I like both of the finalists, and regard this year's finalists as among the best so far. I do, however, think that Katharine is the superior musician, and as such, am favoring her.
Taylor, for his part, is an adept entertainer and soulful singer. When it comes down to abilities, though, I honestly think Katharine could perform songs that Taylor simply could not do. And if she did at least one or two songs that fly clearly over the head of Taylor, Taylor may well defer to Katharine, and subtly signal his own preference for her. I think he is gentleman enough to do that.
The key to Katharine's victory may well be found in the short snippet of her singing duet, in Italian, with Andrea Bocelli. Here, she was clearly superior to everyone else on the show. Sadly, they only showed a few seconds of it.
What if Katharine sang Bocelli's "Con te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye) a la Sarah Brightman? That would certainly qualify as "pulling out the stops" -- which she needs to do to win. Taylor probably could not do that song.
Or what if Katharine sang Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk" a la Al Jarreau? Or Gorecki's Third a la Dawn Upshaw? Or any Lisa Gerrard?
Maybe she should bring the house to tears with "Soft Goodbye" from the "Celtic Woman" concert.
Any of these would put her over the top.
As far as non-verbal communication...she needs to focus more on her sexiness, and forget that her grandfather is watching. It makes one clam up.
At first, I thought it would come down to Kellie Pickler and Katharine, then later, Chris and Katharine. Now I'm going to stick with Katharine...and hope that, if she wins, she will bring a wider variety of music to her fans. Imagine your young daughter singing songs in many tongues! This would be a good thing. Kath brings much to the table. I hope she shows her full abilities...and shares them.
Best of luck to Kath and Taylor!
