Once again Candice stood out, and did so twice over. She was part of one of the two stand-out audition groups last year, put together with Deandre and Jessica, and I posted then how I couldn't understand why she wasn't put through like they were. She has tonal quality, and a beautiful authentic sounding R&B top end, something to do with the shrillness of the rapid vibrato. She has the technical ability. For me, probably the best singer in this contest since Adam Lambert, with only Siobhan Magnus being another noteworthy contestant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00BKWraQSY
Her
Love Song was one of those spine-tingling moments, like for me when Adam dared to be different with
Ring Of Fire, or Siobhan sang
Paint It Black. The staging was slightly creepy too, which helped with the hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck. There was Candice's "3D" red claw a minute or so in, as her hand caught the red projections, and then mid song some dispossessed voice belted out "Love you!", which sounded like Nicki. There's always a performance of the series, something different, daring and well-executed, which even if it comes a few weeks before the actual final it becomes the main series talking point, the peak, for example David Cook's
Billie Jean. If talent wins out there's no doubt that Candice won the series last night.
The only contestant who comes close each week is Amber, but her tone is shallower, less rich, and less agreeable in the top end, and she seems to breeze through everything while dressed like a desperate clothes horse. She's currently too flippant to have herself a dramatic moment, which is where a girl really stands out in a series like this. Think how having straightened hair, a black dress and singing I
Who Have Nothing basically led to Jordin Sparks winning her series - she did something different, all serious, and out of character for what was normally a sweetly smiling girl.
I cannot understand the widespread love for Kree. Each time I hear her sing I think "twee Kree", and in some of her earlier performances I used to fast forward on the PVR, the only one this year.
She's capable enough, without being impressive technically, but the main problem for me is that her voice has no tonal quality, it is too smooth. Plain, even. Between the two country girls I much prefer Janelle, who is capable of some rock crossover and can provide a bit of drama, but she wasn't at her strongest this week. I actually think Janelle's considerably better, tighter vocally and better able to use her performing drama, as a rock crossover artist.
Felt sorry for Lazaro, he did very well with his recent Queen song, starting off and holding much the same key as Freddie Mercury and not producing the car crash TV many would have anticipated, but this week he was involved in a motorway pile-up with his own vehicles. I don't think he helped himself either by saying he liked hunting in his VT - that will turn off some of his girl fans, and then the first line of his song being "why do birds suddenly appear" only added to the image of the shooting gallery.
Angie's gone a bit off the boil for me, but she did of course redeem herself with her second song, sans piano.
It's a two-horse race AFAIC, with one a furlong ahead.
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