The results show opened this week with The Season Two Miss American Idol winner Ruben Studdard singing his latest single. It's a pretty good R&B song that was pretty catchy and showed off his signature Velvet Teddy Bear vocals. The most exciting news is that he and the Season Two Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Clay Aiken, are going on tour together this Summer!
Lee, Casey, Aaron and Siobhan are all safe and Katie was the first person to be put into the bottom three.
This week's mentor, Usher, has had huge success on the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart. He has a total of 7 big #1 smash hits to his credit and he would love to have some more. His new album, Raymond Vs. Raymond, hits stores today, but so far the single from the album, Daddy's Home, is still stuck at #31. But it seems like he's giving up on that song and he's gonna push a new single called OMG that he performed tonight.
Crystal, Michael, and somehow Andrew are all safe leaving Tim and Didi to join Katie in the bottom three. Just like last week, Katie was sent back to safety.
Puff Daddy changed his name to P Diddy and apparently now he wants people to call him Diddy Dirty Money or something like that. He got up there surrounded by dancers and strobe lights to debut his latest single. Who knows what the name of the song is. It's likely to change soon anyway...
Turns out that Didi was the lowest vote getter of the week. She decided to sing Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon for the judges to see if they would use the save on her. While they thought it was better than last night it still wasn't good enough to save her.
I only got one of my three predictions correct this week. I have no idea why people are voting to keep Andrew Garcia around. Him still being here means that the very sweet and talented Didi Benami is being sent home too soon.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Carrie is back at #1!
The #1 position is clearly not a temporary home for the Supreme Miss American Idol, season Four winner Carrie Underwood. She collects her ninth No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart, as "Temporary Home" advances 2-1. The song is Underwood's second leader from "Play On," following "Cowboy Casanova," which topped the Nov. 21, 2009, tally.
She sent four songs - "So Small," "All-American Girl," "Last Name" and "Just a Dream" - to No. 1 from her sophomore set, "Carnival Ride," in 2007-08 and three - "Jesus, Take the Wheel," "Before He Cheats" and "Wasted" from her debut, "Some Hearts" in 2006-07.
Carrie Underwood is the first solo female to release three consecutive studio albums each boasting at least two No. 1s on Billboard Country Songs chart since 1989.
She sent four songs - "So Small," "All-American Girl," "Last Name" and "Just a Dream" - to No. 1 from her sophomore set, "Carnival Ride," in 2007-08 and three - "Jesus, Take the Wheel," "Before He Cheats" and "Wasted" from her debut, "Some Hearts" in 2006-07.
Carrie Underwood is the first solo female to release three consecutive studio albums each boasting at least two No. 1s on Billboard Country Songs chart since 1989.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Top 10 sing R&B Soul
Hit making R&B superstar, Usher, shared his musical words of wisdom with the top 10 finalists this week.
Siobhan Magnus did her best to work her magic on Chaka Khan's Through The Fire. Her vocals were just as strong as usual, but there was a noticeable difference in her confidence. It looks like even the most talented finalists get worried about performing first.
Casey James brought his usual good guy persona to Sam & Dave's Hold On! I'm A Comin' that hit #21 in 1966. It looks like Casey is going to do pretty much the same thing every week. It appears he has no interest in growing as an artist.
Michael Lynche introduced the audience to the India Arie track Ready For Love. It was sweet and sensitive to the point of being quite boring, but the vocals were clear and strong. People may be interested in hearing this song again...
Didi Benami stood center stage in a glittery gown to perform Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted that hit #7 in 1966. She looked quite beautiful clearly showing that she has no interest in being pigeonholed in one musical category. She wants to take risks and try different things and she doesn't care what people think. Her voice is strong and she showed it off well tonight.
Tim Urban actually hit some good notes in his performance of Anita Baker's #8 hit from 1986, Sweet Love. So in this case, in combination with his adorable good looks there are sure to be numerous fans who are very pleased out there.
Andrew Garcia is so stuck in trying to recreate his past glory that he thought sucking the life out of Chris Brown's fun dance floor jam Forever that peaked at #2 in 2008 would win us over. His drippy acoustic version completely fell flat with weak vocals and no personality.
Katie Stevens tried to keep herself out of the bottom three this week by taking on Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools that hit #2 in 1967. She looked cute, fresh and young and sounded pretty good, but she still hasn't really lived up to her potential yet.
Lee Dewyze showed some unexpected vocal range with his version of the 1971 #3 hit Treat Her Like A Lady by the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. Now keep in my that there was only some vocal range, most of it was still his tired old generic rock guy rasping. Being merely good should not pass for something earth shattering...
Crystal Bowersox showed everyone what it means to keep growing as an artist with her fantastic version of the classic #1 smash by Gladys Knight and the Pips from 1973, Midnight Train To Georgia. She sat at the piano instead of using her guitar and her voice was even better than usual. She looked fabulous in her stilettos as well!
Aaron Kelly can sing Bill Withers #3 hit from 1971 Ain't No Sunshine all he wants, but he's still a pixie little kid trying to be taken seriously. His voice simply isn't good enough to overcome his shortcomings.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly. This week should finally be the time when Andrew Garcia goes home.
Siobhan Magnus did her best to work her magic on Chaka Khan's Through The Fire. Her vocals were just as strong as usual, but there was a noticeable difference in her confidence. It looks like even the most talented finalists get worried about performing first.
Casey James brought his usual good guy persona to Sam & Dave's Hold On! I'm A Comin' that hit #21 in 1966. It looks like Casey is going to do pretty much the same thing every week. It appears he has no interest in growing as an artist.
Michael Lynche introduced the audience to the India Arie track Ready For Love. It was sweet and sensitive to the point of being quite boring, but the vocals were clear and strong. People may be interested in hearing this song again...
Didi Benami stood center stage in a glittery gown to perform Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted that hit #7 in 1966. She looked quite beautiful clearly showing that she has no interest in being pigeonholed in one musical category. She wants to take risks and try different things and she doesn't care what people think. Her voice is strong and she showed it off well tonight.
