Season 8 Approaches, Melinda Doolittle Releases A Single

Season 8 of American Idol is just around the corner... can you believe it? There are lots of changes (Top 50! New judge! More Hollywood Week!) but I would love this show if everything had stayed the same.

Take a listen to new Melinda Doolittle material by signing up for her mailing list. You get a free song that is NOT available on iTunes (although there is another song available there for purchase).

What do you think?

David vs. David Finale!

Finally! The night we've been waiting for all season, the finale! It's David vs. David. Both have strengths and both have weaknesses. I think this is going to be another Ruben vs. Clay scenario where it's going to be so close. I'm excited to see what they have to offer. They better bring it!

David C - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". AWESOME! We finally get a U2 song on Idol. I hope he rocks it! Man this is such a classic song you can't go wrong with it. He sounds great on it. I would just love to see him open up and rock out just a tad bit more, but he's totally nailing the song. It just needs a tiny bit more angst to really soar. Great job though. Grade A-

David A - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me". This one has been done on Idol before (Clay was the most memorable performance of it). I'm excited to see what he does. I like the soft beginning but I really hope that he builds on that and starts sounding a little fuller in his voice. By the chorus he's really into it. I'm really digging this. I love the changes he made towards the end. I thought this was a really good performance as well. He seemed to really be into it as well and was finally "performing" rather than just singing. I loved it! Grade A-

David C - "Dream Big". Interesting, this isn't the song I thought he'd end up singing from the Idol Songwriting contest. I do like the rock vibe that he's given it though. It's actually tolerable. He can actually make this single work for the radio. He sounds great again. It wasn't as good as the first number, but for taking an unknown song and making us listen (and enjoy it) I think he did a great job. Grade A-

David A - "In This Moment". The song pretty much sucks but his voice sounds great on it. I love the swooping from the low to high note in the chorus. There's a lot of power behind it. However, he's just singing the song again instead of performing. Hm. I was really underwhelmed with the song but he sounds great. Grade B+

I am really shocked that they're actually pimping David A. I could have sworn that the producers were rooting for David C to win it all. I think they really don't care who will win (or they changed their mind and decided to make David A be the chosen one). I'm very curious to see how the last song goes and what the judges say in the end. This night is really not going the way I thought it was going to go. It's definitely exciting.

David C - "The World I Know". Why would he choose a song he's never done before? It seems like he's trying to throw the competition. We'll see if he really changes it up and works it out or just blows it. Hm, I think he screwed himself over with his song choice. It's not really doing anything to win people over. It's just a standard rock ballad. If he did his regular emo thing that builds on itself than it would have been better. It's just kinda boring. I think it was the wrong way to end his competition. Grade B

David A - "Imagine". We've all heard this one before and know that he can rock it out. If he performs it like he did the first time then I think he'll outshine David C on this round. Awesome. He sounded great, it was so heartfelt, and it was pure and beautiful. It was awesome! Grade A

Well, that does it. It was a great showdown. I think this will go down as one of the strongest (if not THE strongest) finale. It was will definitely rival Ruben vs. Clay and will probably be better than Carrie vs. Bo. The whole night was great. My prediction is that it's going to be very, very close but the winner of American Idol 7 will be David Archuleta!

Top 4 - Rock and Roll Week

Tonight will be pretty interesting because there are so many song choices for the contestants. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Let's get started.

David C - "Hungry Like a Wolf". Not the best song choice but it's definitely a rocker type song. He sounds good on it but doesn't really do anything special with it. It was just ok. Grade B.

Syesha - "Proud Mary". wow, she's correct in being nervous about this song. A lot of people have done it (and done it well). We'll see how she does. Great song though. She's dancing like Beyonce but sounds good. It's a fun performance. She's having fun with it and that makes it fun to watch. I liked it. Grade B+

Jason - "I Shot the Sheriff". I'm sure it'll be a good one for him, but I hate Bob Marley and reggae music. This is bad. He doesn't sound that great and it's a bad song. If he stays over Syesha I'll be upset. Grade D

David A - "Stand By Me". Classic standard. It'll be interesting to see what he does with it. It's a safe, karaoke performance but his voice is just so awesome that it sounds great. I love the little liberties he took on it. Grade B+

