What should have been a fun energetic opening medley was tarnished by the mediocre voices singing it. This year's top five finalists aren't the best vocalists American Idol has ever seen so it was hard for them to do justice to the Neil Diamond medley. It could have opened stronger if David Cook had sung the #1 smash from 1970, Cracklin' Rosie in it's entirety rather than allowing Jason Castro to barely whisper the lyrics. It was just another example of how Jason doesn't care to actually learn and rehearse the songs he's singing. The rest of the medley included Neil's other chart-topper, Song Sung Blue from 1972, which also suffered from the weak vocals from the finalists.
While everyone who genuinely loves music can see that it is time for Jason Castro to go home, Ryan called him out to the center of the stage early on to reveal that he is safe. He's definitely coming back for another week of musical abuse so the audience had the whole hour to get over it and start accepting it. Ryan revealed that the Davids are also safe leaving Syesha Mercado and Brooke White as the bottom two.
After revealing all of the standings early it left time for Natasha Bedingfield to perform her latest hit single , Take Me Away. It's exactly the a kind of catchy song that a singer like Brooke White would need in order to compensate for her lack of vocal talent. Natasha did a great job and hopefully it will become a chart topper. Neil Diamond then took center stage to sing a track from his new album coming out next week. After all these years he demonstrated what it takes to have career longevity - you have to love what you're doing, and you can tell that he still does.
The time came to reveal that after being one of the lowest vote getters almost every week, Syesha Mercado has made it through by the skin of her teeth one more time. Brooke White became very emotional when she heard the news that she is going home, yet she still struggled to get through I Am, I Said one last time.
Last year at this time I was very excited about looking ahead to the next week with the best top four ever. Season Six had four very dynamic, talented and unique finalists move forward while here in Season Seven I cannot say the same thing. Jason Castro is going to come back next and wander aimlessly across the stage like he always does. It's very clear that there's no one home because it's obvious that the lights aren't on! He's insulted the guest mentors with his ignorance every week and now he's coasting into the finals. Can he be stopped? Will he be able to turn things around and actually get better? The Davids and Syesha have to work extra hard to make a dent in his dominance over the doofus voters next week if they want to stay alive.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Top 5 sing Neil Diamond
The top 5 finalists get the wonderful opportunity to work with the extremely accomplished singer/songwriter/performer Neil Diamond. He has an incredibly extensive catalog of hits and the finalists will be able to perform two each.
Jason Castro selected Forever In Blue Jeans for his first song. This great song peaked in the top 20 in 1979 and it would seem like a good match for Jason's casual attitude. He strummed his guitar as usual and really took the casual demeanor to the extreme. He seemed even more vacant and disconnected than ever. The same was true for his second song, September Morn', which was another top 20 hit in 1980. These songs have a depth and maturity that is far beyond Jason's capabilities. Simply put, the songs are too big for him.
David Cook walked into this theme with a clear advantage over the others as his vocal style is very similar to that of Neil Diamond. That and he's also knowledgeable and passionate about music. David selected I'm Alive for his first song. This was the last song that Neil charted with on the Billboard HOT 100 when it cracked the Top 40 in 1983. David made it sound fresh, energetic and ready for radio airplay all over again. The same is true for his second selection, All I Really Need Is You. It's an obscure song from Neil's catalog, but in David's hands it doesn't matter. His voice is the perfect match to rejuvenate these songs.
The Monkees hit #1 for 7 weeks in 1966 with the Neil Diamond penned I'm A Believer. Brooke White seemed to have chosen this song to very clearly demonstrate how awkward she can look on stage. The song is really fun, but Brooke doesn't have the inherent qualities to do it justice. For her second song, she went in the complete opposite direction with the introspective ballad, I Am, I Said that hit the Top 5 in 1971. She was able to sit comfortably behind the piano and let the lyrics of the song take center stage. We were reminded of two things tonight: Brooke has a very limited vocal range that is clearly exposed when she sings ballads. Brooke is also very limited in the range of musical styles that she can perform. She can really only do one thing well while all of her other efforts come off as awkward.