Tim Urban actually hit some good notes in his performance of Anita Baker's #8 hit from 1986, Sweet Love. So in this case, in combination with his adorable good looks there are sure to be numerous fans who are very pleased out there.
Andrew Garcia is so stuck in trying to recreate his past glory that he thought sucking the life out of Chris Brown's fun dance floor jam Forever that peaked at #2 in 2008 would win us over. His drippy acoustic version completely fell flat with weak vocals and no personality.
Katie Stevens tried to keep herself out of the bottom three this week by taking on Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools that hit #2 in 1967. She looked cute, fresh and young and sounded pretty good, but she still hasn't really lived up to her potential yet.
Lee Dewyze showed some unexpected vocal range with his version of the 1971 #3 hit Treat Her Like A Lady by the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. Now keep in my that there was only some vocal range, most of it was still his tired old generic rock guy rasping. Being merely good should not pass for something earth shattering...
Crystal Bowersox showed everyone what it means to keep growing as an artist with her fantastic version of the classic #1 smash by Gladys Knight and the Pips from 1973, Midnight Train To Georgia. She sat at the piano instead of using her guitar and her voice was even better than usual. She looked fabulous in her stilettos as well!
Aaron Kelly can sing Bill Withers #3 hit from 1971 Ain't No Sunshine all he wants, but he's still a pixie little kid trying to be taken seriously. His voice simply isn't good enough to overcome his shortcomings.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly. This week should finally be the time when Andrew Garcia goes home.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Results - #1 Hits
It was a very special moment in the group opening number getting the chance to see the genuine Crystal Bowersox truly be herself singing the smash that WHAM! took to #1 for three weeks in 1984, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. There she was dumping all of that fake guitar playing rock chick garbage and really expressing herself as the true jitter bugging girly girl that she is.
Siobhan, Casey and Lee are all safe, but both Tim and Paige had to take the first two seats in the bottom three.
Miley Cyrus is not a good singer. She strained her way through her latest single, When I Look At You, and it was pure torture on the ears. A piano driven power ballad is not the best type of song for her limited abilities. In addition to her lack of vocal talent, she wasn't the best mentor for the finalists especially because she's never experienced her own #1 hit on the Billboard HOT 100 so she didn't fit into the theme. She's hit the top 10 on the chart three times with See You Again peaking at #10, The Climb which hit #4 and Party In The USA that did manage to get all the way up to #2.
Aaron, Didi, Michael, and Crystal are all safe and somehow, shockingly, Andrew is also safe. That means that Katie had to join Tim and Paige in the bottom three, but she wasn't there for long as she was immediately informed that she was safe.
A couple more Disney Channel favorites, Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, got up on stage and showcased their pretty faces and lack of vocal talents. But they were still better than Miley...
The person who is the lowest vote getter of the week is Paige Miles so Tim was sent back to safety. The judges had no interest in using the SAVE for her so she just sang for the last time knowing there was no hope.
This week I correctly predicted two out of three and was right that Paige would be the one going home. I have to question now, who is voting for Andrew? It's gonna be sad to see what a mess he makes next week.
Siobhan, Casey and Lee are all safe, but both Tim and Paige had to take the first two seats in the bottom three.
Miley Cyrus is not a good singer. She strained her way through her latest single, When I Look At You, and it was pure torture on the ears. A piano driven power ballad is not the best type of song for her limited abilities. In addition to her lack of vocal talent, she wasn't the best mentor for the finalists especially because she's never experienced her own #1 hit on the Billboard HOT 100 so she didn't fit into the theme. She's hit the top 10 on the chart three times with See You Again peaking at #10, The Climb which hit #4 and Party In The USA that did manage to get all the way up to #2.
Aaron, Didi, Michael, and Crystal are all safe and somehow, shockingly, Andrew is also safe. That means that Katie had to join Tim and Paige in the bottom three, but she wasn't there for long as she was immediately informed that she was safe.
A couple more Disney Channel favorites, Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, got up on stage and showcased their pretty faces and lack of vocal talents. But they were still better than Miley...
The person who is the lowest vote getter of the week is Paige Miles so Tim was sent back to safety. The judges had no interest in using the SAVE for her so she just sang for the last time knowing there was no hope.
This week I correctly predicted two out of three and was right that Paige would be the one going home. I have to question now, who is voting for Andrew? It's gonna be sad to see what a mess he makes next week.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Top 11 sing #1 Hits
The finalists had the chance to select any song that hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100. They got a little bit of guidance this week from a 17 singer who has never had a #1 hit of her own, Miley Cyrus.
The Box Tops spent four weeks at #1 with The Letter in 1967 and Lee Dewyze did not do himself a favor by trying to sing this song that should have been much more fun. His tired old rock guy raspy voice just sounded like strained screaming and he had no personality up on stage.
Phil Collins spent three weeks at #1 with Against All Odds in 1984 and Paige Miles could not fall back on the excuse of having a sore throat tonight. The vocal performance she served up was weak from beginning to end. She did not take advantage of any opportunity to belt out the big notes at all.
Queen spent spent four weeks at #1 with Crazy Little Thing Called Love in 1980 and Tim Urban even slid across the stage to prove that he can get hip enough for what this song demands. The fact is that it just wasn't enough. Even with all of his attempts at stage theatrics it was still flat and boring.
Aerosmith hit #1 in 1998 with I Don't Want To Miss A Thing and Aaron Kelly brought his diminutive little self on to the stage to sing this big power ballad. He's not a very dynamic performer or vocalist but he's a nice kid....
Janis Joplin spent two weeks at #1 with Me And Bobby McGee in 1971 and let's be thankful that Crystal Bowersox got this song out of the way early in the competition. She is immediately compared to Janis and now she can put this behind her and start to really be herself.
When A Man Loves A Woman is one of the few songs that has hit #1 by two different artists: for one week by Michael Bolton in 1991 and for two weeks by Percy Sledge in 1966. Michael Lynche put in a great effort to make a hit of this song again. He showed off a very impressive vocal range and coupled that with his nice guy sincerity.
