Idol 3 - Katharine McPhee

03. Katharine McPhee

Season 5, Runner-up

Arguably, the most drop dead gorgeous Idol finalist EVER! Seriously. If gorgeousness is the sole basis of topping this list, Katharine would most definitely be at #1. But of course, she's not just that because I think Katharine is a pretty talented individual - almost multimedia, if you ask me.

Ok. When Katharine's audition was being shown, I really didn't expect to like her. I mean, she seemed like she would be very stage school, over rehearsed, and too precise. Well, at least, these were my assumptions based on the fact that her mom teaches voice lessons. I figured she'd be everything I hate in these 'white girls' on Idol. Haha. But, when she opened her mouth and sang, I was shocked. Her audition was nothing short of brilliant. By far, one of the best auditions I've ever witnessed on Idol. I loved everything about it that she immediately kicked Paris Bennett out of my Top spot for Season 5 - although now, I still prefer Paris' audition.

Oddly enough, I actually didn't expect her to be much of a contender at that point. The edit she got during Hollywood week wasn't the best so I knew she'd have a hard time during the live show. Suffice is to say, McPhever was non-existent at that time. But going into the semfinals round, Kathatine definitely didn't disappoint with her first performance. She was clearly a force to be reckoned with, and undoubtedly the best of that night. Really. I was very happy to see her become sort of a front-runner after that.

Sadly, it wasn't all roses with Katharine. See, the thing about Katharine was that when she's on, she was freaking on. But, at some point, it became sort of a guessing game, "Will Kat be spectacular this week or not?" Yes, I love her for being so darn daring with her song choices, but she needed to learn her limits during her Idol run. Her upper register could just be so unbearably screechy at times, and she'd sound like she was going to lose all vocal control at any second. But her soft, medium range was absolutely phenomenal - possibly one of the best on Idol. Easily one of the most beautiful tones to ever grace the stage.

Heck, I can't even tell everyone how badly I wish she had stayed at her A game throughout the entire competition. I honestly think she could've won Season 5 if she had just played it smarter. Seriously. Take risks, but knew her limits. What a beautiful sight that would've been no? But as critical as I'm being right now, she's still at #3. Obviously, the good definitely made up for the bad. I have to say though that between Katharine and Taylor Hicks, she should've won. Really.

Now, I know that some people have always been quite critical of Katharine and her personality - heck, even now, 4 years after her run on the show. For me, I was never bothered by her personality. Really. You have to be a real a*shole for me to be bothered by your personality on this show, see Danny Gokey. Haha.

Well, somehow, I can see where the issue was. The moment the judges were being critical of her, she'd often have a slightly irritated face, or she'd have a very noticeably fake smile going on. Yes, that can be annoying to some, but I think people were jumping to conclusions calling her entitled and stuff. I mean, she's good and she knows it, but it's just harder for some people to listen to criticisms than others. So, bashing her for it is just plain stupid. That's really grasping for straws, and that's a crappy reason to not like her. But that's what you get when you leave power in the hands of the voting public. Haha. So, whatever.

As for her post-Idol career, I somehow managed to keep up with it and I'd say I love almost all of her materials. Her critically panned self-titled debut album I thought was very underrated. Yes, it wasn't the strongest debut album to ever come out of the franchise but it was pretty decent - almost good actually. The record has a good mix of RnB and pop tracks that's not short of catchy hooks. Now, her sophomore album, Unbroken, is a totally different story. That record is possibly one of the best pop/adult contemporary albums to come out in a while. I'll go on the limb and say that album even easily ranks up there with Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway album. Oh, and I love that she's also into acting as she has done movies already like House Bunny and guest starred in Community and CSI. I heard NBS is cooking up a sitcom with her as the lead star. Let's see.

Album Review: Unbroken

Favorite performance(s): Like I said, I loved Katherine's audition so much. I thought she started off really strong - sounding almost like a throwback singer - but when she got to that bridge, she took it too another level and it still gives me chills hearing her flawless runs and beautiful tone until now. Other than that, of course, her showstopper Over the Rainbow is a personal favorite. Simon hit it in the nail when he said it was possibly the most perfect song for her voice. It was beyond beautiful. I loved the arrangement, and I thought her tone laid on the song brilliantly. Similar to that, I think she also did a terrific job at staying within her limits in Someone to Watch Over Me, and it paid off in spades. It was such a subdued and gorgeous ballad. Black Horse and The Cherry Tree was also really good. It was modern and fresh - something I didn't exactly expect from her. Since I Fell For You was another one that seemed to fit her voice perfectly. She really made a name for herself with that one. Other ones I really liked were Until You Come Back to Me and the infamous I Have Nothing.

Audition

Over The Rainbow

Someone To Watch Over Me

Black Horse and The Cherry Tree

Since I Fell For You

Until You Come Back To Me

I Have Nothing

Over It

Love Story

Love Story (Jay Leno Show)

Had It All

Terrified (ft. Chuck's Zachary Levi)