Archie is fine, but the whole thing smacks of choirboy to me.
Kristy is more entertaining when she sucks.
UGH. I already know I’m going to hate Syesha’s performance. People need to stop singing that song.
I don’t think I’ve ever liked a song on American Idol as much as Carrie doing that “I’ll Stand By You.” I actually bought it on iTunes – the only song I’ve bought on ITunes that wasn’t as a joke.
I really keep wanting Rami to knock it out of the park but I’m starting to agree she doesn’t have it in her, not yet anyway. I think she goes tomorrow. Other than that I think everyone else has done well tonight. Even Kristy.
You’ve got to be really brave or a total fool to take that song. Anxious to see which…
Another “shot” word is pitchy. And we’re about to take a drink.
I called it om Syesha’s song choice. It’s such a pageant song, I know she’s probably sung it 100 times before.
Sigh.
ETA: an exasperated sigh, of course.
:: cringes :: ugh ugh ugh
Go away Syesha.
I think Shyesha tried but didn’t hit out. I actually saw the point where she decided she wasn’t going to try.
I actually liked the first part of Syesha’s performance. Her voice sounded pretty. But then the Whitney big belting thing ruined it.
I agree with Sampiro that that’s nearly always a foolhardy song choce (as is doing any other Whitney song), but I kind of liked Sy on that. She didn’t try to swing for the fences. She went underneath it a little bit. I think that was a smart, well rendered little performance. I think Sy has a lot of intelligence underneath the over-coached, pageant facade.
Regarding M.J.: GONGGGGGGGG.
ETA: Are you kidding? I thought it was one of the most contrived performances in weeks. (And oh yeah…
I like Michael Johns tonight.
So did I and I haven’t so far.
My DVR cut off the end of the show. What did Simon have to say about Michael?
My take:
Cook and Johns on top.
The Pinoy and Dread Boy in the cellar.
Everybody else in between.
Ditto that. I’d like to know what he said.
I actually enjoyed his performance more than usual.
Simon thought it was his best so far. Bleh.
I wonder how they decide what songs they get to sing? Is their a pecking order? Because Dolly doesn’t have a lot of certifiable hits to choose from, so the folks who sing “Jolene” or “I Will Always Love You” are at an advantage because people tend to like what is familiar.
Simon hates country music, so it’s going to be a rough night. I love Dolly, fake boulders and all. She just emanates good will. She had a ton of plastic surgery and convinced Kenny Rogers to get some, but hers turned out much better.
Brooke should have slowed down Jolene!!! A folksy, heart felt arrangement would have done wonders. As it was, it was just okay.
Kudos to David Cook for doing his own arrangement!!! “Little Sparrow” is a weak song (sorry Dolly, but at least I didn’t insult you publicly like Simon), but I liked his arrangement. New and different. And I really liked his hair cut because it took 10 years off him. My gawd, he’s not going bald!!
Ramiele is just darling as a new born chick, but I agree that it’s forgettable.
Too bad Jason Castro and Dolly couldn’t have done a duet because I think they had some chemistry and their vocals blended well. He does much better with his guitar; he seems more relaxed. I liked how he stretched his vocals a bit. I loved it. He’s got more charisma in his tiny finger than Simon’s got in his whole body. Simon’s on crack.
I loved that Carly slowed down “Here you Come Again.” Brooke, take notes. I keep thinking that Carly’s not going to hit those high notes, but she does. Loved it. Oh crap, they showed her husband. I agree that her outfit sucks.
David Archuleta quit licking his lips!! He just doesn’t have the life experience for me to take this song seriously. It’s kind of like a little Michael Jackson singing “I"ll Be There.” Does. not compute. He’s got great vocals and he seems like a nice kid. Didn’t love the song.
Kristy Lee’s the only one with a natural country vibe. This is one of those sappy songs that I can’t stand. She sang it well, though.
Syesha got the best song by miles. She shouldn’t smile. She sang it beautifully until the end. Hate, hate, hate the Whitney ending, though in her defense, I hate Whitney singing it, too, because it takes away from the HUMILITY of the song. Had she kept it humble, I would have loved it.
Michael Johns did good because he felt it. I really like the bluesy take on it. My tape ended before I heard Simon’s comments.
Well, that was an interesting night. Sort of an upside-down week, in that the performers I like the most were only so-so, and the ones I’ve disliked turned in the best performances.
Brooke blew it with Jolene. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat while begging a woman to please not take her man. Normally Brooke is totally tuned into the emotion of the song, but this one wasn’t good. Still, bad Brooke is still better than Syesha, Kristy, or Ramiele.
David Cook was alright. I notice they once again had to address the cover issue, but I don’t know why this is a controversy. Singers have been covering different versions of songs since AI began. Why is Cook being called out for it? Anyway, good on him for acknowledging the creators of the other covers, and good on him for doing his own version tonight. It wasn’t bad. Every singer has to get through a night when the song material is way out of their comfort zone. This was Cook’s night for that, and he survived it without hurting himself. But that’s about it.
Ramiele, you were the only consistent singer tonight. Consistently bad. You go home now. I think I forgot what the song was while she was still singing it. I can’t say anything more, because I’ve completely forgotten the performance.
I liked Carly tonight. She’s got a really good voice, and it was a pretty good interpretation of the song. And you guys have to back off about her tattoos. It doesn’t make her look like trash, it makes her look like a punk chick who grew up. Or a non-punk chick who married a tattoo artist who talked her into being a project, probably while she was still smitten, or drunk, or both. So now she either has to have it removed, or slink around with long sleeves and pretend it’s not there, or just say ‘screw you’ to everyone and do her own thing. I prefer the latter. It’s more honest.
David Archuleta was marginally better than he’s been. I think this song had some themes he could actually relate to. Now if he could just find a song about an obnoxious overbearing father, he might knock it out of the park.
I liked Jason Castro. I thought that was one of the best performances of the night.
Yeah, I knew Syesha was going to do that song. And she’s probably been singing that song since she was 12. Which isn’t a good sign, because that means this was the high water point for Syesha, and it was only so-so. Boring and unoriginal and not as good as Whitney. She’s going to be on the bubble again.
The same can be said for Kristy. They teed one up for her, giving her a week that plays right into her strengths, and she was just okay. She’s a good singer. She’s not a disaster like Haley was last year, and she’s not embarrassing herself. She’d probably do fine as a second-tier country artist. But that’s not very interesting, and neither is she.
Michael Johns had my favorite performance of the night. He really connected with that, and up until now I haven’t been a fan, at least not since Bohemian Rhapsody. This was his best performance since Hollywood, and the best performance of the night.
Ranking them:
- Michael Johns
- Jason Castro
- Carly Smithson
- David Cook
- David Archuleta
- Brooke White
- Kristy Lee Cook
- Syesha Mercado
- Ramiele Malubay