Tonight is Bon Jovi night. It's the eighties revisited. I was not a Bon Jovi fan. I didn't care for big anthem rock, big hair, or the big guns that they frequently sang about. I was a child of the Sixties and then after that disco happened and I quit buying records for a decade or two. I mostly remember Bon Jovi from the radio. They were there every time you turned it on for a while.
Going first tonight is Phil. “Young Gun” is the song. I didn't see the movie or listen to the song when it first came out. It wasn't my thing. Westerns or anthem rock never made my list. Phil evidently lived it. It seems quite natural to him and is probably the best he has ever sung on Idol. Randy and Paula seem to have shared something before the show. Both are so hyped up it is hard to keep up. Simon gets booed and says he didn't like it and that Phil is in trouble next week, which is all made up because they probably know the odds of who is going just like we do.
Jordin's mom grew up on Bon Jovi. She has decided to sing “Living on a Prayer” and it is one Bon Jovi song I really like. Jordin went for the big hair but she is singing the first verse a bit flat. It is in a key that sounds too low to start with so she can sing the high notes later in the chorus. Even Jon quit singing the high notes after he almost lost his voice. This song also modulates up a key which is the right key for Jordin. Once she gets there, she is comfortable and sings like she means it, but it was a long way to get there. It was not Jordin's best performance, but I think if she practiced with the band for a couple of weeks, she could sing it. Simon solicits boos. He says Jordin looks like a member of the Addams Family and sang terrible. That one week of being nice nearly killed him and he is trying to make up for it tonight.
Lakisha made a good joke with Ryan. She says she is going to give us a little something something. We need a little something something after Lakisha's last two stiff performances. Lakisha looks better than she ever has on Idol and she is singing a soulful ballad. It's one of those anthem rockers and Lakisha sings it with more conviction and talent than anyone else so far. The audience agrees with loud applause. Randy and Paula-who cares? Simon says he could actually kiss her after that and does. What else could you ask for? Pink is not Simon's shade of lipstick, but it looks good on his cheeks.
Tonight is probably the last night everyone sings one song. After two go home this week, there will be only four left and they have to fill an hour. I think there is a legal limit on the airtime/advertising ratio although you'd never know after watching one of their two hour results shows.
Blake is singing “You Give Love a Bad Name”. He is doing his own rendition and Jon doesn't seem too sure about Blake's version. Where did Blake go? A guy with black hair has taken his place. He really needs a dresser. If he can't sing, he can do a scene from On the Waterfront. I will say it is the entire Blake Show tonight and he certainly does it his way. He beat boxes and sings and gives the band a look that says bring it on. I don't know. It was funny if not good. Blake dresses for 14 year old girls and plays to them too. Probably not a bad idea in this competition, but do you want a career based on that? It's all a matter of musical choices. I might not buy a recording for decades again. Who am I kidding? iTunes owns a piece of me.
I am looking for a jacket with epaulets, preferably dark. Both Chris and Blake are wearing one tonight. You'd think with all the clothes available they could find an outfit that didn't match, but who knows? I've known other boys that chose to dress alike. Chris is singing “Dead or Alive”. Bon Jovi liked that western theme just a bit too much for boys from New Jersey is my opinion, but what the hell. Chris is not singing in Nasally style tonight. He is singing in a Rocker style. I hope Simon knows the difference. He is actually not too bad. He might be the best rock singer so far tonight and that says a lot about the depth or lack thereof of this group. Simon is unsure about Chris's performance, but I think he just didn't listen.
Melinda Doolittle admits that she doesn't know how to rock to Jon. He says she has the pipes for anything and it is true. This is where it shows who can really sing and who can't. Melinda jumps into “Have a Nice Day” with both feet. The soul in her voice is obvious, but she can rock with the best of them. She can sing anything if needed and though this is not her style, she has been the best singer tonight.
Who will go and who will stay? It's a harder decision since they add the votes from last week to this week. If it is based on fan base, the bookies say Lakisha and Chris are going home. It it was based on talent alone it would still be hard to decide. Can three women that sing in a similar style make it to the final four? Most likely not and Lakisha loses just on the vote split. It gives me a headache to try to think about it. Of the three guys, none of them are as good as the three women, but I don't think all three women will make it to the final. None of the guys is impressive as an individual talent, but Blake would likely sell the most records. It's all mixed up and nothing is clear in this Idol edition. I would send home Phil and Chris if I was in charge and let the battle of the divas continue, but I'm no expert on tight odds. Anything can happen in Idol and does.