Katharine McPhee - Someone To Watch Over Me

[bigmezzful]

THIS WAS THE BEST PERFORMANCE EVER, ON IDOL! SHE SHOULD HAVE WON!

[notabadguy06]

imo, this is the best I have ever heard her sing. Her problem is when she tries to belt, she sounds awful

[march573]

Effortless and beautiful

[winnpoober]

Still one of my favorite Kat performances on AI...Sheer brilliance.

[UnderHerPillow]

was she crying at the end...? o.o

[impactblazers04]

In my opinion, one of the golden moments of that season.

It was so amazing.

[rgs1940]

This wass in my opinion the best season to date and Kat should have taken the Idol home with her. She is incredibly beautiful and talented. Love her singing the American songbook. Listen too to an equaly amazing version of this song by Amy Winehouse.

[slysly4]

The Golden Time of American Idol before it became corny and lazy!!!!

[hrhsam]

I give her credit for packing a lot into a two-minute song. A straight melody wouldn't do in this situation. Not much time to build the arc.

[romanticspirit]

LOVE this So Pretty! the BEST SEASON EVER #1

[romanticspirit]

LOVE this So Pretty!

[alefly2009]

beautiful voice..like an angel

[evaibohus]

I feel exactly the same.

[Kessiel]

This was beautiful. Jazz ballads are definitely her forte.

[bigblizz1andonly]

Im still in love with her.....sigh

[malikah2006]

i cant remember who even won that season.

[badtzmaroo]

@malikah2006 haha.. but in case you're serious it's Taylor Hicks... XD

[clydehrichards]

yep

[LarryStaples]

Try Renee Olstead...at fourteen years old she SLAYS this song!

Larry

[brewnz]

Kind of a tinny voice. I've been listening to the different versions of this song, and, surprisingly, Jean Louisa Kelly owned it best. I expected Ella, Ronstadt, Vaughn or Etta to have the best version, but you have to give it up when someone just nails it. I think JL Kelly took it to "that' place.

[thechinadesk]

@brewnz

Jean Louisa Kelly it is!

Her rendition dug deep into the subtext of Ira Gershwin's lyrics.

Her secret? One word: heart.

[nawoo]

Jean Louisa Kelly sang it way better

[g0thk1d]

@nawoo Keep in mind Ms Kelly didn't have to sing it live on national television. Though I do agree I like the movies version/arrangement better. Still, wow!

[thechinadesk]

@nawoo

Amen to that.

I've listened to every last version posted on the Net, and Jean Louisa Kelly sings it better than anyone else, hands down.

I'm not saying that singers such as Katherine McPhee don't have voices equal to Kelly's. They may, or they may not.

What I am saying is the Kelly makes the most musically and emotionally appropriate choices for the material.

Others take inappropriate liberties with the melodic line, and wind up sabotaging their own performances.

[UpstairsMaid]

@thechinadesk oh please, ella owns this song.

[thechinadesk]

@UpstairsMaid

You're an architect too? I no longer practice. But I was an architect for nearly 30 years. I practiced in Texas, California, and Taiwan.

Ella had a beautiful voice. No argument there. But as I noted before, the problem with so many singers who take on this song, is over-embellishment.

Ella doesn't do it as much as some others, but she still does it too much -- in my book.

As the late great German American architect Mies van der Rohe noted, "Less is more."

[UpstairsMaid]

@thechinadesk Huh - nice to meet you. Toronto Canada - working for diamond schmitt architects. I love ella for the sweet wistfulness in her version - I see this as a ballad that seems to make singers want to bring on the power alla louis kahn :-) I don't know ella = calatrava maybe? or am I confusing wistful with whimsical? or maybe this metaphor can only be extended so far! Thanks for the post - btw kat did a great job here. I also like julie andrews' version.

[thechinadesk]

@UpstairsMaid

Sorry for the late reply. Didn't t notice your reply in my inbox a month ago.

Musical preferences are highly subjective. I believe there is an objective basis beneath the subjective overlay. But it is often hard to get to, especially when fans of one singer collide head on with fans of another singer.

If you think it's bad for Broadway and Jazz singers, you should scan the vitriol that some opera fans heap on each other! LOL!

Anyway, good luck in your architecture career.

[CarloQuinto]

A performance for the ages! Please...Kat...sing the standards! You were born to sing the standards! You have the goods and then some!

[gemello6]

I love this performance! X

[babygaga4421]

work those chola brows, girl.

[helenthong]

Well, at least she's more successful than the winner in her season, what's his name again?

[freeble123]

when she didn't win, i stopped watching the show.

[OmKaliOm]

Sounds great,...but it sound like vocal acrobatics to me - where's the story? I don't believe the lyrics that are coming out of her mouth. This was written by George Gershwin, with a simple melody, specifically because the message is simple. The riffs everywhere distract me.

[slickqfoo22]

@OmKaliOm I def agree with you that it's a simple melody with a simple message. But then again, on American Idol simple melody sadly just doesn't cut it to get the votes =/

[thechinadesk]

@OmKaliOm

Thank you, thank you, thank you for injecting a little common sense into musical analysis.

How a song should be sung must have some bearing on the lyrics and the melody, no?

