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.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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.
Idol Thoughts
As we head into Idol Gives Back tonight and look forward to the final few weeks of Idol this season I want to take some time to quickly assess who we have left and how I feel about this season.
First, there is still no clear front runner this season. Also, this is probably the first season where the front runner has changed from week to week. Before the season even started everyone was claiming that Carly was going to be the one to beat. Then in Hollywood Week David A. and Michael had some fantastic clips that were shown on TV and suddenly they became the ones to watch out for. When the Top 24 first sang, Jason Castro came out of nowhere to claim the #2 status and launched himself into front runner status. Then in Top 20 week, David A. sang "Imagine" and claimed the sole spot as the person to beat. In the Top 16 David C. blew everyone away with his rendition of "Hello" and suddenly he became someone to keep an eye on. Jason sang "Hallelujah" and went from dark horse to lead stallion. Meanwhile, David H. was very quickly improving and starting to show that he could make it inot the Top 5. Brooke had two great performances and was suddenly on everyone's radar as a contender as well. Carly was still in the mix but was losing ground and Michael had yet to live up the potential he showed in Hollywood Week.
As we headed into the Top 12 all eyes were on David A., David C., Carly, Jason and Michael. Suddenly David A. faltered by forgetting his lyrics and having a sub-par performance. David C. performed well, as did Carly and Jason. Michael was very quickly losing ground. Out of nowhere, Chikezie had an amazing performance that blew everyone away and suddenly he came became someone to keep an eye on. Inexplicably, we lost David H. that week (who had one of the better voices in the competition) and that just showed how talented this season is.
Top 11 came around and David A. had a better week but it still wasn't living up to the potential he showed during the semi-finals. Everyone was starting to question if he peaked too soon. David C. was quickly forging himself into the new front runner. Jason suddenly stumbled and people finally started realizing that he's very limited as a vocalist. Carly stumbled as well. In fact, just about everyone stumbled this week.
During Top 10 David A. fell even further by picking a song that didn't fit him at all (or did he? The rumor is that his dad picked the song for him). By now everyone is wondering whether David will make it to the end or not. David C. pulled out "Billie Jean" and blew the competition away again. At this point, David C. is the person to beat. Carly came back as well. Michael finally lived up to his hype/potential with his Queen tribute and threw his name into the front-runner hat. Brooke and Jason also had good weeks, keeping them on the list as well.
Top 9 saw the return of David A., whose performance of "Smoky Mountain Memories" quickly launched him back to the front of the pack. David C. had an ok performance but was passed up by Carly and Michael. Brooke and Jason had decent performances.
So there you have it. In my opinion there are 6 people that are jockeying for the #1 position. From week to week the lead changes. All 6 are very talented, but what's great about it is that they're all so different. We have two "Coffeehouse Idols" (Brooke and Jason), two rockers (David C. and Michael) and two straight out singers (David A. and Carly). It's anyone's game right now. Here is the order I think they'll end up in.
David A. - he has such a mature voice for someone his age. He's been performing for so long that he's a pro at it now. However, he's really only shined on ballads. Is he more of a balladeer than a versatile singer? When he's sung faster songs he's shown that he has some breathing issues and can't sustain the notes throughout a phrase. He also has problems hitting some of the lower notes in songs (for examples of both, listing to "Shop Around" from Top 24). He'll need to show that he can tackle a fast song (and sing it well) in order to win.
David C. - he has shown that he's a master at picking the right song for him. He has gotten creative with his choices so it leaves the audience surprised. However, now everyone has caught onto the fact that he looks for obscure covers from alternative bands. If that's the case, are we really going to be blown away each week? That doesn't show as much versatility as we'd like to see. Chris Daughtry played it better by switching up the obscure covers (Ring of Fire) with the straight up renditions (Wonderful World). You have to keep everyone guessing.
Carly - she is a fantastic vocalist; probably the most pure voice in the competition. In order to win, she needs to start looking like she's enjoying what she's doing. Right now, she looks like she is desperate and that's turning people off. She needs to not talk about how much she wants it and just focus on how fun it is to perform and be on stage.
Michael - now that he is starting to live up to his potential he needs to really focus on his song selections because I'm afraid that one wrong move and he'll tumble back down the ladder. It took so long for him to finally have the performance that everyone was waiting for that we're afraid he'll never get back to that status if he falters. David C. seems to have stolen the rocker status away from him so he really needs to stay focused and win it back in order to win it all.