Marvin Gaye spent seven weeks at #1 with I Heard It Through The Grapevine in 1968 and Andrew Garcia hoped to liven up his image with this popular favorite. He failed miserably. His vocals are totally bland and his stage presence is embarrassingly awkward.
Fergie spent one week at #1 with Big Girls Don't Cry in 2007 and Katie Stevens made a great choice in selecting this big ballad. It was right all around in that it showed off her vocal range and it was more fresh and current.
Huey Lewis and The News spent two weeks at #1 with The Power of Love in 1985 and Casey James rocked the audience back to the past along with his bright smile and electric guitar. He's good all around - good looking, good vocals, good guitar playing. There's just nothing extra super great about his performances.
Linda Ronstadt spent one week at #1 with You're No Good in 1975 and Didi Benami tried to jazz things up a bit with her rendition. She tried to make it bigger than the original, but it took her vocals a little out of her range. While the overall performance was pretty fun, it didn't show her at her best.
Stevie Wonder spent one week at #1 with Superstition in 1972 and Siobhan Magnus brought her nerdy girl with an edge persona to this classic jam. What's special about this finalist is that she really pushes herself closer to the edge than anyone else in the competition taking risks both vocally and with her stylish look.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Paige Miles, Tim Urban and Andrew Garcia. While it would be nice to finally stop Andrew from making a fool of himself, I think he will be coming back next week while Paige end up being the lowest vote getter.
The Box Tops spent four weeks at #1 with The Letter in 1967 and Lee Dewyze did not do himself a favor by trying to sing this song that should have been much more fun. His tired old rock guy raspy voice just sounded like strained screaming and he had no personality up on stage.
Phil Collins spent three weeks at #1 with Against All Odds in 1984 and Paige Miles could not fall back on the excuse of having a sore throat tonight. The vocal performance she served up was weak from beginning to end. She did not take advantage of any opportunity to belt out the big notes at all.
Queen spent spent four weeks at #1 with Crazy Little Thing Called Love in 1980 and Tim Urban even slid across the stage to prove that he can get hip enough for what this song demands. The fact is that it just wasn't enough. Even with all of his attempts at stage theatrics it was still flat and boring.
Aerosmith hit #1 in 1998 with I Don't Want To Miss A Thing and Aaron Kelly brought his diminutive little self on to the stage to sing this big power ballad. He's not a very dynamic performer or vocalist but he's a nice kid....
Janis Joplin spent two weeks at #1 with Me And Bobby McGee in 1971 and let's be thankful that Crystal Bowersox got this song out of the way early in the competition. She is immediately compared to Janis and now she can put this behind her and start to really be herself.
When A Man Loves A Woman is one of the few songs that has hit #1 by two different artists: for one week by Michael Bolton in 1991 and for two weeks by Percy Sledge in 1966. Michael Lynche put in a great effort to make a hit of this song again. He showed off a very impressive vocal range and coupled that with his nice guy sincerity.
Marvin Gaye spent seven weeks at #1 with I Heard It Through The Grapevine in 1968 and Andrew Garcia hoped to liven up his image with this popular favorite. He failed miserably. His vocals are totally bland and his stage presence is embarrassingly awkward.
Fergie spent one week at #1 with Big Girls Don't Cry in 2007 and Katie Stevens made a great choice in selecting this big ballad. It was right all around in that it showed off her vocal range and it was more fresh and current.
Huey Lewis and The News spent two weeks at #1 with The Power of Love in 1985 and Casey James rocked the audience back to the past along with his bright smile and electric guitar. He's good all around - good looking, good vocals, good guitar playing. There's just nothing extra super great about his performances.
Linda Ronstadt spent one week at #1 with You're No Good in 1975 and Didi Benami tried to jazz things up a bit with her rendition. She tried to make it bigger than the original, but it took her vocals a little out of her range. While the overall performance was pretty fun, it didn't show her at her best.
Stevie Wonder spent one week at #1 with Superstition in 1972 and Siobhan Magnus brought her nerdy girl with an edge persona to this classic jam. What's special about this finalist is that she really pushes herself closer to the edge than anyone else in the competition taking risks both vocally and with her stylish look.
My prediction for the bottom three this week is Paige Miles, Tim Urban and Andrew Garcia. While it would be nice to finally stop Andrew from making a fool of himself, I think he will be coming back next week while Paige end up being the lowest vote getter.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Results - Rolling Stones
The biggest song on the Billboard HOT 100 of 2010 so far is Tik Tok by Ke$ha having just finished nine weeks at #1. She performed tonight to show the season 9 finalists what they are going to have to become if they actually want to have a hit song.
And at #17 this week is According To You by new artist, Orianthi. She also performed along with Season 7 Miss American Idol winner, David Cook. Unlike Ke$ha and Orianthi, David hasn't seen the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 in over a year. Since he has no hit single to promote right now he just served up a cover of the Rolling Stones Jumpin Jack Flash.
The bottom three this week were Tim Urban, Paige Miles and Lacey Brown. Turns out that Lacey was the lowest vote getter and the judges decided they did not want to save her so she is out of here.
I only correctly predicted one of the bottom three.
And at #17 this week is According To You by new artist, Orianthi. She also performed along with Season 7 Miss American Idol winner, David Cook. Unlike Ke$ha and Orianthi, David hasn't seen the upper portion of the Billboard HOT 100 in over a year. Since he has no hit single to promote right now he just served up a cover of the Rolling Stones Jumpin Jack Flash.
The bottom three this week were Tim Urban, Paige Miles and Lacey Brown. Turns out that Lacey was the lowest vote getter and the judges decided they did not want to save her so she is out of here.
I only correctly predicted one of the bottom three.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Top 12 sing The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are the original bad boys of rock charting 41 songs in the Top 40 of the Billboard HOT 100 starting in 1964. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are still active recording and touring and this week finalists selected songs from their outstanding catalog.
Miss You spent one week at #1 in 1978. It was the short period of time when the Rolling Stones gave into the hot disco craze. Michael Lynche performed this great song in his falsetto. It sounded good, but stage presence was a little goofy.
