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.
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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.