Brooke - is so different because she takes the quiet approach to all of her songs. She likes to strip everything down and really focus on the emotion behind everything. While this is her positive, I also think it's going to be her downfall. Once we get to the top 6 or so, it's going to be the "loud" singers vs. Brooke's sunny side. I don't think she'll win that battle. If she wants to win then she's going to have to step out of her box a little and perform in a way that no one will expect. Unfortunately, I don't think her voice will lend her to that so it's going to be a tough battle for her.
Jason - like Brooke, his take on songs is vastly different from what we're used to from previous males on the show. His laid back vibe (and bright blue eyes) seems to be winning people over. However, unlike just about everyone else on the show, Jason has no experience singing in front of people so this whole thing is just a wild ride for him. He will very quickly be out of his depth with the remaining talent. In order to win he's going to have to pull off some very unique things that no one would expect from him. Also, like Brooke, I don't think he has a strong enough voice to really move outside his coffeehouse vibe. However, if he can keep pulling off songs like "Hallelujah" he may be able to stay around longer than anyone thought.
Syesha - she has a beautiful, clear voice but for some reason no one is getting behind her. I think it's her personal intros before each performance. People are put off by her "look at how great I am attitude" and aren't voting for her. Unless she has the performance of a lifetime week after week I don't see her going too much further in the competition.
Kristy Lee - she actually has a very pretty voice to listen to. She also has a very pretty face to look at. However, she can't seem to have a nice performance to watch. Week after week, she's just bland. However, she's played the game very smartly. By pulling out "God Bless the USA" she knew that middle-America would eat that up and keep her in for country week (knowing that country is her specialty genre and that would keep her in for another week). And now that she's made it to Idol Gives Back it's almost a given that she'll sing "Amazing Grace" (which she has sung several times throughout auditions [and sounds fantastic on]) and middle-America could possibly vote her through again. It's crazy how one song (God Bless the USA) has vaulted her 3 weeks ahead. Unfortunately, I think Kristy Lee has played her trump card and she's got nothing left. I don't think she'll have an "america" song for each of the remaining weeks to keep her in so her days are numbered.
I am looking forward to tonight and very excited to see how the rest of the season plays out. It's going to be really fun watching them claw and sing their way to the #1 spot. All are deserving and I think that the final 2 will be the most talented since Carrie/Bo back in season 4.
First, there is still no clear front runner this season. Also, this is probably the first season where the front runner has changed from week to week. Before the season even started everyone was claiming that Carly was going to be the one to beat. Then in Hollywood Week David A. and Michael had some fantastic clips that were shown on TV and suddenly they became the ones to watch out for. When the Top 24 first sang, Jason Castro came out of nowhere to claim the #2 status and launched himself into front runner status. Then in Top 20 week, David A. sang "Imagine" and claimed the sole spot as the person to beat. In the Top 16 David C. blew everyone away with his rendition of "Hello" and suddenly he became someone to keep an eye on. Jason sang "Hallelujah" and went from dark horse to lead stallion. Meanwhile, David H. was very quickly improving and starting to show that he could make it inot the Top 5. Brooke had two great performances and was suddenly on everyone's radar as a contender as well. Carly was still in the mix but was losing ground and Michael had yet to live up the potential he showed in Hollywood Week.
As we headed into the Top 12 all eyes were on David A., David C., Carly, Jason and Michael. Suddenly David A. faltered by forgetting his lyrics and having a sub-par performance. David C. performed well, as did Carly and Jason. Michael was very quickly losing ground. Out of nowhere, Chikezie had an amazing performance that blew everyone away and suddenly he came became someone to keep an eye on. Inexplicably, we lost David H. that week (who had one of the better voices in the competition) and that just showed how talented this season is.
Top 11 came around and David A. had a better week but it still wasn't living up to the potential he showed during the semi-finals. Everyone was starting to question if he peaked too soon. David C. was quickly forging himself into the new front runner. Jason suddenly stumbled and people finally started realizing that he's very limited as a vocalist. Carly stumbled as well. In fact, just about everyone stumbled this week.
During Top 10 David A. fell even further by picking a song that didn't fit him at all (or did he? The rumor is that his dad picked the song for him). By now everyone is wondering whether David will make it to the end or not. David C. pulled out "Billie Jean" and blew the competition away again. At this point, David C. is the person to beat. Carly came back as well. Michael finally lived up to his hype/potential with his Queen tribute and threw his name into the front-runner hat. Brooke and Jason also had good weeks, keeping them on the list as well.
