‘Idol’ singers take gamble on country night

The theme on “American Idol” this week was country music, and the guest was Kenny Rogers, who was a legendary country singer or something before making his fame and fortune as a fast-food chicken magnate.

Rogers became the latest to offer advice to a group of singers who probably view him mostly as someone their parents were really into a long time ago. It’s possible The Gambler didn’t really understand the expectations surrounding the show’s musical guests, who generally offer banal encouragement and the barest of criticisms, but Rogers seemed like he actually had something to say.

His theme for all the singers was the song as a story, and he stressed the importance of conveying the meaning behind the words. Some singers grasped the concept, but most really struggled, and Rogers flat-out said some of the performances could be either good or terrible. He worried about Elliott Yamin oversinging, Taylor Hicks sounding weak with his opening vocals, Chris Daughtry’s versatility and Bucky Covington’s enunciation, which means he either knows his music or he’s been secretly scouring the various “American Idol” message boards.

While no singerwas truly awful, it was the second week in a row where the show lacked truly inspiring performances. That could mean fewer votes than usual, which increases the sheer random chance variable that sometimes leads to favorites being sent to the bottom three or voted off the show entirely. The story of the night, simply put, was that no one did a whole lot to improve their position.

Taylor Hicks, 29, Birmingham, Ala.: Hicks opened the night with John Denver’s classic, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” His performance was nowhere near heavenly, and a lot closer to what’s heard at karaoke night in West Virginia. He started off shaky, got saved by the musical arrangement and background vocals, and came on strong at the end — but not enough to impress any of the judges.
Grade: C+
The judges: “It sounded like you’d just chosen that song 10 seconds ago, with no rehearsal — ‘I’ll just pick out a country song, whoopee!’”    —Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: Hicks is probably safe anyway, although his position starting off the show won’t help.

Mandisa, 29, Antioch, Tenn.: Mandisa went with Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine,” a song that, as Rogers pointed out, has an awful lot of words. That seemed to give Mandisa some problems at first, but as Randy Jackson would and did say, she worked it out in the end. Still, it didn’t seem to impress this week’s designated star-of-another-Fox-show-stuck-in-the-audience, Rachel Bilson from “The O.C.,” who applauded but did not leave her seat to offer a standing ovation. That guest-star role at Seth and Ryan’s beach party may be a longshot for Mandisa now.
Grade: B
The judges: “The beginning of it wasn’t hot for me, but at least in the end you got it together. The last five seconds were great.”     —Randy Jackson
Stay or go: Mandisa should be OK, although she probably didn’t pick up much additional support this week.

Elliott Yamin, 27, Richmond, Va.: Yamin sang “If Tomorrow Never Comes” as sung by Garth Brooks, assuming Brooks was terrified of screwing up at the time. Yamin’s vocals were fine, as they usually are, but he clutched the microphone so tightly that it seemed like he thought that he’d be kicked off the show if he dropped it. The judges loved it anyway, because they clearly love him and are hoping he sticks around for at least awhile longer.
Grade: B-
The judges: “There are so many things that I like about you, and one of those things is that you’re a breath of fresh air in this business.    —Paula Abdul.
Stay or go: Yamin hasn’t been in the bottom three yet, but he wasn’t that memorable this time around. His voters will need to be dedicated to keep him safely among the leaders.

Paris Bennett, 17, Fayetteville, Ga.: Bennett sang “How Do I Live,” sung by about one million different people, including Trisha Yearwood, LeAnn Rimes, and Carmen Rasmussen on the “American Idol” Season 2 CD. It was the typical power performance from the teenager, and she sang it as if she was angry, which made the song seem more genuine. Randy and Paula were unimpressed, so this became one of the rare efforts where Simon served as the lone voice of positivity on the panel.
Grade: A-
The judges: “I thought it was very good. I thought it was an excellent choice of songs. It reminded me of early Dionne Warwick.”     —Simon Cowell.
Stay or go:  Bennett should be safe again this week.

Ace Young, 25, Denver, Colo.:   It was the same old Ace Young, which probably means he’s in trouble. His rendition of “Tonight I Wanna Cry” by Keith Urban was technically correct, and the performance was solid, but it was also very forgettable. Kenny Rogers liked how the song mixed with Young’s vocal talents, but his support won’t be enough to make much of an impact even if Kenny's phone has speed-dialing capabilities.
Grade: C
The judges: “You have a knack of picking the right song for your voice.”     —Paula Abdul.
Stay or go: Young’s had problems getting voters mobilized anyway, and this performance won’t be enough to change that. He easily could be voted off.

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