Well this is one time I am very glad to be wrong! A much deserved win for David Cookand a great final show for both the Davids. Congratulations!
May
20
Hello Idol Fans!
So here we are at the exciting climax of Season Seven. Tonight the contestants will sing three songs: one chosen for them by producer Clive Davis or.. wait is that Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much too tight face making another Idol appearance? Yes, it is. A second chosen from the top ten winners of this year’s Songwriter’s Competition. And last but certainly not least a song of their own choosing. I like the boxing match theme, it is quite fun
ROUND ONE… wherein the contestants are encouraged to make brave choices
In choosing a song for David Cook, Clive Davis looks for the “yearning of a generation”, which is apparently unresolved as David is singing U2′s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For . Being written a few short years after his birth, this song is not really from David C ‘s generation (like John Mayer’s Waitin’ On the World to Change maybe), but it is nonetheless a hot song by an even hotter rock group. David does his usual Cooking starting low and soft, but the song never really picks up. DC’s vocals are good but the phrasing is odd; more like speaking or even shouting than singing. Since she can’t really say it was great, and she can’t resort to commenting on DC’s fashion sensibility, Paula gushes that “We’ve found what We’re looking for”. Randy and Simon stop short of saying anything negative so as not to spoil the fun… er match.
David Archuleta comes out swinging (see, I can play along), with Elton John/ Bernie Taupin’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me. I must give Lord ALW props here and say that this was a really awesome choice for our boy wonder. The song is right in David’s register with all the right big notes and emotion, and he knocks it out of the ballpark (oops wrong sport)… or rather delivers what may be a knockout punch (better?). I agree with Simon… this was not just one of David A’s best performances, it was one of the best performances of the season. Not one to fret about overextending a metaphor, Paula says that “the sun will never go down on David”. Was this small success too much too soon in the show? We’ll see…
Round One to David A, a knockout
ROUND TWO…wherein the contestants are encouraged to be brave and bold
So it will go like this I think… just like in most political contests, most people already know which guy they prefer before the debate or whatever, and most of them will vote for their guy regardless. Those on the fence or those who think that they should will vote based on the night’s performances. That’s my theory and I’m stickin’ to it.
So Round two is a selection from the songwriter’s competition. On first glance I liked that the singers could select a song this year, but on later reflection, I thought that David A clearly got the better song and it might have been nice to see David C’s spin on it.
Anyway, things being as they are, David Cook chooses Dream Big which by title
would seem to sum up the night. But the song isn’t really very good, and even though DC sings it well enough it is quite a lackluster sort of big dream, maybe one about a vacation to the Poconos or retiring in central Florida or something. It doesn’t even seem to have many lyrics. David does not seem very “present”. I hope that he will kick butt (or give ‘em the old one two or something) on his last song.
David Archuleta does somewhat better in choosing In This Moment, a nice cheesy song for a big cheese moment. It is prettily sung with a nice strong swell on the big part. Disney’s dream kid is sounding a mite competitive with that “no one can take it away” lyric… not You over-involved stagedad or even You you “just having fun” rocker guy.
Round Two to Archuleta by decision.
ROUND THREE
David Cook ends his night and his half of the competition with The World I Know by Collective Soul. This is a surprisingly good song choice from a guy who left to his own devices usually picks something borderline obscure, and David’s singing is finally in the Cook zone. He starts in a higher register than usual which gives him a better tone. But alas, the arrangement is problematic because it never builds and we are left waiting for that big rock moment. This is the last show for crying out loud, where’s the rock fron the rocker? This would have been the time for Baba O’Riley. Sigh… well I guess there’s always YouTube. Not surprisingly after six months of work and stress and publicity, David tears up, and I find that I am rather touched by his vulnerable side since we have not been as inundated with it in the past as we have been with some of the other contestants.
Not wanting to miss the mark completely like he did the last time he had to choose a song without the loving support of dad, judges or mentors, David Archuleta has
decided to remix one of his previous successes, John Lennon’s Imagine. My jaw was about on the floor. How is this even allowable? I am especially put off because this was my least favorite David A song. Considering that he is on a roll tonight, I am at least open-minded, but sadly DA shows that he has no more insight into what this song is about than the first time he sang it. How can he beat up John Lennon’s masterpiece with all thoses runs? Cause he hasn’t lived hrough enough to understand it. Without pretending that I was in Haight-Ashbury in the 60′s or living on a kibbutz in Israel, I think that I can safely say that this is a song about atheism, and Marxism, well and peace too. When our boy Dave’s ready to sing the first verse he can come back and sing this song… with Communist Manifesto in hand. Simon apparently doesn’t get the song either.