David Archuleta is an extremely talented young man who is gifted with an effortless vocal range and a warm, sincere personality that is the definition of "like able". The challenge for him comes from finding songs that are a good match for his extreme earnestness. He first tried to see if the Top 5 smash from 1969, Sweet Caroline, would work. While vocally he was successfully, it was a little strange to hear this song that has been sung in many a bar late into the night come from this young man. His second song was a slightly better match: America - Top 10 - 1981. The lyrics celebrating the desire to immigrate to "my country tis of thee" sounded more natural coming from the little darling.
After weeks of being in the bottom three, Syesha Mercado is finally showing a full range of personality and style. She was a great entertainer last week and tonight she got even better. For her first song she chose Hello Again which went Top 10 in 1981. Neil has never been known for his impressive vocal range, so it was nice to hear this song re-interpreted with many interesting nuances and shades that Syesha made seem effortless. She then gave an other exhibition of her complete comfort on stage and become a totally different character with her rendition of the 1967 Top 20 hit I Thank The Lord For The Night Time. It was an exuberant vocal celebration.
The bottom two this week is very clear. I have no choice but to predict that Jason Castro and Brooke White will finally stop getting votes after these catastrophic efforts tonight. While I have been leaning toward Brooke going home for the past two weeks, I think it is finally time for Jason to hit the road and never come back. His face is not pretty enough to excuse his complete ignorance when it comes to musical knowledge. He should be embarrassed about everything that he doesn't know. There really is nothing underneath those dreads. He should have gone home a long time ago.
Jason Castro selected Forever In Blue Jeans for his first song. This great song peaked in the top 20 in 1979 and it would seem like a good match for Jason's casual attitude. He strummed his guitar as usual and really took the casual demeanor to the extreme. He seemed even more vacant and disconnected than ever. The same was true for his second song, September Morn', which was another top 20 hit in 1980. These songs have a depth and maturity that is far beyond Jason's capabilities. Simply put, the songs are too big for him.
David Cook walked into this theme with a clear advantage over the others as his vocal style is very similar to that of Neil Diamond. That and he's also knowledgeable and passionate about music. David selected I'm Alive for his first song. This was the last song that Neil charted with on the Billboard HOT 100 when it cracked the Top 40 in 1983. David made it sound fresh, energetic and ready for radio airplay all over again. The same is true for his second selection, All I Really Need Is You. It's an obscure song from Neil's catalog, but in David's hands it doesn't matter. His voice is the perfect match to rejuvenate these songs.
The Monkees hit #1 for 7 weeks in 1966 with the Neil Diamond penned I'm A Believer. Brooke White seemed to have chosen this song to very clearly demonstrate how awkward she can look on stage. The song is really fun, but Brooke doesn't have the inherent qualities to do it justice. For her second song, she went in the complete opposite direction with the introspective ballad, I Am, I Said that hit the Top 5 in 1971. She was able to sit comfortably behind the piano and let the lyrics of the song take center stage. We were reminded of two things tonight: Brooke has a very limited vocal range that is clearly exposed when she sings ballads. Brooke is also very limited in the range of musical styles that she can perform. She can really only do one thing well while all of her other efforts come off as awkward.
David Archuleta is an extremely talented young man who is gifted with an effortless vocal range and a warm, sincere personality that is the definition of "like able". The challenge for him comes from finding songs that are a good match for his extreme earnestness. He first tried to see if the Top 5 smash from 1969, Sweet Caroline, would work. While vocally he was successfully, it was a little strange to hear this song that has been sung in many a bar late into the night come from this young man. His second song was a slightly better match: America - Top 10 - 1981. The lyrics celebrating the desire to immigrate to "my country tis of thee" sounded more natural coming from the little darling.
After weeks of being in the bottom three, Syesha Mercado is finally showing a full range of personality and style. She was a great entertainer last week and tonight she got even better. For her first song she chose Hello Again which went Top 10 in 1981. Neil has never been known for his impressive vocal range, so it was nice to hear this song re-interpreted with many interesting nuances and shades that Syesha made seem effortless. She then gave an other exhibition of her complete comfort on stage and become a totally different character with her rendition of the 1967 Top 20 hit I Thank The Lord For The Night Time. It was an exuberant vocal celebration.
