If we were to rank American Idol final twosomes in an eight twosome tournament, I think this is how I’d rank them.
1. Ruben and Clay
2. Carrie and Bo
3. Kelly and Justin
4. David and David
5. Fantasia and Diana
6. Kris and Adam
7. Jordin and Blake
8. Phillip and Jessica
That leaves out Taylor and Katherine, Scotty and Lauren, and Lee and Crystal.
Where would Candice Glover and Kree (Summer) Harrison rank? I think they could push out Phillip and Jessica for the 8th spot. Now, if it was Candice and Angie, they could’ve inched up higher, maybe bumping down Kris and Adam.
And there’s the flaw for the twelfth season of American Idol; Kree (Summer) Harrison.
I think it’s clear that Candice has been the best and most powerful singer all season. Kree started strong but has sucked the wind out of the season with how unhappy she looks performing. From the word go, I’ve said that she was talented, but had to work on her stage performance when it came to enjoying herself and showing more than one boring emotion. Angie Miller may have been pageant-y, but at least she looked like she enjoyed herself.
I’ve been calling Kree (Summer), Eeyore, the depressed donkey from Winnie The Pooh fame. That’s who she reminds me of. Maybe I should start calling her Kreeyore.
That’s where you went wrong America. The bubbly eighteen year old who doesn’t know that she should be nervous is much more enjoyable to watch than Kreeyore.
On the Wednesday’s finale, there were three rounds each. First, they would sing Simon Fuller’s choice and then sing their “single” if they were to win. Lastly, they would sing their favorite performance of the season.
Round One
Candice won the coin flip and had Kree go first. Kree won the coin toss and decided to go first, or if Tiffany’s source was right, allowed Candice to get her way of going second.
Let’s just say that Simon Fuller likes slow songs.
For Kree, he chose Angel. I don’t generally like covers of this song because Sarah McLachlan’s vocals are so fantastic on it, that every cover I’ve heard pales far in comparison. And this was no different. While Kree has a nice voice, she doesn’t have McLachlan’s freaky vocals and thus, it sounded very sleepy.
Candice wasn’t that much better. But she was still better. Simon chose Chasing Pavements for Candice. This was an odd choice. If Candice is a soul singer and you can choose any song, I think this one may have been about 1,293,909 on my list. Candice did a yeoman’s job on a song that she didn’t seem to be all that into singing.
Winner: Candice Glover
It wasn’t a knockout for Candice, but it would’ve still been a unanimous decision.
Round Two
When Ryno announced that Kree would be singing All Cried Out I was kind of excited and wondered if she would be performing the original Lisa Lisa version (with swoll Full Force) or the Allure version with 112. Sadly, it was neither and I lost interest. Kree didn’t necessarily bring the interest back. Both of her performances were generic and soulless. This is not the Kree that we liked from the beginning, but the Kree of the last month or so, aka Kreeyore.
Candice’s single won’t sell like Phillip Phillip’s Home. She performed I Am Beautiful, which wasn’t anything special, but her performance was just much more emotive, charismatic, and dynamic. I’m not buying either single, but in a battle of non-sellers, I think Candice’s performance was much better.
Winner: Candice Glover
This wasn’t a Mike Tyson-like knockout either, but Candice cruised to an easy, Floyd Mayweather type of decision.
Round Three
Kree’s version of Up to the Mountain (MLK Song) was a strong performance from the Vegas shows. But that’s when she had spunk and fire. While she performed it well again here, it was in a large shadow of Kelly Clarkson’s and Crystal Bowersox’s performances of the same song. But it was also in a large shadow because of Candice’s choice of I (Who Have Nothing). When I heard that she was performing that song, I didn’t even have to hear it. She was going to destroy Kree’s performance. And that she did.
Winner: Candice Glover
This was Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks.
If Candice doesn’t win this thing, it’s an outright debacle. But it’s not like it hasn’t happened before.
The most egregious one was when Adam Lambert lost to Kris Allen. Crystal Bowersox losing to Lee DeWyze was nearly as bad. Let’s hope the voters don’t screw this one up. Candice should win and it should be the widest margin in American Idol voting history.
11 comments
George Bounacos says:
May 16, 2013
yep
GG says:
May 16, 2013
Sadly, I won’t be watching the finals until late Thursday night on tape delay because of my Warriors. But if I hear that Kree won, yikes, it’s a total credibility hit on this one.
