Jesse Kinch sings 'Money (That's What I Want)' on Rising Star (VIDEO)
Jesse Kinch sang 'Money (That's What I Want)' on Rising Star Top 8 on Sunday, August 10, 2014.
In the pre-performance video, we learn that, apparently, the male contestants all have a Jesse Kinch impression. And they're all pretty great, actually. The girls, meanwhile, have a joke about how Jesse "smolders" in each performance. They also add that he has a habit of counting off his performances with a "1,2,3,4," which almost no one does anymore. Brad feels Jesse has a big career ahead of him, and who knows? Maybe he'll be right. I think Jesse has been the show's most consistent performer, scoring well above the average of just about any other contestant.
Jesse sings "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong, and it's another classic Jesse Kinch performance in that it's an old fashioned rock classic that somehow feels modern in his hands. Granted, I kind of wish Jesse branched out a bit further, perhaps into rearranging a song that isn't rock, and making it sound like the classic style he so often emulates. But I find Jesse impressive precisely because he already knows who he is as an artist, which not all contestants do on a show like this. He raises the Wall with 88%, even with Brad voting "no" for some reason.
Ludacris feels some people work hard at "it," and others are just born with "it," but Jesse somehow embodies both qualities: being born with "it" and working at having "it". The experts then get into an argument, as Kesha strongly disagrees with Brad's assertion that Jesse delivered a cliche cover version of that song. Kesha tells Jesse not to listen to Brad, but Brad says that Jesse shouldn't be allowed to just waltz through the competition. He's actually trying to offer some valid criticisms and opinions, which is admirable, if nothing else. Besides, Brad probably knew he could afford to send a message by voting no without endangering Jesse's spot. I like that Brad has the conviction to reject simply going along with the popular opinion. It's worthy of respect, if nothing else.
Watch the performance video here: