2008 American Idol

2008 American Idol

A guilty pleasure. I like to hear how these kids handle classic songs that they've never heard before, and how they handle the pressure. The season started strong and there were a couple great performances thanks to David Cook, but I was also disappointed by the song selection and performances, not just of the contestants but by the American Idol band. By Neil Diamond week I was fed up. I was still watching it but not with much interest. Surprisingly the final (May 21st) was very good. I know I'll be all excited to watch it in '09.

2008 American Idol

David Cook (December 20, 1982 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) bartender at the "Blank Slate" in Tulsa; occasionally play shows. a word nerd.

C "Happy Together" (Turtles) He was too manic. I would like to see more before they vote him off.
C "All Right Now" (Free) David plays his Les Paul through a Marshall amp, but his playing is uninspired. He wanders off with a flat version.
B- "Hello" (Lionel Richie) Emo version is pretty good.
C+ "Eleanor Rigby" (Beatles) I don't think a classic grunge arrangement works for a lyrical song like "Eleanor Rigby". Still the building energy was good, as was his vocal performance.
C+ "Day Tripper" (Beatles) Slow almost plodding version (White Snake), more syncopation. He lost me with the voice box guitar solo.
B+ "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson) Very good, different arrangement by Chris Cornell.
B "Little Sparrow" (Dolly Parton) Excellent singing including some male falsetto. He arranged the song this week and did a very good job. I like the guitar harmonics at the end.
C+- "Innocent" (Our Lady Peace) Singing or rapping with a bad modern rock vibe with the crappy AI band. The choir helps but the songs sings with repeatition of the title. I like the drumming.
C++ "Always Be My Baby" Done as a power ballad with lots of strings. The vocals are weak but because the arrangement overpowers what is a weak song it comes across as the strongest song of the evening.
C+ "The Music of the Night" (The Phantom of the Opera) A college musical theater performance and disappointment for me. I expected more from Cook, but he wanted to show off his theater chops.
C "I'm Alive" He played his AC Les Paul, but he also appeared to sing the chord changes, which sounded terrible.
C+ "All I Really Need Is You" Done as a medium tempo rock ballad- best performance of the night but that isn't saying anything.
C- "Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran) Nasty karoke version. I expect a lot more from Cook.
C+ "Baba O'Riley" (The Who) Interesting arrangement, a simple organ figure that he sings lazy lyrics over then kicks it up to the 'Teenage Wasteland' lyrics, which he repeats over and over. This song is too goodto be edited down to 90 seconds.
B "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Roberta Flack) Simon's choice- great song and Cook sings the hell out of it. Acoustic guitar, strings and drums.
C+- "Dare You to Move" (Switchfoot) Contestant's choice: Modern rock song, which means it starts quiet and gets louder for no reason. The lyrics are stupid. The arrangement is good but it doesn't seem to fit the song very well.
C "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith) Producer's choice, string quartet and drums interesting arrangement but I don't care for the song and David doesn't compare well with Steven Tyler.
B "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking Fo" (U2) Clive Davis's choice. I thought it sounded very good. Suzanne thought Cook could have pushed the song further emotionally with his vocal. Two minutes doesn't give him enough time.
C+- "Dream Big" (Emily Shackelton) Songwriter contest song. Cook was smart to find a song he could rock out to. These contest songs aren't very good, but David is able to put some energy in his performance by playing some strong electric guitar.
C+ "The World I Know" (Collective Soul) contestant's choice. I wasn't familiar with the song, neither was Suzanne, although she's a Collective Soul fan. It sounded pretty good but didn't do much for me.
C "Time of My Life" (Winner's Single) Songwriter contest winning song. The song was lost in the excitement of Cook's upset victory. David sang it well but all the attension was elsewhere.

Final Week, May 20th

Considering how much work both David Archuleta and David Cook had to do, I was suprise by how well they both performed. The band sounded good for a change, maybe it was due to only having to deal with two contestants and one dad. Both of Clive Davis' choices went over very well. The songwritting contest songs were weak, and the contestant's choices were so so. Randy was stupid and kept repeating his same tired lines. Paula was incoherent- no surprise. Simon told Archuleta it was a knockout- that he had won the evening hence the night. I didn't see it that way. I thought the evening was dead even but over the course of the season Cook was the best contestant. Having said that I was convinced Archuleta was going to win due to voting patterns of teenage girls.

