American Idol: The Top 6

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

This week's American Idol brings the top six remaining in the competition back on stage to sing the classic love songs of our time. This week our contestants worked with Andre Bocelli and song writer David Foster. The minute the idols entered the room and began to work with the two men, you could tell this was going to be a tough week. David Foster had criticism for each of the singers he worked with.

First to hit the stage tonight was Katharine McPhee. She is one of the better performers remaining in the competition, but tonight was not her best night. The song she chose, I have nothing by Whitney Houston, is one of the best known love songs ever. Katharine does have an amazingly talented voice, but she does not have the voice that could compete with Whitney's. She did well, but she could have done a lot better with a different song. All three judges criticized her song choice.

Next up was Elliot Yamin, and this week he picked up a song that is one of his favorites by Donny Hathaway. He did an amazing job this week, and he even moved one of the judges to tears with his performance tonight. All three judges had nothing but high praise for Elliot's performance. In recent weeks, I hadn't thought much of him, and some had even said this was his week to go home. Elliot definitely in my mind held onto a spot in this competition for at least one more week.

Kellie Pickler took the stage next, and once again someone chose a classic that will be hard to live up too. she won over both Andrea and David when she worked with them, and she even seemed shocked when they complimented her voice. However, other than the one high note she hit perfectly, the song was slow and boring. There really wasn't any passion to it. Kellie just doesn't have the voice to make it as a recording artist, so I agree with what the judges said here.

Following a commercial break, Paris came on stage singing another of those song classics,. This one made popular by Barbara Streisand, one of the best voices of our time. Paris herself knew how important song choice was this week for her. Odds makers have mentioned this might be the week she goes home, but with her performance I hope that isn't the case. She has one of the best voices left in this competition, and she does have a shot at making it to the end, if she has a fan base behind her.

Taylor Hicks was up next, and he picked a song I thought could have been just perfect for his voice, Just Once by James Ingram. Taylor is another of the contestants that I have gone back and forth on, and this week was not one of his best performances. He has a great voice, but I'm starting to wonder if his voice can make him an American Idol.

Chris Daughtry closed the show on a high note, and in my mind he probably had one of the best performances of the night. He picked the perfect song for his voice, and he just did an amazing job with it. In recent weeks, he has jumped out of his element and expanded his vocals. This is what an American Idol needs to do, and he is doing it. I do really think he has the chance to go all the way.

As for the bottom three this week, I think we'll see Kellie Pickler, Taylor Hicks and possibly see Katharine McPhee as well. This is based on tonight's performances. My pick to go home this week is Kellie Pickler. She really deserves to go home now.

Tonight's song in order of performance are:

Katharine McPhee: I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
Elliot Yamin: A Song For You - Donny Hathaway
Kellie Pickler: Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
Paris Bennett: The Way We Were - Barbara Streisand
Taylor Hicks: Just Once - James Ingram
Chris Daughtry: Have you ever really loved a woman - Bryan Adams

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