Although it feels like this season of American Idol is just taking off, we’re already at the penultimate episode of the farewell season. Part of that is due to this shrunken season, which has felt like it's been on fast-forward since the auditions ended. I guess you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but it’s a shame this season (which has been very good, on the whole) wasn't fully given time to develop and shine. Now we’re at the top four with some very talented people. Last week, Trent rose to the top of the pack somewhat unexpectedly and was the first contestant to give La’Porsha a run for the Season 15 crown. Tonight, the contestants sang three songs each and we experienced the annual cry-fest that is hometown visits. Often the trips home give the singers a burst of last-minute clarity and they bring back some terrific performances. While I’m not sure anything will top last year, for me personally (Nick Fradiani’s hometown visit was about 10 minutes from where I live – no, I didn’t go but I have tried the locally-sold Fradiani Frenzy ice cream).
As I always do, I’ll rate each song on a scale of 0-5 along with a short blurb and then pick my favorite and least favorite performances of the night.
ROUND ONE – HOMETOWN SUPPORT SONG:
MacKenzie Bourg (“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen) - * * * *
“Hallelujah” is one of those sacred songs to me. It’s one of the best American pop songs ever written, but also one of the most overdone. At its core, “Hallelujah” is a mysterious and passionate modern spiritual, but far too often it is relegated to soggy performances on singing shows or sappy montages on TV dramas. To me, unless you reinvent the song (the way Jeff Buckley did back in the day) or sing it with an extraordinary amount of passion (like my favorite version by Raul Esparza), there’s no real reason to bring “Hallelujah” to the table. Saying all that, MacKenzie did a fine job. Singing along with an acoustic guitar (ala Jason Castro all those years ago), he delivered a fine, heartfelt vocal that never strayed too far from the path. Was it good? Yes. Was it exciting or moving in the way it should be at this point in the game? Nope.
Dalton Rapattoni (“Calling You” by Blue October) – * * * ½
I don’t know “Calling You.” It’s a good rock song, even if the slight melody didn’t give Dalton a ton to grab onto. Given Dalton’s talent with delivering lyrics, I wish I could have heard and understood them more. The band was so loud that his delivery was drowned out far too often. Another solid, but slightly underwhelming performance.
Trent Harmon (“Tennessee Whisky” by Chris Stapleton) - * * * * ½
Trent is just growing by leaps and bounds each week. This week’s soulful blues selection (which, for the record, I’ve never heard before) showed off Trent’s surprisingly adroit vocal talent and his satin falsetto. To me, the song itself was slightly underwhelming from a musical standpoint, but it doesn’t really matter – we all know Trent will be safe tonight.
La’Porsha Renae (“Glory” by John Legend & Common) - * * * * *
(I don’t usually comment on the hometown visit, but dear Lord was La’Porsha’s trip to the domestic violence shelter moving. Plus, how adorable is her little baby?) Plain and simple, La’Porsha is the best singer we’ve got this season and “Glory” was a tremendously smart song choice. The Oscar-winning track let La’Porsha show off all the bluesy runs and growls her huge voice is capable of. Besides, combined with that opening package, it really did show off a moving message. To misquote a lyric from Hamilton, “Look at where she is/Look at where she started/the fact that she’s alive is a miracle.” La’Porsha’s come such a long way, her Idol career is somewhat of a miracle and we are more than lucky to have her on the show.
ROUND TWO – SCOTT BORCHETTA’S CHOICE:
Dalton Rapattoni (“Dancing In The Dark” by Bruce Springsteen) – * * * *
I’m not sure the two halves of his “Dancing In The Dark” cover really gelled. There was the sluggish, synthy, New Wave part and a punk rock part. I liked the latter much better – the former intro lagged far too much for my taste – and it felt like the kind of music Dalton would make on his own. Although it’s a bit harsh, I think Harry hit it right on the nose, Dalton doesn’t have the vocal talent of Idol rockers Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, or even Caleb Johnson, but what Dalton lacks in range he makes up for in smart musicality and a knack of heartfelt performances.
La’Porsha Renae (“Stay With Me Baby” by Lorraine Ellison) - * * * *
La’Porsha’s personal feelings on the song aside*, this song was just OK. With another singer or another season, this might have been a five-star performance but La’Porsha is so talented and so capable, this just fell short. The tempo was slow and lackadaisical, the phrasing was a bit off, and there was a definite plastic sheen about her delivery. It wasn’t bad, just not at La’Porsha’s standards.
*OK, I get what La’Porsha was getting at but being a performer is about making the most out of every song. Even if she didn’t fully endorse the song’s message, I can’t help but feel that her stubbornness and (somewhat) self-sabotage is an amateur move. Good singing is largely about acting abilities and she should branch out a bit in that domain to explore material that doesn’t directly correlate to her own story.
Trent Harmon (“Drink You Away” by Justin Timberlake) - * * * * ½
Between “Drink You Away” and “Tennessee Whiskey,” Trent is really going for a theme here. What’s next, “Red Solo Cup?” I, though, am not drunk and wasn’t as thrilled with his JT cover as the judges. It was fine and Trent’s confidence is at an all-time high. It just didn’t show off his voice as much as I’d like. This was the kind of song you’d bury in the middle of the set, not a headline track.
ROUND THREE – JUDGES’ CHOICE:
Dalton Rapattoni (“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears) – * * *
Yes, Dalton’s “Rule The World” cover was just pitched too low, resulting in a consistently pitchy and rough performance. I think what Keith said was also true, the key, mixed with the arrangement, left the song oddly stifled, energy-wise.
La’Porsha Renae (“Hello” by Adele) - * * * * ½
Adele’s “Hello” is so ubiquitous at this point, it’s hard to not make this song feel like karaoke. While La’Porsha didn’t do much to the piano-heavy arrangement, her voice is different enough from Adele’s signature belt that this certainly felt like its own entity. What else to say here? This wasn’t a La’Porsha highlight, but a very solid cover nonetheless.
Trent Harmon (“Waiting Game” by Parson James) - * * * * ½
Again, what else to say? A perfect song choice for Trent and another very great performance.
Best of the Night: La’Porsha’s “Glory”
Worst of the Night: Dalton
Who Went Home: MacKenzie
Who Should Go Home Next Week: Dalton
Who Will Go Home Next Week: Dalton
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