American Idol - Week Nine - 5/06/08

I hear a bell tolling.

And that bell is tolling for a certain dreadlock-headed American Idol contestant. (more on that later)

We are getting down to the finals now, so time to step it up. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the “theme” this week, and with such a huge category of song choices, I walk away from the performances last night thinking…mediocre. I didn’t think any of the contestants blew me away, but some performances were a lot better then others.
Now that we’re down to the final four, you can actually clearly start to see David squared in the finale. Syesha has really blossomed, and I sure didn’t think she’d make it to the final four, let alone the final three. But the two consistent contestants that have continually gotten great reviews are the singers David.

I guess I should start the review process at this point, but I do ask all of you again to please take my survey at the end of the this review. Only two of you took the survey last week! Please? I’ll give you all a cookie?

Okay, onto the performances:

1.DAVID COOK –
ROUND 1 - sung "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran – He’s had consistent great performances, so the odds are, he’s going to have at least one that doesn’t measure up. He set the bar pretty high for himself (by his own admittance). This was not a horrible choice, per se, but it just didn’t suit his style at all. The song was sped up waaay too much, and his vocals just didn’t fit. This song doesn’t lend itself well to David gruff rock voice, and probably would have been better suited to Michael Johns. This had to be one of my least favorite performance from David, and it left me disappointed. I agree with the judges that he could have done so much more with this song, just as he’s done many times before, so I was left kind of let down after his performance. Thankfully, David had a second song to perform, so he could yet pull out some praise.
ROUND 2 - sung "Baba O'Riley" by The Who – Just as the judges pointed out, THIS is the David we like. Not only was this a perfect song choice, but I loved the arrangement. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a classic rock fan, and the only songs I know from The Who are the famous ones which I’ve heard on the radio over the years. This song was thankfully one of the songs that I knew very well, so making a comparison was easy. David not only did the song justice, but he added his David-isms to the whole mix. I could say that David is starting to look like a rock star too, but the truth is, he was starting to look like a star 2-3 weeks ago.
Regardless of a bad song choice, and “ehhh” first performance, his second performance clinched his safety this week. Safe once again, as he begins that journey to the finale.

2.SYESHA MERCADO –
ROUND 1 - sung "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner – I’m a big Tina Turner fan. This was one of those songs that you either do it well, or don’t do it at all. Saying that, Syesha did it well…but only because, like Simon said, it was a bad impression of Tina herself. Syesha’s vocals, in my opinion, just did not fit this song. It almost seemed like she was struggling at some points. I’ll give her this much though, she was definitely having fun. She learned some of the famed choreography usually associated with the song, and pulled off a pretty decent performance. (only thing missing was the “tassle” dress Tina wore, but Syesha’s silver one was close enough) I wasn’t blown away, but compared to some performances last night (I’m looking at you, Mr. Dreadlocks) this was great. I’m really impressed with how much Syesha has grown.
ROUND 2 - sung "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke – Tried too hard. That was my thought at the end of this performance. Looks like Randy agreed with me, because he sort of said the same thing. This is the type of song you really don’t need to change much, and though Syesha’s vocals were stunning, it was almost overkill. Was the big power note needed? Debatable. Now the question we need to ask ourselves…were the tears she wept genuine? I think they were, only because she teared up once Paula said she already is a star now, and she is living her dream. I think just the emotions of the moment got to her, and you know what? It probably didn’t hurt that it might have gotten her some sympathy votes.
I only say this because of the number of contestants left, and who the contestants are. But if I need to go by the contestants involved last night, in addition to performances, then I have to choose Syesha as one of my bottom two picks. HOWEVER, I do not believe she is going home.

3.JASON CASTRO –
ROUND 1 - sung "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley – Where do I begin? Shall I begin with the fact that if last week wasn’t proof, then this week was obvious; Jason has given up and really doesn’t want to be in anymore. This had to be one of the worst performances of this song I have ever heard. It was bordering on un-listenable. If you know the original song, you know that the musical arrangement for this song just did not fit, and Jason’s performance was an even worse fit. I don’t know what Jason was thinking (as Simon said as well), by choosing this song. Horrible song choice, and an even worse performance. Heck, I’ll even go so far as to say this performance could knock Sanjaya’s massacre of “You Really Got Me” last season as the worst in Idol history. It was THAT bad.
ROUND 2 - sung "Mr.Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan – You’d think, Jason would rally and come back round two with a strong performance, but…no, not so much. While a TAD better then the first song performance, this was almost as bad. AND he forgets the lyrics. Add to the fact that the performance was not good, and you wonder what Jason is thinking. When Ryan asked the judges why they seemed almost angry, they sort of avoided the answer, but I know why….it’s obvious; Jason is sabotaging himself. I truly believe that’s why the judges seemed almost angry with him. He was just throwing it all away, and though that might be crazy, but understandable, in early rounds, with 11 other contestants, it is frustrating to do it when you’re one of the final four, especially after other deserving singers have been eliminated before you. There are 8 other eliminated contestants who would kill to be where Jason is right now, and it was selfish and unfair to them for Jason to just throw in the towel, like I believe he’s doing.
Simon said it best, and I agree. Hey Jason? Your suicide worked, so pack your bags. Not only are you my second choice for the bottom two, but I pick you to go home before I even reach the end of my blog.

4.DAVID ARCHULETA –
ROUND 1 - sung "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King – Porkchop is a smart kid when he wants to be. Or maybe he’s just listening to the right people now. (still confused over that “The Voice” song choice though) I don’t know if the rumors about his controlling father are true, and they are irrelevant, because this kid has talent. This was a perfect song choice for his voice, and this was proven not only because he churned out one of the best vocals of the night, but one of the strongest performances as well. David is keeping his eyes open now, as Andrew Lloyd Webber told him to weeks ago. As Paula pointed out, David is young enough that he actually listens to criticism, and takes it! Good job on this song!
ROUND 2 - sung "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley – Porkchop not only guaranteed his place next week, but he pretty much locked up his place in the finale. This performance even surpassed his first performance, and I’ll rack it up as perhaps one of his best. This song has been redone over and over again throughout the years, so it was quite a task for little David to impress the audience with something new. Truth is, he didn’t really bring anything new to the song itself, but he brought such raw emotion, that you felt every word. This is one of the first times I’ve heard David sing with such emotional clarity.
Porkchop has solidified his standing as one of the best performers and vocal artists in the competition. I only have only gripe; who the heck is dressing this kid?! I mean, honestly, you seem him when the competition started, and you look at him now…he’s wearing the same type of clothes! A t-shirt and jeans?! I mean, I know he’s 17 and all, but even Jordin Sparks started to dress like a star by this point in the competition last season. Somebody needs to adjust this kid’s style so at least he starts to look more like a star. Even Syesha looks like a star now, and she just started as the “girl with the big voice”, as Paula said. That aside, little David is quite safe this week.

My Bottom TWO Picks: Jason Castro….and Jason Castro. Seriously, it should be just him, but if I have to pick another contestant, I guess I say Syesha Mercado.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Do I even need to repeat my choice? It’s Jason packing his bags and going home. No way it’s Syesha. Be happy Jason, you got what you wanted.

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

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