Rock Star: Week Nine--Alas, Poor Jordis

A sad week eight for this fan. I truly think Jordis had the voice and sensibility best suited to doing something interesting with INXS, if not best suited to recreating Michael Hutchence. But she did seem nervous the past few weeks, and the intensity of the competition just may have been too much. In any case, she'll be sorely missed.

This week:

J.D.--"Come As You Are" (Nirvana) and "Pretty Vegas" (original)
J.D. elects to do "Come As You Are" with pretty much just solo piano for the first two-thirds, and the effect kind of works, although his mannered voicde and presence continue to grate. His original ain't half bad, and it does have something of an INXS vibe. The public would vote his original as tea best the next day.

Suzie--"I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bonnie Raitt) and "Soul Life" (original)
Suzie sings the tender ballad well, but her soulful, big and open voice just doesn't seem right for their band, INXS, to me. Her original is a little too easy-going and tame for an INXS song, and its fairly generic soul vibe doesn't really impress me.

MiG--"Hard to Handle" (Black Crowes) and "Home in Me" (original)
MiG is a good singer, but has no real fee lfor the blues (not that he'd need it to do INXS stuff) and his rendition of the Crowes song is rushed and thin. His ballad is a nightmare, a sappy, treacly bit of overcooked fluff that would feel soft at the end of a made-for-DVD Barbie movie. Debbie Gibson heard the song and barfed. Richard Marx was embarrassed by its cheese. Celine Dion couldn't believe the schmaltz. Really bad.

Jordis--"We Are the Champions" (Queen) and "Try Not" (original)
Jordis handles the Queen song ably, though she does stumble over some of the more tricky rhythms. Every time someone sings Queen just how good of a singer Freddie Mercury was just becomes more and more apparent. That reduced, more nervous stage presence is still present. Her original, I thought, was the best of the bunch, and very INXS-ready--funky with a hard enough rock edge. I'm very, very curious to see what she does after this show, whether or not she is able to put together a high-profile career, because she really is, if not the best technical vocalist, the best singer in the bunch. But that nervousness, nowhere in evicence earlier, was getting to be an issue.

Marty--"Everlong (Foo Fighters) and "Trees" (original)
Marty does a great job of giving INXS what they want by stripping "Everlong" down to an acoustic number, letting him scream less and sing more. And his song is the catchiest of the bunch, with a very clear modern-rock sound that would be comfortable on radio today. Marty is good, but I still can't see him doing INXS songs. Nonetheless, the band seems intrigued.

The elimination night had one surprise, with J.D. in the bottom three, but, as might have been expected, Jordis got the boot. With four left, the show really gets into the nitty-gritty next week.

Until Whenever