I give Round Three to David Cook.
Ah, but of course there are really four rounds, and the last one counts the most!!
My favorite: David Cook for interesting song choices, growth through the season, and more shadings to his personality both on and off the stage
My prediction to win: David Archuleta for great talent, drive, acessability, and the all important preteen vote after vote.
Thanks for joining me… next week I will post a wrap-up with my favorites of Season Seven and a few predictions for the future…
As always, photos to follow
Idolkatt
May
14
Looking dynamite, Idol’s final three sing three songs tonight; the judge’s choice, the producer’s choice and their own.
ROUND ONE…
The night kicks off with the judges’ selections… and these should have been up last because they are by far the best of the night. Having imagined the contestants singing these songs as they daydreamed through the good the bad and the ugly , the judges are aquiver with antici…pation. The judges predictably like their own choices best. Simon and Randy fight over which of them likes their own choice bestest.
DAVID ARCHULETA opens with one of the two best performances of the night. Paula’s choice for David is Billy Joel’s And So It Goes, and though our Paula may seem out to lunch at times, she is right on the money with this selection for David. I will remember this performance as one of David’s best of the season. His voice sounds angelic, and perfectly on pitch. I also thought that the performance had a believability that is not typical for David. In other words he went beyond the singing to the song. Simon is not ready to admit that Paula has a clue.
C’mon, YOU knew Randy would pick SYESHA MERCADO‘s song, and you KNEW he would choose Alicia Keys, didn’t you… you smart reader you. If we ignore the predictability of the selection, I would say that this was one of Syesha’s better performances, and certainly her best of the night. She continues to show a growing maturity and comfort on stage, sounding less like she’s yelling and more like she’s singing. She did however have to squeeze in that last pitchy run just to remind us that she’s not quite there yet.
Rounding out Round One is DAVID COOK singing Ewan MacColl’s The First Time Ever I Saw our Face (made popular by Roberta Flack), an unlikely selection coming from
anyone but Simon Cowell. Well, I guess if we can have a hip remake of Killing Me Softly, then why the heck not. And this could easily have been a disaster, but our canny David C pulls off a positively impressive contemporary performance with great vocals and just enough rock touch. And honing in on David A’s beautiful ballad territory was a risky move that could pay off big… “Check”. and on to
ROUND TWO…
Wherein the contestants prove to us that without the mentors, stylists and judges, they are really just a bunch of kids at a big old talent show.
DAVID ARCHULETA kicks off the “I Gotta Be Me” portion of the show with a bizarre performance of Chris Brown’s With You. Maybe Jason left him a spliff. This was like R&B night at a Hanson concert, complete with screaming preteens. It was not even well sung. The judges don’t like to hear our Zoom-kid talking about his “boo”. I am with the judges on this one.
SYESHA follows up this dish of peppermint stick ice cream with some cool whip and a marachino cherry. Syesha could have easily updated this hip little song Fever (1959). Instead she does a very cabaret version complete with the Fosse chair and heels. If you want to hear a great version of this song, check out the original by Little John Willie; but even the Peggy Lee version was more interesting.
DAVID COOK mercifully ends Round Three with a alright performance of a not very approachable song, Switchfoot’s Dare You to Move. Randy looks extra cool for knowing who Switchfoot is. Paula looks puzzled. Simon doesn’t need to know who Switchfoot is. I vaguely know who Switchfoot is but I can’t say I love this song. I know who Our Lady Peace is too (cool, huh?). David C. has a beautiful tambor to his voice tonight (thank you Paula).
And on to ROUND THREE…
Wherein the producers unapologetically date themselves by choosing a 30 year old song about growing old, a kinda new song by a 40 year old band, and a song from a childrens’ movie about penguins.
Poor DAVID A had the worst of the lot with Dan Fogelberg’s Longer. I’m pretty sure 
the pitchiness here was really just David’s voice cracking at the thought of the fire mellowing and the pages yellowing. This song is like a Twinkie; really not so good as you remembered it. But, as Simon points out, even this unfortunate side-trip shouldn’t stop David’s date with destiny. One can only hope this is true, because a Syesha and David Cook final would be more than a little awkward.