Playing with Fire was very different from the original in the hands of Didi Benami. It started out pretty shaky, but she managed to hit some big notes and be somewhat impressive for a while there. She tried to get a little more outside of her folk singer/coffee shop style so it was a step in the right direction.
It's All Over Now hit #26 in 1964 and Casey James served up a pretty straightforward version. The guitar was solid, his looks were front and center and the vocals were just as plain as usual. Good, but nothing special.
Ruby Tuesday spent one week at #1 in 1967 and Lacey Brown definitely made this song her own. Her vocals were weak and she was clearly going for quirky instead of power. Not the best way to make use of the big stage for the first time.
Gimme Shelter is one of the Stones most recognizable powerhouse anthems, but with Andrew Garcia at the mic the life was completely sucked out of it. His vocals were totally flat and uninteresting.
Wild Horses only peaked at #28 in 1971 and it's doubtful that it will get any higher with Katie Stevens. This very nice young finalist is really failing to live up to her potential. Her vocals this week were once again not very captivating.
Under My Thumb is a fantastic Rolling Stones classic album track and Tim Urban decided to have some fun and give it a more acoustic reggae vibe. It was a unique arrangement, but even with his good looks it couldn't distract from his unsteady singing voice.
Paint It Black spent two weeks at #1 in 1966 and Siobhan Magnus raised the bar for all of the other finalists with her spectacular, over the top performance. She was able to show off her entire vocal range soft and subtle to high energy drama. She clearly wants to win this.
Beast of Burden hit #8 in 1978 and Lee Dewyze provided a very generic "rock guy" rendition of this song. Rather than having any exceptional passion or energy the song ended up being very watered down and bland.
Honky Tonk Women spent four weeks at #1 in 1969 and Paige Miles used this song to re-introduce herself to the fans as a power belting down home southern honky tonk woman. This was much better than anything she did in the top 24 and she has the voice and the stage presence to be sticking around for longer.
Angie spent one week at #1 in 1973 and Aaron Kelly provided a very believable cover despite his youth. He's truly a pint sized pixie up on the big stage but the sincerity in his vocals manages to save him from disappearing in the crowd.
You Can't Always Get What You Want is yet another one of those legendary album tracks that helped define the Rolling Stones as the greatest rock band in the world and Crystal Bowersox used this song to show off her confidence and talent. She is a natural talent, but even she can turn it up a notch to prove that she wants to be here.
The music selections were great, but all of the performances weren't. My prediction for the bottom three are Lacey Brown, Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens. All three of these finalists have to learn how to take advantage of the big stage as well as learn how to show off their voices at their best. After all the votes are counted, it should be Andrew Garcia going home this week.
Miss You spent one week at #1 in 1978. It was the short period of time when the Rolling Stones gave into the hot disco craze. Michael Lynche performed this great song in his falsetto. It sounded good, but stage presence was a little goofy.
Playing with Fire was very different from the original in the hands of Didi Benami. It started out pretty shaky, but she managed to hit some big notes and be somewhat impressive for a while there. She tried to get a little more outside of her folk singer/coffee shop style so it was a step in the right direction.
It's All Over Now hit #26 in 1964 and Casey James served up a pretty straightforward version. The guitar was solid, his looks were front and center and the vocals were just as plain as usual. Good, but nothing special.
Ruby Tuesday spent one week at #1 in 1967 and Lacey Brown definitely made this song her own. Her vocals were weak and she was clearly going for quirky instead of power. Not the best way to make use of the big stage for the first time.
Gimme Shelter is one of the Stones most recognizable powerhouse anthems, but with Andrew Garcia at the mic the life was completely sucked out of it. His vocals were totally flat and uninteresting.
Wild Horses only peaked at #28 in 1971 and it's doubtful that it will get any higher with Katie Stevens. This very nice young finalist is really failing to live up to her potential. Her vocals this week were once again not very captivating.
Under My Thumb is a fantastic Rolling Stones classic album track and Tim Urban decided to have some fun and give it a more acoustic reggae vibe. It was a unique arrangement, but even with his good looks it couldn't distract from his unsteady singing voice.
Paint It Black spent two weeks at #1 in 1966 and Siobhan Magnus raised the bar for all of the other finalists with her spectacular, over the top performance. She was able to show off her entire vocal range soft and subtle to high energy drama. She clearly wants to win this.
Beast of Burden hit #8 in 1978 and Lee Dewyze provided a very generic "rock guy" rendition of this song. Rather than having any exceptional passion or energy the song ended up being very watered down and bland.
Honky Tonk Women spent four weeks at #1 in 1969 and Paige Miles used this song to re-introduce herself to the fans as a power belting down home southern honky tonk woman. This was much better than anything she did in the top 24 and she has the voice and the stage presence to be sticking around for longer.
Angie spent one week at #1 in 1973 and Aaron Kelly provided a very believable cover despite his youth. He's truly a pint sized pixie up on the big stage but the sincerity in his vocals manages to save him from disappearing in the crowd.
You Can't Always Get What You Want is yet another one of those legendary album tracks that helped define the Rolling Stones as the greatest rock band in the world and Crystal Bowersox used this song to show off her confidence and talent. She is a natural talent, but even she can turn it up a notch to prove that she wants to be here.
The music selections were great, but all of the performances weren't. My prediction for the bottom three are Lacey Brown, Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens. All three of these finalists have to learn how to take advantage of the big stage as well as learn how to show off their voices at their best. After all the votes are counted, it should be Andrew Garcia going home this week.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Season 9 Top 12 finalists are....
Michael Buble is currently rising up the Billboard HOT 100 with the biggest hit of his career so far, I Haven't Met You Yet. The finalists added some group choreography to their festive little lip sync of this great song.
Didi, Siobhan, and Paige all got the first spots in the Top 12 while earth moved in the wrong direction for Katelyn Epperly. She sang on the American Idol stage for the last time.
Casey, Tim, and Lee have all been given the opportunity to join the girls in the Top 12 while Todrick Hall failed to find enough somebodies to call in and give him some love. He pleaded one more time but it's not going to change the results.
