Tuesday, May 20, 2008

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!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

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.