RockStar Week 4

This show's dismal ratings notwithstanding, I'm hooked. It's much more performance-based than I had hoped, and the song selection is eons better than American Idol's. See, I like AI, because I like singing and competitions and it mixes the two together like peanut butter and chocolate getting their freak on. But the pop-heavy song selection mostly leaves me cold--I actually like maybe one out of every five song selections. On RockStar, the ratio's reversed, making for much happier viewing.

So, what did I think of this week's singers? (I refuse to call them "rockers" - it's silly stuff like host Brooke Burke's insistence on using "rocker" 80 times a show that's keeping the ratings so saggy.)

Mig - We Will Rock You (Queen)
Fair rendition of a mostly melody-less song, but not anything special. Mig actually sang the song on London's West End as the lead in the Queen musical We Will Rock You, so I'm surprised he doesn't impress me more with it.

Deanna - I'm the Only One (Melissa Etheridge)
Very good. And the leaving the stage to sing directly to the band move was brilliant. They'll remember it and now no one else can do it without looking ridiculous.

Marty - With Arms Wide Open (Creed)
Marty does a good job with a wretched song, albeit shading his voice to be a little too like the Creed singer's in the original. Still, I love that Dave Navarro implicitly mocked Creed and the song by praising Marty's performance as better than the original.

Ty - Everlong (Foo Fighters)
I don't know this song at all, but Ty seemed to do a fine job with some tricky rhythms. He's a sure finalist, but this week was just good, as opposed to special.

Jessica - Blister in the Sun (Violent Femmes)
Jessica does as good a job as could be expected of this largely melody-less song, but I suspect she'll be bottom-three-bound again.

Brandon - If Only You Could See (Tonic)
Very meh. Brandon just kind of bores me, and I'm (fruitlessly, I'm guessing) hoping he'll be cut soon.

Jordis - The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)
Very easily the best performance of the series so far. To my mind, she's in the lead by quite a few lengths--the band clearly loves her (and rightly so).

J.D. - The Letter (Joe Cocker)
Another singer I'm hoping gets kicked soon. This wasn't bad, but he really doesn't have the soulful sound the song demands.

Tara - Message in a Bottle (The Police)
I have strong suspicions that Tara, who just looks old (no idea how old she actually is), will get tossed soon. She's been solid but not special (including here) and I think that added to the age issue will send her packing.

Suzie - Get Back (The Beatles)
Suzie does a very good job of getting out of the song's way and letting it guide her--a good move when dealing with songwriters as accomplished as Lennon and McCartney.

Bottom three? Brandon, J.D., and Mig, but I'd be shocked if they get voted there.

Until Whenever