Wednesday, May 4, 2011

What should the 'American Idol' Top 5 sing for Now & Then night? What should they avoid?

The American Idol Top 5 are singing two songs tonight, culled from the completely clear and specific theme of ”Now & Then,” with “Now” being music from, um, “now,” and “Then” being music from the 1960s. I do not envy the contestants their task in choosing songs from such a wide-open field of possibilities, especially now that they pretty much need to pull out a show-stopper every time in their ever-narrowing march to the Nokia Theatre. And speaking of “now,” now is the time for contestants like Lauren to blow us out of the water, and contestants like James to continue his momentum by making surprising choices. Fortunately, we’ve made suggestions for the contestants (that they will in no way be able to take since it’s the day of the show, but let’s just keep up the pretense that we’re helping them out anyhow), both for the songs they should snag and the ones they should avoid at all costs. Check them out below:
Lauren Alaina
Now
DO SING: “Firework,” Katy Perry (c’mon Lauren, blow us away)
DO NOT SING: “Just a Kiss,” Lady Antebellum (it goes nowhere she hasn’t gone)
Then
DO SING: “To Sir, With Love,” Lulu
DO NOT SING: “It’s My Party,” Lesley Gore
James Durbin
Now
DO SING: “The Cave,” Mumford & Sons (maybe I’m crazy, but I can see him turning this into a killer rock song)
DO NOT SING: “Not Ready to Die,” Avenged Sevenfold
Then
DO SING: “Paint It Black,” The Rolling Stones
DO NOT SING: “Light My Fire,” The Doors
Jacob Lusk
Now
DO SING: “Grenade,” Bruno Mars
DO NOT SING: “Run the World (Girls),” Beyoncé
Then
DO SING: “Try a Little Tenderness,” Otis Redding
DO NOT SING: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” The Four Tops
Scotty McCreery
Now
DO SING: “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” Luke Bryan (it would be epic, but I suspect he’ll actually sing Chris Young’s “Tomorrow”)
DO NOT SING: “Honey Bee,” Blake Shelton (for one thing, I think Nigel Lythgoe would burst a vein in his forehead; for another, it does nothing for him)
Then
DO SING: “I Walk the Line,” Johnny Cash
DO NOT SING: “Suspicious Minds,” Elvis Presley
Haley Reinhart
Now
DO SING: “Dog Days Are Over,” Florence + The Machine
DO NOT SING: “Jar of Hearts,” Christina Perri
Then
DO SING: “Son of a Preacher Man,” Dusty Springfield
DO NOT SING: “Rescue Me,” Fontella Bass
So those are my picks. What are yours?

No comments:

Post a Comment