David Archuleta (December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida) won $100K in the 2003 Star Search. This young man is finale material.

C++ "Shop Around" (The Miracles) lyrics about getting dating advice from your mother suited him just fine. I'm use to Toni Tenille and Smokey Robinson singing this song; David's voice is much deeper.
B "Imagine" (John Lennon) Best vocal of the night, pure high boy voice, great control, light but interesting vocal runs. The guitar arrangement was good too.
C "Another Day in Paradise" (Phil Collins) Plays the piano, bland vocal, sappy lyrics
C- "We Can Work It Out" (Beatles) He forgot the lyrics, which probably threw him off his vocal performace. The R&B arrangement didn't work- it was sloppy and worse than that: boring.
B- "The Long and Winding Road" (Beatles) Nice read, sweet tenor
C- "You're the Voice " (David Foster & Jeff Pescetto) Horrible song, subpar performance.
B- "Smoky Mountain Memories" (Dolly Parton) Solid vocal performance.
C+ "Angels" (Robbie Williams) A piano ballad, he voice is a little swamped when the choir and orchestra come in, but a strong vocal.
C "When You Believe" Up with People performance with a dull arrangement- David's vocal talents are wasted here.
C "Think of Me" (The Phantom of the Opera) The song and arrangement are terrible but the vocal has a nice tone.
D "Sweet Caroline" Sean said it "Stunk" and I have to agree
C+- "America" Good but it has that Archluteta sound where all his vocals are the same: safe and a little boring. He has a very good voice but he never pushes it.
C "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King) Nice vocal but a little too breathy, safe arrangement that never builds bongos all the way through.
C+- "Love Me Tender" (Elvis Presley) Simple piano backing. David takes a sappy ballad and adds more sap
C "And So It Goes" (Billy Joel) Paula's choice, slow ballad sung a cappella for much of the song with lots of echo. String quartet and piano join ending. Showtune like.
C- "With You" (Chris Brown) Contestant's choice, modern hip hop soul with lost of screaming girls, however his voice doesn't fit the music.
C+- "Longer" (Dan Fogelberg) Producer's choice, good song and arrangement, but it's played too slow and there were weird noise some of them not David.
B "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on M" (Elton John) Clive Davis's choice. Suzanne and everyone thought Archuleta gave his performance of the year with this cover. I wouldn't disagree but I thought the Cook's U2 performance was better. Suzanne told me, "It's only because it's a U2 song." No, this may be Elton's best song and I love Elton John- so it's not just the song.
C "In This Moment" (Ryan Gillmor) Songwriter contest song. David sang this song very well. I thought for sure Cook's rock performance would swamp Archuleta in this round, but the kid held his own.
B- "Imagine" (John Lennon) contestant's choice. Archuleta went back to one of his most popular songs of the season. The arrangement was fuller with more strings. David sang more runs. I think he sang more of the lyric too?

Final Three, May 13th

I've lost my interest for the show. It was on but I wasn't paying any attention to it. The results are obvious Archuleta is too cute so he'll win. Cook has the most talent he'll come in second. Syesha is leaving.

Syesha Mercado (January 2, 1987) Florida International University student, appeared on ABC's The One: Making a Music Star.

