Well that “American Idol” finale performance show was about as fun as I thought it was going to be. And by that, I mean not very. I knew two country teens going head to head wasn’t going to have me dancing on my couch, but I expected a little more than what we got. Pretty boring, folks. In my opinion anyway. Oh well, tomorrow night will be way more exciting.
At least we barely heard from the judges. That was very refreshing.
As always, I’ll review each performance and assign the letter grade I think each one deserves.
ROUND ONE: Contestants’ favorite song of the season
*Scotty McCreery, “Gone.” Scotty made the perfect pick in this round. His version of“Gone” was even in our Top 10 list earlier today. It sounded just as good as the first time he did it. Fun, energetic, and very Scotty. He seemed a bit more disconnected tonight than usual, but I’ll chalk that up to stress. A
*Lauren Alaina, “Flat On The Floor.” This was not her best song of the season, but I understand she’s trying to match Scotty as far as song style. Like the first time she did it, it was fine. Vocally it was fine. Stage presence was fine. So if there’s a problem, it’s the fact that it was all just fine, and not great. Or exciting. Or new. Like Scotty, Lauren also just seemed disconnected or out of sorts all night. B+
Round One goes to Scotty.
ROUND TWO: Contestants’ idols choose the song
*Scotty, “Check Yes Or No.” George Strait picked his own song for Scotty. That’s kind of arrogant, isn’t it? Scotty did a fine job with it. There was no challenge there since he’s singing probably one of his favorite songs. Overall, it was a tiny bit boring, but sounded good. B
*Lauren, “Maybe It Was Memphis.” Carrie Underwood picked this one for Lauren. And while it was a better song choice than Scotty’s Lauren didn’t do much to make her own. It was just kind of there. And I see why Lauren blew her voice out earlier because she’s overdoing it in places trying to get an edge on Scotty. I try to avoid cutting on appearance, but what was with that “Toddlers & Tiaras” pageant dress made for a 5-year-old? Lauren’s biggest issue has been immaturity and that dress sure didn’t help. B
Round Two is a tie (for most boring).
ROUND THREE: The song they’ll record if they win
*Scotty, “I Love You This Big.” This wasn’t actually a pretty good song. Especially for a finale. I guess it pays to have Jimmy Iovine involved with the show. I think the song has a good hook and would definitely be one we could hear on the radio, unlike most of the winners’ first singles. And Scotty owned it. A
*Lauren, “Like My Mother Does.” Forget what I said about Scotty’s song being good for a finale song. This is the song. And it’s the one that will be released because Lauren is winning tomorrow night. After this song, I think it’s pretty safe to say it’s nailed down. And it has little to do with how she sang it (which she did very well, by the way). A+
Round Three goes to Lauren.
So how do I think it will play out tomorrow night? Like I just said, Lauren will be the next “American Idol.” If for no other reason, than for the “Mother” song. It’s a song about Moms. Everyone loves their mom. Mom’s love songs about them. They’re all calling in and voting for Lauren right now as I type this. It’s clearly the show giving Lauren the edge and finally getting that female winner again.
I find it a bit unfair. It was more fair back when the Top 2 had to sing and record the same song. It’s all unfortunate because I think Scotty is a little more ready for this than Lauren. I don’t dislike Lauren, but of the two, I think I prefer Scotty slightly more. And maybe I’ll be wrong tomorrow night (I have been a lot of times this season), but I doubt it.