American Idol - Week One - 3/11/08

Welcome back!

That’s right, if you’re reading this, then you know that American Idol is currently on the air with its Top 12 performers. I welcome back all my old readers, and hopefully some new ones. As every year, please feel free to pass on this review blog to friends, relatives etc. Or simply email me his/her email address and I will add them to the distribution group for this review.

All in all, I have to say I’m pretty satisfied with the Top 12. I think few people will argue that there were any surprises. (though I was a fan of A’siah over Kristy…I thought she was a better vocalist – but I digress)

I have my favorites so far, but I have to admit a few of the contestants have started to surprise me. The theme of the night were songs taken from the Lennon/McCartney songbook, and most of the contestants did well with them for the most part. Some big disappointments though. (I’m looking at you David A.)

So let’s jump in with eyes closed and get to the contestants’ performances:

1. SYESHA MERCADO – sung “Got to Get You Into My Life” – Poor Syesha. I like her style, and her voice is actually very good, but this was a bad performance. I don’t know if it was the song choice, or the way she sang it, butI don’t think this was her best performance by a long shot. More I think about it, the more I think it was her voice that didn’t suit the song. Plus starting off the night of the Top 12 on a brand new stage. It doesn’t look good for Syesha.

2. CHIKEZIE – sung “She’s a Woman” – Personally, there was something about Chikezie that I found irritating from the moment I first saw him perform. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but his performance tonight was rock solid. His “down home” take of the song at the beginning, then bringing back to rock in the middle really made the song stand out. Plus, he started owning the stage and looked comfortable doing it. Granted, Ryan’s urging of him bouncing around the stage afterwards was a bit much, but regardless, a great performance, and will be safe this week, considering he was thisclose to being eliminated last week.

3. RAMIELE MALUBAY – sung “In My Life” – I have to say I couldn’t disagree with the judges more this time. I usually agree with at least one (mostly Simon), but this time I think they were all a little off. I will say it was a bit safe, but if we remember what one of the judges said to Ramiele at one point, that her strong suit is ballads. Well, here she is with a great heartfelt rendition of “In My Life” and she gets pegged as “boring”. You can’t win. I really enjoyed Ramiele’s performance, and I did feel the emotion of her vocals come through. Her voice was spot on and most of all, her tenderness showed. Though I don’t think she did that badly, voting may land Ramiele as one of my bottom three choices.

4. JASON CASTRO – sung “If I Fell” – He’s growing on me. I hate to admit it, but this kid has got some strong vocal skills. I actually really enjoyed this song choice for him. I will admit, it didn’t have a “wow” factor, but just like Ramiele’s performance, it was heartfelt. You felt the emotion in his voice, and it came across the way he sang it. Plus his fan base is growing. He’s different, and I actually could see him going pretty far in the competition. Not his best performance, but definitely good enough to remain safe this week.

5. CARLY SMITHSON – sung “Come Together” – I wasn’t a big fan of Carly. I’m still kind of not, but I have to give the girl props for a great performance. Maybe it’s because she’s admittedly done the song many times in the bar where she worked. Whatever the reason, it was one of the best performances of the night. She is beginning to get better and better in my opinion, and she may even win me over as a complete fan before the season is over. She is most definitely safe this week.

6. DAVID COOK – sung “Eleanor Rigby” – Dammit, I want to not like David, but he’s winning me over week after week. He made me a fan last week by turning Lionel Ritchie’s dreary “Hello” into an emo rock ballad that most kids would actually dig. Now this week, he did a great rendition of this classic tune. I’m actually impressed at the fact he thought about the music and song, and acknowledged that the electric guitar would be overkill. Basically, that showed me he thinks about his song choices, and the history behind them. VERY impressive, and without a doubt, safe for this week.