B- "Tobacco Road" (Nashville Teens) rocks out big time.
C+ "Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul) Done as a laid back ballad
C- "Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston) More Whitney yelling.
C+- "Got to Get You into My Life" (Beatles) A nice R&B arrangement. She sang it well, but it was forgettable. In The Bottom Three.
C+- "Yesterday" (Beatles) Bland arrangement (acoustic guitar only), but good vocal
C "If I Were Your Woman" (Stephanie Mills) Slow, bland, electric piano. In The Bottom Three #2.
C+ "I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton) Hybrid arrangment started as a Torch ballad then switched to a big sound with an even bigger finish- those last notes were huge; held for a long time without a flaw. I was impressed even if Simon wasn't.
C+ "I Believe" (Fantasia) A Disney like song with a modern pop soul arrangment: piano, strings, choir, brass, and explosions?! She sings it very well going way up an octave but it still seems a little dull. In The Bottom Three.
C "Vanishing" Poor song, back arrangement (piano and backing singers). She tries to overpower it, but her pitch drifts. In The Bottom Three. My pick to vote off.
C++ "One Rock & Roll Too Many" (Starlight Express) Syesha's best performance ala Michelle Pfeiffer in "The Fabulous Baker Boys" ie slinky red dress on a piano. She imbraces the music theater theme. In The Bottom Two.
C "Hello Again" Completely forgetable In The Bottom Two.
C+- "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" I was amused by the Motown arrangement. It was nice, it was fun, but it was also a bit too slow.
C "Proud Mary" (CCR) No surprise she does the Tina Turner version, the begin shows promise but then the tempo increases and it becomes a showtune.
C+- "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke) This is a rock song? It sounds like gospel to me. Her voice doesn't suit the words.
C+- "If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys) Randy's choice, pretty good 70s soul ballad with a 90s vocal grafted on top. I like the organ and horns but didn't care for the vocals.
C+ "Fever" (Peggy Lee) Contestant's choice- very good arrangement. The song is much better than she is.
C+- "Hit Me Up" (Gia Farrell) Producer's choice- the percussion is very good a hip hop/latin hybrid. Her vocal is good but her tone doesn't work with the song. My pick to vote off.

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, May 7th

I went over to Suzanne's to watch the show on the big screen. Direct TV lost the fox signal so we watched it on a 9" tv with rabbit ears. Probably a good thing these are very small performances, with none of the elements that make rock great.

Jason Castro (March 25, 1987) He played for a band, Keeping Lions, disbanded. Texas A&M construction science major and music minor. He has weird eyes and dreadlocks, but handsome.

B- "Daydream" (The Lovin' Spoonful) He played guitar and did a version that was even more hippy than the original- I liked it.
C+ "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (Andy Gibb) Too much pop- do something different for a change
C+- "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) Song is better than he is- no Jeff Buckley. His voice breaks
C "If I Fell" (Beatles) Acoustic guitar, simple reading of the song. Nice but forgettable.
C+ "Michelle" (Beatles) Suzanne thought it was corny. I thought it cabaret. He could have taken it all the way as a cajun song. Accordian Zydeco!
C++ "Fragile" (Sting) strummed guitar, latin arrangement, too laid back. In The Bottom Three #3.
C++ "Travelin' Thru" (Dolly Parton) Nice song, great vocals with a simple arrangement. The gospel choir worked very well on the chorus.
B "Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland) Jason starts out with a ukulele, then builds with strings, organ. His vocal is beautiful too.
C+- "I Don't Wanna Cry" Nice arrangement and the singing is good, but the song is weak.
C+- "Memory" (Cats) Nice vocal but it seems to lack confidence and I hear too much of his breath- too close to the mic?
C "Forever in Blue Jeans" Fun but boring
C- "September Morn" A song too old for him to sing. The lyrics deal with the concerns of an old man or at least middle aged.
C- "I Shot the Sheriff" (Bob Marley) Neither rock like Eric Clapton nor reggae like Bob Marley truely a karoke version.
C "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) This could have been okay if he hadn't forgotten the lyrics. My pick to vote off.

Neil Diamond Week, April 29th

I had high hopes for this week. I like Neil Diamond. Diamond has plenty of great songs to choose from. Each could be done in a number of different ways. Unfortunately no contestant did anything interesting. Even David Cook didn't push the arrangements very far. The American Idol band definately dropped the ball. This week wasn't as boring as Andrew Webber week but it was worse because it held so much promise. Each contestant sang two songs. I wonder if this diluted each song as they have limited time to arrange and rehearse. I have to say I liked the emotion Brooke brought to "I Am I Said" when she was voted off. Of course she was crying like a baby while she sang it but it made the song very interesting.

