American Idol 5, February 22: Let’s Hear It for the Boys!

The girls knocked it out of the park on Tuesday, with some pretty impressive performances. Some did better than others, and America has voted. Now it’s the boys’ turn. On Tuesday, before the girls performed, Randy said he thought it was going to be a good year for the guys. After some spectacular performances by the ladies, though, he backed off a bit. Better say nothing at all, Randy! Can the guys outdo the girls? Let’s get right to it.

Ryan welcomes us to the show and reminds us that the girls did not disappoint. We see clips of Paris and Lisa, with a lavish dose of praise for Lisa’s outstanding performance. We run through the various performances, some good and some not so good, topping it all off with Katharine’s slam dunk. Yup, the guys have a tough act to follow. And, with that, we meet the 12 guys who are standing up on the balcony overlooking the stage. This is an interesting set and I think it’s cool that the contestants can watch the performances. Maybe they took this from Rock Star: INXS. Good move.

Ryan introduces the judges, who sum up the guys. Simon sees great potential in this group and calls it a “mixed bunch.” It’s all about being original as far as he’s concerned. Paula concurs and says that America is looking for someone who is unique and different. Randy says that the guys have to be great, because the girls “brought it.”

Patrick Hall and David Radford will be the first to perform, but first we have a chance to watch the top 12 guys’ journey to this point. We see all of their first auditions, and the segment is nicely produced and suitably dramatic. The producers really have this down, you know. The guys are all seated in the circular “Red Room,” and we are ready to get this party started.

Patrick Hall – “Come to My Window”

The judges had previously compared Patrick to Clay Aiken, and he does sound a bit like Clay on this song. He’s a bit breathy and a little flat, but he sings from the heart and does a decent job. It’s not an exciting performance, but it’s fair enough, especially for the first one of the evening.

Randy points out Patrick’s nerves, and while he feels this was not Patrick’s best, he says that he dug it. “You did your thing,” he says. Paula is not as impressed. She tells Patrick to stick to what he does best. But she beams at him and we know that she really, really likes Patrick, but is just trying to play the firm judge for a change. Simon isn’t as tactful. He notes that Patrick seems to be missing his piano and says that Patrick seemed fidgety and anxious. He continues, calling Patrick average and says that he is missing star quality.

David Radford – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

David is one of the “crooners” and has a very mature sound for his age. But there is an odd tone to his voice, and the performance feels forced. He also makes some strange faces and is a bit “loungey.”

Randy says that he felt as though he was in high school, and they are putting on a play and they need someone to sing a song. He says it was horrible and seemed like an act. Paula disagrees with Randy and points out that the girls, whom she has named the “Kitty Pound,” loved him. And they do. She points out that David has a lot of charisma.

Simon says he gets where Randy was going and calls the performance a bit of a joke. He warns David to take himself more seriously. Good advice. I hope David listens. David is devastated and Ryan tries to boost him up a bit. Tough talk for one so young. Oh well, this is the real thing, David.

Bucky Covington – “Simple Man”

Bucky is really scruffy-looking, complete with raggedy jeans and scraggly hair. He says that this song is the first one he learned to play on the guitar and is sure he won’t forget the words. He has a great texture to his voice, and even though he falls flat a few times, he has a nice growl and is the epitome of the Southern rocker dude. He’s no Bo, but I kind of like him.

Randy likes that Bucky picked Skynyrd, but says he doesn’t always have to sing that hard. He calls the song a cool choice because it shows off his range. Paula agrees that this was a good song choice and says, “You’re growing.” Whatever that means. Simon likes that Bucky is very raw and then takes an obvious shot at Constantine, saying something about wedding singers in leather jackets. Still, he says that there are thousands of bars where he could find someone like Bucky. Randy defends the bars and says he’s played a lot of them. Bucky is okay with all of this. When Ryan asks why Idol, Bucky says that he was inspired to audition by Carrie and Bo. Of course he was. There’s nothing Hollywood about Bucky, though, Ryan notes.