Top 9 saw the return of David A., whose performance of "Smoky Mountain Memories" quickly launched him back to the front of the pack. David C. had an ok performance but was passed up by Carly and Michael. Brooke and Jason had decent performances.
So there you have it. In my opinion there are 6 people that are jockeying for the #1 position. From week to week the lead changes. All 6 are very talented, but what's great about it is that they're all so different. We have two "Coffeehouse Idols" (Brooke and Jason), two rockers (David C. and Michael) and two straight out singers (David A. and Carly). It's anyone's game right now. Here is the order I think they'll end up in.
David A. - he has such a mature voice for someone his age. He's been performing for so long that he's a pro at it now. However, he's really only shined on ballads. Is he more of a balladeer than a versatile singer? When he's sung faster songs he's shown that he has some breathing issues and can't sustain the notes throughout a phrase. He also has problems hitting some of the lower notes in songs (for examples of both, listing to "Shop Around" from Top 24). He'll need to show that he can tackle a fast song (and sing it well) in order to win.
David C. - he has shown that he's a master at picking the right song for him. He has gotten creative with his choices so it leaves the audience surprised. However, now everyone has caught onto the fact that he looks for obscure covers from alternative bands. If that's the case, are we really going to be blown away each week? That doesn't show as much versatility as we'd like to see. Chris Daughtry played it better by switching up the obscure covers (Ring of Fire) with the straight up renditions (Wonderful World). You have to keep everyone guessing.
Carly - she is a fantastic vocalist; probably the most pure voice in the competition. In order to win, she needs to start looking like she's enjoying what she's doing. Right now, she looks like she is desperate and that's turning people off. She needs to not talk about how much she wants it and just focus on how fun it is to perform and be on stage.
Michael - now that he is starting to live up to his potential he needs to really focus on his song selections because I'm afraid that one wrong move and he'll tumble back down the ladder. It took so long for him to finally have the performance that everyone was waiting for that we're afraid he'll never get back to that status if he falters. David C. seems to have stolen the rocker status away from him so he really needs to stay focused and win it back in order to win it all.
Brooke - is so different because she takes the quiet approach to all of her songs. She likes to strip everything down and really focus on the emotion behind everything. While this is her positive, I also think it's going to be her downfall. Once we get to the top 6 or so, it's going to be the "loud" singers vs. Brooke's sunny side. I don't think she'll win that battle. If she wants to win then she's going to have to step out of her box a little and perform in a way that no one will expect. Unfortunately, I don't think her voice will lend her to that so it's going to be a tough battle for her.
Jason - like Brooke, his take on songs is vastly different from what we're used to from previous males on the show. His laid back vibe (and bright blue eyes) seems to be winning people over. However, unlike just about everyone else on the show, Jason has no experience singing in front of people so this whole thing is just a wild ride for him. He will very quickly be out of his depth with the remaining talent. In order to win he's going to have to pull off some very unique things that no one would expect from him. Also, like Brooke, I don't think he has a strong enough voice to really move outside his coffeehouse vibe. However, if he can keep pulling off songs like "Hallelujah" he may be able to stay around longer than anyone thought.
Syesha - she has a beautiful, clear voice but for some reason no one is getting behind her. I think it's her personal intros before each performance. People are put off by her "look at how great I am attitude" and aren't voting for her. Unless she has the performance of a lifetime week after week I don't see her going too much further in the competition.
Kristy Lee - she actually has a very pretty voice to listen to. She also has a very pretty face to look at. However, she can't seem to have a nice performance to watch. Week after week, she's just bland. However, she's played the game very smartly. By pulling out "God Bless the USA" she knew that middle-America would eat that up and keep her in for country week (knowing that country is her specialty genre and that would keep her in for another week). And now that she's made it to Idol Gives Back it's almost a given that she'll sing "Amazing Grace" (which she has sung several times throughout auditions [and sounds fantastic on]) and middle-America could possibly vote her through again. It's crazy how one song (God Bless the USA) has vaulted her 3 weeks ahead. Unfortunately, I think Kristy Lee has played her trump card and she's got nothing left. I don't think she'll have an "america" song for each of the remaining weeks to keep her in so her days are numbered.
I am looking forward to tonight and very excited to see how the rest of the season plays out. It's going to be really fun watching them claw and sing their way to the #1 spot. All are deserving and I think that the final 2 will be the most talented since Carrie/Bo back in season 4.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Top 9 - Dolly Week
I ended up watching the show at a friend's so I'm doing this a little late. Let's just jump right in and you'll get my thoughts for tonight.
