After three (five) months of waiting, I've seen the coronation of the newest American Idol.
The verdict: a resounding "meh."
As much as I thought Phillip Phillips' victory would be/was the end of the world, I can't scrape together that much enthusiasm after his competitors slumped the last couple weeks and he submitted some redeemable performances, including "Volcano" during top four week, last week's unbelievable "We've Got Tonight" and this week's... well, we'll get to that soon enough.
The performances:
Jessica Sanchez (I Have Nothing): Large portions of this melody were out of Jessica's (impressive) range, but her command of the rest made this a sufficient if forgettable Whitney cover. Remember, of course, that covering Whitney and not looking like a fool is incredibly difficult, so props to Jessica for making the concept of covering her seem reasonable. A solid start to what could be a one-sided evening. 65
Phillip Phillips (Stand By Me): Predictable flat guitar-wielding Phillip was back for this performance, although the genre switch and a hint of charisma made it more interesting than the average P-squared vocal. Not as bad as I expected, but the fact that Phillip's above-average performance here didn't rival Jessica's bland opening salvo doesn't bode well. 45
Jessica Sanchez (The Prayer): And that's how Jessica got her groove back. After a few lukewarm song choices and tepid arrangements in recent weeks, Ms. Sanchez reclaimed her throne as by far the most spectacular performer of Season 11 and made every adult within earshot shout at their tween to stop blogging about Phillip's goatee and watch somebody else for a change. A subtle arrangement, clear, powerful vocals and a sublimely executed key change made this the best finale performance since "Up to the Mountain." It's a shame that, like Crystal, Jessica will have to take my praise and heartfelt gratitude rather than the Idol sash. 90
Phillip Phillips (Movin' Out): Oh joy, Phillip is reprising a performance I thought was bland in the first place. I dug the background players - the singers can go to Hell, but that's not unusual - but I'm infinitely more interested in them than Phillip's continued brutalizing of melody and bland delivery. Not the worst Idol finale performance ever, but that's mainly thanks to "No Boundaries" and Kris Allen crossing paths in Season 8. Point: Jessica. 10
Jessica Sanchez (Change Nothing): Speaking of which, it's time for the original winner's songs©, an annual exercise in futility that recently had been abandoned for other material, with varying results (see: "I Love You This Big" versus "Like My Mother Does" last spring.) Jessica's has all the boxes checked: "change" in the title, a light piano interlude, hackneyed high-school-poetry writing and a vaguely incomprehensible chorus that says love can solve everything. Regardless, Jessica did a decent job by taking two incredibly difficult songs in the finale and looking decent on the other side. Bravo, Jessica. Now be free, perform the material you deserve and blow our minds. I'm counting on it. 50
Phillip Phillips (Home): Wow, Phillip is playing a guitar in his original winner's song©! Besides that utterly predictable twist, this was a surprisingly listenable performance. Aside from some awful writing, this could have been a lost page from the Neil Diamond songbook, and that's a direction Phillip could really excel in. Add some actual singing - singing! - and this was the closest to a follow-up to "We've Got Tonight" as I could have expected. Nice work, son. Taylor gets to keep his brown crown. 75
After slogging through my vegetables with the last two weeks of competitive performances, the finale now awaits, a strawberry rhubarb pie with extra Elise on top. I can hardly wait. Hopefully I'll be back soon with that treat and another confection: my look back at the year that was, complete with recipe for a delicious Season 12.
Until then.
Until then.
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