SYESHA (in her third hot little outfit) fares somewhat better with Gia Farrell’s Hit Me Up, of Happy Feet fame. Oddly I find Randy voicing my thought that I can see Syesha doing “this kind of thing”, which begs the question.. What’s wrong with this performance… of this kind of thing? Or something like that. Note to future Idols: Avoid songs about birds, including but not limited to sparrows, blackbirds and penguins.
DAVID COOK sweeps up a messy Round Three with a mediocre performance of Steven Tyler’s I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing, one of the best songs ever written according to Simon, who doesn’t get out a lot or is dabbling in the ganja with David A. To David Cook’s credit I’m pretty sure that he never would have chosen this song himself because: 1) nobody sings this song like Steven Tyler and 2) it’s not that interesting a song.
So next week we are on to the FINAL!, and I am predicting and hoping for a Battle of the Davids. What do you think?
As always, photos to follow. Have a great week!
Idolkatt
May
07
And then there were four…
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
This week’s Idol brings us songs from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At least that was my understanding of the theme, please correct me if I’m wrong. So for our mutual edification, I looked up the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which is apparently is in Cleveland, and inducts a handful of performers, producers and other rock related folks each year. So apparently Cleveland really does rock. Inductees work has to be at least 25 years old, which means both Madonna and I are getting up there.
And when you think Rock & Roll Hall of Fame don’t you just think Duran Duran? Hm,
Duran Duran’s not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, unless maybe David confused Hungry Wolf and Howlin’ Wolf. Apparently the song’s release the year of David Cook‘s birth gives it classic status. And what could be more classic than this unapologetically tacky and self-indulgent little ditty. ” Woman you want me, give me a sign and catch my breathing even closer behind, Do-do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do, do do”. My sincere thanks to David for skipping the orgasm thing at the end. And let’s just move on please.
Next up Sayesha, who it seems needed a personal affirmation moment this week to once again choose a really big song. Notwithstanding, her version of Tina Turner’s Proud Mary was comfortable and surprisingly well sung (singing 7, dance 5). The dress is hot, and apparently she has gotten past the Catherine McPhee, Krisy Lee Cook shoeless thing.
Jason Castro continued with what should have been a great song choice, Bob Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff. I really wanted to like this, but it was campy, terribly over-sung, and once again sadly under-rehearsed. In short, it was a train wreck. Even Paula hated it… but she still loves Jason. If the guy with the dreadlocks can’t sing Bob Marley, what do we have left to believe in?
But never fear David Archuleta is here to save the day with a capable version of Stand By Me (The Drifters). It was more Broadway than Rhythm & Blues and more boyish than manly, but it was well sung.
To my great relief, David C did not return for Round Two with a selection from
Depeche Mode, but rather with The Who’s Baba O’Riley (often mistakenly called Teenage Wasteland), a song in a whole nother league than… I can’t even say it… that earlier choice… and released at least 10 year’s before David C’s birth. This was an excellent arrangement starting soft and low and building to the chorus, and it was a terrific performance. The only fault I can find with it was that it was too short. Paula, we too are humbled to watch David’s soul (or show, or glow, or whatever).
Syesha returns next looking for all the world like a star ( or the Oscar trophy). On the heels of Jason’s debacle I truly appreciated Syesha’s research and rehearsal of her song choice, Sam Cook’s A Change is Gonna Come. 
Okay, maybe the whole civil rights thing didn’t quite come across in the performance, but I appreciated it nonetheless. As to the singing, I think my review falls somewhere between Randy’s reservations and Paula and Simon’s raves. I thought that the opening note was indulgently long and that some of the end was yelled rather than sung, but all and all I liked it. Again in contrast to Jason, Syesha is peeking at the right time.
Given the chance to redeem himself with Bob Dylan’s Tamborine Man , Jason Castro makes the ultimate unforgivable Idol blunder and forgets the words to his song. Having worked a long time in the arts myself, I can tell you that this is a pretty damn near impossible thing to do if you are well rehearsed… okay enough about that. And it was a shame, because he sings this song well. Jason’s only consulation is that he will have a second chance to get the words right when he sings the song again at tomorrow’s send off.
Last up David Archuleta ends the show with a nice contemporary arrangement of Elvis Presley’s Love Me Tender. Simon and company are awed. i am not a great fan of either Elvis or David A, but I appreciate both talents, and I liked this.
My choice to go this week: after two weeks of bad performances, Jason Castro who is no longer looking so cute.
