Tonight's Results 4/16/08

Well, they finally voted Kristy Lee off. Although she definitely improved over time, she was still the weakest singer for weeks. I am glad to see that the remaining contestants are good singers and performers. Of course, the 2 Davids are still the leaders in this competition in my opinion.

I hated the way they made the contestants wait until the end tonight and stand in unknown groups. It's so painful to watch. Why must they torture these singers? I know I've said this before, but it's hard enough being in this business already, without more torture. Is this supposed to be entertaining to the viewers? I sure don't enjoy watching people being made uncomfortable. Just give them the results and get on with it. Does anyone else feel this way? I was glad David A. sat down on the floor and wouldn't say who he thought was safe and who was voted into the bottom 3. You go, David!

It seems that every week when there is a mentor on, their performances seem to pale compared to the contestants' performances. I thought Mariah's performance tonight wasn't nearly as good as David A.'s performance last night. Same goes for Dolly Parton last week and Diana Ross last year. I guess we are watching this show with judges' eyes and then judge the stars the same way. What's funny is that I don't know if viewers would vote for Dolly or Mariah if they were on the show as contestants. Maybe the stars feel a lot of pressure on the show for that reason; that they are singing in front of judges, not just adoring fans that bought a ticket to their show, and that might spook them a bit. It's always tough being a performer, so I have empathy for these seasoned pros. I don't know if I'd go on the show as a guest.

What do you think? Did America get it right?

Mariah Carey week

Aloha from Hawaii.

I am traveling this week but I'm still keeping up with the show which is on much later here, so I can't post until after 1 AM. I will be back next week to post right after the show.

First of all, why would American Idol choose Mariah Carey songs for their theme this week, when the judges are always criticizing the singers for trying to take on songs too big for their voices? Secondly, why Mariah Carey songs, when they are all one style and not especially memorable or strong songs? And, thirdly her songs don't really allow much variety of interpretation. Bad choice I think. What; does Mariah have a new album coming out and she needed to promote it? Probably. Anyway, I thought some of the suggestions she gave the singers might not have been so helpful. Okay, I've spoken my mind; now for my take on the performances.

Best performances tonight:
David Archuleta
Syesha Mercado
David Cook

I think the bottom 3 should be:
Jason Castro
Kristy Lee Cook
Brooke White

Who will be voted off?
Brooke White

David Archuleta-When You Believe
Nice performance-I loved when he went into his falsetto. His voice is always great, and although I felt the song itself was boring, his performance and passion were there.

Carly Smithson-Without You
I liked that she didn’t belt out the song from the beginning, It was a little low key, but she is such a solid singer, and so it's always a pleasure watching her. Good performance.

Syesha Mercado-Vanishing
Her voice was really powerful tonight. Difficult song choice. She seems to get better every week. A little pitchy, but a great job tonight.

Brooke White-Hero
That was a rough performance. I felt for her. I wouldn’t have played piano and sung. It was too hard a song to be multi-tasking on. She lost her confidence. These songs are way too big for her range. Not a great night for Brooke.

Kristy Lee Cook-The Only One
She is getting better every week, but I still think she is one of the weakest singers on the show. Also, a stiff performer. And yes, she looks beautiful, but I hope that's not why she is still on the show. Her performance tonight was good, she built up the song and although it was a bit pitchy as usual, her voice was very powerful at the end.

David Cook-Always Be My Baby
Very original take on the song, but I thought the song itself was boring and so I wasn't really taken in. He definitely had the best originality of all the performers. I can't seem to get past the mediocre songwriting tonight.

Jason Castro-I Don’t Want to Cry
Jason sounded good, as always. I liked what Mariah had to say coaching him about using his falsetto on the song. He was not exciting, just his usual relaxed self. Nothing thrilling, but solid.

What do you think?

Tomorrow Night's Show

So it's Mariah Cary night. That should be interesting. I'm looking forward to it.

Results

Michael Johns got voted off tonight. What a surprise. I wasn't really inspired by anyone's performance on Tuesday night. Michael Johns did Dream On almost exactly like the original recording, so maybe that's why he got thrown off. He looked relieved to be leaving. I'm sure he will have a very successful career.
I'm still betting on David Archuleta to win this contest.


Bottom 3
Carly Smithson/Syesha Mercado/Michael Johns

Did America get it right this week?

Inspirational Song Week

For me, as a singer and as a vocal coach I feel the most important thing is to connect with the audience by conveying the lyrics passionately, making the song your own and by singing freely. When someone sings well technically, it doesn't move me. There has to be more to it than technique.

Tonight's performances were all good, but no one blew me away. Am I getting jaded? Is it just me?
Favorite performance for me: David Archuleta

Who will get voted off? I don't think it's gong to be Kristy anymore. She is doing much better.
Maybe Jason Castro or Syesha Mercado?

Who do you think???


