finals. Thelma turns this R&B hit into essentially a gospel song. It works for her. She sings it with more heartfelt pain that Alicia Keys. Howard writes: Thelma belts this one out with gusto, with only a slight improvement in her outfit. Definitely one of the best performed songs of the night, and probably the most consistent of all the singers tonight. Molly writes: Thank heavens for Thelma Houston! (And count that among sentences I never thought I'd say.) She managed to bring some fire to this song, and was the only act to pull out a worthwhile cover tonight. If she played a club in DC, I'd go to see her in an instant. Paul writes: She wins the "Tina Turner Hot Legs" award. A brave song selection was justified with a stellar performance. This grandmother's got soul and the knockout ending to this performance probably sealed her win. Winners and Losers Raul writes: Ugh. Do I have to pick a winner? I hate to say this about a show that reunited Glass Tiger, but we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel here. I fear to see who we've got for the season finale next week. If I must choose a winner, I suppose I'd lean towards Billy Vera, who essentially came out on stage just long enough to put everyone else's vocal talents to shame. I'm not surprised that Thelma Houston won, though. She delivered the most upbeat cover song and was also the last performer before the audience voted. Howard writes: I'm going to say that Thelma Houston should walk away with this one, with two star-powered performances, with Glass Tiger coming in a second. It looks like the audience agrees (a decision telegraphed by the sudden increase of applause when the host got to her name.) Molly writes: The clear winner of the night in my book was Thelma Houston. Both her performances were great, and she really shone on that stage. I was tremendously gratified and thrilled that the audience saw that also! Congratulations, Thelma, on your well-deserved victory! Paul writes: Baha Men are the big winners tonight. They were advertised all week as being one of the five performers (even right before the show began) yet didn 't have to show up! Host Vernon Kay announced that the online voters differed in their choice of a winner last week for the first time, selecting Howard Jones over Irena Cara. For the briefest moment, I thought that backlash might score Billy Vera a victory with his similar-type relatively laid-back performances. Yet Thelma Houston brought the house down with her outstanding performances and proved that emotion rules the voting process. I promised I wouldn't bring it up again, but I'd like to suggest to the producers to allow more complete versions of artist's songs rather than a rehash of the winner's hit song as the credits roll. Here's hoping they don't bring on Led Zeppelin because I'd hate to see how they would gut "Stairway to Heaven". Tonight's winner: Thelma Houston Other sites: Hit Me Baby One More Time | Sirlinksalot.net |
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