John says:
May 16, 2013
I have to imagine the biggest margin of victory went to Carrie Underwood over Bo Bice, but I get where you’re coming from.
You’re right that the joy seems to have been sucked out of Kree, but I think you’re being a bit harsh on the performance aspect. She’s not ever going to be a dynamic performer onstage, but shouldn’t there be an opportunity for the next Trisha Yearwood to come out of one of these shows just like the next Mary J Blige? America sees something in Kree that maybe she doesn’t even see in herself, and I kind of like that. I also wonder if she’s already had indications that a recording deal is in the wings and thinks winning the show may hurt her cred in the Alt-Country community. That would explain the bizarre coin toss decision. I don’t know the answers but I’m personally glad that someone without a guitar or who makes every song into a run-a-thon is in the finale for once.
GG says:
May 16, 2013
I don’t think Candice should win just because it’s in a style that I enjoy more so. I just think she’s annihilated the competition, maybe not as much as Fantasia did, but not that far off either. And I really did like Kree early on. She was very cool. But I was very adamant that she would have to do more because the same performance every time was going to get bland.
If she wins, it’s not an egregious error because she’s not deserving (though, she’d be one of the weaker winners), but because Candice rocked the house just about every evening.
Tyler says:
May 16, 2013
I only watch one or two episodes per season since the first one when Tamyra didn’t win. I get what this show is.
That said, while I think Candice is clearly better than Kree in every imaginable way. I do think there’s something to be said for subtlety. I do think we have to find a way to get people out of the “power = the only way to judge whether a singer is good or not” frame. In my mind the best, most thrillingly unique contestants have been the remarkably emotive and expressive black men like Burnell Taylor (that India.Arie cover was MASTERFUL) and Joshua Ledet. In a more just world; in a world where people had an iota of understanding about expressiveness these two men would have won hands down. Everyone else in these competitions is good, but within the bounds of acceptable style. In other words, aggressively mediocre and showy.
GG says:
May 16, 2013
There was definitely good Burnell and bad Burnell. Bad Burnell happened because he had to sing a rock song and had no clue what he was singing. If he were more consistent and could stay in his lane, he’d have done far better. And Ledet did pretty damn well. But whatever the producers want Idol to be, it’s the ones who can stretch a bit and still do well consistently who generally survive week to week.
Plus, Burnell had game. He had Amber going for him which is probably better than a win anyway.
Tyler says:
May 16, 2013
But see, that’s partly what’s the problem with the show’s format. Why make singers you KNOW you’re gonna market in one way do songs from a bunch of different formats? not everyone has that kind of versatility and the industry doesn’t even REWARD that kind of versatility in a mass market artist so it’s just ridiculous. Also – it’s incredibly rare for a male to have the kind of vocal range to even compete against female vocalists. Just dumb. Rather than accept the show’s format as a useful judge of talent, we should critique the entire fuckin show for it’s absurdity. I’m not gonna be mad at Burnell for not doing rock anymore than I would be mad that some country blonde can’t do Motown well. Themed nights should be eliminated. Period, point blank. People should have to judge the artist that will ultimately be sold to them and if America’s biases reveal themselves to be toward showy pop stars, blonde country girls and boring white dudes then that’s what it is.
GG says:
May 16, 2013
As a pure singing competition, I agree. But Idol is and has always been a variety show built around finding the most casual audience ever. They’re going to have to make changes soon because the wheels are definitely falling off.
Tyler says:
May 16, 2013
They haven’t had a star win since the third season. The wheels been done fell off. lol.
I just think that the show reinforces really awful biases in the American mind about what an “American Idol” should be. I wish more critiques of THAT existed. The best artist has only won one time – Fantasia. That’s a terrible terrible record for a show that has been on for 12 years.
GG says:
May 16, 2013
I don’t think that has mattered long term as much as the TV ratings.
Talented people have still come through. Underwood is huge. Adam Lambert is great. Phillip Phillips sold a lot of records. But the ratings part is even more important than that.
American Idol Season 12: And The Winner Is... - Pop Rock Nation says:
May 17, 2013
[…] On Wednesday night’s final performance show, Candice whipped Kree like she stole something. […]