The bottom two this week is very clear. I have no choice but to predict that Jason Castro and Brooke White will finally stop getting votes after these catastrophic efforts tonight. While I have been leaning toward Brooke going home for the past two weeks, I think it is finally time for Jason to hit the road and never come back. His face is not pretty enough to excuse his complete ignorance when it comes to musical knowledge. He should be embarrassed about everything that he doesn't know. There really is nothing underneath those dreads. He should have gone home a long time ago.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The Results - Andrew Lloyd Webber
The top 6 finalists had the honor of opening the show singing a group performance of All I Ask Of You from Phantom of the Opera as Andrew Lloyd Webber accompanied on the piano. Unfortunately, since a couple of the finalists are vocally challenged, this great song didn't sound as great as it should have. Everyone else seemed to tone it down in order to remain in the weak and limited range of Jason Castro and Brooke White.
Ryan asked the finalists to come out in pairs and find out who was going to be safe and who would be in the Bottom Two. The first to hear the news was the Davids, and no surprise, they are both safe. That surprise came when it was revealed that Brooke White is safe and Syesha Mercado is in the bottom two.
In Britain, Simon Cowell created a show called X Factor which is basically just like American Idol. The winner last season was a young woman named Leona Lewis and she ended up breaking all sales and airplay records in Britain with her first release. Turns out that she is also doing very well here in the states. Her album, Spirit, was just #1 on the Billboard Albums chart and her single, Bleeding Love, has spent two weeks on top of the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart. She came to American Idol stage to sing her smash hit.
The remaining finalists, Carly Smithson and Jason Castro then got to hear the next surprise of the night: Jason is safe and Carly is joining Syesha in the bottom two. These two very talented young women then showed off how this is the best bottom two ever as they both gave encore performances from last night. No matter what happens the news is going to be bad - a very talented finalist will be going home too soon. In this case, Syesha is safe and Carly is going home.
Really, it doesn't come as a surprise because the evidence has been there that both Carly and Syesha have had a hard time connecting with the audience. They have both ended up in the bottom three a few times, but it still doesn't make it any easier to accept. So I didn't get any of my predictions correct this week. It makes absolutely no sense that people are voting every week to keep Brooke and Jason on the show. Jason has demonstrated every week that his pretty little head is completely empty in that he is incapable of articulating a complete sentence much less express any knowledge or passion for creating music. Brooke is just looking more awkward every week as she is clearly too small of a talent for a stage this big. Brooke and Jason should both feel very lucky to have this opportunity as they are taking it away from more deserving finalists.
Ryan asked the finalists to come out in pairs and find out who was going to be safe and who would be in the Bottom Two. The first to hear the news was the Davids, and no surprise, they are both safe. That surprise came when it was revealed that Brooke White is safe and Syesha Mercado is in the bottom two.
In Britain, Simon Cowell created a show called X Factor which is basically just like American Idol. The winner last season was a young woman named Leona Lewis and she ended up breaking all sales and airplay records in Britain with her first release. Turns out that she is also doing very well here in the states. Her album, Spirit, was just #1 on the Billboard Albums chart and her single, Bleeding Love, has spent two weeks on top of the Billboard HOT 100 singles chart. She came to American Idol stage to sing her smash hit.
The remaining finalists, Carly Smithson and Jason Castro then got to hear the next surprise of the night: Jason is safe and Carly is joining Syesha in the bottom two. These two very talented young women then showed off how this is the best bottom two ever as they both gave encore performances from last night. No matter what happens the news is going to be bad - a very talented finalist will be going home too soon. In this case, Syesha is safe and Carly is going home.