Brooke White (June 2, 1983 in Mesa, Arizona) nanny from Van Nuys. never seen a R-rated movie. Cowell, "bring her over to the dark side." 2005 CD "Songs From the Attic" New Millenium Records.

C+- "Happy Together" (The Turtles) featuring a banjo, but it could have been better.
C "You're So Vain" (Carly Simon) Karaoke Version, everyone keeps looking at Simon like it's a big joke.
B- "Love is a Battlefield" (Pat Benatar) Cool acoustic version, vocal and guitar duet, but it does need a little more at the end.
B- "Let It Be" (Beatles) At the piano she gave a straight reading of the song and let the song do all the work. She has a lovely tone to her voice.
C++ "Here Comes the Sun" (Beatles) 12 string acoustic guitar and strings. Country twang in her voice
C+- "Every Breath You Take" (The Police) Drags, arrangement needs work. Nice hair, black blouse give her looks an A-
C+- "Jolene" (Dolly Parton) Sloppy and it didn't sound heartfelt. Her jug band (on stage) wasn't the right arrangment either. In The Bottom Three.
C "You've Got a Friend" (Carole King) The arrangement is okay: piano and strings. The backing vocals are weak. Brooke looks and sounds nervous. Suzanne commented on her ugly dress- reminds me of a 60s housewife's dress. My pick to vote off.
C+- "Hero" She accompanies herself on piano. Nice vocal but songs like a striped down demo. In The Bottom Three.
C+- "You Must Love Me" (Evita) Lost the lyric and started over again. Nice vocal but nervous, but it doesn't seem like the right song.
C- "I'm a Believer" She played acoustic guitar with the band but the arrangement was "la la la" and hurt my ears. My pick to vote off.
C+ "I Am I Said" Brooke played piano, done as a straight ballad and her nervous emotion served the song well.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals, April 22nd

Webber was an interesting mentor but the songs all sucked. Only Carly did something from "Jesus Christ Superstar" - the only musical I like in Webbers career and she got kicked off for her troubles.

Carly Smithson (September 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland) bartender/waitress from San Diego. MCA Records 2002 CD "Ultimate High" 300 copies. Contestant season 5, but problem with her visa.

C "The Shadow of Your Smile" (Tony Bennett) was over sung and over rated.
B- "Crazy on You" (Heart) She over sang this song too but it fit the lyrics. The band didn't suck, the handclaps helped a lot.
C+ "I Drove All Night" (Cyndi Lauper) Good vocal but it leaves me cold- yelling not singing- does everything have to be a Celine Dion song?!
C "Come Together" (Beatles) The judges loved her performance but I didn't think much of it. Over sung and shrill. Her eyebrows made her look like a Romulan at times.
C+ "Blackbird" (Beatles) Cabaret performance, piano and string arrangement. In The Bottom Three.
B- "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler) The middle was very good, the ending was oversung, with the last bars out of tune.
C "Here You Come Again" (Dolly Parton) Slow boring piano ballad.
C- "The Show Must Go On" (Queen) The strings and choir are good but the band walks thru this Queen song, and Carly does the memory of Freddie Mercury no favors. In The Bottom Three.
C+ "Without You" Nice string arrangement (hints at something better) powerful vocal.
B- "Superstar" (Jesus Christ Superstar) I don't like her phrasing but the song rocks- the only one of the night- so I like it.

Mariah Carey Week, April 15th

Mariah looked good, but her songs are terrible. At least Carly had the sense to grab a cover (written by Badfinger and made famous by Nillson). We are subjected to the band this week as most arrangements are piano and strings. Easily the borest weak this season. They can vote me off if it doesn't get any better.

Kristy Lee Cook (January 14, 1984) Pretty blonde 24-year-old horse trainer from Selma, Oregon Signed to Arista Nashville and Britney Spears' production company. 2005 CD "Devoted". Former manager of LeAnn Rimes.

