Talk Back: Song Choices and Who is Going Home?

Finally back online. Turns out my wireless router just up and bit the dust. But, I have my handy-dandy wired router sitting at the ready, so I'm back with this week's Talk Back.

It's Wednesday again, and song choices are up. Thanks to the anonymous poster who left a list of this week's song choices in a comment for me, saving me a little bit of work. This week's theme is "How it Should Be Done", which is an interesting approach. I really like the fact that they'll be doing a group song as well - that should definitely be a treat. Here we go (funny how short this list is starting to look):

Nicky: ''My Immortal'', Evanescence
Martelize: ''Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman'', Bryan Adams
Karin: ''Natural Woman'', Aretha Franklin
Gift: ''Fever'', Peggy Lee
Deidre: ''Strong Enough'', Cher
V: ''Angel'', Robbie Williams
Ayanda: ''Mountain High'', Diana Ross
Nhlanhla: ''Killing Me Softly'', The Fugees

First, I have to start with the obvious. Karin has an excellent song for her this week, and it's the perfect showcase for her voice as well as an opportunity to show a little slow groove. I'm really looking forward to hearing this, and think she might just give Aretha herself a run for her money.

I'm not a big fan of Cher's "Strong Enough". While the Shoop Shoop song was perfect for Deidre, I'm not too sure that she'll be strong enough to handle this one. Could be a very dangerous move for someone who has been teetering on the edge. Flu or not, Deidre has some serious ground to make up, and I think a "safer" song choice might have been a good idea. She needs to get a solid footing again - this is definitely not the time to be taking risks.

Ayanda AKA the Comeback Kid has erased my biggest doubts about her, and based on stellar performances over the last two weeks, I think this song is the perfect vehicle to display her greatest strengths: energy, enthusiasm and an absolutely infectious personality.

I can't help but think that V is thumbing her nose at Randall in a very big way by choosing a Robbie Williams song. It's no secret that Randall has no great love for either Robbie or V. That said, I think she can pull this song off well, but my prediction is that it will be a standard V performance: technically perfect and emotionally empty. I've been wrong before though, so maybe she'll come through.

I really enjoy "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman", even if it does have a horrendously long title. Martelize is sticking to what works best for her, and I think she'll do a good job. Song choice really let her down last week, so falling back to familiar ground is a good idea.

If he straddles the line between Ray Charles and Peggy Lee, Gift could deliver another stunning performance with "Fever". I won't even try to pretend not to be biased; Gift is quickly becoming one of my favorites, and I think that this sexy, sultry number is a perfect fit for the sexiest guy on Sunday night TV.

I'm not sure if Nicky can pull off an understated, delicate song such as "My Immortal". There are a few female artists out there that have amazingly delicate and melodic voices. Sarah McLachlan, Dido, and Jewel come to mind. Evanscence is right in this league, and I haven't seen any sign yet that Nicky can match up to their standards. A technically challenging song that requires an extraordinarily light touch, this song might prove too much for Nicky.

And the song that might be the most frequently butchered song by Idols hopefuls (and basically anybody else who isn't Roberta Flack), Nhlanhla will be taking on Killing Me Softly. I'm undecided on how this will work out - possibly because I'm still undecided on Nhlanhla. Overall, I like him and am impressed with his growth during Idols. As with Gift, if he does a good blend of the Roberta Flack original with the Fugees cover, he has a good chance of making it work.

Then there's the group song, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (yes, I know the Idols site lists it as "You're Just Too Good to Be True" but I'm going to be picky and go with its actual name) This should be great fun to see. I've heard the contestants sing together and their voices work extremely well together. I think this will be the highlight of the week.

So who is going home this week? I am still stunned at Kesha's elimination this week. I didn't think she was very likely to make it all the way, given her slowly declining performance since the Top 12 began, but I definitely didn't think she was the weakest performance last Sunday. As Zani pointed out in the comments section, it may just have come down to fanbase, or the lack thereof. But as more and more people go home, the playing field starts to level out a bit, so strong performances will be crucial. Nicky surprised me last week, but I still question her ability to hold her own against some very strong competition, and Deidre also concerns me a bit. At the moment, it's neck and neck, but I'm going to go with the old standby, and say that Nicky is my pick for the most likely to be eliminated come Monday. Of course, as always, Sunday night will be the deciding factor, and if there's one thing that has remained consistent throughout this season, it's that there will always be surprises around the corner...