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.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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).
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).
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
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).
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).
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