Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind

[koganbot]

Strangely lilting version of "Rhiannon" by Didi Benami on American Idol, like she's dancing carefree on icicles, very audacious to give it a different mood. Then in the last ten seconds she finds her way to what was haunting in the original.

"Didi Benami - Rhiannon (American Idol Live HD Version)" (Watch on YouTube)

Then she is the darkness: The Fleetwood Mac hit was essentially hard rock, even though it's played soft, and there's a coiled rage in Stevie that works very well by staying coiled. Here from 1976 is a terrific live version by FM that is the opposite: they take it too fast at the start, are a bit scraggly through the song per se; then, two-thirds of the way through, they go into a stunning rave-up where the snake uncoils and Stevie blisters her way like Grace Slick or Patti Smith but better. (Yes, I've embedded this before.)

Fleetwood Mac "Rhiannon"

Only dipped a little into American Idol this week, just this and the Bowersox and the Magnus. (Bowersox was masterful, striding through a Tracy Chapman blues while giving the impression of having wind held in reserve, totally at her command; don't see how she doesn't win it all unless she gets sick again, but me, getting a little restless... well, Kara gave us the usual platitude, "this is what we talk about when people know who they are," and I was wishing I was sitting in Simon's spot so I could say, "Yeah, well, Kelly Clarkson doesn't know who she is, and Elvis Presley never knew who he was, and Kara here doesn't have a clue who she is and wouldn't be as interesting if she did, but yes, it was a beautiful performance, always a pleasure etc.")

So, anything else of note on this week's AI?

h/t Jimmy Draper.

Comments

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

Have you watched this week's performances yet? Didi is now my second favorite (first favorite is BOWERSOX, of course) which is a bit surprising, considering I barely even noticed her before last week -- and even then, I wasn't too impressed, since Stevie has basically done this arrangement of "Rhiannon," and while the mood of it suits Didi, she's no Stevie. But this week's performance inspired me to download the MP3 and play it on repeat.

(BTW, don't bother with YouTube -- rickey.org has videos and MP3s of everything.)

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

PS - Why am I not on your sidebar?

[koganbot]

I don't think you'd Tumbl'd for Tumblr yet when I did the links. Though if Luc and Mark don't update one of these days, I may pull the plug on them and add others. I'm open to bribes.

I only listened to Siobhan and Crystal of this week's (was ho-hum on both, Crystal certainly being impressive as usual but she didn't dig emotion out of the song, which is all about scraping at and running up against limits both inside and outside yourself, and accommodating,* didn't get any of that from the performance); oh yeah, and heard the guy who did "Under My Thumb," ditto but he wasn't close to as good as Crystal. I don't really dare listen to the others but I'll give Didi a listen right now.

*Though I also once complained that it was "Heart Of Stone" reduced to platitudes, which I still believe, but a good singer (e.g. Jagger in '69) can always deliver platitudes as if they matter.

[koganbot]

(Lj only allows people of my second-rate status 30 links.)

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

A weak excuse.