David C - "Baby O'Riley" I LOVE THIS SONG! man, if he rocks this I can see Simon saying that he just won with that song. This song is an anthem so if he rocks it everyone will get totally into it. I can't wait. I wish he didn't slow it down so much but I loved the slow crescendo. I just wish he would have actually rocked it out rather than make it an emo song. Grade A-

Syesha - "It's Been a Long Time Coming". She sounds great. Her voice is loud and clear. She's showing some great vulnerability and real emotion. She missed a couple of notes at the end but overall it was a great performance (again). Grade B+

Jason - "Mr. Tambourine Man". Well Bob Dylan is Jason's style so we'll see if does better with this one. Oh man, he forgot his words. It's over for Jason. If he makes it to next week it will be such a slap in the face. It's obvious that he's the weakest competitor left so he can't afford these types of mistakes. Grade C

David A - "Love Me Tender". This sounds like his dad picked the song. He has no idea what this song sounds like. Thankfully, he has an amazing voice. however, I hate this version of the song. It's so slow. Grade B

Jason is going home tomorrow. No ifs, ands, or buts. If anyone else goes home then it's a total slap in the face.

I hope that David C releases Baba o'Riley, Syesha releases Proud Mary, and David C releases Stand by Me as their singles this week.

Top 5 - Neil Diamond Week

I'm not too familiar with Neil Diamond songs so I think this will be interesting. At least it will be a good indication on how good everyone is depending on how engaged I stay with their performance.

Jason - Jason really needs to actually pay attention with what he's doing. He looks so stupid each week. He sounds ok on the song. It's nothing special but it doesn't sound bad. I feel like it's been a while since we've seen Jason play his guitar. He definitely seems more comfortable with it. Grade B

David C. - "I'm Alive". Again, it's good but not blowing me away at all. However, I can totally tell that this is a Neil Diamond song (even though I've never heard it). It was a good vocal but just an average performance. Grade B

Brooke - "I'm Believer". I feel like the key is too low for her voice. She still looks a little nervous in her eyes. Again, it's a fine performance but nothing that's really blowing me away. It's definitely better than last week's disaster. Hm, I enjoyed the ending of the song. I felt like she was finally getting into it. Grade B

David A - "Sweet Caroline". Well no one is really jumping ahead of the pack this week. Once again, it's a good vocal but average performance. It's wasn't crazy about his song choice because it's so karaoke but he was able to make it sound good. Grade B.

Syesha - "Hello Again". She looks so different with straight hair. ok, the hand waving in the mosh pit needs to stop. It looks dumb. I'm not a fan of this performance. Good vocal but really boring song and performance. Grade B-

Jason - "September Moon". Ugh. I'm totally bored. I just don't get it. Good vocal but boring performance. The ending was horrible. Jason didn't have a good night. He's just not taking the competition seriously. Grade C

David C. - I'm bored with this song as well. His voice goes a little flat on the higher notes, but his voice fits Neil Diamond songs perfectly. I guess overall it's a decent emo love song. He made it sound good, just not my favorite that he's done. Grade B+.

Brooke - "I Am....I Said". I think she's smart to show off two instruments tonight. It'll help make up for last week. She's doing alright. She's showing some good emotion on the song. Grade B.

David A. - "America". Is trying to pull a Kristy Lee with singing an America song? He has such a fantastic voice but picks crappy songs that don't really show it off. Half this performance is "they're coming to America". It's repetative and boring. I liked the ending of it. Grade B+

Syesha - "I Thank the Lord for the Nighttime". This is a cool, throw back sound. I think she sounds really good and is showing off a lot of personality on this song. She's finally becoming a true performer and I think she can stay until Top 3. Grade B+.

I find it odd that they're really trying to pigeon hole Syesha into a broadway star. And Simon just gave her the kiss of death. I definitely think she was better than Jason and Brooke (so, looking at the last couple of weeks, it means she's leaving).

My bottom 3 would be Jason, Brooke and Syesha with Jason going home. However, I don't think that's going to happen. Simon is probably right and Syesha will go home.

