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After Katharine surivived a bottom 2 with Lisa Tucker last week, during the music of the 21st Century, Katharine McPhee moves on.
This week's theme on Katharine McPhee's Journey thru last season's "American Idol", is country music.
Something that Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood does so well. Since last year's show, Carrie has cleaned up on the country music charts, 4 #1 songs, Jesus, Take The Wheel, Inside Your Heaven, Before He Cheats, and her current hit, Wasted.
This week's celebrity coach, is a man who knows country music, "The Gambler", Kenny Rogers. A man whose career has spanned more than 6 decades, from his early years with the First Edition, and then to a successful solo career, with hits such as "The Gambler", and "Islands In The Stream", with Dolly Parton among others.
This week, Katharine is singing "Bringing Out The Elvis In Me", referring to Elvis Presley, who we will discuss later on down the road.
What do you remember of that performance?
This is a song that IMO you can only do so much with. Katharine delivers a fun, energetic performance with a great vocal that everyone seemed to enjoy (with the exception of the Simon). But because it's not a great song I don't think anyone has it high on their list of favorite Katharine performances. I wonder if she may have played it safe after the scare of the previous week, or it could be she just liked the song, being a Faith Hill fan and all. Here's the HQ Divx video: http://stage6.divx.com/content/show/1138650?user_id=536478 And here it is on youtube:
Some quick thoughts on this performance before I post the transcript. I thought Kat looked great here. And I think she made a smart choice with the song. She knows she isn't really a country singer so she found herself something she could make work. And it's a Faith Hill song so it's not like she cheated or anything. I would have bet you pretty good money she was going to do a Faith Hill song before when we found out it was Country Week. I thought she might do "Breathe" but I think she decided it would be better to have at least a little bit of fun.
This wasn't one of her best performances but it was still very good.
Here's the transcript.
KATHARINE’S TOP 9 PERFORMANCE (COUNTRY)
Song: “Bringing Out The Elvis”
Performed: April 4, 2006
Original Performer: Faith Hill
Written By: Louise Hoffsten and Leif Larrson
Year: 1999
PRE-PERFORMANCE
Kenny Rogers: Her doing “Bringing Out The Elvis” is a perfect choice.
Katharine: I love country music but it’s not really what I do so um, I kind of wanted to find something that had like a bluesy feel to it too.
Kenny: Yeah.
Kenny: She’s not a classical country singer, but she’s chosen a song that fits her personality very well.
Katharine (singing in rehearsal): “You’re bringing out the Elvis in me…” (she looks at Kenny in a “was that good?” kinda way)
Kenny: It’s not country, country. It’s more sultry. I think she’s going to do really well with this song.
KATHARINE’S LYRICS
You're bringing out the Elvis in me You're bringing out the Elvis in me Just like a fossil Frozen in time I could not move My heart, my soul, my feet Then you unearthed me And put me in a hot pulsating groove Now I'm a slave to the beat You're bringing out the Elvis in me Making my hips want to sway You bring out the Elvis in me yeah Making me burst out and sing People think you are so nice and cool Cause I think you are so nice and cool
And some people say You're so square But I don't care You're bringing out the Elvis in me You're bringing out the Elvis in me yeah
POST-PERFORMANCE
Randy: Yo, yo. Alright, so. Yo, yo. So kinda bluesy, country, yeah?
Katharine: (nods in affirmation of her bluesy, countryness)
Randy: Kind of a bluesy, country. I like it. You sang it very nice, very nice. Good job, dawg. Good job.
Katharine: Thank you.
Paula: That, that is your style, that’s your niche. You look sexy, hot, cool.
Simon: I don’t. I don’t know what to say anymore. I really don’t. That song was just so peculiar.
Paula: You’re peculiar!
Katharine: You just, Simon, you just don’t like country music. It’s OK.
Simon: You’re right, I don’t.
Katharine: Just say it.
Simon: I don’t, I hate it.
Katharine: Yeah.
Ryan: Profound statement of the evening from Katharine McPhee. 1-866-IDOLS-08, 1-866-436-5708 or text the word vote to 5708. You nailed it.
as paula said - "you're sexy, hot, cool"....all I could think through the whole performance is OMG - she is soooooo cute...I LOVED the outfit - but I had the most god-awful feeling that it wouldn't be "country" enough and they would nail her for picking Faith Hill ("whaddya thinkin'? you think you're as good as faith hill? well you're not!!!")....even though (imo) she was every bit as good......I thought this performance was GREAT!!! But - there was nothing really unique about it and so I was actually very worried for her, even though it turned out to be fine......
Her looks were a turning point here (I thought) - it's like she began to look really different and the Kat that we see now - came out here.......