Tuesday, May 20, 2008

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.


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

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

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.


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Rankings

Solid but could have been better
David Cook
David Archuleta

Under-performed
Syesha Mercado

Syesha is probably going to get the boot.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

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.

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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.