C "Rescue Me" (Fontella Bass) She doesn't have the tone to sell this song although the performance was good. My pick to vote off.
C "You're No Good" (Linda Ronstadt) Perfect 70s look, long curly hair backlight, velvet pants. Good bridge on the song
C "Faithfully" (Journey) Countrified Journey but she's no Steve Perry, flat arrangement. Red tongue.
D+ "Eight Days a Week" (Beatles) Although she sang well, the arrangement was a trainwreck. The band should have known better. The rhythm elements were clashing with the Melodic, which were clashing with the counterpoint- it was painfully bad. In The Bottom Three. My pick to vote off.
C "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (Beatles) Cabaret performance. My pick to vote off; she was In The Bottom Three.
C- "God Bless the USA" (Lee Greenwood) Corny, boring, and pitchy My pick to vote off.
C "Coat of Many Colors" (Dolly Parton) A very average standard country read. On a Country theme night her twang didn't stand out, nothing in the performance did. My pick to vote off. In The Bottom Three.
B- "Anyway" (Martina McBride) A good song for Idol, and she sings it very well. The arrangement is good: Piano and strings so she belts it out of the park.
C+- "Forever" Nice hybrid of Country and a piano ballad

Inspiration Week, April 8th

Build up to tomorrow's "Idol Gives Back". The songs the contestants picked don't really seem to fit the theme. Again it boiled down to arrangements and whether Ricky Minor and the band were up to the song- in the case of Carly and Michael they weren't. This week the piano, strings, and choir arrangements worked well, which supports my theory that the American Idol band isn't very good.

The results show was interesting. The first 5 contestants were safe. I was thinking "they won't kick anyone off. Like last year." This wasn't the case. Just when I thought they were going to send Michael to safety, Ryan said Carly and Syesha's name. Ryan reminds Michael that during Idol Gives Back 2007 no one was sent home. But just as Michael eyes light up, Ryan pulls out the rug, "Michael. you going home." The most exciting moment in AI 2008 so far.

Michael Johns (October 20, 1978 in Perth, Western Australia) Johns signed with Maverick Records: rock band called The Rising. He won a tennis scholarship, professional tennis player and coaches the sport. He also played Australian rules football for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras. Johns favors a scarf.

C++ "Light My Fire" (Doors) He sang with half the intensity of Jim Morrison but that's still pretty good. If this Australian would get rid of the scarf and grow his hair long he could be Jim.
C- "Go Your Own Way" (Fleetwood Mac) Suzanne thought it was so bad she had to call me right away. It was bad but not horrible. It was pitchy and he didn't sell the song at all.
B "Don't You, Forget About Me" (Simple Minds) Simple Minds as INXS
C "Across the Universe" (Beatles) A weak Beatles song to start with, his performance was average- it needs a strong arrangement, which he didn't get from the band. The silly Lennon lyrics don't help either.
C+ "A Day in the Life" (Beatles) He lost steam, if ran flat. Suzanne thought he had a cold. It's a bad song (too complex) and the arrangment was too loose.
B- "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" (Queen) Bar band arrangement, good but not great, good use of a big note at the end.
B "It's All Wrong But It's All Right" (Dolly Parton) Stripped back performance with piano and lead guitar on stage. He sang well and the arrangement was very good a Soul/Rock/Gospel vibe, but it let his vocals shine. He wore an ascot.
C "Dream On" (Aerosmith) The American Idol band can not rock to save their souls and so this song falls flat no matter what Michael does even a blistering falsetto.

Dolly Parton Week, April 1st

This is the week where the songs (mentor/songwriter) matched the talents of the singers (contestants) very well. Everyone had a good performance. The band and the arrangments were better than normal. In part this is due to Dolly's songs, which work just as well as pop songs as country songs. When I heard the recap Wednesday everyone sounded worse especially Ramiele Malubay. David Cook, Michael Johns, and Carly were the exceptions.

Ramiele Malubay (September 6, 1987 in Saudi Arabia) Asian raised in the Philippines. worked at a sushi restaurant, pouring take-out cups of soy sauce.