More photos later today. Please feel free to comment, and please do have a great week… Idolkatt
Apr
30
Hi Idol Fans!
Sorry no recap last week… I was vacationing and trying to avoid computers. This week Idol’s Final Five survivors turn their skills to the work of perennial songwriter Neil Diamond. I am not sure if he was as much a mentor as a gentle goat herder, but most of the fearless fivesome seemed sadly uninspired by these classics.
Jason Castro kicked off the night with a pot-hole ridden 
drive through Forever in Blue Jeans. He attributed his struggles to a bit of a frog at the begining of his performance. Though this song would seem a good choice for Jason, it was entirely lacking in comittment…in fact the performance croaked (yes, I had to). And it seemed to be less a result of throat troubles than an embarassing lack of rehearsal. No wonder Paula wasn’t sure how many songs he’d sung.
David Cook continued an undelightful first half with a predictable Davidesque performance of a less predictable song choice, I’m Alive. I love the fact that David continues to seek out lesser known songs; it allows him to make them his own. However, sometimes there’s a reason that a song’s not so well-known…. like maybe it’s not such a great song.
Brooke White put unpleasant icing on an already bad cake with a horrendous performance of I’m a Believer. It had pitch problems galore and inspiration problems aplenty. Simon confirmed our collective dislike for peppy Brooke (remember Here Comes the Sun). We would like deep introspective Brooke only, please. The biggest surprise was that Brooke failed to recognize her own troubles. We are not believers… no, and we may be growing very tired of Brooke.
David Archuleta continued our night of woes with a mediocre performance of a classic song and now Red Sox anthem Sweet Caroline. It is wise to pick the big songs when you’re on the top but this one failed to move me. Perhaps it was the fact that the song seemed more about David than it did about Caroline, and maybe this is David’s youth showing. How nostalgic can a 17 year old be?
Just when I thought the night was truly doomed, Sayesha Mercado came through with an unexpectedly well rehearsed, well planned and well sung rendition of Hello Again. I think that the judges did not give Sayesha enough credit for a lovely, comfortable performance of a song we are more used to hearing sung by a male.
We could only hope Sayesha’s good performance will bode better things for round two. Ryan Seacrest is sporting a Big Boy’s hairdo and we are all thinking maybe we could use an order of fries about now.
Ah, but no such luck… Jason Castro brings us not a September Morn but raher a lazy August afternoon. He just doesn’t have enough voice for the big key change… not even close.
But hold on, the night is not yet doomed…
David Cook, rocker superhero without tights, flies in to save us at last from the evening’s amateurish drudgery with a really super performance of All I Really Need is You. Finally one of the five has captured the pop anthem feel of Neil Diamond’s songs without sounding dated. I loved it. He is the only one feeling the heartlight tonight.
Perhaps inspired by David C’s capture of the brass ring, the evening progresses on a somewhat better note…
Brooke is relieved to redeem herself in the heart of Simon Cowell and Brooke fans with I Am I Said. Brooke is safely back at the piano, on key, and talking deep again. Sigh. Don’t leave us again Brooke, we are waving our lighters.
Proving once again that there’s always room for more schmaltz on Idol, 
David Archuleta takes a seemingly unnecessary jaunt into patriotism, usually territory reserved for the more desperate contestants. The well enough sung America came across as too well-planned even for Simon. He sure looks like a Zoom kid tonight.
Sayesha brings us another well chosen and well sung selection Thank the Lord for the Night Time . I like this more jazzy style on Sayesha and find it a much more genuine and atainable choice than her usual penchance for torch songs. I wanted only for shoes. A nice strappy sandal I think.
So who will be leaving us this week? Although she had a good second song, I have to go with Brooke. Have a great week!
Idolkatt
Apr
16
You know that when Jason Castro gives the best performance of the night on Mariah Carey week, that something has gone quite awry. Carly was not the only one who missed Michael Johns, but at least he reported that he got a conciliatory phone call from Dolly Parton with a request for a possible future duet!
Mariah Carey was this week’s guest host, unpretentious, tightly clad and promoting her new cd E=MC2. While Albert Einstein and Andy Warhol are somewhere enjoying a chuckle over this title, we will yawn through the final seven’s travails. Whether Mariah Carey’s music is your thing or not, it is hard not to appreciate her incredible voice. Even in the contestant’s rehearsal clips it is apparent that she has what most of these kids lack; the ability to sing warm soft tones right on pitch as well as the big belt notes… we’re not even going into those insane high notes. Carey’s uninteresting lyrics bordered on tedious without that voice, and I found myself wishing they’d all just take a seat and let her sing.
