American Idol season 7 - Top 2 finalists

Round 1:

David Cook - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - A solid rendition, but it didn't have the "wow" factor, and sounded okay.

David Archuleta - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - Vocally, he was on point a bit more than Cook, and moves into the lead.

Round 1 goes to Archuleta.


Round 2:

David Cook - "Dream Big" - A more upbeat song that Cook that would probably be representative of a typical Cook number for his next album, but not quite a winning performance.

David Archuleta - "In This Moment" - Not a great song, but it showcased his vocal range much better than Cook's performance.

Round 2 goes to Archuleta.


Round 3:

David Cook - "The World I Know" - An earnest performance, his best of the night, but it's just not good enough against the Archuletar.

David Archuleta - "Imagine" - Solid performance, did not lose any ground to Cook.


Round 3 goes to Archuleta.


----------------

I'd be surprised if Archuleta did not win this season.

American Idol season 7 - Top 3 finalists

Round 1:

David Archuleta - "And So It Goes" - Though sung ernestly, it was coma-inducing. Seriously, if you have problems sleeping, just spin this up on your ipod, and you'll be counting sheep in no time. Who'd want to hear that rendition on the radio?

Syesha Mercado - "If I Got You" - Too much background singers in the mix, we'd like to hear Syesha first and foremost. Randy gave her a softball for this choice. It was serviceable.

David Cook - "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" - Vocals sounded a little thin, but much more sincere than his competitors, and then he tossed in a bit of rock twang to put his own stamp on it.

Round 1 goes to Cook.


Round 2:

David Archuleta - "With You" - The cadence of the song made his vocals sound like he was out of breath in the early parts of the song, but it was a bit too wishy-washy or sing-songy sounding.

Syesha Mercado - "Fever" - Hated the key that Syesha sang this song, it's just too high, and sounded too shrill to me. But she's got a broadway career ahead of her if she wants it.

David Cook - "Dare You To Move" - Typical performance, start slow, and build to a crescendo, collect a bunch of votes.

Not sure anyone won this round.



Round 3:

David Archuleta - "Longer" - Archie caught Kristi's squenchy eye disorder for this song but he was on point for most of the performance, but I still wouldn't want to listen to it on the radio.

Syesha Mercado - "Hit Me Up" - While it's true she can sing, but she simply lacks the X factor to push her over the top. It was a forgettable performance, and she threw in too many runs.

David Cook - "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" - Sheesh, what a weak start, did Jason Castro sneak on stage? This rendition made me appreciate the Aerosmith version.

Another average round, no winnahs.


----------------

Rankings

Solid but could have been better
David Cook
David Archuleta

Under-performed
Syesha Mercado

Syesha is probably going to get the boot.

American Idol season 7 - Top 4 finalists

Round 1:

David Cook - "Hungry Like The Wolf" - boring rendition, lacked excitement and commitment. He needs a better second song performance.

Syesha Mercado - "Proud Mary" - Looks like Syesha wants to win this thing, good performance, but vocally, I'm still not all that interested in her vocal stylings, a little shrill at times. But for entertainment, she's bringing it.

Jason Castro - "I Shot the Sheriff" - Jason looked like he found his parents' sing-along apparatus and just started singing a song just for laughs. But that's his charm, right?

David Archuleta - "Stand By Me" - His fan base is going to eat his performance up, it was a crowd pleaser. His glazy breathing has returned, but it subsided in the last 2/3 of the song, so he did his thing and put the other 3 on notice he's here to win.


Round 2:

David Cook - "Baba O'Reilly" - Vocals were a little scratchy and strained, and I didn't like the slowed down tempo for this particular song, but he should be safe this week.

Syesha Mercado - "A Change is Gonna Come" - She got off quite a few big notes, and she busted out the pups, but the performance was too controlled and lifeless.

Jason Castro - "Mr. Tamborine Man" - Dude, he is so in the "Don't give a crap" zone tonight, forgetfulness is rampant for him tonight. Pretty inexcusable performance for a final four contestant.

David Archuleta - "Love Me Tender" - He made it sound very gospel-like, but it was as intimate of a performance Archie is probably capable of for his young age.

----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
David Archuleta

Solid but could have been better
Syesha Mercado

Under-performed
David Cooke

Once was enough
Jason

Jason Castro should go home, but Syesha is very vulnerable to get the boot.

American Idol season 7 - Top 5 finalists

Round 1:

Jason Castro - "Forever in Blue Jeans" Dull, boring, weak.

David Cook - "I'm Alive" A typical performance, not great, not horrible, just serviceable.

Brooke White - "I'm a Believer" Such a cheery performance, but nothing too vocally challenging.

David Archuleta - "Sweet Carolina" Yet another safe vocal, but it wasn't all that memorable.

Syesha Mercado - "Hello Again" I'm grateful there is someone left who can carry a melody, though the song was so-so.

Round 2:

Jason Castro - "September Morn" wake me up when he's done, that was brutally boring.

David Cook - "All I Really Need is You" A sappy song, but it was a good vocal.

Brooke White - "I Said I Am" a better effort from Brooke, but nothing truly outstanding on this song.