C+ "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield) The English love Dusty so this was a great song choice to get Simon's vote of approval. She sang it well, but didn't even try to pull off the big finish.
C+- "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Thelma Houston) Good singing, so so arrangement a personal favorite song.
C "Against All Odd" (Take a Look at Me Now) Boring arrangment, sounds like she's singing the song phonetically. My pick to vote off.
C "I Should Have Known Better" (Beatles) She looked cute in the hat. Forced big notes into a low key arrangement. My pick for the Bottom Three.
C- "In My Life" (Beatles) The arrangement, personal and tender, it was neither in her hands.
C- "Alone" (Heart) Bad backup singers, 2 speeds: slow/quiet fast/loud.
C++ "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" (Dolly Parton) She sang well for a change. She looked cute in a black shorts jumper

Birth Year, March 25th

All the songs were pretty good, and the contestants all can sing, so it boiled down to the arrangments and how well the band played. David Cook had the best performance because he went on iTunes and found a better arrangement of "Billie Jean" by Chris Connell (of Soundgarden). Chikezie also had a great performance, but did the song like the original and got kicked off the show. Kristy picked a song that tactically made it impossible to kick her off "Good Bless The USA."

Chikezie (September 11, 1985 in Inglewood, California) was a TSA officer at LAX.

C- "More Today Than Yesterday" (Spiral Staircase) He took a pop song and did it as a soul song. It was sort of good, but I like the original too much to approve whole-heartedly.
B- "I Believe to My Soul" (Donny Hathaway) Very strong performance, funky, flowing, fine and manages to diss Simon. He thanks Hathaway's daughter who is singing backing up in the band.
C "All the Woman That I Need" (Luther Vandross) The arrangement has possiblities but he doesn't pull it off. My pick to vote off.
B "She's a Woman" (Beatles) It started off as a old timey country arrangement, but then exploded into an uptempo rocker. His new arrangement worked because he brought a lot of energy to the song. It makes me think he's been sandbagging all along.
B "I've Just Seen a Face" (Beatles) Two good songs bridged by one bad harmonica solo: a slow ballad and a fast Dobro country version.
B "If Only for One Night" (Luther Vandross) Classic arrangement, excellent vocal

Beatles Week II, March 18th

Like last week the best bet was pick a McCartney song, with a faithfull arrangement. Even when they did follow this the performances seemed very cabaret, very average and forgettable. No one stood out this week. Sad really. I blame the band for the weak arrangements.

Amanda Overmyer (October 26, 1984) Harley-riding nurse from Mulberry, IN. Near fatal car accident before Hollywood week.

B- "Baby, Please Don't Go" (Them) sets the band afire. She does a scat solo with the guitarist. The song was certainly the highlight of the night. Simon accused her of forgetting the lyrics. This was funny because he hadn't heard the song before? But I'm not so sure something didn't get lost in the arrangement. If she did forget the lyrics she did a good job of covering up.
C- "Carry On Wayward Son" (Kansas) Skunk hair, flame jeans- I thought it was the best part, Simon hated it. She was going faster than this crap song, some bad notes (pitch).
C- "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (Joan Jett) This simple Joan Jett song overwhelms her. She's behind the beat. My pick to vote off.
C+ "You Can't Do That" (Beatles) As a Rock 'n' Roll rave up, which worked on this song, although it would be nice see some sort of bridge or change up- thankfully it's a short song. Amanda does have the voice to do much more than rave ups.
C+- "Back in the U.S.S.R." (Beatles) A soul review like performance, where she talks the lyrics, and the arrangement was loud and fast. My pick for the Bottom Three.

Beatles Week, March 11th

The best bet this week was to pick a good Beatles song and just sing it with a faithfull arrangement. Other contestants, who tried different arrangements suffered. Kristie's country arrangement of "Eight Days A Week" was horrible. Chikezie rearranged "She's A Woman" and had a hit with it- he was the only one. I was surrised how poorly the contestants did. I can't even blame the band this week. I sort of noticed a trend: the McCartney songs went over better than the Lennon songs.

David Hernandez (May 31, 1983 in Glendale, Arizona) Arizona State University major in Broadcast Journalism. Hernandez worked as a male stripper named "Caden" at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix. Good looking guy. Made good song choices especially R&B. Not a great voice but certainly one of the better male contestants this year. He had bad press due to his stripper job at a gay bar. One weak performance and he was gone.

