While last week I only accurately predicted two song choices for tonight, I think that's still pretty good since there almost 200 Lennon/McCartney songs in the library. Hey, did you know that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in the Beatles? Somehow, probably due to some copyright issue, they never mentioned the band's name in the first segment of the show but they alluded to it awkwardly by spelling out the Beatles’ names and the song titles in the band's bass drum font. Sir Paul himself even taped some words of encouragement for the contestants but didn't mentor the singers, probably because he was too intimidated to come after Miley Cyrus was there.
Aaron took on "Long and Winding Road," which is one of my least favorite Beatles songs. I think the original is schlocky and sappy and, sorry to say, Aaron didn't change it up much at all. I think it was so slow, in fact, that it didn't do his singing any favors. He didn't sound bad per se, but I think he can sound stronger and better than that. "Aaargh, here we go," was how Randy prefaced his comments, and the judges all felt the same way. The best part of the whole segment was when Simon asked Aaron why he chose that song, and Aaron said the lyrics were relevant to his experience on Idol, and Simon rolled his eyes hard and said he wished he hadn't asked.
I'm starting to get the impression that Katie's a sharper person than she is a singer. When Ryan asked her which of the five prom invitations she'd accept this year, she answered that if everyone sent in their phone bills, she'd pick the one who voted for her the most, and she seemed kind of cute and clever in the little pre-song packages. She sang "Let It Be," another Macca classic that, I'm sorry, I think is sort of a drag (it's too hands-swaying-in-the-air-with-lighters for me). She sang it very nicely, and I liked the little gospel twists she threw in there (which Randy interpreted as R&B, Simon as country). However, I don’t think it went very far beyond “nice.” I think that partially because of her rough past few weeks and the fact that this is sort of a crappy season, the judges gave her higher praise than she would have gotten had she been on the show last season, where she might have gotten more criticism for not doing more with it.
I thought it was an interesting choice that Andrew picked "Can't Buy Me Love" and I also am intrigued by his slow transformation into Latin Roy Orbison but the arrangement was sort of a mess. It couldn't decide if it was rock or blues or swing and while I gave Andrew points for trying to punch it up with a few shouts and high notes, in the end it actually got a little boring for me. Randy and Ellen liked it a lot but Kara and Simon disagreed, and Simon actually found it corny, which I think was a good way to describe it.
Was Michael's performance over-the-top and dramatic? Sure. I would have never thought I'd see someone kick the air after singing "Eleanor Rigby." But at least I was entertained by his version of it—I thought it was an interesting choice for him, plus the arrangement was smart (keeping the strings and adding a heavy beat), and of course he can sing. There haven't been that many moments this season where I went "Well, that's something new!" so if at least it wasn't a total and complete success, he at least got my attention in a good way. I'd say the judges by and large felt the same way—not entirely sure that it was the best thing ever but happy with seeing something different and done relatively well.
Crystal took on "Come Together" (which I predicted!) and added a didgeridoo to the arrangement, which I thought didn't add anything, although her rapport with the player was cute. I thought Kara actually summed up what I thought about the song: that it was one of her favorite performances of Crystal's because she seemed happy, slinky, sexy and playful as she played it, and she had a bit of a Bonnie Raitt vibe (actually, I wrote Tracy Chapman/Melissa Etheridge). Again, not one of my very favorite Beatles songs but she sang it well and put her own spin on it. Simon liked the performance more than Mike's, explaining that Crystal’s was actually contemporary and recordable, as opposed to Michael's, which was like a musical.