Wish Vargas is still around to render this pin-up....
Picking up where we left off two weeks ago, rolling into the Top 5 is Haley’s excellent cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep.’ This "dark bluesy gospel disco tune," as Adele herself called it, was number 1 on virtually all Adult Contemporary Top 40 charts and getting major airplay on radio when Haley in a stroke of genius chose it as her contemporary song choice on Top 7 week.
The picture of sheer elegance in her vintage red dress, Haley resembled a classic pin-up from a bygone era when beauties like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Brigitte Bardot graced the covers of magazines and movie posters. In a departure from her previous performances, Haley seated herself behind the judges’ table and closer to the audience for a more intimate feel. This is yet another great arrangement; it is heartfelt and tender at the start, the gentle touch of her delicate voice as smooth as silk to our eardrums. Then Haley really kicked it up a notch in the chorus, serving a reminder of just how powerful her voice can be. By the time she belted out "Count your blessings to find what you look for, turn my sorrow into treasured gold" in that signature growl we've all grown to love, you can't help but marvel at those vocal pipes like her backup singers. Then she settles down again in that lovely soft jazzy croon of hers, just like that. I know some of you consider it sacrilege for me to compare her rendition favorably to the great Adele’s, but I'm sorry, Haley's version is every bit just as good.
Haley ending up in the Bottom Three after this performance was just one more indignity she endured this past season. No less a magazine than Entertainment Weekly had this to say in its July 22 issue (ref. pg. 73): "Somehow this killer take landed the Idol finalist in the bottom three. America, we revoke your voting rights." A YouTube video of this performance posted by Achiq74 nearly reached 2.5 million views before it was removed. Even today videos of Haley's 'Rolling in the Deep' remain the most highly watched of all her Season 10 performances, and we can clearly see why.
No comments:
Post a Comment