It’s the battle of the divas – a classic country singer, and a classic R&B singer. Idol really surprised me this year, with a final five of strong female vocalists and no White Guys With Guitars to be found. I’ve been more invested in these singers than I have been in the show in seasons, and I thought Nicki Minaj was a breath of fresh air on the judging panel.
* Rumor has it that the judging panel will be clean-slated next season. Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj have already confirmed that they won’t be part of the show. I’m truly disappointed to not have Nicki, since I found her critiques both genuinely kind and brutally honest. If the show fills the panel with teen dunces like Justin Bieber, I’m out.
Round One – Picks From Simon Fuller
Kree singing “Angel” vs. Candice singing “Chasing Pavements”
Kree sang very well, but that song is reeeeally not my jam. Someone did it on The Voice last week and I said the same thing. Candice’s deep, soulful voice always sounds great on Adele songs, and this a lovely performance. Not her best ever, but a great way to kick off the night. Round one goes to Candice.
Round Two – Singles
Kree singing “All Cried Out” vs. Candice singing “I Am Beautiful”
This round is often easier judged on who was given the better single. First, I’m just glad that the contestants aren’t made to sing those awful “I’m so happy that I’ve achieved this amazing thing” songs. Kree’s song is great – I can easily imagine it being #1 on the country charts. The title of Candice’s single is reminiscent of a Christina Aguilera single. The song itself is OK, but not particularly catchy or memorable. Round two goes to Kree.
Round Three – Favorite Performances
Kree singing “Up To The Mountain” vs. Candice singing “I Who Have Nothing”
Kree’s performance was beautiful, and I don’t think I saw her original performance of it. It’s a gorgeous song, and very well-suited to her voice. I really do like Kree, and this was a great performance. But. But. Candice. This performance really showcased Candice’s raw talent as well as her growth throughout this competition. Holy crap, it was amazing. Round three goes to Candice.
To me, there is no question who should win. Candice has consistently the best singer in the competition all season long. She’s delivered countless performances that I’ve wanted to watch over and over, and have given me goosebumps. She’s amazing. Kree is also lovely, and against Phillip Phillips she would have deserved the win hands down. But this season, this belongs to Candice.
Tomorrow night will be interesting. Candice is the most talented person from the season and should win, but Kree is very likable and sings songs from a more popular genre. (That’s not to say Candice is unlikable. She’s also very likable. But Kree has that whole dead parents, small house in Texas, knows every crew member’s name thing going on.) So who will win? I don’t know.
Two of my favorite shows to watch on DVR on Saturday mornings, Nashville and Grey’s Anatomy, wrapped up their seasons recently. For Nashville it was the first season, and the mix of soap opera, great music, and Connie Britton is enough to bring me back next season. I’m really pleased that it’s been renewed. For Grey’s it was the NINTH season. This show holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I was first introduced to it when I was doing a college internship in South Africa, and it was one of the few shows we had on DVD to watch at night. I caught up when I returned home, and have watched it ever since. It’s had some bad years, but the last couple have been good – despite relying a little too heavily on trauma-heavy season finales.
