American Idol Top 6: The recordings

At least where the solo performances were concerned, I thought that Carole King Week turned out to be a much more rewarding experience than I had expected. Each of the singers brought something enjoyable to their renditions, with the two contestants who have to be considered the front-runners at this point -- James Durbin and Scotty McCreery -- stepped up their games at opportune times.
So I was particularly looking forward to this week's recordings, figuring that they also would have captured some of Wednesday's magic and maybe even clarifying the vision the singers had for their King songs.
Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case.
BETTER THAN THE SHOW
Haley Reinhart, Beautiful. I have a feeling that this track would sound even better if Haley and her producers had been able to work on it for more than a weekend. It kind of sounds like a demo or a rough take for the track they really wanted to do. I don't quite as much of the Beatles thing that Haley was going for in the B section, but she's the only one of this season's really stylized vocalists that has learned how to rein in her unique vocal qualities for a pleasurable listening experience.
Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, Up on the Roof. This isn't a lot better than Wednesday's performance, but at least it's in tune. And Scotty's not having to sing those horrible harmony lines underneath Lauren. Plus, Lauren has learned this neat Dolly Parton-like warble, which fits right in with a kind of harmonica-driven shuffle that was popular in Nashville in the late '60s/early '70s. But the truth of the matter is that Lauren's and Scotty's voices sound just awful together. Here's hoping the duets don't continue once they get to Nashville.
ABOUT THE SAME AS THE SHOW

Casey Abrams, Hi De Ho. I like Casey and think he was an entertaining addition to this year's cast. But with a few hours to get used to the idea of his being gone, I'm not all that disappointed that he was the contestant eliminated this week. Though his song choices and arrangements always promised some surprises, his actual performances had grown predictable: He'd start strong, but once the initial shock of his choice wore off, he'd invariably start hamming it up, baring his teeth and putting that snarl in his voice. That's the case with this cover of this 1970 Blood, Sweat & Tears hit, too. I don't know what Casey would have done next week, but I'm pretty sure I know how I would have felt at the end of it. For at least the last three weeks, I enjoyed his cover concept more than the performance itself. Jacob Lusk may be a more polarizing figure, but, at this point, he's much more likely to come through with a jaw-dropping number, and Haley Reinhart, who I didn't much care for early on, simply continues to improve and has earned her Top Five spot.
Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart, I Feel the Earth Move. The thing I'll miss most about having Casey on the show is hearing him and Haley do more duets. They've got real chemistry together, and it's all over this track.
Jacob Lusk, Oh No Not My Baby. I'm glad Jacob did something fun this week -- I didn't even mind the suit -- and I'm kind of into the uptempo '70s soul treatment he gave the song. That said, what this version really makes me do is want to go back and dig out Maxine Brown's original.
Lauren Alaina, Where You Lead. This isn't awful, but it just never clicks. And the studio version doesn't add a thing to what she did live. It's not possible that, with all the professional help she's getting, that Lauren is actually regressing, is it?
WORSE THAN THE SHOW
James Durbin, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. Wednesday's performance was such a unexpectedly magical moment that it'd be practically impossible to have bottled that lightning in the studio. But this is a fine version, especially when the drums kick in. I'll still be glad when James realizes he doesn't have to go for the high notes on every song, though.
Scotty McCreery, You've Got a Friend. Man, did this arrangement change between the studio in the stage. Wednesday's live version was romantic and subtle, Scotty's best vocal of the season by far. The recording, on the other hand, falls back on that old country shuffle, and Scotty's vocal is far too mannered. What a shame.
James Durbin and Jacob Lusk, I'm Into Something Good. Could anything be worse than Wednesday's wail-fest? Why, yes, it could actually. Put the same thing over an instrumental bed that sounds like it's being played on one of those Casio keyboards. This is just embarrassing.
View the original article here