First of all, in comparing those two versions of Titanium, I want to give credit where credit is due.
This clearly demonstrates that Angie had come up with the idea to slow the song down in this way and imo she turned an average pop song into something special by doing so. Confirms to me, what I think about Angie anyhow, that there is a fantastic song-writer and artist there, with a very good voice on top of it. Because holding her own with Adam - and she did that (yes, I know he held back, but still) - it is obviously something that only few can do, and most would shrink away at the suggestion that they should even try. So, credit where credit is due.
Over the last 4 months, Angie has received expert voice training and she has improved in breath control, phrasing, pacing herself, her lower range is stronger now than it was on the older version, etc. So, not all was Adam or Michael Orland in the last few days of rehersal - neither is it possible to tell exactly what Adam might have added or not.
I do think that last night, they kept it slow, whereas in her solo version she started running faster as the song progressed, which did not help her. Given that Adam has demonstrated at many other times how he uses this element to his advantage and very skillfully so, I am presuming that credit belongs to him for that one.
Adam also knows how to bring variety into a frequently repeated phrase and his demonstration of that skill is superior to hers in the duet version.
Angie has two styles of singing: a) Silent, tender singing and b) belting it out. Adam nuances throughout the song, going along with her general concept and yet adding so much depth by what he does first with his echo voice and then with his harmonies. That is where the role reversal really shows, imo. Because normally the more interpretive and more skilled singer will take the lead and the other person sings harmonies as best they can and in this case, we got the opposite. The beauty of this was of course that it sounded so much richer that way, because let's face it: Singing close harmonies like these so cleanly is a skill that only few can master. Add to that the variety demonstrated, add to that that Adam went along with her pacing and adapted to her style, and it just shows a skill level that any musically trained person will pick up immediately.
But obviously, even the lay person will hear the quality in these harmonies and therefore this enthusiastic response.
These were not easy harmonies to sing. They were tightly structured and reminded me otherwise of a female-female Donizetti opera aria or something, where you would typically hear such vocal skills. It's a beautiful thing to hear this. Never heard such a thing done in pop music . If anybody ever tells you they doubt that Adam could have been capable of a classic tenor career should he have chosen to do so, just play them this piece. They will not ask anymore, I promise. Adam is brilliant and he is shining bright like a diamond in every way.
I can't stop playing it, and while we are at it, this below is what idol itself tweeted out. It is a separate Fox TV recording and not the youtube version, and the video tends to lag a bit, at least on my computer, but it probably is good to give it some hits too, because I think they are trying to get their own impression on who listens to what they put on their site, independent from the youtube counter. So, please give it some hits too, TY
@americanidol: Did you get chills when @angieai12 & @adamlambert took on "Titanium" -
fox.tv/Z3PZoa ? #idolfinale
ETA: Q3, agree with you that this was brilliant song choice by Angie. We were all here scratching our heads what they could do together and this suited them both in vocals and lyrics. It was a very good choice.
Makes me happy, like Shady.