THE DAM NATION: Idol 21 - Carly Smithson

Monday, September 27, 2010

Idol 21 - Carly Smithson

21. Carly Smithson

Season 7, 6th Place

Going into Season 7, there was a ton of hype about the "Irish Girl" and I was definitely intrigued. Too bad, Simon made her sound like the best thing since Whitney Houston, so the bar was set impossibly high for her. Consequently, when I finally saw her audition, I wasn't disappointed - ok. Well, I was slightly disappointed, but I still really loved her. Sure, I was expecting absolute perfection, which she was not, but she definitely delivered.

Now, during the semifinals, I admit that she was a bit of a let down. Simon was absolutely right when he kept talking about the potential she had, and how she wasn't living up to it. But, at the same time, I think Simon should've brought up the positive more often. I mean, Carly at 75% of her potential was still much better than most of the girls giving their all. So, judging her based on her potential, I'd say a good portion of her performances were sub standard, but judging Carly on her competition, she was amazing! Really.

That said, Carly, of course, wasn't perfect. I actually had issues about her that somehow made me connect with her a little less than usual. I think that the way she looked when she performed on stage could be a little distracting as she often looked like she was in pain when she was really belting it out. Sometimes though, that fact didn't bother me that much as long as it sounded good - as it mostly did. Oh, and she did strain a bit in some songs, but that was just me nitpicking. Haha.

Frankly, I don't think Carly ever had a bad performance. Yes, she had a few ones that I thought were just ok, but she never was bad. So, when she was cut after a stellar performance of Jesus Christ Superstar, I was totally speechless. She absolutely did not deserve to go that soon. Heck, I thought she should've made Top 4, at least. She was consistent and interesting musically. Her elimination left me more apathetic about the show than ever. I didn't feel like watching the next week, but I did - and I'm glad I didn't give up. Haha.

Post-Idol, I was really really hoping that Carly would get picked up by a label right away. She really does have a marketable sound to her, and I would certainly rush out to buy an album from her when it comes out. But she didn't. Good thing, the ex-members of the disbanded Evanescence formed a new band called We Are The Fallen and hired Carly Smithson as their lead vocalist. I listened to their album and I thought it rocked. Seriously.

Favorite performance(s): There are actually two performances from Carly that really stand out as brilliant performances to me. The first of which would be her performance of Here You Come Again. I cannot believe how underrated this performance was. I was floored by the subtlety when she sang this. Absolutely brilliant. Now, the other major stand out for me was when she sang Come Together. The vibe of this performance was beyond cool, and I loved all of her phrasing choices. Another notable performances for me would be Jesus Christ Superstar and Crazy On You.

Here You Come Again