David Archuleta - "America" the lyrics are too repetitive, makes his vocals drone on and on, not a good song voice, but ended well.

Syesha Mercado - "Thanks the Lord for the Night Time" At least she's comfortable moving around the stage (no one else left can do it as well as Syesha).


----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
Syesha

Solid but could have been better
David Cook
David Archuleta

Under-performed
Brooke White

Once was enough
Jason

I think or Jason Castro is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 6 finalists

Syesha Mercado - "One Rock-n-Roll too Many" Didn't care for the song, but she sounded pretty strong thorughout the performance, but if she had more lower registers to her voice, it might have sounded better, provided more grit to the song.

Jason Castro - "Memories" I want to stuff socks in my ears after listening to Jason's wispy performance. Ugh.

Brooke White - "You Must Love Me" Didn't love it. It started out really rocky, but I just never thought she really knew the song well enough to fake it.

David Archuleta - "Think of Me" He did all right with his spin of the song, and it almost sounded contemporary, but he's got that soothing glaze to his vocals that makes his songs sound pleasant and warm.

Carly Smithson - "Jesus Christ Superstar" I thought the backing vocals sounded better than Carly. Her vocals just sounded too thin to me, plus she's still trying to win us over with her power screams/vocals that do nothing for me.

David Cook - "Music of the Night" Pretty weak start, and had some problems with the melody, and basically framed his performance around 2 long notes. Not one of my favorites of his performances this season.


----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
Syesha Mercado
David Archuleta

Could have been better
David Cook

Under-performed
Carly Smithson

Once was enough
Jason Castro
Brooke White

I think or Jason Castro or Brooke White is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 7 finalists

David Archuleta - "When You Believe" I thought the band was playing a little loud (over-produced) in the middle of the song, but David did a good job with the song overall, without trying to sound like Mariah, but still doing justice to the song.

Carly Smithson - "Without You" Liked what she was doing with the low notes in the beginning, but her upper range got exposed because she was struggling during the last half of the song, and it was not a good performance.

Syesha Mercado - "Vanishing" Pretty strong performance by Syesha, but I didn't love it. I can't quite put my finger on it, but her singing seldom moves me.

Brooke White - "Hero" Oddly enough, Brooke started okay, but then was quivering mightily during the performance, and the pace was a little off at the end because she seem to be struggling to the end with slightly frantic singing, almost out of breath at times.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Forever" KLC sang the chorus great, but the melodies in the rest of the song got downplayed to somewhat boring singing until the chorus section, so it was about 50/50 of a good/bad performance. Is this the first time we see KLC's bare legs? Her singing posture is better, but she still closes her eyes through half the song.

David Cook - "You'll Always Be My Baby" Good twist on the original, it worked and probably gets the best performance of the night. David just looks the most comfortable on stage and performing.

Jason Castro - "Don't Wanna Cry" Most of the time, Jason sounds like he's always biting off more than he can chew with his singing. His performance was decent, but it wasn't fantastic.

----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
David Cook
David Archuleta

Solid but could have been better
Kristy Lee Cook
Syesha Mercado

Under-performed
Brooke White
Jason Castro

Once was enough
Carly Smithson

I think or Jason Castro or Carly Smithson is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 8 finalists

Michael Johns - "Dream On" It was all right, but felt more karoake than sincere, plus, just too much screaming at the end, he should have picked a better song.

Syesha Mercado - "I Believe" I believe her performance was over-produced and the sounds collide with disharmony and made for a bland performance.

Jason Castro - "Over the Rainbow" After listening to Jason blowing the falsetto bit in the opening stanza of the song, no lie, my mind wondered how my 401K was doing. I really didn't think much of his vocally weak rendition of this song.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Anyway" Vocally, it was fine, she got off a nice long note without the Carly-screaming factor. She stills needs to work on her habit of closing her eyes when she sings because it's off-putting at times.

David Cook - "Innocent" Maybe it was me, but it sounded like his mic was mixed really poorly because I wasn't hearing some of the words he was singing, and his performance was stilted in spots.

Carly Smithson - "Show Must Go On" The mic mix was off, though the power screams were again icky sounding, and the performance was kind of bumpy given her attitude she brought to the song.

David Archuleta - "Angels" He is back on track, the start was a bit boring, but the finish was pretty strong.

Brooke White - "You've Got a Friend" I thought it was tortorous, Brooke was over-singing, over-emoting, just plain over-did most of it.

----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
David Archuleta

Solid but could have been better
Michael Johns
Kristy Lee Cook
Syesha Mercado

Under-performed
David Cook
Brooke White

Once was enough
Carly Smithson
Jason Castro

I think or Jason Castro or Carly Smithson is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 9 finalists

Brooke White - "Jolene" A decent rendition, but it didn't really go anywhere vocally. It was a safe performance.

David Cook - "Little Sparrow" A nice performance of a song I've barely heard of, but he appeared to have updated it for today's musical climate, and imparted a nice catchy melody for the chorus. He almost sounded like the lead singer of "Mr. Mister" in spots.