DAVID ARCHULETTA’s performance of When You Believe seemed a bit lost in it’s position as show opener, and a little growl and a little falsetto added only minor interest to the vocal. Even Archuletta’s talent couldn’t make this song more than a mediocre glass of wine….uninteresting at the start, good (not too fruity)in the middle with an odd finish. I know, that analogy went way too far. Sorry, so sleepy.
CARLY SMITHSON sang one of my favorite songs, Without You. Written by relative unknowns Peter Ham and Tom Evans. This song has been covered by everybody from Heart to Donny Osmond, as well as Carey, but for me nobody’s version will compare to Harry Nilsson’s which avoids being cheesy by sounding just a bit alternative. It is so easy to make a bad cover out of this song, and Carly did just that. Pitchy and lacking any edge, the performance was unmemorable. How can a girl with so many tattoos be so lacking in edge. On the plus side they have finally found her a good outfit. Not the dark Dublin girl anymore, she really is glowing; hmm…could the pregnancy rumors be true? You didn’t hear it from me, okay.
SAYESHA MERCADO continues on her Quixotic quest in search of songs just barely too big for her voice, but at least wisely choses one we don’t know all that well. Though struggling with the runs and sounding a bit grating at times Sayesha managed to pull off an alright performance of Vanishing, and may survive another week to not surprise us some more.
BROOKE WHITE opts for alligator wrestling with Hero, a Whitney Houston song (cringe) sung by Mariah Carey (are you cringing yet, I’m grinding my teeth). The piano is a good choice, the arrangement is a good choice, and the song is a bad choice. Bad, bad, bad. Although the vocal has some nice moments, and I enjoy Brooke doing her Brooke thing, this is just one of those torch songs that can’t be Brook-ized…Brookinated… whatever you like. Of the four remaining women, she still however remains the most interesting and I hope she stays on for another week or two.
KRISTY LEE COOK who I thought might pull off a surprise upset tonight does not, singing Forever . The vocals are not at all what I expected from Kristy, and the performance unfortunately is. It was about as interesting as a slow song at the eighth grade dance. Kristy and Mariah’s hug was a nice highlight for the boys though.
DAVID COOK lends his own interesting angle to Always Be My Baby. As most of the others, he struggles through the timing and the pitch of the soft notes at the song’s start, but does better as the song gets bigger. The arrangement is nice, but his confidence is affecting his pitch and he is still looking for a place to spit out those marbles. Regardless, it is one of the night’s better performances, and Randy is right in his comment that those who do well at this point will do so because they have an identity and they let us share it. (Don’t ask me to explain Katherine McPhee, I’m still puzzled.)
Jason Castro perhaps at a Luau?
JASON CASTRO ends the night well with I Don’t Wanna Cry which he commendably makes his own without appearing to put a round peg in a square hole as Brooke and perhaps even David Cook do. It is the nicest listen of the night and Paula wants to listen all night long, baby.
It seems that even without Michael Johns we are headed toward an all-male final three. Now I will enjoy reading everyone else’s blogs to lighten my apparently grouchy mood. Look for photos to be added tomorrow. My picks to go this week…
Kristy or Carly. Please.
Yours, Idolkatt
Apr
11
It seems that every Idol season has it’s Chris Daughtry departure moment. I don’t know who would have seen this coming, but perhaps Michael Johns was a victim of the forgotten middle ground this week. There was certainly a lot of chatter on line about Kristy Lee Cook. Alas, as Michael Johns took center stage for his farewell performance I was suddenly struck by the harsh reality of another tedious three weeks enduring some combination of Kristy, Carly and Sayesha (insert groan here). Maybe the remaining Idols will surprise us all. Maybe in a year or so we will enjoy another taste of Johns’ bluesy side.
See you on Tuesday for the recap!
Idolkatt
Apr
10
I had no intentions of recapping the Idol Gives Back Show, but it seems that I can’t keep quiet about this one.
Let me start by saying that Carrie Underwood looked and sounded amazing, and that both she and Mariah Carey showed the contestants what it means to be a pro. I am thrilled that a show with so many viewers uses it’s sometimes hard to fathom power to make positive change in the world by raising money for the staggering number of folks in really difficult situations. For the first two hours and 22 minutes of the show my husband had to forcibly contain me from jumping from my chair and giving large sums of money.
