Final Four -- Rock 'n Roll

Last night’s show with the Final 4 showcased the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame; they were able to choose songs by any musician who had been inducted. Quite the selection!! Each sang two selections and thankfully, they had enough time to do so without being pushed on and off the stage like the previous week.

David started the show with “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran. I love his voice, don’t particularly like the song, but I liked the way HE made it sound, although he didn’t really change it up at all, even though he mentioned that he would make it his own. Wonder what happened? Well, in addition to the stress of this contest, he has a lot on his mind, so I’m letting him off the hook for this one.

Syesha came next --- her first choice was “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner. She was outfitted in a dress reminiscent of one Tina might have worn, her dance moves were great, but I thought her singing was pitchy in places. For me it turned out to be more of a showcasing of her dancing rather than her singing.

Jason (after admitting he had only heard of a few songs on the list) chose Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff”. Although he made a lot of changes and really made the song sound like his, it was only okay for me. More and more it seems like Jason’s really out of his league at this point and honestly, he looks and acts as if he’s ready to go home. The fact that he chose a Bob Marley song was also a little annoying to me --- just because he wears dreads??

Lil’ David chose “Stand By Me” by Benny King for his first performance. As always, he adapted the song just enough to make it sound original, without obliterating the original. Fabuloso!!

The judges really hammered Jason on his performance and were pretty much unanimous in thinking Lil’ David’s was the best so far.

David’s second choice was “Baba O’Riley” by the Who. It seemed as if he had returned to his zone, changed it up a la Cook-style, and sounded much better this time out. Much more “Cook-y” than the first song he sang.

Syesha’s second choice song was “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. I loved her dress, but again, for me it was just okay. I felt badly, especially after she started crying --- evidently, she had really done her research and identified strongly with the song. That, plus the strain of being in the Top 4 I think just overwhelmed her suddenly. Or maybe it was a ploy for votes. . . you never know.

Jason bravely returned to the stage after his earlier chastisement to sing Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, an obvious choice for his folk-singer persona. All was going relatively well until he completely forgot almost a full line of lyrics. Granted, he recovered well, but to forget lyrics at this point??? He’s almost asking to be sent home.

Lil’ David ended the show by singing “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley. I wasn’t too sure about this one. After all, the kid’s only 17 and OBVIOUSLY hasn’t had much life experience, however he really pulled it out on this one. Again, changing it up without defiling the original. It was a really, really good performance.

My problem with this show: Jason got reamed for his first choice. He was told that he should NEVER have chosen a Bob Marley song. I’m not sure why; I’m sure it’s not because he was the Rasta King. However, Syesha took on TINA TURNER and not one judge said a thing. And Lil’ David sang ELVIS --- again, no criticism.

And, after all, the song choices were from anyone who had been inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, which ALREADY places them in the icon category. I was really puzzled by it all.

At any rate, Jason is one of the obvious choices for Bottom 2, not because he took on an icon, but because his performances have become haphazard and lazy. I’m predicting Syesha will be there with him. Although Jason would be my choice to go home this week, I’m predicting Syesha will be the one to leave. I just think Jason’s fan base is really, really big and, after all, Syesha has been in the Bottom Two or Three five times already.

Who will be the Final 3? If Jason stays, it will technically be the Final 2, because he’s not nearly as talented as the Davids.