Ramiele Malubay - "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" Showed more life in her performance, but still more karoake than a sincere effort. It didn't showcase her vocal range at all, a far too safe of a choice.

Jason Castro - "Traveling Through " A decent street corner performance by the dreaded one, but it didn't separate him from the pack. His vocals stayed in too narrow of a range, and it sounded quick, but monotonous.

Carly Smithson - "Here You Come Again" I liked about 80 seconds of that song, but good grief, yet another long-winded note at the end from Carly. If she could just not go for the big notes (they just don't sound good from her), and give into the melody of the song, it would make for a smoother performance.

David Archuleta - "Smokey Mountain Memories" That song was back in his wheel house, and he made the most of it, though in a few spots, he had to scoop a note or two, but overall a strong performance.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Coat of Many Colors" I think her eyes were closed for over half the song, and she seemed a little bored by the middle of the song. She gets bonus points for singing barefoot, though.

Syesha Mercado - "I Will Always Love You" It was pretty slow and drawn out for most of the song, but the last note was was solid (again, Carly, are you listening? that's how you do a long, powerful note at the end).

Michael Johns - "It's All Wrong" A very solid performance, carried by strong vocals that seared through the lyrics and got to the grit of the emotional thrust of the song. Best of the night.
----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
Michael Johns
David Archuleta
David Cook

Solid but could have been better
Syesha Mercado
Carly Smithson

Under-Performed
Brooke White
Kristy Lee Cook

Once was enough
Jason Castro
Ramiele Malubay


I think Ramiele or Jason Castro is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 10 finalists

Ramiele Malubay - "Alone" The long notes were a little too shouty, and her performance was again underwhelming, even though she's under the weather.

Jason Castro - "Fragile" Thought the tempo was too fast, and he chose a safe song to sing, which didn't really separate him from the pack.

Syesha Mercado - "If I was Your Woman" Not a good song, but her singing was on pitch and very powerful and in control. A shame the song itself sucked.

Chikezie - "If Only for One Night" While his vocals sounded rich and lush in spots, that song was putting me to sleep.

Brooke White - "Every Breath You Take" I found her take on the song tepid and strangely uninvolving, she missed on the emotional undercurrent of the song with a bit of a disconnect for me. This song, when sung correctly, should pick up the tempo and run towards the emotional longing that is the heart of the song.

Michael Johns - "We are the Champions" He should just keep doing Queen songs because his vocal range seems to sound good with the Freddie Mercury songs. He did cheat on the long note in the middle of the song, but he was on his game tonight.

Carly Smithson - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" Ow, that was painful, she keeps on being a non-believer in the songs she sing, and she still can't just leave that big note alone, she strangled that last note into something horrible. Relax, lady.

David Archuleta - "You're the Voice" That was a bad song, but the runs got a little boring as well. Just a forgettable listening experience for me.

Kristy Lee Cook - "God Bless the U.S.A" I can see Kristy singing that song before ball games all around the country. That's about it. Simon just doomed her by telling her that was her best performance (that's how he gets people to relax and not vote for her).

David Cook - "Billie Jean" That was pretty tight, all right, he commanded the song all the way through with good pacing and a good vocal performance. "He made it his own" (albeit from Chris Cornell's interpretation) with a different vocal edge from the slowed down tempo.


----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
David Cook
Michael Johns

Middling if but for a better song choice
Syesha Mercado
Chikezie
Kristy Lee Cook

Under-performed
David Archuleta
Brooke White
Carly Smithson

Once was enough
Jason Castro
Ramiele Malubay


I think Ramiele or Kristy Lee Cook is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 11 finalists

Amanda Overmeyer - "Back in the USSR" while it was fun performance, I'm not sure I understood 1/3 of the words she was slogging through, each and every performance, but she's who she is.

Kristy Lee Cook - "You Have To Hide Your Love Away" Started out slow and I was worried, and stayed worried through about 2/3 of the song because she just didn't quite 'get' the song, and didn't really use the hook as well as she should have in her performance.

David Archuleta - "The Long and Winding Road" Kudos to David for not forgetting the lyrics, and he gave his usual level of performance because he was controlled, but he delivered most of the emotion from the song, so he has rebounded well.

Michael Johns - "A Day in the Life" I thought he did okay, but the arrangement was not cohesive enough, but I think he needs to stand still when he sings because he's a little awkward at times with the shoulder sway.

Brooke White - "Here Comes the Sun" Yowie, a little too much smiling from Brooke, she needs to stay a little still because her movements were just all over the place, very distracting to me. It got boring half-way through the song.

David Cook - "Daytripper" That was weird in spots (what was with the voicebox?), and he was mic'd too low, because his background singers were carrying him in some parts of the song, and he got a little boring towards the end.

Carly Smithson - "Blackbird" Hated her last big note, but everything else was pretty smooth, and had really nice tone, with some good melody to the notes, but she almost got through the song, but still couldn't not let loose with one big note that just didn't support the rest of the performance. Plus, really poor choice of clothing (rose-laded top).