Really, it doesn't come as a surprise because the evidence has been there that both Carly and Syesha have had a hard time connecting with the audience. They have both ended up in the bottom three a few times, but it still doesn't make it any easier to accept. So I didn't get any of my predictions correct this week. It makes absolutely no sense that people are voting every week to keep Brooke and Jason on the show. Jason has demonstrated every week that his pretty little head is completely empty in that he is incapable of articulating a complete sentence much less express any knowledge or passion for creating music. Brooke is just looking more awkward every week as she is clearly too small of a talent for a stage this big. Brooke and Jason should both feel very lucky to have this opportunity as they are taking it away from more deserving finalists.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The top 6 sing Andrew Lloyd Webber
Some of the most memorable songs from the Broadway stage in the past 40 years have been composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Tonight the top 6 finalists had to prove their ability to interpret these amazing songs.
When it comes to naming one's favorite show tunes, few people immediately think of those catchy songs from Starlight Express. That did not stop Syesha Mercado from selecting One Rock and Roll Too Many and truly making it work. While it may not have been familiar to most listeners, she proved herself as a very talented live stage performer. Her voice sounded even stronger than ever and she exuded a vibrant and fun personality that was the perfect match for the song. This was the best she has done so far.
One of the favorite show tunes that just about everyone mentions is Memory from Cats. People have loved hearing Betty Buckley, Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow elevate these lyrics with their powerful and impressive vocal ranges. As we have learned so far in the competition Jason Castro has never impressed with his vocal range. This young man knew nothing about what he was doing when he selected this song. It is a complete mis-match for his folk singing, acoustic guitar driven style. The final performance was a complete mess.
Just when we thought one finalist making a complete mess was tragic enough, we are given another. Brooke White messed up pretty bad last week when she had to rise to the Mariah standard and failed and now she has to go out of her element again with a show tune. When Andrew Lloyd Webber created an original song for Madonna in the movie version of Evita, You Must Love Me ended up winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. The song tells of the overwhelming sadness as Eva Perron realizes that she is close to death. In Brooke's hands the song was just plain sad. She couldn't remember the lyrics and the trembling in her voice was not from getting into character, it was from her acceptance that she is completely out classed by the other finalists.
David Archuleta chose to sing Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera. He has demonstrated once again that he can sing anything and make it sound like an inspirational adult contemporary hit. He has a very effortless vocal range that expresses the sentiment of the lyrics exactly as they should be every time. He is already a star whether he wins the Miss American Idol crown or not, but if he keeps on winning over fans with songs like this....
Carly Smithson has one of the best voices in the competition this year, but each week she has struggled with everything from song choice, to expressing the emotions appropriately and deciding what to wear. Tonight, as she performed Jesus Christ Superstar, she did everything exactly as she should have. All of the pieces fell into place so that she could showcase her talents at their best. Very entertaining.
The Music of The Night is a haunting love song from Phantom of the Opera performed as the monster tries to seduce his captive young diva. Rather than needing to rework the song into his rock style, David Cook genuinely brought the song to life because he skillfully knows how to work the lyrics. His voice was the perfect match for the intensity and drama that needs to be conveyed with every syllable. The Davids could be in a serious wrestling match for the Miss American Idol crown.
Predicting the bottom three is going to be very difficult this week. While it is a no-brainer that Jason Castro and Brooke White should have never made the top 12, much less be here in the top 6. The difficult question comes when trying to predict which of the remaining far-superior finalists must join them in the bottom three. Unfortunately, both Syesha and Carly have struggled to find a fan-base and have ended up in the bottom three before. Even though Syesha clearly gave her best performance of the season so far, I fear she will end up in the bottom three for two reasons: She performed first and may be forgotten and she performed a song that was unfamiliar to most of the listening audience. I predicted that Brooke White was going to go home last week, but now it has to finally be her time.
When it comes to naming one's favorite show tunes, few people immediately think of those catchy songs from Starlight Express. That did not stop Syesha Mercado from selecting One Rock and Roll Too Many and truly making it work. While it may not have been familiar to most listeners, she proved herself as a very talented live stage performer. Her voice sounded even stronger than ever and she exuded a vibrant and fun personality that was the perfect match for the song. This was the best she has done so far.
