If you tuned in American Idol On Sunday (April 21) to see the announcement of this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, you got the news, albeit with a surprisingly rushed, misogynistic presentation. With so much other ground to cover in the two-hour episode — which focused on performances of the top 14 nominated songs by previous Rock Hall inductees — it was clearly not the time to give this year's announcement the shine it deserved.
What the audience got was a powerful concert from a group of talented young artists that proved the range of the previous inductees. Well, mostly: The show featured rock, pop, R&B and country, but no hip-hop. And three The contestants sang Whitney Houston songs – two of them ballads The Bodyguard. It's a sign of how popular Houston remains 12 years after her death, and how much she's still looked up to as a role model by young, up-and-coming talent. Obviously, the show doesn't come in and say, “Sorry, it's already taken. Can you pick someone else?' But with so many artists and types of artists in the Rock Hall, it seemed ridiculous to nominate Houston three times.
The two artists they covered Bodyguard songs – Julia Gagnon (“Run to You”) and Jayna Elise (“I Have Nothing”) – both advanced to the next round. But Jordan Anthony, a 19-year-old Australian who sang “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” was sent home. His version of the song – less jaunty, more tender – was interesting, though a “Wanna Dance” that doesn't sound bubbly is a hard sell when that's the song's defining quality. (The song topped Billboard's 2023 Top 500 Pop Songs: Staff List.)
Here are five excerpts from the Rock Hall-themed episode American Idol.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/american-idol-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-themed-episode-critics-take/