Jason Castro - "Michelle" Overall, actually a relaxed rendition, but he was still a little intimidated by the French verses, and he start walking around the song, if that makes any sense.

Syesha Mercado - "Yesterday" Now that's how you hit a high note within the framework of the song (Carly, are you listening?). She was steady and consistent, with just enough angst to sell the song and impart the emotional core of the song.

Chikezie - "I've Just Seen Her Face" This was an average performance, and the harmonica didn't help things. I thought Kristy Lee cook should have done this song. Overall, an imminently forgettable choice. I thought Jim Sturgess sang it better in "Across the Universe".

Ramiele Malubay - "I Should Have Known Better" Quite the prophetic song choice because her voice was so flat, and her head kept shaking around, making her vocals fade in and out, and she really didn't perform the song well (seen better at high school musicals/revivals). Just a jaw-droppingly bad song choice and performance.


----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
David Archuleta
Syesha Mercado

Middling
Amanda Overmeyer
Carly Smithson

Under-performed
Michael Johns
David Cook
Chikezie
Brooke White
Jason Castro

Once was enough
Ramiele Malubay
Kristy Lee Cook

I think Ramiele or Kristy Lee Cook is going home.

American Idol season 7 - Top 12 finalists

Syesha Mercado - "Got to Get You Into My Life" - good performance, even though the start was a little rocky, but the rest of the song settled into a nice groove. A negative is that she didn't really make me want to hum that song over and over like a sparkling performance will do, so I didn't feel a lot of inspiration emanating from her performance, overall.

Chikezie - "She's a Woman" - His manic performance was offset by his wardrobe, so it looked a little strange at times, but he provided a solid vocal performance, and had some fun with it.

Ramiele Malubay - "In My Life" - Though I wish she had sung in a higher key, her vocals had a nice lilt and melodic tone, very controlled, almost too controlled since it went into a monotonous place where she never was able to get out of a rut, and rendered the song inert.

Jason Castro - "If I Fell" - The more I hear him sing, the more I'm convinced he's a one-trick-pony, and his falsetto is weak, and his singing is labored on even the soft notes, and brings nothing to the song. His "labored" singing makes it seem like he's connecting with the song, but to me, it's just pandering for the votes.

Carly Smithson - "Come Together" - I thought her voice got stuffed in some strange place which resulted in her singing in her higher registers, but I wanted some mid-bass to her voice, and she only displayed the mid-bass tone in 2 lines, so I wasn't blown away by it, and it just sounded thin overall.

David Cook - "Eleanor Rigby" - I kinda hated how little of melody of the song remained after it got filtered through his rock-style vocals. The start was shaky, like he was uninterested in the song, but by the time he hits the chorus hard, his just went for it and committed to the performance and finished strong.

Brooke White - "Let It Be" - Now I would call that a safe performance, and I would have rather that she not play the piano while singing because she was distracted vocally in spots, and never got into a falsetto when she could have and just had to press on with the piano playing. Plus, the song is so repetitive most of the time. But, overall, still an earnest effort.

David Hernandez - "Saw Her Standing There" - I didn't like the arrangement, and it was too slow-sounding (like a 45 rpm single record played at 33 1/3 rpm on the record player), and lost that snap and urgency of the song itself. So, he tried something new, but it just didn't do the song justice.

Amanda Overmeyer - "You Can't Do That" - Well, she rebounded with a performance that totally made that song her own because I would not have ever believed McCarthy/Lennon wrote it. It was a-melodic, but she made it work, and gave a solid performance on stage, but it'd sound pretty average on the radio. Also liked how her pants almost matched her hair.

Michael Johns - "Across the Universe" - a really strong vocal performance, bolstered by the acoustic sound (he sounds better with acoustic backing, as the amp'd instruments tended to drown him out). His vocals made for a nice melodic expression of the song. I liked it.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Eight Days a Week" - Wow, that was a manic-country-fried version of a classic that just didn't quite work, and she really needs to work on not looking a little bored during the performance. It might have sounded better if Alvin, Simon and Theodore joined her on stage.

David Archuleta - "We Can Work It Out" - Holy Crash and Burn! He dropped words and had no confidence, and just sort of stumbled through the song, and it was a below average performance. Yikes.

----------------

Rankings

Enjoyable
Michael Johns
Brooke White
David Cook
Chikezie

Middling
Amanda Overmeyer
Syesha Mercado
Carly Smithson
Ramiele Malubay

Under-performed
David Hernandez
David Archuleta

Once was enough
Jason Castro
Kristy Lee Cook

I think Chikezie or Kristy Lee Cook is going home (simply due to Chikezie barely registering with the voting viewers).

American Idol season 7 - top 16 - top 8 gals roundup

Asia'h Epperson - I thought she provided a safe performance of a Whitney song (at least she can move better than Whitney on stage), and she ran out of gas for the big note at the end, but it was simply pleasant, but nothing all that special or original or memorable to her performance.

Kady Malloy - Not the best song choice, plus it took forever (literally) to get going, but she did get most of the big notes right (though they aren't her forte), but it left me uninspired, overall. Wasted potential on display once again, unfortunately.