However… at the risk of offending those few readers that I may have garnered, I have to say that the last number made me very uncomfortable. After two hours of holding hands with the world, somebody had the bright idea that the contestants should all dress in white like a bunch of angels, and extol those virtues of Jesus (and I don’t just mean the teachings of Jesus which are without a doubt admirable, but Jesus as their “savior”) effectively snubbing their nose at all of the nice Jewish, Muslim, Nontheist, Hindu, Buddhist and otherwise non-Christian folks who had just held out their hands or reached into their wallets. Let me say for the record that I have no gripe with anyone’s religion and that there is a time and place for great religious music (like at church or maybe Symphony Hall). But this was not Beethoven’s ninth or even great gospel… it was self-indulgent and gratuitous, and my wallet will stay unopened until I finish being creeped out.
Peace
Idolkatt
Apr
09
And then there were eight…
This week, in keeping with the Idol Gives Back theme, the final eight bring us songs of inspiration. I expect they are mostly inspired by the elusive approval of the judges right now, but they arrived with more or less solid performances nonetheless.
MICHAEL JOHNS opens the show with Aerosmith’s Dream On. Although well sung, I think that this was a step backward for Michael after last week’s much more original performance. He needs to stop choosing his favorite songs by incomparable artists and rehashing their incomparable versions… even if he does have a nice voice. Make a song your own or it’s off to the Broadway rock musical auditions with you.
SAYESHA MERCADO sings former Idol Fantasia’s I Believe, and I do believe that she may have saved her self for another week. Though neither I nor the judges were floored, I thought it was her personal best. Okay, REALLY, TRUST ME, nobody wants to hear the contestants snarkin’ at the judges. It only makes you look undergrateful (yes I know that’s not a word) or overconfident. Remember Chris Sligh… see my point?
JASON CASTRO once again puts in his bid for the “Most Improved Idol” award, giving a, would you believe, well-spoken interview backstage and a good performance out front singing the Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (forgive me if I’ve misspelled that) version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I really like this unassuming version of what is usually a song with more corn than the state of Kansas (apologies to Judy Garland). This is a smart choice for Jason on what might otherwise have been a disastrous week for a guy without the big pipes of some of the other contestants. It seems our Jason is a savvy one; he is also true to himself, AND finally getting ahold of those squirrelly high notes to boot. By the way, a guy has to be pretty secure in his masculinity to play the ukelele (or he has to be Tiny Tim).
KRISTY LEE COOK, sings Martina McBride’s Anyway as an anthem to her Idol experience. Kristy continues to exhibit good vocals, blank or funny faces, and really great clothes. She WILL do it anyway, and we, it seems will continue to listen to it.
DAVID COOK appears next with the very odd choice Innocent by Our Lady Peace. This song is not easy to sing, not very approachable, and I am not even sure that it counts as inspirational. Like Michael Johns he has fallen into the trap of choosing a song simply because he really likes listening to someone else sing it. I was so sure that Simon would go for his perenniel favorite “self-indulgent” on this one, but “pompous” will do just fine.
Next up, CARLY SMITHSON sang The Show Must Go On, a lesser known Queen song, in a much better outfit. The orchestra sounds great, and I find myself listening to them while Carly as Simon points out, over-sings the song. Although it is not a bad performance, I am really not sure why anyone would attempt to sing anything sung by Freddie Mercury or Whitney Houston again…ever…just forget it and move on. Maybe when you’re famous some day and invited to sing on a Freddie Mercury and Whitney Houston tribute album. Otherwise, forget it…really.
DAVID I am humble yet I am really pretty sure I can win this whole thing ARCHULETA sings Angels (written by British songwriter Robbie Williams). This was certainly a theme built for David A, or in his “wheelhouse” if you like Randy, and David comes through true to form. What I liked personally about this performance is that he is back at the piano, and that he passed on the vast library of standard fare fitting the “inspirational” theme, choosing something less well-known. Whether you like him or not you can’t argue with the fact that he has quite an impressive voice for a 17 year old. I still close my eyes and pretend he doesn’t look like a puppy dog.
BROOKE WHITE closes the show with a commendable version of Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend (made famous of course by James Taylor). I will confess, it made me cry and it made me smile and I liked it a whole lot better than the judges did. However, my opinion clearly doesn’t count for so much as Simon’s, and as they say in show business, the audience always remembers the last thing they see. Whether the audience will remember Brooke’s performance or Simon’s comments remains to be seen.
