I know, it’s been a little while. Not much has been coming out and I’ve been less than motivated, but working on it. Anyway, my return is marked by two other returns, two newcomers, and a duo I love to listen to. There are some surprises here, which is cool and most of these have come out within a week and a half of today. Before we get to them, though, here’s how things work. I’ll give you my thoughts on the album in 25 words or less and then I’ll add 2 key songs and 2 other artists to consider. But that is not all. Oh no, that. is. not. all. For whimsy, I throw in a random comparison. And this week, it’s condiments.

Your part is to let me know in the comments if I’m on or if I’m on something. Yeah. Okay, now we’re ready to get to it.

Amy Grant – How Mercy Looks from Here
http://amzn.to/12gW11p | http://amzn.to/107cdkp (mp3)

Not a doppelganger, it’s the real deal. New pop music from this home-grown CCM veteran. She’s come a long way, baby (baby). Mustard.

DON’T MISS: Don’t Try So Hard, Free
SEE ALSO: Cast of Nashville, Susan Ashton

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Okay, to be honest, I forgot this was on at least five times. Part of that is because I didn’t think Angie should’ve left last week (though I did pick her to finish 3rd at the beginning of the top 10). Part of it is because I haven’t been watching live. But most of it is because, every year by this point in the competition it really stops mattering. The contestants that make it to the final rounds look, sound, and talk nothing like they did when they started the show.

This week is it, though. The grand cage match. Kree vs. Candice. Three songs each. One winner will emerge. Then we can all focus on what really still matters when it comes to American Idol… who will be judging next season? Anyway, this is something we must go through first. The first song is picked by Simon Fuller. The second is their potential lead single (presumably ALSO picked by Simon Fuller). And the final song is their favorite from earlier in the season. Then, the votes, which will have absolutely nothing to do with the performances tonight. Off we go…

Kree opens the night with Angel, which makes me think of abused puppies. Not that I think Kree mistreats animals or anything. I just don’t like this song. She did a fine job with it, though. Great vocal tone. No judge’s commentary.
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With three contestants left, we get a glimpse at who’s really “in it to win it” and we can really see the light at the end of this never-ending tunnel. Next week is the finale and in two weeks, we’ll start forgetting all of this year’s contenders. After all, The Voice is just ramping up with their elimination rounds. And there’s always a new squirrel to distract us. But for now, American Idol is the squirrel and we have three contestants left.

This week, the three finalists get a taste of how their recording sessions will go. They each sing three songs, and they didn’t get to choose any of them. The first round are songs picked by Jimmy Iovine, the second round songs are picked by the judges, and the Idol producers picked songs for the last round. Don’t expect any particular connection between artist and song this week. (And don’t scratch your head as to why Idol winners sell less each year). One more cynical aside: This is the week when the judges and producers totally tip their hands and show who they want to advance. Song choice is everything. Anyway, off we go…

ROUND ONE: JIMMY PICKS

Kree opens the show with Perfect, by P!nk. Because that’s a country, blues song that fits right in her wheelhouse and core audience. Except not at all, really. She seems spacey and almost lifeless as she performs and wanders around the stage. Good vocal. Not a good song choice. Keith says it reminded him that she’s a country girl. Nicki starts in with a British accent, which is never a good sign. She says her vocal was great, but it felt short and apparently Kree was too tall; she should wear flat boots instead of heels. Randy didn’t love that song for her. She can sing anything, but this fell flat and lacked pizzazz. Mariah says it’s hard to let someone else pick your songs for you and she’s sure Kree will be better later on tonight (translation: it wasn’t good, darling).
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So, this week is a rerun. Sort of. With new songs. And best of all, Harry Connick, Jr. I’ve been lobbying for Harry to be a permanent judge for years now. I would love to see Randy, Neil Patrick Harris, Kristin Chenoweth, and Harry Connick Jr as the judges, but that would never happen. Anyway, on to today’s show. Two songs each – one from 2013 and one from a long time ago – and no duets, as far as I can tell.

Angie begins with Rihanna’s Diamonds from behind the piano. The spotlights look like harp strings behind her. I like this arrangement, but she’s totally biffed some of these big notes and it’s unfortunately fallen apart for her at the end. Keith loves a lot of songs, but he didn’t like the arrangement of that song. Nicki says she worked the body more than the heart and it was bland; she can do better. Randy agrees with Keith and the arrangement wasn’t great, but he likes her leather shorts. Mariah appreciated the risk of re-arranging the song, but agreed that it seemed she played up to the camera more than she should have.

Amber will apparently be humming and snapping to Just Give Me a Reason because she can’t remember the words. I’m not familiar with this song, but again, even if she was singing it flawlessly (she’s not), there is very little connection emotionally. Ah, this is Jessica Sanchez all over again. I didn’t like it. Nicki says she didn’t see the same, charming girl from rehearsals on stage tonight; no connection. Randy agrees that she didn’t seem to have any fun and it was not stellar. Mariah apologizes on Amber’s behalf for not learning the lyrics and encourages her to remain confident. Keith uses the word phenomenal twice, but he’s describing P!nk, not Amber.
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Another week has gone by and I’m sure there are a good handful of things I wanted to get done, but didn’t. Maybe you feel the same way. Maybe it will be a productive weekend. For now, (depending on how you look at it) I’ll be productive and share my thoughts on five more albums. If you’re unfamiliar with the Music of the Day format, pay attention to the next sentence. For each album, I’ll give you my thoughts in 25 words or less, two key tracks to check out, two similar artists, and a random comparison. Today, the I’ll pick from the teams in the NBA playoffs. Off we go.