Too many singers indulge in vocal gimmickry that undermines the essential spirit of the song.

The rendition becomes a triumph of style over substance, of ornament over emotion.

[indoctus41]

She's great. We all know that. But what is unique about her is she can excel in every style she's asked to sing. THAT IS TALENT.

[cheech6971]

How Taylor "Can't Sing" Hicks won is what America Idol is about, no talent MoFo's win!!!!

[jefflevin7]

Kahterine McPhee has a lovely voice, and super talent. Ella Fitzgerald wouldn't have done a better job with this song! Katherine made me a believer and a fan. It is idiotic that she didn't win American Idol. The Judges picked a swaggering Taylor Hicks country Boy. Big mistake. But Katherine is the real winner in true talent.

[modelo81292]

@jefflevin7 This girl is really good but this isn't comparable to Ella's

[almailman]

Incredible!!! I've never watched a minute of "Idol," but it's obvious that I missed a real talent. And, she didn't win?!

It took a lot of, um...fortitude (not the word I was thinking of) to sit right in front of the panel as she did.  That's confidence. And, they were able to see her expressiveness; no flash and fancy costume to detract from her instrument.

I agree with "pianistica": Stick to the standards: Try to go "pop" and you'll be a "flash-in-the-pan."

Think: Charlotte Church.

[pianistica]

she should be singing this kind of music.

[johnbreaker95]

SHE SHOULDVE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[evaibohus]

I love her singing this tune! Shhe touches my heart!

[dansig123]

Allison owns this!!!

[topsecretplans]

She's got a voice, but I prefer singers who can stay in tune!

[jonathan3691]

Stunning. Her voice sounds just lovely when she doesn't push it to go higher IMO.

[rAYsimmon]

Katherine McPhee is a SINGER!!!  I didn't catch much of season five of Idol, but who took home the grand prize that year if this woman didn't, because that was one big ass mistake!

[notabadguy06]

imo,, this is where she shines......she isnt a pop singer, she SHOULDNT try to belt songs......this is where she should be........

[Littlescienceguy]

I liked the way Diana DeGarmo sang it better.

[carmishimron]

what a beautiful song... Classic!

[whitetiefilms]

I have yet to see a night on American Idol that was as freaking fantastic as 50's night on season five. And Katharine McPhee takes the cake.

[CateDiva]

too bad it's so out of tune.

[starlinej]

Dreadful. She was smiling THE ENTIRE TIME. She put no emotion into a very emotional song.

[FWDclips]

What if that was her interpretation? I mean, the song is pretty hopeful smiling is not an inappropriate gesture

[devoutxcynic]

@starlinej she was smiling at her guy who was in the audience

[oldbluujeans]

i'm still confused and dont understand at all, how this super talented chick loses over an old hilbilly

[SolOtis]

if she made an album of nothing but standards i would buy that sooo quickly. Even though I was rooting for Elliott Yamin throughout this whole season I rather have her win than that Taylor Hicks dude.

[dman747707]

This is officially Allison Iraheta's song.

[KrisAllisonKelly4evr]

@dman747707 Officially, Katharine sang this three years before Allison did.

[lovbrit]

her natural voice is so beautiful.

I prefer this song over songs she sings too high.

[sanshoryu]

Jean Louisa Kelly's version in Mr Holland's Opus is better, sweeter.

[mdehkram]

Just great. I sure which she was singing the standards now.

[vnmj9512]

I love her voice. She can sing anything and it will be awesome. And i love her somewher over the rainbow performance.....AMAZING!!!!!!!

[antyfreeman2008]

to this day...this performance STILL brings a tear to my eye. Katharine McPhee outsang that entire competition with this one vocal. simply amazing!

[Biskmut]

Absolutely beautiful.

[karenaperville]

This is one of the best AI performances ever. Absolutely flawless!

[countrygurl03us]

how did she not win??

[haroof]

@countrygurl03us Because all the fat house frows out there voted for the good 'ol boy, Taylor "No Talent" Hicks.

[devon593]

@countrygurl03us she's not win but she's the best all the way!!

[squirrelgirl45]

@countrygurl03us

I know right, I was really mad when I found out that she didn't win. I still think she should have!

[haroof]

@countrygurl03us It was a complete disgrace that she didn't win. I never watched another season after that.

[julliehideaway]

@countrygurl03us She didn't? But who did?

[kit0690]

@julliehideaway Taylor Hicks. Psh. Between Katharine and Chris Daughtry, it boggles my mind that corny Taylor Hicks won.

[julliehideaway]

@kit0690 Oh well, I still like Taylor Hicks. I actually thought they were from different seasons. xD

[haroof]

@countrygurl03us It was a complete crock of shit that she didn't win. Complete joke. I stopped watching Idol the following season.

[FullofAwesomeness101]

awesomeness!!!!

[jmds88]

her version was pretty good, but allison's was better IMO.

[kapuso2]

in your dreams...this is the best......

[Trevor638]

Beautiful performance!!!

[magentazZz]

Yes! They keep deleting Kat's videos!

[akithan]

A really good performance...........

[qg6ff]

well, now yet another account to be deleted, therefore taking away the thousands of views on these incredible videos

[nothlithawk777]

It makes me sad. :(