Amanda Overmeyer - I'd give her the title of "Karoake Idol", and I feel she's authentically unauthentic. She sings behind the band at times, still can't carry the melody for most of the songs she sings. She'll probably go through to the final 12 but I am tired of her schtick already.

Carly Smithson - I had no idea what song she was singing until she got to the chorus, but she ran the gamut of her vocal range with it, and for the most part, it was a good display of her vocal promise, but her mic technique cheated out of her first long note. I wish she'd not go for the big notes when she is always bordering on screaming them, it's not necessary because her voice has plenty of melody and power to it, a nice combo to have.

Kristy Lee Cook - Not great on the big notes, bad mic technique (turning away in the middle of her second last note, WTH?). I think she over-shot her vocal talent with this song choice because it does demand a strong voice to make its angst work for it. On the plus side, her singing stance was much more solid and not as distracting with the fighting stance she usually undertakes while singing.

Ramiele Mulabay - She's got great pipes (and control), but she needs acting lessons (or life lessons) because she is still so far away from what she's singing about. She's like a singing robot who can really sing well but the emotional disconnect in her singing is her biggest liability.

Brooke White - She took a chance with going with just an acoustic guitar and showcased her vocals. What I liked is that she is like the antithesis of Ramiele in terms of projecting a sense of hurt when it comes to love and how it's a battlefield in the song, that's the interpretive insight that Ramiele lacks, but Brooke has and uses to great effect. It was a very solid effort, and it separates her from the pack.

Syesha Mercado - Took on a Whitney song, and was more than up to the task because her voice has melody and power to spare (probably more than even Carly at times). What she lacks is a personal style that makes her instantly recognizable when you hear her voice, and that's her main obstacle in finding commercial success in the music industry.


Rankings

Enjoyable
Brooke White
Syesha Mercado

Middling
Carly Smithson
Ramiela Malubay
Asia'h Epperson

Under-performed
Kady Malloy
Kristy Lee Cook
Amanda Overmeyer

I fear it's probably the end of the road for Kady Malloy and possibly Asia'h Epperson or Kristy Lee Cook.

American Idol season 7 - top 16 - top 8 guys roundup

Luke Menard - He picked a good song choice for his vocal range, but he didn't quite sell it while he was singing the song, he didn't go far enough to build up the energy inherent in that song. He also missed on a low note towards the very end of the song, like he ran out of gas.

David Archuleta - he provided some silky smooth notes throughout the song, but he got a little too loud when he transistioned away from the piano to the stage, and sometimes it looks like his tongue gets in the way of his singing, that makes it a little distracting when watching him sing.

Danny Noriega - I thought he sang the song in too low of a key, and it made the song sound too subdued, but what he lacked in vocal finesse, he made up for in the performance in terms of stage presense. He at least looks like he's trying to give a vocal performance with a little zest during the song.

David Hernandez - Taking on a Celine Dion song by a male is always risky, but he did okay, but he started singing from the back of his throat through the tail end of the song, so it sounded odd as he went for the big finish. Overall, a consistent effort that didn't leave him embarrassed for tackling that song.

Michael Johns - I thought he needed to find a jacket that actually fit him because it was distracting to watch him keep tugging the jacket toward the middle. I didn't like how his voice lost the melody that the end when he started screaming the lyrics. It was an average performance that just didn't connect with me.

David Cook - I wasn't digging it until the chorus kicked in because it sounded really thin (the guitar, mainly), but then the chorus swelled and totally settled in a groove for the rest of the song, and it was a nice change of pace considering the "pop-ness" pedigree of the song, he made the song relevant again. Nice job!

Jason Castro - I thought his performance was a little on the labored side. To me, his vocal range sounded even smaller with this song, so I can't really say it was a song that makes a statement for Jason to stay. I'm definitely contrary to what any of the judges said about Jason's performance.

Chikeze - He started out well, but he got a little loose with the middle of the song, and then the transistion from the falsetto to the last note was just a little awkward.

Rankings

Worth listening to again and again:
David Cook

Worth listening to again:
David Hernandez
David Archuleta

Once was enough:
Michael Johns
Jason Castro
Chikeze

Put them out of their misery, please:Danny
Luke

I think Luke Menard and Danny Noriega are going home (but wouldn't be surprise if it's Jason Castro, and Luke that go home).

American Idol season 7 - top 16 revealed

Tonight AI whittled down the contestants once again, and 3 of the 4 were pretty predictable, while one was a minor surprise (I never saw it coming). Robbie Carrico (plus his wig) and Jason Yeager were summarily dismissed. Alexandrea Lushington was put out of her misery, she just never found her groove, and lost her spark. The surprise was held for the end when it came down to Kady Malloy and Alaina Whitaker. Kady was resigned to be going home, and then Seacrest called out Alaina's name, Kady was given a week's reprieve, but Alaina was destroyed for a few confusing seconds, and wanted desperately to be anywhere but the stage, and protested to singing her song once more. AI is kind of cruel in having dismissed contestants sing the song that got them booted on results night, but it's part of the show, and the contestants know it's coming. After some overly syrupy platitudes of a bright future in music offered by Paula, Seacrest offered Alaina the choice to sing or not, and Alaina stiffled her initial flight response, and gave the audience one more performance, backed by all the rest of the gals still in the show. I don't recall ever seeing such an emotional response to being sent home by any other AI contestant, but Alaina's still young, just 17, and the speedily delivered news from Seacrest just sent her on tilt and provided a somewhat rather true emotional moment of disappointment on AI. That's reality TV for ya.