Martin Smith – God’s Great Dance Floor
http://amzn.to/14Wyxoc (CD) | http://amzn.to/15XUi68 (mp3)

A voice that should sound familiar, a collection of songs that feel familiar, and a mostly cheek-to-cheek dance floor. Not delirious, but quite happy. Warriors.

DON’T MISS: Jesus of Nazareth, Fire Never Sleeps
SEE ALSO: Kristian Stanfill, Bluetree
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So now we’re down to the final four and no one has been saved and the show may end a week early and there are rumors that I’m not the only one annoyed with Mariah and oh, what a season it has been. I think it’s safe to say we’re all happy that Lazaro isn’t singing…

Okay, I’m firing up the old AmericanIdol.com video playlist and we’re going to find out what’s what. My understanding is that the girls picked their first song and their second song (as voted on by fans like you – I didn’t vote) is a one-hit wonder. Let’s get to it.

Amber opens the night with Power of Love. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I really don’t like Celine Dion songs. Woah! Amber’s hair exploded! She starts it off with no music and does a great job, then stumbles on the chorus. There is zero connection between her and the song, but she emits a powerful vocal that will surely overcome the bored body language. Keith says it was an amazingly perfect song choice and she was confident. Nicki says she doesn’t even feel like a contestant anymore, it’s like they’re at her show. Randy says she’s came in as a baby, now she’s a pro. Mariah says she opened up the notes like hashtag POW. (Meanwhile Kobe tries not to be like hashtag PAU!).
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It’s been a stressful and serious week for many, so, hopefully a glance at some new music will be a refreshing break from the immediate reality. This week didn’t yield too many releases, but did provide us with The Afters. Iron & Wine also released a pretty exquisite album this week, but I’m not including that here. Sorry. Anyway, for the remaining four spots, I dug into the past month or so and found some nice albums to peek at. Before all that, however, here’s a reminder of how this works. In 25 words or less, I’ll summarize my thoughts on the album. You also get 2 songs to key in on, 2 alternate artists to investigate, and a random comparison (today, it’s from the top 100 longest-running Broadway shows). Got it? Okay, let’s get to it.

The Afters – Life Is Beautiful
http://amzn.to/17LUmFF (CD) | http://amzn.to/17LUqFj (mp3)

Hard not to like these guys. The album will put a smile on your face with whimsical melodies and palatable lyrics. Solid return. The Wiz.

DON’T MISS: Broken Hallelujah, What We’re Here For
SEE ALSO: Hawk Nelson, Sanctus Real
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So, pretend we remove all the boys from the competition (oh, we did that) and adjust my original predictions of when the contestants will each get voted off. We’re left with Janelle, then Candice, Kree, then Angie, leaving Amber as the winner. I still think that’s how it will play out. Anyway, we’re back with a top five that is an all girls club and they each perform twice and quite possibly, whoever loses will still stay and we’ll have an Idol deja vu next week. Again, for expediency and convenience, I’m using the AmericanIdol.com video player to watch the performances. As always, I’ll promise to try and keep it short, but we know how that works out. Off we go.

Candice kicks things off with the Paula Abdul classic, Straight Up. It’s a swankified version, which works out really well for her because she can air it out and let her voice go crazy. Overall, solid performance, but a sleepy arrangement that plays better in the background. Keith says it was a great version of a song he never thought was great. Nicki congratulates her for being the boss and the song has always been great. Randy thought the arrangement was cool and current. Mariah says the song was a massive hit and putting that Candice on it was A-mazing.
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Another week of music to explore and I’ve gone country. Since it is one of the biggest and most talked about releases of the week, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t include Brad Paisley’s new album in this edition. But that’s it, no more country after that… maybe. Anyway, if you’re new or if you’ve forgotten, here’s how it works. I pick five albums from this week’s release list (or thereabouts as necessary). Each album gets a summary of 25 words or less, two songs that stand out, two artists that you might consider exploring further if you enjoyed the album, and one random comparison. This week, for the comparison, I went with baseball team names and I don’t think it really worked out that well, but it’s Spring and the season is underway so I’m sticking with it. Okay, let’s get to it.

Josh Wilson – Carry Me
http://amzn.to/1115REh (CD) | http://amzn.to/153QU9u (mp3)

Pop music brilliance. A well-crafted collection of endearing tunes that will make you smile, sing along, whistle, and most certainly tap your foot. White Sox.

DON’T MISS: Pushing Back the Dark, Let There Be Light
SEE ALSO: Matthew West, Scott Krippayne
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So, if the judges and producers aren’t actively trying to force a female winner on us, they certainly aren’t actively preventing any other outcome. Can’t say that I blame them. The last five winners have been “a dude with a guitar.” Three of those winners aren’t even remotely memorable and three of them haven’t even broken 1 million cumulative album sales (though Phillip Phillips will, in all likelihood). Why not load the competition up with talented girls and get the guys out of the way.

If they had any desire to see a guy win this season, they would’ve saved the best guy vocalist (Curtis) in week one or the best guy contender (Burnell) last week. Instead we’re stuck with Lazaro as the last man standing. Lazaro, who shouldn’t have made the top ten and wouldn’t have were it not for his background story. Anyway, each contestant performs twice, so this will be a long post. Off we go.

ROUND ONE: FIGHT!

Angie opens the show with embarrassing YouTube videos and a Dionne Warwick song, Anyone Who Had a Heart. Hopefully, the producers aren’t out to get her by sticking her in the first spot. So this is a ballad, but she does a really nice job with it. She has a great tonal quality to her voice – it pierces the notes and holds the listener’s attention. Not much energy, though. Keith warns her not to rely solely on her voice, but to show more passion. Nicki says it felt a little old fashioned. Randy kind of agrees behind his Wreck-it Ralph glamour brooch. Mariah tries to put things in her own words and points out the perfect (to the “t”) pronunciation.
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