After weeks of auditions, it is finally time for the top 12 boys to take the stage and perform live. Basicly, it's their opportunity to impress me. Here's what they did:
Rudy Cardenas is a 28 year old professional musician. I have to wonder who has paid him to sing in the past. For his first chance to sing in front of millions of viewers, he decided to flounce on stage and do a lounge style version of the Edgar Winter Group's Free Ride. The original was a top 20 rock jam in 1973. Rudy just turned it into a cheesy, corny fiasco. It did not show off his vocal range at all and he did not impress me.
Brandon Rogers is a 29 year old who has performed background with Usher and Christina Aguilera. On his big night to stand in the spotlight he started out with a mellow take on Michael Jackson's #1 smash from 1980, Rock With You. He needed to use this chance to show that he has a distinctive voice to set him apart from the crowd...and he failed. He did not make us want to get on the floor and move to the groove. Not impressed.
Sundance Head is really the name of this 28 year old guy. All the hair gel in the world is not going to turn him into a pretty boy - and he used a lot. The Moody Blues had to settle for peaking at #2 in 1972 with Nights In White Satin. Sundance is going to have to settle for not impressing me with his nervous and flat attempt at this dramatic ballad. He tried to add some power to his vocals, but he just seemed out of his element.
Paul Kim is a 25 year old guy who thinks he need to have the gimmick of performing barefoot to get your votes. When George Michael spent three weeks at #1 in 1984 with Careless Whisper, it wasn't because of a gimmick. It was because George has a smooth and impressive vocal gift. Paul's voice was completely lacking in anything distinctive. Not Impressed.
Chris Richardson is a 22 year old guy who wants to be the next Justin Timberlake. You gotta wonder why, then, he decided to sing the light pop rock song that Gavin DeGraw took to the top 10 in 2005, I Don't Want To Be. This song did not allow Chris to show off his vocal range at all. On the plus side, it did allow him to strut his stuff around the stage and show some energy and vibrance that the other contestants have lacked. Mildly impressed.
Nick Pedro is a 25 year old guy who backed out of Hollywood last year because he couldn't take the heat. Tonight he has to prove that he is worthy of this second chance. If he makes it back next week, it's not going to be because of his bland and boring renditon of the Richard Marx top 10 song from 1994, Now and Forever. He look like a nervous wreck up there, but that made him look like a wounded puppy that will get people voting for him to bring him back. Still, not impressed.
Blake Lewis is a 25 year old who could quite possibly save this 6th Season of American Idol from being a complete bust. He has the charming good looks that makes people say, "the camera loves him". And he chose a subtle ballad by Keane, Somewhere Only We Know, that didn't even hit the top 40 in 2005, but it allowed him to show an impressive vocal range. He also expressed the emotional level of the song very well. If you saw the auditions, you know that this guy has a fun gimmick up his sleeve that he didn't even show tonight. We'll definitley be seeing more of the beat box boy in the coming weeks. Impressed.
Young 17 year old Sanjaya Malakar had to show the world and his sister (who almost made the top 24 also) that he belongs here. Unfortunately, he chose a drab Stevie Wonder obscure album track that had the audience just waiting for it to be over. His merely capable vocals did nothing to bring life to the throw away song. His gimmick is youth and long hair and it's not enough to impress me.
Chris Sligh is a 28 year old guy with big hair who wants to be anything but typical. He certainly doesn't look typical. He's had to depend on his sense of humor and comical looks to get him this far. Tonight he should have taken the stage and made us hear the voice that proves he belongs here. Instead he lumbered around the stage showing that he's not exceptional in any area - vocal range, stage presence - Not impressed.
Jared Cotter is a 25 year old who knows who he is. He made the perfect choice to showcase his strengths by performing the #1 smash from 2000 by Brian McKnight, Back at One. Jared actually sounded pretty much exactly like Brian and he looked even better. He's tall and handsome and he has a very nice voice. Mildly Impressed.
AJ Tabaldo is a 22 year old who wants to get the crowd on their feet. Even though it only cracked the top 40 in 1981, Never Too Much by Luther Vandross was just the ticket to turn the Idol stage into a disco dance floor and let AJ sing his heart out. It was fun and full of energy and the song allowed him to hit some great notes along the way. Mildly Impressed.
Phil Stacey is a 29 year old active duty sailor. But can he sing? He got off to a very rocky start with his interpretation of the Sara Evans song from 2000, I Could Not Ask For More. Oh, Phil, you needed to give us so much more than this. He never really made up for the rocky start. He hit some big notes toward the end, but it wasn't enough to entertain me. And most of all, it was barely enough to mildly impress me.
Ten of these guys are going to get a second attempt to impress, even though most are not worthy. Two of them will be going home on Wednesday and my prediction is Sanjaya Malakar and Paul Kim.
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