American Idol season 7 - top 20 - top 10 gals roundup

Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella left the competition last week, so it's on to the final 10 gals:

Carly Smithson - Overall, a decent performance, marred by strained big notes that went from pleasing to the ear to just sharp noise in spots. I think she needs to pick a song that has less pyrotechnic notes, and more simple melodies and hooks within the song as her voice is built for such songs. I need a little more control from Carly's singing, and reining in her range and just inhabit the song itself.

Syesha Mercado - She's got a nice, wide and smooth range, but I fear her voice is not distinctive enough to separate her from the pack. The song itself was not a good choice, a little too safe and boring, I don't think Syesha connected with the song either, and it stifled her singing.

Brooke White - Enjoyed Brooke's performance, though she needs to ditch the guitar, just sing, baby. What sets Brooke apart is the timber of her vocals that just swells in the chorus and gives you chills down your spine. She doesn't have the widest range and should avoid songs requiring power vocals (any diva song, more or less). Her voice is very smoothing and melodic, which helps in the story-telling of the song. I think she'll do well in the adult contemporary / easy listening side of radio because her vocal style isn't "pop" enough.

Ramiele Malubai - Took forever to get her vocal engines going, but I fear she sort of sounded more like a karoake singer, imbuing the song with very limited amounts of charisma and conviction, so she stayed in an uninteresting groove to the very end, and left little impression on me this time around. She needs to find better songs to showcase her vocal subtlety and range/power. I think I just want her to give a damn when she's performing, and tonight wasn't such a performance.

Kristy Lee Cook - You know, for a pretty girl, Kristy is sort of tough to watch perform because she's got that weird singing stance/squat and facial expressions, plus she botched a few power notes with some weird scratchiness (like phlegm getting dislodged during the middle of a note). I think she's better suited for Nashville Star because that's where her vocals lean, and I think just about everything she sings will have that country lilt and twang to it. The good thing is that her voice is distinctive within this competition, the bad thing is that she sounds like about a thousand other female country singers.

Amanda Overmeyer - Gotta give it up to Amanda for raising the energy level of the show, but I fear she's either a smoker, or just doesn't have enough vocal control for quiet-sounding verses (almost going breathless in spots). The other negative is that she doesn't have the ability to go up and down octave ranges within the melodies of the song, which just makes for flat-sounding, loud, singing at times. Overall, a regrettable song choice that exposed a lot of her weaknesses instead of bolstering her strengths. I don't like her chances for the top 6 for the girls.

Alaina Whitaker - I liked her vocals on this song, though she had one run-up vocal note that got away from her, but she gave a Star Search quality performance, which I'm not sure that's what AI is looking for. I think she's got a lot of potential, and I like that she is willing to let herself go when she sings, even with a ballad. Overall, I found it enjoyable enough to want her to come back next week.

Alexandrea Lushington - I think if she went with a R&B vibe for the entire song that she gave us a glimpse of at the end of the song, the song would have been more interesting, but even with the little runs at the end of notes, I was left unmoved by her performance as she looked very uncomfortable, and sounded uninspired. She could be vulnerable for the boot tomorrow.

Kady Malloy - Tip #1: Don't walk downstairs while you sing. This opening threw her off her game, and she still needs to learn how to perform on stage in terms of being at ease with herself. She's still too nervous, which doesn't allow her to let go and allow the song to flow out of her organically. I think she still has a good recording artist potential, but stage presence is keeping her from giving good vocal performances that are consistent from the first note to the last one. She sings off-balance, and almost needs the entire song to find that center, and that's just not good enough. She has to be centered from get-go, and not reach haphazardly for that balance like a drunken person trying to walk a straight line.

Asia'h Epperson - This song's beginning had all the markings of a disaster, blowing the first chorus, but she kept going, gave us a big finish, but it was kind of difficult to listen to that big long note because she was really digging it out (without the ease of someone else with better range and control), which also exposed her vocal range, so she gets props for trying the hardest song, but didn't have the pipes to back up her audacious attempt.

Rankings - this was tough because no one hit a home run, or even approached a triple, just a really average night for the gals.

Enjoyable
Brooke White
Alaina Whitaker

Middling
Carly Smithson

Under-performed
Syesha Mercado
Ramiela Malubai
Kady Malloy
Kristy Lee Cook

Over-reached
Asia'h Epperson
Amanda Overmeyer

Uninteresting
Alexandrea Lushington

I fear it's probably the end of the road for Alexandrea Lushington and possibly Amanda Overmeyer or Asia'h Epperson.