Billy Joel spent one week at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1983 with the very fun song Tell Her About It. Tonight Season 8 finalists Matt Giraud and Scott McIntyre returned to the American Idol stage at their pianos to entertain the crowd with this energetic number. Last week's returning finalist, Danny Gokey, hasn't quite hit the Billboard HOT 100 yet, but the song he performed, My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me, is at #113 on the itunes sales chart. But his album of the same name made its debut on the Billboard album chart all the way up at #4 with first week sales of 65,000 copies.
Crystal, Michael, Lacey, Aaron, and Andrew are all in the Top 12, but Alex Lambert ended up having trouble getting votes even though he improved greatly each week. He showed some of that improvement in this last performance.
That just left Katie to take the final seat in the Top 12 while Lilly Scott refused to fall to pieces upon hearing the bad news. She butchered that song one last time for the handful of fans who like what she does.
This week I got two right correctly predicting that Todrick Hall and Lilly Scott would be sent home. This leaves the Season 9 Top 12 as:
Katie Stevens
Crystal Bowersox
Michael Lynche
Lacey Brown
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Tim Urban
Lee Dewyze
Didi Benami
Siobhan Magnus
Paige Miles
It looks like Crystal is the front runner going into the next round....
Didi, Siobhan, and Paige all got the first spots in the Top 12 while earth moved in the wrong direction for Katelyn Epperly. She sang on the American Idol stage for the last time.
Casey, Tim, and Lee have all been given the opportunity to join the girls in the Top 12 while Todrick Hall failed to find enough somebodies to call in and give him some love. He pleaded one more time but it's not going to change the results.
Billy Joel spent one week at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1983 with the very fun song Tell Her About It. Tonight Season 8 finalists Matt Giraud and Scott McIntyre returned to the American Idol stage at their pianos to entertain the crowd with this energetic number. Last week's returning finalist, Danny Gokey, hasn't quite hit the Billboard HOT 100 yet, but the song he performed, My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me, is at #113 on the itunes sales chart. But his album of the same name made its debut on the Billboard album chart all the way up at #4 with first week sales of 65,000 copies.
Crystal, Michael, Lacey, Aaron, and Andrew are all in the Top 12, but Alex Lambert ended up having trouble getting votes even though he improved greatly each week. He showed some of that improvement in this last performance.
That just left Katie to take the final seat in the Top 12 while Lilly Scott refused to fall to pieces upon hearing the bad news. She butchered that song one last time for the handful of fans who like what she does.
This week I got two right correctly predicting that Todrick Hall and Lilly Scott would be sent home. This leaves the Season 9 Top 12 as:
Katie Stevens
Crystal Bowersox
Michael Lynche
Lacey Brown
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Tim Urban
Lee Dewyze
Didi Benami
Siobhan Magnus
Paige Miles
It looks like Crystal is the front runner going into the next round....
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Top 8 boys...
And now it's time for the boys to lip-sync for their lives!!!! Seriously, it probably would sound better if they would lip sync, but here's what they decided to sing....
Owl City just hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 at the end of 2009 with Fireflies. Lee Dewyze did what he's going to do for the rest of the season and he played guitar and sang it with his typical rock guy raspy voice.
Alex Lambert has completely transformed into some one completely different from the timid creature who showed up two weeks ago. His performance of Trouble was confident and strong, yet he still has room to grow if he can start relaxing and having a good time.
Jeff Buckley died way too young in 1997 and never had a chance to see how beloved his version of Hallelujah would become. Tim Urban has also shown very impressive growth as he was able to tackle this classic with pure vocals and emotional depth.
Her first single, Genie In A Bottle, hit #1 for five weeks in 1999 and led to Christina Aguilera winning the Grammy for Best New Artist. Andrew Garcia hoped to recreate the magic by re-imagining this pop nugget in his own special way. It might not have been special enough.
Keith Urban is one of the most popular country artists around so Casey James had some big boots to fill by trying to cover him. Casey may have just exposed that he is coasting on looks and charisma with this bland performance.
Aaron Kelly took on a lovely country ballad from Lonestar and he did his best to prove he can belt out the big notes. After a shaky start, for the most part he was successful. He's good, but he still has room to grow and get better.
Queen hit #13 in 1977 with Somebody To Love and you could tell that Todrick Hall sincerely believes that he's got what it takes to cover this anthem. While he's no showman like Freddie Mercury, he very clearly showed that he's a real performer with stage presence and talent.
In 2002 Maxwell hit the charts with This Woman's Work and Michael Lynche slipped into his falsetto to breathe new life into this song. He just stepped up to the front of the pack with this extremely good vocal performance.
I am very happy to report that the boys far exceeded my low expectations this week. They all stepped up to show that they really want to be here so the prediction of who is going home is going to be difficult. I think it may end up being Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall who get the lowest number of votes and end up going home.
Owl City just hit #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 at the end of 2009 with Fireflies. Lee Dewyze did what he's going to do for the rest of the season and he played guitar and sang it with his typical rock guy raspy voice.
Alex Lambert has completely transformed into some one completely different from the timid creature who showed up two weeks ago. His performance of Trouble was confident and strong, yet he still has room to grow if he can start relaxing and having a good time.
Jeff Buckley died way too young in 1997 and never had a chance to see how beloved his version of Hallelujah would become. Tim Urban has also shown very impressive growth as he was able to tackle this classic with pure vocals and emotional depth.
Her first single, Genie In A Bottle, hit #1 for five weeks in 1999 and led to Christina Aguilera winning the Grammy for Best New Artist. Andrew Garcia hoped to recreate the magic by re-imagining this pop nugget in his own special way. It might not have been special enough.
Keith Urban is one of the most popular country artists around so Casey James had some big boots to fill by trying to cover him. Casey may have just exposed that he is coasting on looks and charisma with this bland performance.
Aaron Kelly took on a lovely country ballad from Lonestar and he did his best to prove he can belt out the big notes. After a shaky start, for the most part he was successful. He's good, but he still has room to grow and get better.