Brooke - "Jolene" was the obvious choice for her (in my opinion). It was the perfect song choice, she was able to utilize a small band, and she was able to really connect to the emotional aspect of the song. It's what she's been doing all along that works so well. This is the type of song that she should be focusing on for her album. I thought it was a good performance. A bit predictable but that's starting to be what we expect from Brooke now. Grade B
David C. - "Little Sparrow". I have never heard this song but I'm pretty sure it sounds nothing like what he did tonight. The fact that he was able to make Dolly Parton sound like that shows how talented he is. Still, I was only mildly impressed with him. I guess he just wasn't rocking around as much this time. Grade B.
Ramiele - Once again, she's disappointing. She has so much promise with that big voice of hers, but when she gets out on stage she seems to only use about half of it. I thought the performance was boring. She was moving around faster than the beat of the song so that was a little off putting as well. Overall, it sounded ok but there was nothing special about the performance. Grade C
Jason - "Travelin' Thru". You know, I really liked this performance. Finally Jason seemed to really be taking things seriously. He was engaged in the song, he showed some emotion, his voice showed a little range. I thought it was good (although the song really isn't). Grade B-
Carly - She was simply awesome tonight. Her voice sounded so strong. She looked like she was having fun, yet still expressed the emotion of the song. This was a great performance for her and the best of the night so far. Grade A-
David A. - Then along comes David. This performance through him back up to front runner status. His voice was full of emotion, yet his performance was subtle. It was truly a glorious performance and I loved every minute of it. Grade A
Kristy Lee - "Coat of Many Colors". It was a nice performance. Her voice fit perfectly with Dolly Parton and country songs. However, there wasn't much else to her performance. She was still pretty bland, but sounded sweet. Grade B.
Syesha - "I Will Always Love You". This was the most obvious choice coming into the week. You just knew she was going to be doing this song. I was just glad to see that she tried to stick with the Dolly version more than the Whitney version. I liked that in the end she mixed a little of both to make it her own. I thought it was a great performance. Grade B+
Michael - Not sure what the song was but I loved his gospel bluesy take to it. Combining that with last week's performance and Michael is finally living up to his potential. Grade A-
Bottom 3 are Kristy, Jason and Ramiele. If all goes well, Ramiele will be going home tomorrow night.
Brooke - "Jolene" was the obvious choice for her (in my opinion). It was the perfect song choice, she was able to utilize a small band, and she was able to really connect to the emotional aspect of the song. It's what she's been doing all along that works so well. This is the type of song that she should be focusing on for her album. I thought it was a good performance. A bit predictable but that's starting to be what we expect from Brooke now. Grade B
David C. - "Little Sparrow". I have never heard this song but I'm pretty sure it sounds nothing like what he did tonight. The fact that he was able to make Dolly Parton sound like that shows how talented he is. Still, I was only mildly impressed with him. I guess he just wasn't rocking around as much this time. Grade B.
Ramiele - Once again, she's disappointing. She has so much promise with that big voice of hers, but when she gets out on stage she seems to only use about half of it. I thought the performance was boring. She was moving around faster than the beat of the song so that was a little off putting as well. Overall, it sounded ok but there was nothing special about the performance. Grade C
Jason - "Travelin' Thru". You know, I really liked this performance. Finally Jason seemed to really be taking things seriously. He was engaged in the song, he showed some emotion, his voice showed a little range. I thought it was good (although the song really isn't). Grade B-
Carly - She was simply awesome tonight. Her voice sounded so strong. She looked like she was having fun, yet still expressed the emotion of the song. This was a great performance for her and the best of the night so far. Grade A-
David A. - Then along comes David. This performance through him back up to front runner status. His voice was full of emotion, yet his performance was subtle. It was truly a glorious performance and I loved every minute of it. Grade A
Kristy Lee - "Coat of Many Colors". It was a nice performance. Her voice fit perfectly with Dolly Parton and country songs. However, there wasn't much else to her performance. She was still pretty bland, but sounded sweet. Grade B.
Syesha - "I Will Always Love You". This was the most obvious choice coming into the week. You just knew she was going to be doing this song. I was just glad to see that she tried to stick with the Dolly version more than the Whitney version. I liked that in the end she mixed a little of both to make it her own. I thought it was a great performance. Grade B+
Michael - Not sure what the song was but I loved his gospel bluesy take to it. Combining that with last week's performance and Michael is finally living up to his potential. Grade A-
Bottom 3 are Kristy, Jason and Ramiele. If all goes well, Ramiele will be going home tomorrow night.
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