One of the favorite show tunes that just about everyone mentions is Memory from Cats. People have loved hearing Betty Buckley, Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow elevate these lyrics with their powerful and impressive vocal ranges. As we have learned so far in the competition Jason Castro has never impressed with his vocal range. This young man knew nothing about what he was doing when he selected this song. It is a complete mis-match for his folk singing, acoustic guitar driven style. The final performance was a complete mess.
Just when we thought one finalist making a complete mess was tragic enough, we are given another. Brooke White messed up pretty bad last week when she had to rise to the Mariah standard and failed and now she has to go out of her element again with a show tune. When Andrew Lloyd Webber created an original song for Madonna in the movie version of Evita, You Must Love Me ended up winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. The song tells of the overwhelming sadness as Eva Perron realizes that she is close to death. In Brooke's hands the song was just plain sad. She couldn't remember the lyrics and the trembling in her voice was not from getting into character, it was from her acceptance that she is completely out classed by the other finalists.
David Archuleta chose to sing Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera. He has demonstrated once again that he can sing anything and make it sound like an inspirational adult contemporary hit. He has a very effortless vocal range that expresses the sentiment of the lyrics exactly as they should be every time. He is already a star whether he wins the Miss American Idol crown or not, but if he keeps on winning over fans with songs like this....
Carly Smithson has one of the best voices in the competition this year, but each week she has struggled with everything from song choice, to expressing the emotions appropriately and deciding what to wear. Tonight, as she performed Jesus Christ Superstar, she did everything exactly as she should have. All of the pieces fell into place so that she could showcase her talents at their best. Very entertaining.
The Music of The Night is a haunting love song from Phantom of the Opera performed as the monster tries to seduce his captive young diva. Rather than needing to rework the song into his rock style, David Cook genuinely brought the song to life because he skillfully knows how to work the lyrics. His voice was the perfect match for the intensity and drama that needs to be conveyed with every syllable. The Davids could be in a serious wrestling match for the Miss American Idol crown.
Predicting the bottom three is going to be very difficult this week. While it is a no-brainer that Jason Castro and Brooke White should have never made the top 12, much less be here in the top 6. The difficult question comes when trying to predict which of the remaining far-superior finalists must join them in the bottom three. Unfortunately, both Syesha and Carly have struggled to find a fan-base and have ended up in the bottom three before. Even though Syesha clearly gave her best performance of the season so far, I fear she will end up in the bottom three for two reasons: She performed first and may be forgotten and she performed a song that was unfamiliar to most of the listening audience. I predicted that Brooke White was going to go home last week, but now it has to finally be her time.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Results - Mariah Carey
What happens when the two biggest hit making acts of the early 90's team up to record a collaboration? The answer is obvious - the record becomes the biggest hit of all time! Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey released their eulogy to lost loved ones, One Sweet Day in 1996 and not only did it debut at #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 but it stayed there for a record breaking 16 weeks. The Lucky 7 finalists gave one of their best group performances so far with their moving interpretation of this timeless classic.
Ryan split the finalists into two groups. On the left side of the stage he instructed Jason Castro, Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado to stand and wait while David Cook, Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White were on the right side. That left poor little David Archuleta waiting all by his lonesome backstage.
Season 5 Miss American Idol Elliot Yamin took the stage to perform a song called Free from his album. It was pretty good, but the big news was that his wonderful mother passed away last week. This was the first time he had to perform and not have her in the audience. Mariah is continuing her ability to write the kind of moving songs people can relate to. After having such a huge success with One Sweet Day, she is sticking with that theme on her latest single that she performed tonight, Bye Bye. It's a tribute to her father who passed away a few years ago. It's quite likely that this could become her record breaking 19th #1 song. She is currently at #1 this week for a second week with her 18th #1 hit Touch My Body.
David Archuleta was informed that he is safe and that he should go stand with the group that he thought was the top vote getters. Cute little David sat on the floor and refused to choose while Ryan mixed things up and instructed David Cook to switch groups with Syesha Mercado. After the switcheroo, Ryan revealed that Syesha was part of the bottom three with Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White. Syesha and Brooke are both safe while down-to-earth country girl Kristy Lee Cook is out of the running.