American Idol season 7 - top 20 - top 10 guys roundup

Colton Berry and Jared Haley left the competition last week, so it's on to the final 10 guys:

Michael Johns - thoroughly lackluster effort by Michael Johns tonight. He brought nothing original to the song, but he seemed to struggle finishing off notes, so I don't know if he's under the weather, or just couldn't bring it tonight.

Jason Castro - another so-so effort dominated by Jason's guitar strumming, and his vocals just weren't imaginative or impressive at all. A minor setback for the dreaded one.

Luke Menard - the vocals were sung in a key too high for comfortable listening, and the lack of bass in Luke's vocals make it tough to enjoy a Queen song that was performed with much more zest and fire, which Luke lacked during most of his performance tonight.

Robbie Carrico - I felt like I was watching David Spade trying his best in a karoake contest because Robbie started out okay, but the song just sort of petered out, and Robbie never sold the song with the urgency and energy that this song demands.

Danny Noriega - covering a Carperter's song requires a strong commitment to singing it a higher key than Danny did, and he went a little too slow to the point of being a bit boring and tired by the end of the song. It's almost like watching Jessica Alba's kid brother sing when I look at Danny singing at times.

David Hernandez - the evening's first good, solid performance where you got the impression he commited to the song, and went for broke, but in a controlled manner. He did have a bit of a shlisp sound here and there, but overall, he had a good night.

Jason Yeager - a manic performance in terms of head movements and poor mic technique led to improper fade-outs. Jason still doesn't really know what to do with his voice, or his style without coming across too cheesy, but he did this week.

Chikezie - a very nice rebound with a solid performance with good vocal power and control, and he had fun with with the song, and really swung for the fences and nailed it. He really sold the 70's vibe of the song, too.

David Cook - Robbie Carrico should take some notes from David because David was rocking it tonight, good throaty vocals, but the only negative thing were the thin chorus lines that fell flat, but the rest of the performance was entertaining, and sounded legit.

David Archuleta - he's got such a distinctive voice and he commands your attention, and he never lets go of it until he's finished. David hits a home run tonight compared the rest of the field tonight. Good job.

Rankings

Worth listening to again and again:David Archuleta
David Cook
Chikezie

Worth listening to again:
David Hernandez

Once was enough:
Danny Noriega
Jason Castro
Michael Johns

Put them out of their misery, please:
Jason Yeager
Robbie Carrico
Luke Menard

I think Jason Yeager and Robbie Carrico are going home (but wouldn't be surprise if it's Jason Y, and Luke that go home).

American Idol season 7 - top 24 - top 12 gals roundup

Kristy Lee Cook - Wow, thoroughly underwhelming performance (totally wrong song choice that did not suit her vocal stylings), plus she made these strange wide-eye movements that didn't help matters. It's unfortunate for her that she was under the weather because it really weakened her vocal presence and she basically receded into the background as her performance limped to the finish.

Joanne Borgella - Not too entertaining of a performance, and her vocals remained a little too screechy in spots as her vocal range is tilted towards the high end, without much bottom end to her vocals. It's true that as she tries to sing louder and higher, her vocals get smaller instead of expanding. Makes me mad that they passed on Cardin for her. Grr...

Alaina Whitaker - Hey, now that's a nice performance, full of youthful vigor and a decent amount of range. Somehow AI found a way to clone Carrie Underwood, but a pop version of her, but it works. She's got a nice stage presence in terms of personality while she sings (just looks like she's having a great time while singing, which engages the audience), so I think she's a top 6 girl to watch. I think she'll have a good birthday tomorrow.

Amanda Overmeyer - Imagine crossing somewhat drunken Britney Spears with Janis Joplin, and you get Amanda, the Rock Nurse. She rocks harder than Robbie Carrico ever thought about rocking, and probably has bigger balls (metaphorically speaking) than half the male contestants this season. The performance was more of a "can't miss" viewing in terms of predictability, where her style and gloss over-shadowed the song itself, so from that POV, she put her own stamp on it. Don't think she'll be a great recording artist, but her live performances promise to be interesting and fun to watch.

Amy Davis - It sounded like her vocals were a little flat in spots, and went "pitchy" in the longer notes, which resulted in a frayed-sounding performance. Not a song that gave her a shot to showcase her talent. Not sure if she was under the weather, but I'd be surprised she makes it to the top 6 girls, just not quite good enough.

Brooke White - love the tone of her voice, she's got a good stage presence in terms of inhabiting the spirit of the song, too. She's got a good recording artist voice as well, so I hope she goes far because she's one to watch and listen.

Alexandrea Lushington - Totally nailed her song with a controlled but energetic performance. I was eating dinner at the start of the song, but I quickly quit chewing and just listened to and watched a really fun performance. She's another one to keep an eye out on, I think she's a shoo-in for the top 6 for the girls. Simon missed the boat on her. I do wonder if she's got an extra octave in her vocal range, though, but she did make it look really easy tonight on the stage. I think she's more a live performer than a recording artist, though. Atlanta represent.