Queen hit #13 in 1977 with Somebody To Love and you could tell that Todrick Hall sincerely believes that he's got what it takes to cover this anthem. While he's no showman like Freddie Mercury, he very clearly showed that he's a real performer with stage presence and talent.
In 2002 Maxwell hit the charts with This Woman's Work and Michael Lynche slipped into his falsetto to breathe new life into this song. He just stepped up to the front of the pack with this extremely good vocal performance.
I am very happy to report that the boys far exceeded my low expectations this week. They all stepped up to show that they really want to be here so the prediction of who is going home is going to be difficult. I think it may end up being Andrew Garcia and Todrick Hall who get the lowest number of votes and end up going home.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The top 8 girls....
The top 8 girls have to make the best of this last chance to make it into the Season 9 top 12...
Katie Stevens hoped that by performing the 2005 top 10 hit, Breakaway, from the Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson she would shine. The unfortunate fact is that this young finalist is not living up to her potential. She clearly has a very nice voice, but she has no memorable identity.
The Animals spent three weeks at #1 in 1964 with the House of the Rising Sun and Siobhan Magnus transformed this song into something that was completely her own. She started with no musical accompaniment allowing her impressive vocal range to really take over through the entire rest of the song.
Lacey Brown finally chose exactly the right song that helped her sound her best with Brandi Carlile's 2007 single, The Story. She sat at the edge of the stage and simply let her voice connect with the lyrics with no distractions.
I Feel The Earth Move was one of the many radio hits from Carole King's 1971 classic album Tapestry. Katelyn Epperly was very boring at the piano last week so she used this more uptempo song to keep things lively, except it didn't allow her to really let her voice be front and center.
Fleetwood Mac just missed the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1976 with Rhiannon. Didi Benami refused to get up on stage and attempt to do a Stevie Nicks imitation. With her guitar and unique vocals this was the kind of performance that would bring you into the coffee shop even if you don't like coffee at all.
Paige Miles did her best to honor the memory of Michael Jackson by performing, Smile, a song that he covered on his 1995 album History. She let her emotions take control and it prevented her from letting her voice take center stage. It was a pretty messy performance all around.
Tracy Chapman hit #3 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1996 with Give Me One Reason and Crystal Bowersox gave us yet another reason to see that she is the one to beat this season. Crystal has something that the others do not have. She is a gifted musician, vocalist and performer.
Lilly Scott performed I Fall To Pieces that country legend Patsy Cline took to #12 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1961. She definitely tried to make it contemporary, but really she just butchered a great song when it seemed like she was trying to be fun and quirky. Her voice and performance style isn't good enough to take this kind of risk.
Six of these finalists are going to make it into the top 12 while two are going to just miss it. My prediction for the two who messed up the most this week are Paige Miles and Lilly Scott. What do you think?
Katie Stevens hoped that by performing the 2005 top 10 hit, Breakaway, from the Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson she would shine. The unfortunate fact is that this young finalist is not living up to her potential. She clearly has a very nice voice, but she has no memorable identity.
The Animals spent three weeks at #1 in 1964 with the House of the Rising Sun and Siobhan Magnus transformed this song into something that was completely her own. She started with no musical accompaniment allowing her impressive vocal range to really take over through the entire rest of the song.
Lacey Brown finally chose exactly the right song that helped her sound her best with Brandi Carlile's 2007 single, The Story. She sat at the edge of the stage and simply let her voice connect with the lyrics with no distractions.
I Feel The Earth Move was one of the many radio hits from Carole King's 1971 classic album Tapestry. Katelyn Epperly was very boring at the piano last week so she used this more uptempo song to keep things lively, except it didn't allow her to really let her voice be front and center.
Fleetwood Mac just missed the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1976 with Rhiannon. Didi Benami refused to get up on stage and attempt to do a Stevie Nicks imitation. With her guitar and unique vocals this was the kind of performance that would bring you into the coffee shop even if you don't like coffee at all.
Paige Miles did her best to honor the memory of Michael Jackson by performing, Smile, a song that he covered on his 1995 album History. She let her emotions take control and it prevented her from letting her voice take center stage. It was a pretty messy performance all around.
Tracy Chapman hit #3 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1996 with Give Me One Reason and Crystal Bowersox gave us yet another reason to see that she is the one to beat this season. Crystal has something that the others do not have. She is a gifted musician, vocalist and performer.
Lilly Scott performed I Fall To Pieces that country legend Patsy Cline took to #12 on the Billboard HOT 100 in 1961. She definitely tried to make it contemporary, but really she just butchered a great song when it seemed like she was trying to be fun and quirky. Her voice and performance style isn't good enough to take this kind of risk.
Six of these finalists are going to make it into the top 12 while two are going to just miss it. My prediction for the two who messed up the most this week are Paige Miles and Lilly Scott. What do you think?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Goodbye to four more....
The Black Eyed Peas sing in their 2009 #1 smash I Gotta Feeling tonight's gonna be a good night, but with the remaining finalists singing it to open the show, it's definitely not gonna be a good night for the four who are being sent packing.
Tim, Michael, Casey, and Todrick are all safe while John couldn't stop gravity from dragging him down and off the show. He bored the crowd one more time with his bland singing.
Lee, Aaron, Alex, and Andrew are also all safe leaving Jermaine to be sent on his way. With his style and vocal range fans may have been left wondering what's going on with this departure, but he still had to sing for his last time.
The dreadful season 8 Miss American Idol 2nd runner up Danny Gokey came back to torture viewers with his limited vocal range and lack of stage presence. Last week's returning Idol, Kris Allen has moved up one place on the Billboard HOT 100 this week to #18 with his single Live Like You're Dying. The song he actually sang last week, Let It Be has made it's debut on the chart at #63.
Lilly, Paige, Katie and Didi are all safe while the fans didn't have their arms wide open for Michelle. She struggled her way through her poor song choice one more excruciating time.
Katelyn, Crystal, Siobhan, and Lacey are all safe as well leaving Haeley to climb her way back down from her Idol peak. Once again, I gotta say she's still better than Miley when she smiles and sings.