My take on the performances:

Michael Johns-Dream On
Good performance-but it sounded a little too much like the original song; he didn't make it his own. His high voice was impressive with the high screams. I agree with Randy and Simon. I liked him best last week when he sang blues, that seems to suit his personality and his voice best of any style I've heard him do.

Syesha Mercado-I Believe
That was her best performance so far. I still think she takes on songs that are too big for her voice. But I felt her passion.

Jason Castro-Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Nice performance, nice voice. I liked that he played the ukulele. Again, it sounded too much like the recording in my opinion. His sweetness always comes through. He has a charm and relaxed way about him that makes everything he does seem simple and well....relaxing. It didn't blow me away, but i liked it. I have to say, no one said anything about the lyrics, but he totally changed them around, I wondered if he was forgetting them.

Kristy Lee Cook-Anyway
That was a good performance for her, and a good song choice. She has been choosing better songs for herself, and has been more passionate, more connected, committed and alive on stage. Her voice was strong, although she did have some pitch problems again.

David Cook-Innocent
I didn't get his performance tonight. I didn't feel his connection with the song so much. I agreed with Randy and Simon. He really has a great vocal range though.

Carly Smithson-The Show Must Go On
I didn't feel her connection with the song tonight. I also feel like she has been pushing her voice so much lately, and I think she lost control of it a bit tonight. I keep saying this about her, but I feel like she is actually damaging her voice the way she is pushing it. She needs to rest it, or stop singing beyond her capacity.

David Archuleta-Angels
Nice singing, especially the ending. Nice performance.

Brooke White-You've Got a Friend
I felt every word she was singing tonight.

Results

Ramiele Malubay. AP Photo

I'm sorry to see Ramiele go, but i thought she might. She really is an excellent singer and very likable, but a little hesitant on stage. I'm sure she will have a good career, though. I think she just needs more performing experience to gain some confidence.
And Kristy is still in! Hanging by a thread. Over the weeks, she has gotten better and so has Jason, but I still think Ramiele has a better voice than either of them.
Did America get it right?

Dolly Parton Night

It must have been very inspiring to have Dolly Parton mentor and for the singers to do her songs. What a huge catalog to choose from! Something for everyone. She is the real deal. She does it all: sings, plays guitar, writes songs, acts, great performer and personality, and she knows who she is. She is an awesome talent. She has been in show business for over 40 years. Yup, Dolly is qualified to mentor, more than any other star I've seen on the show. It seemed like a thrill for everyone.
I was impressed by what she had to say about why she was never on the show before: that she is a singer, therefore she can't judge other singers, because she knows how hard it is to be up there putting emotion into other people's songs. So she just encouraged them and harmonized.

Best performances tonight:
1.David Archuletta
2.David Cook
3.Carly Smithson

Whose performance did you like best?

Who will be voted off?
If it is because of their singing, and not their star appeal, it should be:
Jason Castro or Kristy Lee Cook

Who do you think should go now?

My take on tonight's performances:

Brooke White-Jolene
This was a nice song choice for her. It wasn't a very passionate performance, but the style suited her voice. I noticed she was sitting hunched over her guitar, and poor posture can really affect the support behind one's voice; maybe that's why she was singing a little sharp on the lower notes. Not my favorite performance of hers.

David Cook-Little Sparrow
Nice singing, wow. great range, great vocal control. I liked the arrangement, he knows how to make songs his own. I am impressed by performances, even though at times he has an overconfident air about him.

Ramiele Malubay-Do I Cross Your Mind
Nice style for her. Her performance lacked confidence. she seemed to go between moments of feeling free and scared. I can certainly relate to that phenomenon as a performer. It must be so overwhelming and intimidating to be up there, so much pressure. After watching Chikezie on Regis yesterday morning (see blog below) and what a good performer he was when the pressure of the voting and judges was off, I'd imagine everyone is a much better performer than how they appear on the show.

Jason Castro-Travelin' Thru
That was the most passionate I have seen him perform. Good song choice. He seemed like he really connected with the words and I really believed him.

Carly Smithson-Here You Come Again
One of the best performance of the night so. She is truly a great singer! So powerful.

David Archuletta-Smokey Mountain Memories
Dolly said that he is destined to be a great singer. Well, I think he already is! Wow, what a passionate, powerful performer, straight from the heart. He chose a perfect song for himself. His interpretation was fantastic. Best performance tonight.

Kristy Lee Cook-Coat of Many Colors
Country music is definitely her style. This was a good performance, but not her best. Good song for her, but she lacked emotion. Every week, I hear pitch problems. I'd would work on that and get her to let go emotionally more through some acting exercises if I were her voice coach. But alas, I am not

Syesha Mercado-I Will Always Love You
A little pitchy on the big note at the end- she shouldn't have taken on a Whitney song, her voice isn't big enough in comparison, and she did it in the style of Whitney towards the end. I agreed with the judges.

Michael Johns-It's All Wrong, But It's Alright
His best performance yet. Good song for him. He could have let loose even more I think. He is a strong singer and he was quite expressive this evening.