Reply #73: Chris's departure was somewhat of a surprise [View All]

[njdemocrat106]

Personally, I think Elliott was the only strong performer last night. I agree with Simon that Taylor's "Jailhouse Rock" was too karaoke, but I thought he redeemed himself on "In the Ghetto". Katharine's "Hound Dog/All Shook Up" medley was terribly average, and I didn't really care for the medley idea. I enjoyed her rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love", even though it was poo-pooed by Simon (and "Can't Help Falling in Love" is one of my favorite Elvis tunes, too). Chris's "Suspicious Minds" was good, but his "A Little Less Conversation" was ruined by his meaningless screaming at the end. Elliott was superb with both his performances.

At this stage of the competition, it would have been disappointing to see any of the 4 contestants leave; that's how talented they are (and talent is in the eyes of the beholder, Idol naysayers). As talented as Katharine is, I think she would make the most boring album if she were to win the competition. It might sell well, but would probably a bland rip-off of Kelly Clarkson's music (and I never found Kelly's music to be that thrilling, anyway). Chris would churn out an album of the kind of alterna-rock that dominates the playlists of "new rock" radio stations, and would probably sound like all the other artists of that genre. Taylor and Elliott are probably the only ones who could release an album that would be unique in today's pop music scene. Whether they would sell well, I don't know, but at least I think they would be unique.