This week I managed to get two of my predictions correct in John and Michelle. Let's keep hoping that the remaining finalists get better next week.....
Tim, Michael, Casey, and Todrick are all safe while John couldn't stop gravity from dragging him down and off the show. He bored the crowd one more time with his bland singing.
Lee, Aaron, Alex, and Andrew are also all safe leaving Jermaine to be sent on his way. With his style and vocal range fans may have been left wondering what's going on with this departure, but he still had to sing for his last time.
The dreadful season 8 Miss American Idol 2nd runner up Danny Gokey came back to torture viewers with his limited vocal range and lack of stage presence. Last week's returning Idol, Kris Allen has moved up one place on the Billboard HOT 100 this week to #18 with his single Live Like You're Dying. The song he actually sang last week, Let It Be has made it's debut on the chart at #63.
Lilly, Paige, Katie and Didi are all safe while the fans didn't have their arms wide open for Michelle. She struggled her way through her poor song choice one more excruciating time.
Katelyn, Crystal, Siobhan, and Lacey are all safe as well leaving Haeley to climb her way back down from her Idol peak. Once again, I gotta say she's still better than Miley when she smiles and sings.
This week I managed to get two of my predictions correct in John and Michelle. Let's keep hoping that the remaining finalists get better next week.....
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The top 10 girls try again to impress
Some of the boys managed to step up and improve from last week so let's see if any of the girls can make an exciting effort to save themselves...
Credence Clearwater Revival never had a hit with Long As I Can See The Light, but Crystal Bowersox could change that if she released her version. She is able to take the stage like a true artist and blow the audience away with her powerful vocals and talent.
Miley Cyrus is a teenager who hit #6 last year with The Climb so another teen Haeley Vaughn gave this song her best effort. In my opinion Haeley was able to do it better than Miley. She has a very nice voice and bubbly personality that makes her fun to watch.
Sixpence None The Richer peaked at #2 in 1999 with Kiss Me and Lacey Brown hoped that this song would endear the audience to her. While it should have been a perfect match for her free spirited style it was just drab.
Corinne Bailey Rae got critical acclaim in 2006 when she released Put Your Records On, but this was totally the wrong song to showcase Katie Stevens at her best. It's clear that there are some powerful pipes in Katie but she selected this messy song that allowed her to barely use any of them.
Bill Withers had a #1 smash in 1972 with Lean On Me and Didi Benami did her best to make it more soulful than folksy. The fact is, though, that everything Didi does is going to come off as a simple folk song.
Creed hit the #1 position in 2000 with their power ballad With Arms Wide Open and Michelle Delamor hoped she would be able to make this song her own. Very disappointingly, her vocals were totally off in her painful effort. We were all glad when it was finally over.
Sam Cooke was able to get A Change Is Gonna Come up to #31 in 1965 and Lilly Scott has the passion to possibly take her version even higher. She had a lot of confidence as she performed this song with her very unique personal style.
Coldplay recorded The Scientist on their 2002 album A Rush Of Blood To The Head and Katelyn Epperly tried to show a different side of herself with this performance. She successfully presented an artist who can play piano and sing with strong vocals, even though the song was very slow and boring.
Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson had numerous hits off her blockbuster album Breakaway including Walk Away. Paige Miles did a great job with this catchy pop rock song, but she would do even better with a song with more power notes.
Aretha Franklin hit #7 with her very fun song Think in 1968 and Siobhan Magnus was actually able to take on the Queen of Soul with her version. She still needs to work on deciding what kind of stage presence she has, but she hits the big notes very well.
Crystal is the only girl who stood out as having any real ability to be a entertaining performer and recording artist. While some of the others may have reasonably good voices, they do not have the stage presence yet to know how to show it off best. Any of them could be going home, but my prediction is that Lacey Brown and Michelle Delamor have put in their final performance.
Credence Clearwater Revival never had a hit with Long As I Can See The Light, but Crystal Bowersox could change that if she released her version. She is able to take the stage like a true artist and blow the audience away with her powerful vocals and talent.
Miley Cyrus is a teenager who hit #6 last year with The Climb so another teen Haeley Vaughn gave this song her best effort. In my opinion Haeley was able to do it better than Miley. She has a very nice voice and bubbly personality that makes her fun to watch.
Sixpence None The Richer peaked at #2 in 1999 with Kiss Me and Lacey Brown hoped that this song would endear the audience to her. While it should have been a perfect match for her free spirited style it was just drab.
Corinne Bailey Rae got critical acclaim in 2006 when she released Put Your Records On, but this was totally the wrong song to showcase Katie Stevens at her best. It's clear that there are some powerful pipes in Katie but she selected this messy song that allowed her to barely use any of them.
Bill Withers had a #1 smash in 1972 with Lean On Me and Didi Benami did her best to make it more soulful than folksy. The fact is, though, that everything Didi does is going to come off as a simple folk song.
Creed hit the #1 position in 2000 with their power ballad With Arms Wide Open and Michelle Delamor hoped she would be able to make this song her own. Very disappointingly, her vocals were totally off in her painful effort. We were all glad when it was finally over.
Sam Cooke was able to get A Change Is Gonna Come up to #31 in 1965 and Lilly Scott has the passion to possibly take her version even higher. She had a lot of confidence as she performed this song with her very unique personal style.
Coldplay recorded The Scientist on their 2002 album A Rush Of Blood To The Head and Katelyn Epperly tried to show a different side of herself with this performance. She successfully presented an artist who can play piano and sing with strong vocals, even though the song was very slow and boring.
Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson had numerous hits off her blockbuster album Breakaway including Walk Away. Paige Miles did a great job with this catchy pop rock song, but she would do even better with a song with more power notes.
Aretha Franklin hit #7 with her very fun song Think in 1968 and Siobhan Magnus was actually able to take on the Queen of Soul with her version. She still needs to work on deciding what kind of stage presence she has, but she hits the big notes very well.
Crystal is the only girl who stood out as having any real ability to be a entertaining performer and recording artist. While some of the others may have reasonably good voices, they do not have the stage presence yet to know how to show it off best. Any of them could be going home, but my prediction is that Lacey Brown and Michelle Delamor have put in their final performance.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
More awards nominations for Carrie Underwood!
