Top 25 Performances of 2012 – New Year’s Countdown – #11
#11 is Elise Testone with "Whole Lotta Love"! Firstly, covering Led Zeppelin on American Idol is always a massive undertaking. I'm not sure there has ever been a more genuine rock performance on this show than Elise's performance of "Whole Lotta Love." Elise Testone is seriously a musical sniper. When she's on it, she can nail any note she attempts with ease. She took a few fumbles as a result of wonky song choices (probably not her fault), but she stands firmly as one of the best vocalists the show has put up in recent memory.
Aside from her seriously impressive vocals, I loved that Elise, as a twenty-something woman, wouldn't allow herself to be pushed around in a competition that generally favors youngsters. Her retort to Steven Tyler's "you have to sing a familiar song" critique regarding her performance of "Bold As Love" by Jimi Hendrix was probably my favorite line of the season ("I thought everyone knew that song" to the lead singer of Aerosmith who, clearly, did not). I've never been one to buy into the whole "don't defend yourself" rule of thumb. If you think the judges are abusing you, say something, because this is a show where the mics are on, and you don't get vocal help. Do you hear me JLo? None! NONE!
The only reason Elise's performance isn't ranked higher for me is simply because by this time I'd begun to realize that her fan base hadn't been, and probably never would be, stabilized. Thus, I tended to watch Elise for sheer enjoyment, as opposed to, say, actually hoping she could pull out a win. I kind of think you need that sense of urgency when you're watching a show like Idol. Still, "Whole Lotta Love" ranks up there as quite possibly the greatest throwback rock performance American Idol has ever produced. For that, Elise should be stoked.
If you’re interested in how this countdown works, check out the original post Here!