American Idol Top 9 performances

Tonite, with Dolly Parton as the mentor, the contestants performed songs that Dolly has written and/or recorded. I enjoyed this show but it seemed very rushed to me tonite – I think they need more than an hour for 9 performances plus time with a mentor.

-

Brooke White – “Jolene” She started out a little shaky, but I thought it was a pretty good performance overall. I liked it okay, although Brooke seemed a little disconnected throughout the song, and I was a little disappointed that she didn’t do more with this great song. Randy said it was not stellar, she had some pitch problems, but it was alright. Paula said she was consistent, she has an emotional connection with the audience, and it was excellent and wonderful. Simon disagreed, and said he felt emotion was lacking, they were odd together onstage as a group (Brooke, backup singer, musicians), and it wasn’t one of her best. Brooke babbled on and on again.. she must do that when she’s nervous.

-

David Cook – “Little Sparrow” Doing his own arrangement tonite, this was awesome and brilliant. He has such an incredible voice. I absolutely loved it. I love this guy every single week! I could listen to him sing for hours. I’ve already bought his Analog Heart cd (which is really great, by the way) and all his Itunes singles. I don’t care whose arrangement he does, he sings it better. Randy said it was another hot, consistent performance. Paula said she loved his haircut (me too, but I loved it last week too), it was fantastic, and tonite shows how well rounded a performer he is. Simon said that while it wasn’t as good as last week, if David could make a song about a sparrow sound good, and he did, congratulations.

-

Ramiele Malubay – “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind” This was a very weak performance. I could barely hear her voice except during the big notes towards the end of the song.. overall, it was weak and so forgettable. She’s too timid and doesn’t have the range I had first thought she had, and I think she’s way out of her league. Randy said he wasn’t jumping up and down, it was alright, and he gave it a 6 and a half out of ten. Paula said she was proud of Ramiele, she really connected and was having fun. Simon said we won’t remember this in ten years. (Ten years? I barely remembered it ten minutes later!) He said it was forgettable and reminiscent of something we would hear on a cruise ship.

-

Jason Castro – “Travelin’ Thru” It was good, a very nice performance.. but not very memorable. Jason really needs to have a breakthrough performance. Randy said he started rough and unsure but picked it up by the middle of the song and it was pretty good. Paula said it was one of his strongest, he was confident, and she loved it. Simon said he didn’t like it at all, said he didn’t sing it particularly well and that the song didn’t suit him.

-

Carly Smithson – “Here You Come Again” She sang this very slowly, it was consistently good but again, very forgettable to me until she got to the last part of the song. Great ending. Randy said it was probably one of the better performances of the night, it was great. Paula said it was glorious, and she has amazing talent, and “that voice –omg!!” Simon thought it was good but not great. He said she needed to have a word with whoever was dressing her and that at this point in the competition she needs to start looking like a star. I felt kinda bad for her at this point, Simon was an ass for criticizing her looks.

-

David Archuleta “Smoky Mountain Memories” This is a very beautiful song and David sang it extremely well. This was the best I’ve heard him sing. I still wouldn’t buy a cd by him though. He has a really nice voice, but there’s no connection. He still seems like a little kid singing adult songs to me, and I don’t ever feel any desire to hear more from him. Randy said it was the best of the night. Paula said he has an amazing voice and a beautiful tone. Simon said although he had issues with last weeks song choice, tonite it was absolutely on the money.

-

Kristy Lee Cook – “Coat Of Many Colors” Barefoot Kristy Lee sang this song in what sounded like a monotone to me. It was bland, boring, and monotonous, and she has no charisma whatsoever. I hated it. Randy said it was a very nice performance, and that country music is defintely her. Paula said she looked stunning and this was her best performance. Simon said it was pleasant but forgettable.. and maybe something else that I didn’t hear. Kristy Lee blowed kisses to Simon and told him she loved him. I must have missed something there…? Or was Kristy Lee just being a smart ass after Simon’s criticism? I was distracted for a couple moments at this point in the show and didn’t quite get the gist of it.

-

Syesha Mercado – “I Will Always Love You” Of course, Syesha chose the big diva ballad. It started out okay for me, until the big notes. I just don’t think she’s as good as she thinks she is. Randy said it was pretty good, it was alright. Paula said she has a velvety tone to her voice and she is growing and growing and connecting with the audience and Paula loved it. Simon said it was one of the best pop songs ever written, the first part was good but the second part paled in comparison to the Whitney version and that it was good but not great. Why does anyone ever sing a Whitney Houston song on this show? Not that I love Whitney Houston, but it’s obvious that, to the judges, she is the talent that no one else can ever, ever come close to matching…

-

Michael Johns – “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right” Wow, this was a beautiful performance! I loved it, and I think it was his absolute best so far. He has charisma, great looks, and a great voice. I really loved this performance, and for me it was one of the best of the night. Randy said he keeps bringing it up and up every week, nice job. Paula said “you’re a star, a rock star, a blues star, gorgeous!”. Simon said it was the best he had heard him sing.

–

_{This studio version of David Cook’s “Little Sparrow” is now available for download at Itunes.}

–

Best of the night for me were David Cook, Michael Johns, and David Archuleta. David Cook is the most consistently good performer I’ve ever seen on the show — he has a good performance every single week! Michael Johns was great tonite and I most definitely would buy his cd. David Archuleta, while technically one of the best of the night, still just does not connect to me. Worst of the night for me were Ramiele Malubay, Kristy Lee Cook, and Syesha Mercado. I wouldn’t be surprised though if either Jason or Brooke ended up in the bottom three. What did you think? Who was best tonite?

Results show tomorrow night, 9pm-10:00pm, Fox, one contestant voted off.

americanidol.com