The Supreme Miss American Idol, Season Four winner Carrie Underwood is nominated for six awards at this years Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of Year. Underwood is the reigning Entertainer of the Year, and, if she wins that category again, she will be the first female in Academy history to capture two Entertainer of the Year trophies. Voting for the Entertainer of the Year is done by fans online and it starts on April 1st.
Carrie Underwood is also nominated as an artist and composer for Song of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova," as well as Vocal Event of the Year for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis.
In addition, Carrie Underwood is nominated for Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year for Play On. If she wins Top Female Vocalist, it will be the fourth consecutive year she has won the
category. Underwood also won the 2006 Album of the Year for Some Hearts.
The 45th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 18th.
Carrie Underwood is also nominated as an artist and composer for Song of the Year for "Cowboy Casanova," as well as Vocal Event of the Year for "I Told You So" with Randy Travis.
In addition, Carrie Underwood is nominated for Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year for Play On. If she wins Top Female Vocalist, it will be the fourth consecutive year she has won the
category. Underwood also won the 2006 Album of the Year for Some Hearts.
The 45th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 18th.
The Top 10 boys try again....
Last week the boys were less than impressive and hopefully after two were sent home they are more motivated to rise to the occasion. Here's what they did:
James Brown took It's a Man's Man's Man's World to #8 in 1966 and Michael Lynche used this R&B jam to try and take him to the next level. His vocals were just right but he depended too much on his extra large size to be his stage presence rather than actually having any special style.
John Mayer put Gravity on his 2008 album Continuum and John Park tried to re-invent himself with this performance. The fact is that John is a good singer, but this was an unfamiliar song that was totally bland, boring and forgettable.
Gavin DeGraw had a hit in 2003 with I Don't Want To Be and Casey James did his best to electrify the crowd with this attempt. It was unfortunately more about him playing his electric guitar instead of showing off what a great singer he is.
John Legend won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2005 by singing songs like Everybody Knows and Alex Lambert easily won the award for Most Improved with this rendition. He sat on stage, strummed his guitar and let his great vocals come out into the spotlight.
Tina Turner spent three weeks at #1 in 1984 with What's Love Got To Do With It and Todrick Hall clearly has his eyes on the prize with his version of it. He once again went for changing the arrangement in an effort to make it his own and most of this worked in his favor this time around.
Marvin Gaye took What's Going On all the way up to #2 in 1971 and Jermaine Sellers took this song through every vocal note imaginable. He is doing a great job showing off his vocal range as well as his fabulous personal style.
James Morrison is a bland singer song writer who has never charted on the Billboard HOT 100 and Andrew Garcia wasn't able to make any improvements to this poor song choice. This performance was very plain with weak vocals and absolutely no stage presence.
The Temptations spent one week at #1 in 1965 with My Girl and Aaron Kelly over sang this hit to the max in an effort to make it his own. The sad fact is that his over confidence showed off the fact that his voice isn't that great. He should have tried acting his age.
Matt Nathanson had a minor hit in 2007 with Come On Get Higher and Tim Urban took it right to the coffee shop with his guitar to try and breath some life into this folksy song. Tim is a very handsome young man but his vocal skills are sorely lacking. Truth be told, though, it was nice to see someone acting his age.
Hinder took Lips of an Angel up to #3 in 2006 and Lee Dewyze was totally in his element with this performance. He's a stereotypical rocker with a limited vocal range and this song did not challenge him at all. Good, but very safe.
I am happy to report that with this second chance most of the boys got a little better. My prediction for the two boys to be going home this week are the ones who were the most boring. We should be saying goodbye to John Park and Andrew Garcia.
James Brown took It's a Man's Man's Man's World to #8 in 1966 and Michael Lynche used this R&B jam to try and take him to the next level. His vocals were just right but he depended too much on his extra large size to be his stage presence rather than actually having any special style.
John Mayer put Gravity on his 2008 album Continuum and John Park tried to re-invent himself with this performance. The fact is that John is a good singer, but this was an unfamiliar song that was totally bland, boring and forgettable.
Gavin DeGraw had a hit in 2003 with I Don't Want To Be and Casey James did his best to electrify the crowd with this attempt. It was unfortunately more about him playing his electric guitar instead of showing off what a great singer he is.
John Legend won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2005 by singing songs like Everybody Knows and Alex Lambert easily won the award for Most Improved with this rendition. He sat on stage, strummed his guitar and let his great vocals come out into the spotlight.
Tina Turner spent three weeks at #1 in 1984 with What's Love Got To Do With It and Todrick Hall clearly has his eyes on the prize with his version of it. He once again went for changing the arrangement in an effort to make it his own and most of this worked in his favor this time around.
Marvin Gaye took What's Going On all the way up to #2 in 1971 and Jermaine Sellers took this song through every vocal note imaginable. He is doing a great job showing off his vocal range as well as his fabulous personal style.
James Morrison is a bland singer song writer who has never charted on the Billboard HOT 100 and Andrew Garcia wasn't able to make any improvements to this poor song choice. This performance was very plain with weak vocals and absolutely no stage presence.
The Temptations spent one week at #1 in 1965 with My Girl and Aaron Kelly over sang this hit to the max in an effort to make it his own. The sad fact is that his over confidence showed off the fact that his voice isn't that great. He should have tried acting his age.
Matt Nathanson had a minor hit in 2007 with Come On Get Higher and Tim Urban took it right to the coffee shop with his guitar to try and breath some life into this folksy song. Tim is a very handsome young man but his vocal skills are sorely lacking. Truth be told, though, it was nice to see someone acting his age.
Hinder took Lips of an Angel up to #3 in 2006 and Lee Dewyze was totally in his element with this performance. He's a stereotypical rocker with a limited vocal range and this song did not challenge him at all. Good, but very safe.
I am happy to report that with this second chance most of the boys got a little better. My prediction for the two boys to be going home this week are the ones who were the most boring. We should be saying goodbye to John Park and Andrew Garcia.
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