Top 6 - Andrew Lloyd Webber Week

Welcome back reader(s?) to what is sure to a trainwreck of week this time. Andrew Lloyd Webber week. This has the potential to be the new Gloria Estefan week as all-time worst theme. ALW has some classic broadway songs but so many of them are so dated sounding. I don't think anyone will have an easy time with this one. We'll see how they do. To quote Black-Eyed Peas, "let's get it started!"

Syesha - "One Rock and Roll Too Many". This is probably the most random song we'll hear tonight. Well, right off the bat I love what she's done. It's a little theatrical, but at the same time it completely works for a concert. She's showing a lot of personality. It kinda reminds me of when Kelly Clarkson did Big Band Week. It's fun and playful, plus she sounds great. This is a great way to start the show tonight. She really performed way better than anyone thought she would. Grade A-.

Jason - "Memory". This should be very interesting. It's probably one of the most famous broadway songs ever written and Jason is not someone that you would picture singing it. Well it started out well. His phrasing is a little odd but that's ok. However, once he gets into the 2nd verse he starts to lose it. I feel like he's getting lost in the song and panicking a little. The softness of his voice does lend itself well to the song but I don't think it was a great performance. He was pretty nervous all throughout. Grade C

Brooke - "You Must Love Me". Good choice for Brooke, considering all people have to compare it against is Madonna (who isn't a strong singer either). WHOA! she stopped the orchestra. That's huge! No one has ever done it on the show and I think she just bought her ticket home. My guess is that she'll have tears in her eyes by the end of the song. Her voice actually sounds really strong on the louder parts. However, she's doing Madonna's version almost note for note (including all of the inflections). Grade C-

David A - "Think of Me". WHAT?! random song choice for him. This'll be really interesting. Wow, this arrangement is really cool. I like it a lot. It totally sounds like a pop ballad. This was awesome. Grade A.

Carly - "Jesus Christ Superstar". Finally! Carly singing broadway and rocking out! This is what everyone has been waiting for. Hopefully it's worth it. Well she's definitely having fun now. All smiles. Ok, that was fun to watch. Not as rocky as I was hoping for but I really enjoyed it. Grade A-

David C - "Music of the Night". Ok, this should be really interesting. I'm curious to see what he did with this one. Interesting, he's just doing a straight version of the song. That's actually a little unexpected. His voice does sound a little different thought. It's way more theatrical tonight and not the rock stuff that we've grown accustomed to. I didn't get the rocker note at the end but overall it was really good. Grade A-.

So this actually wasn't the trainwreck that I thought it was going to be. Actually I really enjoyed the theme this week. They all picked good songs. If I had to guess the bottom 3 I would say Syesha, Jason and Brooke. I'm picking Brooke to go home tonight.

Quick Thoughts on Top 7 - Mariah Carey Week

Sorry, I didn't get this up last night. I was watching the show at a friend's house and didn't have access to my computer. So here are my quick thoughts about what happened...

Sad to say, no one did the gospel hand last night. I guess she didn't break down and teach them how to do it and use it effectively. Bummer.

However, I thought Mariah was good as a mentor. I thought it was cool that she actually helped them change the songs a bit to make them their own. I remember when Ace tried to do that with Queen and they all said no. So that was nice to see.

David A. was really good (although I don't really know the song). I loved his falsetto and his runs all throughout.

I thought Carly was good too, but definitely doesn't compare to Kelly (or Leona Lewis who sang it as well). She hit all the notes but there wasn't the same kind of power behind them that the other two had.

Syesha was ok. She sounded good. You knew she was the one that was going to go for the vocal gymnastics but I think people just expect that now it's not really a surprise when she does it. But it was a good performance.

Brooke was BAD. The whole thing was boring. She looked so nervous the entire time (you could totally see her shaking throughout). I hated the version she did and it kept getting faster and faster.

I actually thought Kristy Lee was really good. She's finally showing confidence and her voice is sounding stronger. I really liked what she did.

David C was ok. You totally expect him to do an emo version of every song he does so it's nothing new now. He sounded good but it was a little boring.

Jason was good too. I liked the laid back vibe he brought to the song. It definitely worked for him. Wasn't totally blown away but he's finally back in the competition.