B- "In the Midnight Hour - " (Wilson Pickett) Very good singing. Compare favorably to the soul classic.
C+ "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (The Temptations) Pretty good performance of a great Motown R&B classic.
C+ "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" (Pandora's Box) Great vocal except last note, bad ballad I vaguely remember.
C "I Saw Her Standing There" (Beatles) Weak performace and weak arrangement. The song lacked energy even though David was running around in the crowd. In The Bottom Three.

80s Week, March 4 & 5th

The guys did pretty good with song selection. The ladies did poor- it seemed everything they did was either Whitney or Celine- over sung and boring. Ryan was dressed as a generic 80's stand up comedian only he wasn't funny. I notice Ryan and Paula sort of balance out Simon and Randy. Danny and Kady get kicked off this week- a shame because I thought both were much better than they got credit for. Of course Suzanne hated them.

Luke Menard (December 1, 1978 in Crawfordsville, Indiana) a cappella group Chapter 6 past 6 years appearing on their albums and DVD. He threw off an lounge singer vibe.

C "Everybody's Talkin'" (Fred Neilbut) Sang well, but it was a deathly slow ballad. If he stays on it will be due to his good looks. My pick to vote off.
C "Killer Queen" (Queen) Okay performance but a weird song choice. My pick to vote off.
C- "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" (Wham!) A silly song. My pick to vote off.

Danny Noriega (September 29, 1989 in Azusa, California) Auditioned for Idol in season 6 and made it to Hollywood week. I love the snap of this kid. I'm pretty sure he's gay. Danny has lots of energy and attitude. I was really said to see him go. When I reviewed his songs, his voice was weak, but his performances were interesting.

B- "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley) Although he wasn't doing an impression, he reminded me of Elvis. Not the singing, but the movement and energy. It was very cool, even when he got in front of the beat, just like Elvis would do.
C+- "Superstar" (The Carpenters) A little slow, behind the beat, an androgynous Karen Carpenter look- still pretty cool.
B- "Tainted Love" (Soft Cell) very edgy pop version. I heard the arrangement comes from Rhiana. a little breathe.

Asia'h Epperson (April 29, 1988) Two days before the auditions, her father died in a car accident. She had a voice and energy. She didn't deserve to go this early. I'm guessing there was vote splitting going on with Syesha.

C+ "Piece of My Heart" (Janis Joplin) She did this as a soul song. It was very dynamic.
C- "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen) "Oh Oh Oh" the vocal arrangement was bad, even the run, and she seemed to forget the lyrics.
C "I Wanna Dance With Somebod" (Who Loves Me) A poor cover that kept the worst elements of the original: synth bass & drums.

Kady Malloy (May 9, 1989) A pretty blonde from Houston, Texas impersonations of Britney Spears and other stars. Malloy is trained in opera singing. Unfortunately these mini-performances seem to outweigh her on stage performances. I like the tone in her voice. She did have pitch problems, but it wasn't as bad as the judges thought.

B "A Groovy Kind of Love" (The Mindbenders) A great performance only the judges didn't hear it. Her dusky voice wrapped around the lyrics and brought them to life.
C- "Magic Man" (Heart) She couldn't fight the bad arrangements. She almost fell off her heels on the way down the stairs.
C+ "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen) Good control, good arrangement. Love her dusky voice even if no one else does.

70s Week, February 26 & 27th

I'm beginning to think the band isn't very good. Especially when they work outside their comfort zone. I think they should have three good bands: Pop, Rock, R&B and let the contestant pick which ever band they want to work with. One of the three is bound to have ideas for a decent arrangement. I'm surprised by all the songs Simon claims to have never heard. These are teenage kids and a bunch of them are claiming these songs as personal favorites- someone is lying. The younger contestants are getting emotional during the result shows. This is normal, but it's interesting seeing the old contestants comfort them like big brothers or sisters.