This week I got two of my predictions correct. I'm glad that Carly was spared from being in the bottom three for a change, but I'm disappointed that Kristy Lee isn't coming back. I felt she was getting better each week. Brooke, on the other hand, peaked weeks ago and she is overstaying her welcome. I suspect it will finally catch up to her next week.
Ryan split the finalists into two groups. On the left side of the stage he instructed Jason Castro, Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado to stand and wait while David Cook, Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White were on the right side. That left poor little David Archuleta waiting all by his lonesome backstage.
Season 5 Miss American Idol Elliot Yamin took the stage to perform a song called Free from his album. It was pretty good, but the big news was that his wonderful mother passed away last week. This was the first time he had to perform and not have her in the audience. Mariah is continuing her ability to write the kind of moving songs people can relate to. After having such a huge success with One Sweet Day, she is sticking with that theme on her latest single that she performed tonight, Bye Bye. It's a tribute to her father who passed away a few years ago. It's quite likely that this could become her record breaking 19th #1 song. She is currently at #1 this week for a second week with her 18th #1 hit Touch My Body.
David Archuleta was informed that he is safe and that he should go stand with the group that he thought was the top vote getters. Cute little David sat on the floor and refused to choose while Ryan mixed things up and instructed David Cook to switch groups with Syesha Mercado. After the switcheroo, Ryan revealed that Syesha was part of the bottom three with Kristy Lee Cook and Brooke White. Syesha and Brooke are both safe while down-to-earth country girl Kristy Lee Cook is out of the running.
This week I got two of my predictions correct. I'm glad that Carly was spared from being in the bottom three for a change, but I'm disappointed that Kristy Lee isn't coming back. I felt she was getting better each week. Brooke, on the other hand, peaked weeks ago and she is overstaying her welcome. I suspect it will finally catch up to her next week.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Lucky 7 sing Mariah!!!!
In the seven seasons of American Idol, there has never been a more accomplished mentor than the one the lucky 7 finalists had the chance to work with this week. From 1990 to the present Mariah Carey has consistently written, produced and performed the songs that are at the top of the charts. She shared her experience and wisdom with the finalists as they attempted to make a selection from her songbook their own.
In 1998 Mariah was asked to join Whitney Houston for a duet of the theme song for the animated film, the Prince of Egypt. The song When You Believe ended up peaking at #15 and after Mariah and Whitney performed it at the Oscars the song took the statue for Best Original Song. David Archuleta is like two divas in one because he managed to bring his sincere persona and vocals to this song and completely make it work. All that was missing was the glamorous long gown, but he'll have plenty of time to do that in the future.
Mariah is the rare diva who writes almost all of her own material. After hitting #1 in 1992 with her cover of the Jackson 5's I'll Be There, Mariah started to include a cover version on many of her albums. On Music Box it was a cover of Nilsson's Without You. While his was a #1 smash in 1972, Mariah's peaked at #3 in 1994. Carly Smithson selected this song that allowed her to belt out some amazing big notes. She also looked much more sophisticated as her silky dress had sleeves that covered her tattoos.
After 18 years of recording amazing songs, Mariah still acknowledges Vanishing from her 1990 self-titled debut album as one of her all-time favorites. It's a uniquely "Mariah" song that is full of elaborate vocal runs and impressive high notes. Staying true to her choices so far this season, this was the clear option for Syesha Mercado to try once again to prove that she is a contender. The fact is that Syesha did a more than respectable job presenting this classic album track to a new audience. And she looked incredibly classy while while doing it.
Mariah spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with Hero. It's one of her career defining songs that her adoring fans expected to hear at all of her concerts. It's a genuinely inspirational song about believing in one's self. Brooke White did her best expressing that sentiment to the audience as she took her comfortable place behind her piano. But as was expected, her limited vocals prevented her from elevating the song to the inspirational heights. She tried and faltered to the point of appearing nervous and awkward.