7. BROOKE WHITE - sung “Let It Be” – I can’t help it, but I really love the whole “Carly Simon vibe” that Brooke seems to give off. Like the judges said, almost 3 weeks in a row she has given a great performance, and this one was no exception. She almost seemed to channel Carly Simon and made this very well-known and widely redone tune emotional once again. I may have said that Ramiele and Jason’s performances were heartfelt, but this one stood out of the three. And the end, when she teared up when Paula mentioned that Brooke dreamed of singing that very song on a big stage…that sealed it for me, because you can tell that it was the truth. I’m officially on the Brooke White bandwagon now, and I can guarantee she is safe.

8. DAVID HERNANDEZ – sung “I Saw Her Standing There” - Maybe he should go back to stripping? I couldn’t agree more with the judges on David’s performance. It was beyond corny and he completely out-performed the song. Way too over the top and, is it me, or did David seem “stiff” once again in his performance? The judges talked about how it reeked of “desperation”, and I tend to agree. It’s almost like David realized he isn’t as good as the other singers (he isn’t) and now he’ll do just about anything to stay in? Perhaps if he started stripping along with singing, it could have saved him. As it stands, he pretty much cemented the second spot in my bottom three picks.

9. AMANDA OVERMYER – sung “You Can’t Do That” - Amanda is an anomaly. There are some viewers who think she stinks, and can’t wait for her to be voted off. (Votefortheworst.com has nominated her to stay in). There are some viewers who really like her “rocker chick” vibe, and can see her going decently far. (albeit not win it however). That said, I have to say, I’m rooting for Amanda to stay in as long as possible. I like her look, and her sound. (that is, when you can understand what she’s saying). Yes, I too had trouble understanding her garbled lyrics last night, but I did think she gave a pretty solid performance. I can see her leading a rock band in the future, but not being the American Idol. I agree with Simon 100% when he said she is needed in the competition because she does bring something different. I’m on the fence about her performance, but I think it was just good enough to give her a pass to next week. I say safe.

10. MICHAEL JOHNS – sung “Across the Universe” – I talked about how several contestants last night gave an emotional and heartfelt performances, but I think Michael is the only one I felt truly connected to the song. Maybe because he mentioned in his taped segment how the song got him through a very rough period in his life. I don’t know the reason why, but I thought his performance was one of the best in the night. I didn’t find it boring and I I really think the audience connected with both Michael and the song. Michael is also growing on me (just like Jason), and as the weeks progress, it’s gonna prove what a truly talented singer this guy is. Stay tuned to see him next week, because I’m pretty sure he’s safe.

11. KRISTY LEE COOK – sung “8 Days a Week” – What. A. Mess. Simon was absolutely 110% right on this call. This was a disaster, and what possessed Kristy to take such a classic song and turn it country is beyond me. This was a complete failure as a country piece. The song sounded disjointed, and her voice was just not strong enough. It was like bad karaoke, but the karaoke player broke. Kristy cemented a place in my bottom three picks with that horrorshow of a song cover. Lennon and McCartney would not be amused.

12. DAVID ARCHULETA – sung “We Can Work It Out” – Finally we get to my David. Ah David, David David. What happened? That had to be the absolute worst performance from you since I first saw you. Was it nerves? Was song choice? Unfamiliarity with the song? All of the above? I think Paula and Randy were going too easy on you, and Simon was the one who told you straight out; “that was awful”. And it was. At this stage in the competition, forgetting the words to a song is a big no no. Lucky you got your many fans to keep you in the competition. I don’t think you’re in any danger despite how bad your performance was. I just hope you up your game, learn from your mistakes and make sure you blow people away again. Horrible performance, but safe nonetheless.

My Bottom Three Picks: Syesha Mercado, David Hernandez and Kristy Lee Cook.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Syesha Mercado. Why? Hernandez could go as well, but I think his exposure (albeit negative, but still exposure) will keep him in. Kristy will get by, I think because she is very pretty, and some votes are obviously based on that. (they shouldn’t, but they are) Mercado will go because even after weeks of being the competition she still one of the idols that is uknown.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s chat it up!