Idol Re-Cap: Final Four

Elvis night.

And we're down to four: Chris, Elliott, Katharine and Taylor.

Hey - as a quick aside - David told me that Monday he was listening to one of his favorite local talk radio shows, and apparently word got out on the interweb that Taylor Hicks is sometimes a topic of discussion. I mean, it makes sense...this is, after all, his hometown. David got very tickled listening to callers from all parts of the US call in and "talk Taylor" - apparently he has a pretty loyal following. Whether or not his following can pull him through for another week remains to be seen.

Anyway, two songs a piece - and bonus points, at least from me, to whomever sings "A Little Less Conversation." Best. Elvis. Song. Evir.

Taylor Hicks -
"Jailhouse Rock" - I think this song is probably an obvious choice for Taylor. TOTALLY in his element. And I ADORED that ending. It's a genre that suits him, don't you think?

"In The Ghetto" - Before he even sings a note, I'm going to say this: EXCELLENT choice. And now that I've heard it - I love that Taylor gave a calm, controlled performance, and I thought the message of the song really came across. Loved it.

Chris Daughtry -
For what it's worth, I'm always a little bit goobed out when reality TV people talk about "their fans." But that's neither here nor there, I guess.

"Suspicious Minds" - What's up with the glasses? Okay. I was just a little goobed out when he was talking about his fans. But the glasses have sent me straight over the goobed out edge. On top of that, this performance was sort of boring to me. It felt like a warm-up.

"A Little Less Conversation" - BONUS POINTS! BONUS POINTS! I wish I could've seen Elvis perform this song live. That being said, I like how Chris sounded, but I feel like he missed the fun part of this song - because anyone from the South knows that this is a VERY fun song. I detect that maybe Chris was taking himself a little seriously this week. Am I the only one who feels that way? Here's what I think it is. Elvis was a great singer AND a strong personality. Chris is a great singer - but he's weak on the personality end, and that was painfully obvious in this song especially.

Elliott Yamin -
"I Can Dream" - A little bit of a rough start, but I think he found his groove about 30 seconds in. I know that he's probably the favorite to be voted off this week, but I think he did an awesome job. He made it sound like a contemporary song, and on top of that he's such a likeable guy (i.e., he doesn't talk about his "fans" and doesn't go all Bono on us with the sunglasses).

"Trouble" - Did anybody see how much fun the band and the back-up singers were having? My favorite Elliott performance yet. He is really, really growing on David and me. I think the underdog just may make it to the final three.

Katharine McPhee -
"Hound Dog" / "All Shook Up" - I'm a Katharine fan - but this performance was a little hyper. It seemed like she was trying so hard to be fun! We're having fun! Everybody! Fun! Look what a fun! performer! I am! Hoping for better things in song #2.

"Can't Help Falling In Love" - I'm afeared that this is going to be boring. Now I've listened. Yep, boring.

Once again, the judges seemed mystified as to why the performances were so good. Here's the answer: THE SONGS WERE BETTER BACK THEN. It's so clear that the musicians have more to work with, the singers have more to work with - because these songs are more than just a clever hook. There's some meat to them, you know?

Best of the night: Elliott
Should go: Chris
Will go: Katharine