Watch Idol Gives Back tomorrow and send a few dollars their way if you can. The results show will air on Thursday. OK, I’ve forgotten Sayesha’s performance already, that can’t be good.
I may be out on a limb, but my pick to go this week is Carly. Agree or disagree, love to hear your thoughts…
Idolkatt
Apr
02
GREETINGS IDOL FANS!
Oh, how I have missed you (well a bit anyway). Please accept my apologies; no blog last week. I will attempt to be more professional in the future!
This week begins this season’s string of Idol guest performers/ mentors with the talented, busty and always charming Dolly Parton. It was fun to see her interact with and buck up the somewhat withered group.
Brooke opens the show with Jolene. I like her pick; one of Dolly Parton’s more thoughtful, less pop songs (one of Rolling Stone’s “Best 500 Songs of all Time”). It was a little pitchy at the outset, which is unusual for Brooke, but a great arrangement and very good performance all and all. The intimate instrumental grouping with violin, guitar, and lone back-up singer worked for Brooke- I have to disagree with Simon on this one; I liked it. If you like this song check out White Stripes version on You-Tube.
David Cook sings Little Sparrow, not a song I am (or I’m guessing most people are) familiar with, sporting a much better haircut. Wow, this song is really dark… but impressive nonetheless. I am so glad that David C has finally jumped off the high dive into the murky waters of Your-own-arrangement Land. Last week I thought he was doomed to be a coverer of covers (albeit a good one). David, we promise that slurring the words does not make you Kurt Cobain, so please ENUNCIATE.
Ramielle…You know she looks like a Bratz doll. Is there a sweet, humble Bratz doll, cause that would be Ramielle… oops sorry got distracted for a minute there. Ramielle sings Do You Ever Cross My Mind and does an pretty good job of it, giving the song an almost gospel feel. Simon is right that we won’t remember this, but we won’t remember many performances at the end of the night much less the season. Having said that, I don’t think that this was one of Ramielle’s better performances. She seems to be losing her confidence; pitchy is atypical for her. Crushing Ramielle’s confidence is like telling a four-year old there’s no Santa Claus… and no Easter Bunny neither. Bad, bad Idol.
It was great fun watching Dolly with Jason Castro, who sang Travelin’ Through. I couldn’t disagree more with Simon on this one. I thought this was Jason’s most mature, confident performance to date. It is great to see the detail, depth and sheer volume of Jason’s voice and performance choices grow.
Carly took on one of Parton’s big dogs (or tigers if you like, Randy), Here You Come Again. I always find Carly’s phrasing trite, but her voice sounded terrific on this really tough song. I thought this was Carly’s second best performance yet (Heart being first best), I only wished that the tempo had picked up towards the end. What’s up with Simon… he is very grouchy tonight, and I’m no big Carly fan. Oh, but her fashion sense is senseless; I’ll give you that Simon.
David A made Dolly almost cry off her eyelashes with his rendition of Smokey Mountain Memories. Beautiful, but I am beginning to wonder if David is a one-trick pony. If so, he has a great career in Christian rock (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Kristy Lee Cook in an awesome dress with really great earrings to match sings The Coat of Many Colors as her potential farewell choice. I am glad she stuck around for Dolly week. Her voice sounds very good, and the song’s ending is impressive. But the song itself is rather corny and, as usual, her performance is flat as a pancake (not a blueberry pancake). This girl is interesting in real life, but not the least bit interesting on stage.
Sayesha takes on I Will Always Love You, previously knocked out of the ballpark by BOTH Dolly AND Whitney … Whew, that’s pretty much the kiss of death and this one was belly-up. The judges were generous. Some days you eat the bear and other days the bear eats you.
Michael Johns warmed my heart by sending me to bed with the performance of the night, his very bluesy version of It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right. Once again, the choice of just a few instrumentalists, piano and electric guitar in this case, gave the performance a more intimate and intelligent feel. This is the first time I have felt that Michael was more than a great voice… he is finally making the song his own. And in the end that may separate the men from the boys, so to speak.
Well a really fun week all and all. I have a new appreciation for Dolly Parton as a song-writer, and it is hard not to appreciate her as a person. How many folks could have fake boobs, fake hair, and fake eyelashes and yet be that genuine. She’s my Idol.
My picks for bottom three this week: Kristy, Sayesha, Ramielle
Have a great week!- Idolkatt