Kady Malloy - I thought she had a solid vocal, with just a couple of stumbles, but there is so much potential in this gal. The judges got a little carried away in the personality department (but see Alaina Whitaker for someone who's comfortable with who she is, and it shows). She's definitely got a recording artist voice (it's so elastic with boundless possibilities, I suspect), and just needs a little more stage work to balance the live performance aspect for her total presentation. When she gets her head on straight, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. Looking forward to her making it to the top 6 gals as well.

Asia'h Epperson - Apparently she was born without the "H" in her vocabulary, but she's a good, infectious, good-feeling, stage performer, and injects the song with her own distinctive raspiness that provides a nice R&B slice to the song. But she's not someone whose voice I'd want to listen to for any length of time, that's just me, though.

Ramiele Malubai - Enjoyed the second half of the song moreso than the first half (just too damn slow), but she's got some pipes with good control and a nice lilt at times, but I feel it's better suited for live performances than the recording studio because it's not an instantly recognizable voice to my ears. I want to hear her sing a more uptempo song just to see if she can keep up the pace.

Syesha Mercado - she's got the big guns in terms of vocals, a really wide range, and a really strong singer, but is it enough? Will she succumb to diva-ville? I want to like her more, but there's something that leaves me a little cold about her singing. I also wonder if she can handle the intimate, low-key songs as well. Time will tell. I think she leans more toward being a better live performer than recording artist.

Carly Smithson - I thought she started out well, got that Anne Wilson vibe, but she over-sang the second half of the song and it got a little sordid for me. I didn't like how her mic went in and out with her holding of it, it undercut the notes to me. I think she could be a better singer if she had just a little more restraint so that she doesn't over-reach for the big long notes. I wish I enjoyed it more, but I didn't.

My initial rankings, but it's a grab-bag for the top 9, but the bottom 3 are pretty set for me at this point:

Enjoyable:
Alaina Whitaker
Ramiele Malubai
Syesha Mercado
Brooke White
Alexandrea Lushington
Kady Malloy

Undecided
Asia'h Epperson
Carly Smithson
Amanda Overmeyer

Disappointing
Joanne Borgella
Kristy Lee Cook
Amy Davis

I think Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella are going home.

American Idol season 7 - top 24 - top 12 guys roundup

David Hernandez - good start, but it sort of fell apart by the close of the song. Needs more stage performance experiences.
Chikezie - shaky start (enunciation problems to my ears), but good smooth vocals, otherwise, but he did sound a little too throw-back to the 60's.
David Cook - nifty arrangement of a song that's rarely had that sort of treatment, but I think he pulled it off, but his long notes aren't as impressive, and he's a little too cute with the short lines of the song.
Jason Yeager - Definitely lost his train of thought for a second, and did sound a little cheesy, plus the silly grin didn't help, but I blame the song choice on most of his problems, but it doesn't bode well for the future cruise ship singer...
Robby Carrico - I found his vocals a little thin, with not much on reserve, he reminds me more of a backup singer, not quite got enough to sing with to give a rock edge to the song.
David Archuleta - very comfortable on stage, has a distinctive vocal style (easily recognizable), but he sort of sings from the back of his throat, which limits big notes (he seems to have to wind up for a long notes at times), plus the sound of his air intake is louder than other singers (which is a little distracting), but he knows how to play the "gosh shucks" card and the audience will eat it up. That season on Star Search 5 years ago served him well.
Danny Noriega - horrible song choice because he turned in a monotonous vocal performance, but I think he's better suited for broadway, not as a recording artist. His "sassy" attitude won't carry inside a recording studio, either.
Luke Menard - it's weird to hear someone look like that sound like that in terms of having a higher pitched voice, but he sort of faded during the song, but he did get to showcase his falsetto at the end. But Simon's right, it was very forgettable and uninspired. Plus his wardrobe choice was pretty awful.
Colton Berry - Another indistinctive, banal, vocal performance; simply put: his vocals just aren't anything to write home about. Another broadway washout-in-training, I'm afraid. Should have put Kyle through.
Garrett Haley - If he shaved off that peach fuzz of a moustache, I thought you could sneak Garrett on for the Girls night tomorrow, and not many would realize he was a guy singing on Girls night. His lack of stage experience was evident, but he's got a decent voice (much better than Colton's), just really bad performance skills (unlike David Archuleta), which lends itself to being a staid and timid experience for us watching him.
Jason Castro - a very confident performance that gave me that impression that he'd been singing on stage for years, but his voice isn't a recording artist's voice in terms of being instantly recognizable and memorable. I think he'll go well in live performances playing in small venues, but he's got potential, but not quite the gift (vocally).
Michael Johns - Solid performance, and easily in the top 2 for the night. I think he does have a recording artist's voice for the studio, and does have front man experience for a band, so that's not an issue in terms of performance skills.

Overall, the rankings of the guys:

Top 4
David Archuleta
Michael Johns
David Cook
Jason Castro

Middling
Robbie Carrigo
Chikezie
David Hernandez
Jason Yeager

Bottom 4
Danny Noriega
Garrett Haley
Luke Menard
Colton Berry

I think Luke and Colton are going home.

The first blog. Weird. Have resisted the urge to create a blog, so it might be slow-going at the start, but let's see how it ends up one of these days.