David C. - okay. I liked it as it progressed.
I don’t like David. It’s not an irrational hatred, though. It’s his worn-out, hipster, scene cum emo vibe that I can’t stand. People love that shit, though.
I think Cook was off key in the verse, but was ultimately kind of interesting.
Tonight isn’t impressing me at all.
Sorry to say it, but David Cook was horrible. I just… no.
I think Cook is crying tears of relief. He must have thought Mariah Carey night was going to kill him.
David Cook has had the only performance so for that I’d actually make an effort to listen to again. I enjoyed it.
The Davids are 1 and 2 for me tonight. The rest - meh.
I believe his stepbrother, who is struggling with Brain Cancer, was in the audience.
David C was all right tonight. A little weird, but not bad. I laughed when he sang that line that always sounds to me like “Sean Connery’s feelin’ strong.” What the hell is that line, anyway? I was pretty surprised at how pleased the judges were with him. Go DC!
Jason did his thing. I think he was fine. The luau thing is what he does.
David Cook did the same shit he does every week. Why is it always “original” when he does it every week, and why is it “brave” when he gets raves for doing it every week?
I still think Jason is the only one I’d hang out with. Betcha the kid has some weed on him.
“He wants beef”? I think she wants more coke.
If Jason and Norah Jones ever had a baby, it would have the power of coma inducement. That’s not a slam, by the way. I like Norah-- just not a whole album of it. Jason, on the other hand, is very pretty (yes, even the dreads) and I can have pervy nightmares.
Oh, I see I missed David A and Carly.
Just once, I’d like to see Syesha with a different hair style. I think she’d be gorgeous with her hair pulled back and hidden – wouldn’t that have been elegant, with that lovely dress? It doesn’t seem right to wear your hair the same way when you’re wearing jeans as when you’re in something slinky.
I agree with Simon – the guys were much better tonight than the women.
I was spared all the performances prior to David Cook (who I didn’t hate until he started crying) because of my inability to remember what day it is ever.
You can bet your ass I’ll watch them on youtube later though. Mariah Carey? I wouldn’t miss that for the world…
I’m tired of Jason Castro. Also, on recap… meh. Whatever.
IMHO-everyone did good tonight, showed why they made it as far as they have. That said, I think Kristy Lee’s goes next. Jason and David C. impressed me most tonight.
A surprising evening.
DAVID ARCHULETA A+
I wonder whether he did Mariah’s suggested falsetto against the express wishes of his father. I certainly hope so. I haven’t heard tones so golden since Elton John in the early 70s. An amazing talent.
CARLY SMITHSON A
Disagreeing with Randly, I think she sounds much better in the lower registers than with the higher notes. But tonight, her voice sounded quite good throughout. She seemed less preoccupied than usual.
SAYESHA MERCADO A-
I was hoping, because of her excellent beginning, that she wouldn’t screech up the ending. Alas, it was not to be. The whole song was quite good until the last few measures when she just couldn’t help trying to out-Whitney Mariah.
BROOKE WHITE B+
I’m afraid that she’s taking on Michael John’s reputation of one dimensionality. It’s pretty clear by now that this is her limit. She’s Carole King without the song writing creds, and she’s never going to be any more than that.
KRISTY LEE COOK A-
There’s something flat — and I don’t mean pitch-wise — about her higher notes. They’re on pitch, but they lack any substance. They sort of disappear. That said, I thought she interpreted her song very well. It might have been better had she countryfied it a bit more.
DAVID COOK A+
“Haunting”, Mariah’s description of his voice, is apt. It can be a good thing or a bad thing to be pinned with an instantly recognizable voice. It presents a certain inflexibility, but with the right balance of other talents, it can make a singer a star. Cook is going to be extremely successful.
JASON CASTRO A-
His early falsetto was surprisingly strong, but his ending falsetto was as weak and mousey as usual. In between was a mixture of moments that were inspirational and others that were mediocre. People have raised questions about how sincere he is about the contest, and maybe they’re right. But there’s no question in my mind about the sincerity of his performances. He sings from the heart.
Jason sounded like crap tonight. It was off-key, it was boring…if I’d heard it on the radio I would have turned it off after two seconds. Brooke was awful too.
Carly and Kristy Lee (retch) were surprisingly good. And I never would have guessed David Cook would sing that song, but he pulled it off.
David Cook and Jason Castro meeting Mariah Carey was like worlds colliding. Still, Mariah came off as very sweet and even made a few helpful suggestions, which was cool.
David A - He’s such a sweet kid, but he does nada for me. I don’t get why the judges drool over him. I seem to be in the minority here. But I’m rooting for him in a Mama Bear way.
Carly - She’s so earnest but she doesn’t have a huge range. She does have a knack for picking out the best liked songs of each artist, though.
Syesha - She did great, and she’s lovely, but she just doesn’t have star quality. It’s hard for me to explain, but I’m just not moved to pick up the phone and vote for her even though she sings great.
Brooke - I really like her. I think she emotionally connects with her songs and that puts her leaps and bound above the other women.
Kristy Lee - Probably the girl most in control of her voice. Great range and she handles low notes much better than, say, Carly. But she’s too vanilla for me.
David C - I had to listen to it twice in order to hear it as a new song as opposed to a cover.
Mariah & Jason had a little bit of chemistry there…Loved him.
In order of how I liked them, as opposed to how good they were:
Jason
David C
Brooke
Syesha
David A
Kristy Lee
Carly
I like Carly but it’s time for her to go.
David Cook’s rendition sounded really creepy and stalker-like. It could have easily been named “Always Be In My Basement.” I liked it.
I’m beginning to get a little concerned about the limitations of my musical knowledge. I’d never heard any of the Dolly week songs, and none of these Mariah songs sounded familiar, either. But, I think it is kind of fun to hear the contestants sing songs I don’t have any expectations for. I enjoyed David C and Jason’s performances. David A, Carly, Syesha, and Brooke were all a little meh for me. Kristy, well, that was not so good. I thought it was a little sad to see Carly deflate after she got the feedback from the judges (not saying she didn’t deserve it). Never in a million years would I be able to subject myself to that sort of thing.
I’m also a little disturbed that Brooke missed her sister’s wedding to film a Ford commercial. Seriously, they can’t manage to give the woman a few hours off?