In 1996 Mariah had just set the all-time Billboard HOT 100 record for spending 16 weeks at #1 with One Sweet Day. So while Forever was never released as a single, demand was so high for Mariah that the song was in heavy rotation at radio anyway. Kristy Lee Cook has once again chosen a song that she can make her own and that directs the focus on her best qualities. She didn't need to play with the arrangement too much to turn the song into a legitimate country tune and her vocals were just as impressive as last week.
Also in 1996, Mariah spent two weeks at #1 with Always Be My Baby. In her original arrangement, it's the kind of song that the campers might sing sitting around the fire while roasting marshmallows. Like we have come to expect from David Cook, he found a way to re-invent this song and completely make it his own while staying true to its meaning. He definitely knows how to work with all of the pieces that go into making music: producers and arrangers, the live musicians in a band, and commanding the stage with his vocals and presence.
In 1991 Mariah had her fourth consecutive #1 song from her self-titled debut album, I Don't Wanna Cry. Jason Castro despite his limited vocal abilities, is still in the competition. Each week he manages to smile just right, flash his bright eyes and "sing" barely well enough to keep coming back. Somehow he should be able to do that again this week, but thankfully without the use of a ukulele. Similar to David Cook, Jason made the song fit his persona with a tropical arrangement and it was actually kinda nice.
This was easily the best week on American Idol EVER!!! In previous seasons the mentors have been incredible artists and musicians, but they have all had their hit-making success in the past. With Mariah, the lucky 7 finalists got the chance to learn from someone who is an exceptionally accomplished hit maker on the charts THIS WEEK! Her catalog of music also requires the finalists to truly step up and prove themselves. I am pleased to report that with the exception of Brooke White, they all did well. My prediction is that Brooke will be sent home with the lowest number of votes and she will be joined in the bottom three by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Both Syesha and Carly are very talented, but they don't seem to be connecting with the audience very well.
In 1998 Mariah was asked to join Whitney Houston for a duet of the theme song for the animated film, the Prince of Egypt. The song When You Believe ended up peaking at #15 and after Mariah and Whitney performed it at the Oscars the song took the statue for Best Original Song. David Archuleta is like two divas in one because he managed to bring his sincere persona and vocals to this song and completely make it work. All that was missing was the glamorous long gown, but he'll have plenty of time to do that in the future.
Mariah is the rare diva who writes almost all of her own material. After hitting #1 in 1992 with her cover of the Jackson 5's I'll Be There, Mariah started to include a cover version on many of her albums. On Music Box it was a cover of Nilsson's Without You. While his was a #1 smash in 1972, Mariah's peaked at #3 in 1994. Carly Smithson selected this song that allowed her to belt out some amazing big notes. She also looked much more sophisticated as her silky dress had sleeves that covered her tattoos.
After 18 years of recording amazing songs, Mariah still acknowledges Vanishing from her 1990 self-titled debut album as one of her all-time favorites. It's a uniquely "Mariah" song that is full of elaborate vocal runs and impressive high notes. Staying true to her choices so far this season, this was the clear option for Syesha Mercado to try once again to prove that she is a contender. The fact is that Syesha did a more than respectable job presenting this classic album track to a new audience. And she looked incredibly classy while while doing it.
Mariah spent four weeks at #1 in 1994 with Hero. It's one of her career defining songs that her adoring fans expected to hear at all of her concerts. It's a genuinely inspirational song about believing in one's self. Brooke White did her best expressing that sentiment to the audience as she took her comfortable place behind her piano. But as was expected, her limited vocals prevented her from elevating the song to the inspirational heights. She tried and faltered to the point of appearing nervous and awkward.
In 1996 Mariah had just set the all-time Billboard HOT 100 record for spending 16 weeks at #1 with One Sweet Day. So while Forever was never released as a single, demand was so high for Mariah that the song was in heavy rotation at radio anyway. Kristy Lee Cook has once again chosen a song that she can make her own and that directs the focus on her best qualities. She didn't need to play with the arrangement too much to turn the song into a legitimate country tune and her vocals were just as impressive as last week.
