Okay, so you’ve sort of slept through this season of American Idol. It’s not a big deal. I mean, most people didn’t tune in this year. However, tonight is the finale and we have two very insanely compelling reasons for you to tune in tonight: Candice Glover and Kree Harrison.
That’s right. This year’s finalists are two of the biggest vocal powerhouses the show has ever had. Confused? Unsure? Have a lot of questions? Don’t worry we’ve got all the answers for why tonight’s final live performance show is one you absolutely cannot miss.
So, some of you probably want ask, “What Do These Women Even Sound Like?!?!”
Candice Glover has one of the biggest and best voices the show has ever had. Her style is mostly R&B, and vocally she sounds like a cross between Etta James and Adele, with the power of young Whitney. She has exquisite control over her instrument and often leaves Mariah Carey in awe of her vocal range and power.
Kree Harrison also has one of the best voices in the show’s history, and while she also has unbelievable control and can belt it out, her strength is in the unique timbre of her voice. She’s a country singer, but instead of fitting in the current super-blonde, pop country vibe, she’s got more of a classic 70s rock vibe, and is an old school storyteller in song.
So What Was Candice Glover’s Greatest Moment This Season?
Like Kree, Candice has been killing it week after week since the beginning. However, it wasn’t until she belted the bejesus out of The Cure’s “Lovesong” that America really sat up and took notice of her–and Mariah Carey anointed her with glitter:
So What Was Kree Harrison’s Greatest Moment This Season?
Kree’s standout moment is tougher to pinpoint than Candice’s if only because her strength is the gorgeous quality and control of her voice. That said, Kree’s sublime take on “What The World Needs Now Is Love” is swoon-worthy:
What Do The Judges Say About The Finalists?
Regarding Candice Glover…
After last week’s “Somewhere”, Randy Jackson proclaimed, “She had one of the greatest vocals in Idol history,” referring to “Lovesong.” Adding, “Guess what? She’s got another one!
Mariah Carey anointed Candice with glitter. That’s all.
Keith Urban was also blown away after “Somewhere”, and said, “Oh my goodness! What was that? What happened? How do you do that?!? What is that? This is like what’s going to happen: if you want to vote for Candice, dial the number on your screen; if you don’t want to vote for Candice, call your doctor. You probably don’t have a pulse.”
After her performance of “When I Was Your Man” a few weeks back, Nicki Minaj forced the judges’ panel into a standing ovation and starting crying (in a good way) during her critique of “Next To Me” last week.
After a video about the deaths of Kree’s parents and Kree’s performance of “Here Comes Goodbye” last week, Randy Jackson said “That was unbelievably beautiful…You hit just one big note, you don’t always have to hit every big note all the time to really connect with that emotion and really sell us and get us hooked into a song. That was brilliant.”
Mariah Carey added, “I absolutely agree that that was brilliant…but more than brilliant, I have to say, there’s something about you in general…I’m so in awe with the purity of you when you sing. There’s a realness like I don’t care what other type of airs other people put on…there’s something just so real about you that no one can take that away from you.”
After an earlier performance of “Perfect, Keith Urban said, “That song choice for me really only proves one thing and that is, for my ear, you’re a country girl. And it doesn’t matter what you sing, you know you’ve got those nice little trills in there and I love that about you. I love the fact that no matter what song you sing, you have such a strong, signature sound and I think that’s important and I thought that was very apparent tonight.”
Nicki Minaj has Proposed marriage to Kree, or “Kreedom”, as she calls her, in the early rounds and has compared her voice to waffles. After her performance of “Perfect” this past week, she said, “I feel the quality of your voice is always filled with so much QUALITY. It’s always warm, sweet, pleasant to the ear.”
So…Why Will Candice Win?
Candice will win because the undeniable power of her voice. She is quite possibly the best vocalist-in terms of range, control and power-that American Idol has ever had. Like, she’s seriously inhuman.
Yeah, But Why Will Kree Win?
Kree has two things going for her that Candice doesn’t: a loyal country audience (country stars typically win reality competition shows because country fans actually pick up the phone and vote) and a uniquely beautiful voice that pulls on the heart.
Tune into American Idol tonight to see the ladies’ last performances and tune in tomorrow to find out which woman will be the victor.
[Photo Credit: Getty Images]