I'm not sure who is going home tonight. It seems like the judges are setting up Carly to go. Brooke was the worst of the night so she should be the one. But the public doesn't seem to like Syesha so she could be the one. It'll be interesting to see what happens. I'm thinking it's going to be Syesha.

Top 8 - Inspirational Songs (Idol Gives Back)

[ ryan ]'s Bottom Three = Michael, Syesha, Carly
Going Home = Carly
I'm sad to say that it is time for the shock elimination. Carly, though one of my favorites may be going home tomorrow night.

Michael - "Dream On". I don't know if this is really inspirational but this could be a good song choice for him. Although it does go very high near the end so we'll see how he does. So far he sounds good. Let's see what happens once he breaks into the chorus. Well he seemed to handle the high notes pretty well. It was a little scratchy in his voice but it worked. I thought it was alright. Grade B.
Wow, it sounds like the judges are gonna be harsh tonight. I can't believe Randy went off on him like that.

Syesha - "I Believe". Oh, HELL-TO-THE-MOTHER-F---ING-NO! What is Syesha thinking? You don't touch another Idol's song unless you can clearly outsing them (especially when it's their coronation song). LaKisha tried this last year and got slammed by the judged for singing Fantasia's song. LaKisha is a better singer than Syesha so that doesn't leave a lot of hope for her. What was she thinking? Well, let's see how she does. Ok, so far it's actually pretty good. I'm surprised. Ok, I take it back, she's actually better than LaKisha on this. She actually reminds me more of when Diana sang it than when Fantasia sang. Nice high note! It added something a little different and made it her own. You know, I actually liked it. WHAT?! Grade B+.
Again, Randy is not happy and really going at the contestants today.

Jason - "Over the Rainbow". Perfect rendition of this song for his voice and style. He's finally starting to show some emotion when he sings. He's really taking the competition seriously now and showing off all that he can do. This was a great performance from him and really showed who he is as a performer. He just jumped back into a front-runner. I really liked it. Grade A-

Kristy - "Anyways" This could be good. I like this Martina song, but it could also be really bad because Martina has such a big voice. We'll see what happens. Wow, her intro shows how defeated she is already. She knows she's going home any time now. She's a little pitchy in the chorus but she's showing some good emotion throughout the performance. She's actually pretty pitchy throughout the 2nd verse too. Hm, she seems to have brought it home at the end but it was a shaky performance throughout. Grade C+

David C. - "Innocent". Never heard this song so not sure what to expect (other than it's a rocking song since David is singing it). What is this?! I'm failing to see what's inspirational about this and he sounds horrible! Wow this is a mess. His voice is all over the place. He thinks he sounds better than he really does. Ugh! I hate that smug ending. This was the worst performance of the night. Grade D

Carly - "Show Must Go On". I love this song! It's my favorite Queen song so I'm hoping that Carly really rocks it out and bring it on this song. It was great until she started doing her own thing. She doesn't really know how to adlib very well because her songs tend to turn sour everytime she does. The end of this was really bad, I like didn't what she did to that at all. Grade C+

David A. - "Angels". I'm very curious to see if he's doing the Robbie Williams or Jessica Simpson version, but I'm really excited to see what he does with it because I love this song and I think his voice will lend itself perfectly to it. Playing the piano again, smart. Very nice. I love the power on the chorus. It adds to the emotional levels of the song. Unlike Carly, he knows to switch up the ending of a song with runs and make it work. I thought that was great. The best of the night! Grade A

Brooke - "You Got a Friend". Carole King. Perfect sound for Brooke. We'll see how she does. Eh. So far it's all middle of the road for me. Not good, not bad, just there. She sounds fine but there's nothing special about it. I'm surprised this is the performance that's closing the show. It's pretty boring. Grade. B-

Tonight is very interesting because 3 of the top performers actually did the worst. If I was grading the bottom 3 based solely on tonight I would put Carly, David C, and Kristy Lee on the bottom.

I think, based on the entire season the bottom 3 will be Syesha (cuz she sang Fantasia), Kristy (cuz she's been in the bottom so many times before and wasn't all that great tonight), and Brooke (cuz it was really boring). I have no idea who is going home tomorrow.