Also in 1996, Mariah spent two weeks at #1 with Always Be My Baby. In her original arrangement, it's the kind of song that the campers might sing sitting around the fire while roasting marshmallows. Like we have come to expect from David Cook, he found a way to re-invent this song and completely make it his own while staying true to its meaning. He definitely knows how to work with all of the pieces that go into making music: producers and arrangers, the live musicians in a band, and commanding the stage with his vocals and presence.
In 1991 Mariah had her fourth consecutive #1 song from her self-titled debut album, I Don't Wanna Cry. Jason Castro despite his limited vocal abilities, is still in the competition. Each week he manages to smile just right, flash his bright eyes and "sing" barely well enough to keep coming back. Somehow he should be able to do that again this week, but thankfully without the use of a ukulele. Similar to David Cook, Jason made the song fit his persona with a tropical arrangement and it was actually kinda nice.
This was easily the best week on American Idol EVER!!! In previous seasons the mentors have been incredible artists and musicians, but they have all had their hit-making success in the past. With Mariah, the lucky 7 finalists got the chance to learn from someone who is an exceptionally accomplished hit maker on the charts THIS WEEK! Her catalog of music also requires the finalists to truly step up and prove themselves. I am pleased to report that with the exception of Brooke White, they all did well. My prediction is that Brooke will be sent home with the lowest number of votes and she will be joined in the bottom three by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Both Syesha and Carly are very talented, but they don't seem to be connecting with the audience very well.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Results - Inspiration
The inspirational spirit of Idol Gives Back was continued with the opening group performance by the top 8 finalists of Shout To The Lord. Now that Idol Gives Back is coming to an end for this year, hopefully we will not have to get any more performances like this one.
Ryan informed Brooke White, David Cook and David Archuleta in rapid succession that they were all safe and assured the opportunity to work with Mariah Carey next week. We were then treated to a performance by the reigning Miss American Idol, Jordin Sparks. She is currently in the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 with her duet with Chris Brown, No Air. These two hot young stars belted out this wonderful ballad that peaked at #5, but is down to #7 this week even though it is the greatest airplay gainer of the week. It is sure to gain even more sales and airplay after this performance.
Ryan then announced that both Jason Castro and Kristy Lee Cook were also safely on their way to working with Mariah. That just left Michael Johns, Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado as the remaining bottom three. After sending Carly and Syesha to safety, Michael Johns was revealed as the lowest vote getter of the week and he is unfortunately going home too soon.
The one time I got all three of my predictions correct in this unpredictable season I wish I had been wrong. Michael is a very talented and charismatic performer and it is just plain crazy that people didn't call in to vote for him even though he had a difficult time selecting a better suited song for the inspirational theme. It's also strange that such talented singers as Carly and Syesha are having a hard time connecting with the audience. It will be interesting to see how the vocally challenged finalists (Brooke and Jason) will do given the chance to work with an exceptional talent like Mariah. Next week promises to be a music lovers dream come true. :)
Ryan informed Brooke White, David Cook and David Archuleta in rapid succession that they were all safe and assured the opportunity to work with Mariah Carey next week. We were then treated to a performance by the reigning Miss American Idol, Jordin Sparks. She is currently in the top 10 on the Billboard HOT 100 with her duet with Chris Brown, No Air. These two hot young stars belted out this wonderful ballad that peaked at #5, but is down to #7 this week even though it is the greatest airplay gainer of the week. It is sure to gain even more sales and airplay after this performance.
Ryan then announced that both Jason Castro and Kristy Lee Cook were also safely on their way to working with Mariah. That just left Michael Johns, Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado as the remaining bottom three. After sending Carly and Syesha to safety, Michael Johns was revealed as the lowest vote getter of the week and he is unfortunately going home too soon.
The one time I got all three of my predictions correct in this unpredictable season I wish I had been wrong. Michael is a very talented and charismatic performer and it is just plain crazy that people didn't call in to vote for him even though he had a difficult time selecting a better suited song for the inspirational theme. It's also strange that such talented singers as Carly and Syesha are having a hard time connecting with the audience. It will be interesting to see how the vocally challenged finalists (Brooke and Jason) will do given the chance to work with an exceptional talent like Mariah. Next week promises to be a music lovers dream come true. :)
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