Robbie Carrico (November 13, 1981 in Beckley, West Virginia) Melbourne, Florida member of the pop group Boyz N Girlz United, opened for Britney Spears during her 1999 ...Baby One More Time tour. He briefly dated Britney Spears. I find it funny when they say," You're a genuine rocker", when all they're basing it on is his long hair and bandana. I found him annoying. I couldn't stomach him neither could Britney.

C+ "One" (Three Dog Night) He could have picked a bigger rock song and rocked harder.
C- "Hot Blooded" (Foreigner) No Lou Gramm. He seems lost on stage... looking for bandana. My pick to vote off.

Jason Yeager (November 25, 1979) Grand Prairie, Texas. Finalist on MTV's Making The Band. Boy band O-Town. Too old for this competition. Lounge singer.

C+ "Moon River" (Audrey Hepburn) is a slow ballad, but I like what he did with it. The performance was Disney, but there was something there.
C "Long Train Running" (The Doobie Brothers) Interesting laid back version. Not as bad as the so called rockers: David Cook and Robbie Carrico.

Alaina Whitaker (February 21, 1991) is a 17-year-old Pretty blonde from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Probably too young. Always picking bad songs.

B "More Today Than Yesterday" (Spiral Staircase) It was a good fit; she sang it well.
D "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (Olivia Newton-John) Deadly boring ballad, sung poorly. Was there a pedal steel in this? I couldn't wait for it to end. My pick to vote off.

Alexandréa Lushington (February 13, 1991) Douglasville, Georgia. In 2004, sang against David Archuleta on Star Search. She has lots of attitude. She is easy on the eyes: tall lean but with curves in all the right places. I voted her off but wish I hadn't. Vote splitting with Syesha and Asia'h.

C+ "Spinning Wheel" (Blood, Sweat & Tears) The arrangement was funky and the performance was great.
C- "If You Leave Me Now" (Chicago) Slow ballad, poor singing, an odd choice like a bad rap movie musical. I was sad to say she was my pick to vote off.

60s Week, February 19 & 20th

24 Contestants vie for 20 spots this week. They sing songs that were popular in the 60s. Simon seems lost this week. Randy talked about pitch, but I heard more tempo problems than pitch problems. (Although there were some nerves going on.) Paula- doesn't anyone know what the hell she's saying half the time? Simon gives the kids grief for updating the song, but then gives them grief if they do! I wouldn't recommend updating a classic song too much you risk alienating the audience you need votes from. It seems to be a mistake to pick a ballad at least one that doesn't have a big finish. You need to the get audience excited about your performance. Even the best vocal performance won't get votes without something memorable going onstage. Having said that I hate it when they (Females usually) over sing a song. A voice is an instrument, an instrument that plays on a song. It's no different if the drummer takes a long over barring solo, or the guitarist heads off into his own world. I know this is supposed to be a singing contest, but some of those vocal runs just turn me off. Sometimes I get help from Randy or Simon, but not tonight. Kady Malloy did a masterful job singing an understated "A Groovy Kind of Love" it was almost perfect, but she got beaten up by the judges. Meanwhile Carly Smithson when in the stratosphere with "The Shadow Of Your Smile" over singing most of it and the judges ate it up.

Colton Berry (October 11, 1989) Staunton, Virginia, another fake rocker. This one can't sing or perform.

C "Suspicious Minds" (Elvis Presley) He picked a song that was better than he is. I find him annoying.

Garrett Haley (June 25, 1990) Elida, Ohio. He looks like Leif Garret. He doesn't belong at all.

C "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Neil Sedaka) all this kid has going for him is his hair. My pick to vote off.

Joanne Borgella (May 29, 1982) Hoboken, New Jersey. She won Mo'Nique's Fat Chance. Easy choice to vote off. Okay voice but there better R&B singers in this competition. Not much for stage prescence.

C+- "I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick) I thought the delivery was rushed.

Amy Davis (August 4, 1982) Professional model, contestant on Nashville Star from Lowell, Indiana. Pretty but after one song it was obvious she's leaving.

D+ "Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis) I feel sorry for her, nerves and song choice killed her chances. My pick to vote off.

Craig Maas

AmericanIdol2008

2008 American Idol