I didn’t see this live tonight and only just now finished watching. Having the benefit of pause-rewind-fast-forward, prepare for a freaking novel here...
Best of the night: Chikezie and Carly, both by a comfortable country mile. I had originally wanted Danny, my Imaginary Gay Shopping Partner to make the finals, but after Chikezie tonight? Damn. How inspired was the bluegrass opening in his song? That might have been one of my favorite performances on the show, ever. Wow. On the one hand, I hate the theme nights because it forces contestants to sing songs that they don’t give two shits about. On the other… Chikezie + “She’s A Woman” = awesomeness. Had he been familiar with the Beatles catalogue, he never would have re-arranged the song like that.
And this is only the second time I’ve liked Carly (the first being “Crazy On You”), but she sang her ass off and looked comfortable onstage and had an awesome song to work with. She’s clearly in her element doing rock songs, which makes her Orbison/Celine song choice last week even more baffling.
The boringly competent:
Jason - It is now dawning on me that you are a pony of only one trick. I wonder what’s going to happen when America realizes this. Your pretty, pretty eyes can only carry you so far.
Ramiele - So pretty, and I don’t think she’s ever sung a note out of tune. So why is she so fucking boring? She should be this season’s Melinda or something, but I keep forgetting about her tiny little self (seriously, did you see her at the end of the show standing next to Jason? Even wearing 12-inch heels, she’s a head and a half shorter than him.) I dunno, there’s just no there there.
Michael - “Across the Universe” is so mellow to begin with, why would you ever pick this? It’s a great song, yes -- but it’s not a great Idol song, and there’s a huge difference between the two. The contestants would do well to realize this. He sang it just fine, but he needs to cut it out with those Up-With-the-People-bullshitty hand gestures, stat.
The tremendously sucky:
David H. - So, you worked at a “pizza bistro,” eh? Is that what they’re calling it these days? Anyway, desperation is pouring off this kid in waves, much like Robbie reeked of “poseur.” You’ve got a good voice, dude, but I can’t buy that a former stripper has so few performance chops.
David A. - Usually they save the best performance for last. Instead we get this? Oy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Idol contestant forget the words TWICE in the same song. And please, please don’t sell me this “I’m not that familiar with their songs” line when you sang “Imagine” two weeks ago. Arrgg. I’m sorry, but everybody on this planet knows at least ten Beatles songs, whether they want to or not. I didn’t give two shits about music until age 15 -- never bought an album, went to a concert, acted like a fangirl, nothing, not even for the typical teeny fare like NKOTB -- and I still knew a ton of Beatles songs because I listened to the freaking radio. And then I remember that my city got rid of its oldies station a few years ago, and I feel sad for the next generation. And I guess it’s one thing to just be musically ignorant like I was at 15; sure, I knew a bunch of Beatles songs, but it was all their poppy early I-wanna-hold-your-hand-do-you-want-to-know-a-secret-doo-wah-doo stuff. Abbey Road came much later, but still.
But I don’t dislike David personally or anything; he’s a nice kid with a great voice and (I suspect) a horrible stage mother. He’s everything that bugged me about Diana DeGarmo a few years back; it’s like he’s been groomed to be this perfect little Performer-Bot before he ever hit puberty (and still hasn‘t), and that shit is just wrong because it’s setting him up for failure. And I know that’s exactly the case because he only knew “We Can Work It Out” from Stevie Wonder. Here’s the thing: if you’re musically savvy enough to know Stevie, then you should know the Beatles. But he doesn’t know the Beatles because they’re “songwriter’s songs” for the most part, but he’s been spoon-fed Stevie since birth because his songs are “singer’s songs” that would allow him to show off. Bleh. Seriously, I know nothing about his parents and I fucking hate them already, because they caused this shit, and now poor little David has to deal with it. I guarantee you he only knew “Imagine” because his mother or someone else told him to sing it, not because he heard it himself and felt so moved that he wanted to perform it in front of 30 million people.
On the plus side, at least for one week the judges weren’t seeing rainbows and puppies shooting out of his ass.
The two-minor-tweaks-away-from-not-being-a-trainwreck:
Kristy Lee - The idea wasn’t a bad one, but I feel bad for her because Simon’s shoved her into this Country Music Box and she’s going along with it like a good little puppet, but I don’t think she’s got the musical… uh, the musical… something to pull off country-fying a Beatles song. And she probably shouldn’t have even tried, because even Carrie had the sense to leave Heart and Donna Summer as-is when she sang them.
BUT… had she slowed this down a bit and had the drummer back the fuck off that double-time thing he was doing, this might have been cool. Her vocals were fine, but as it was? A hot mess. I don’t think she’s going home, though. Never underestimate the power of the country fanbase.
The sudden, burning hatred:
David Cook - I thought he was great last week. This week, uh, not so much, and here’s why: for the first half of the song, he was painfully, make-your-teeth-itch flat. Then he kicked into the chorus and it became all 80s-power-ballady (which in and of itself is not a bad thing), and he hit a pose, and suddenly it all became so clear. Who did he remind me of when he hit that pose?
Scott Stapp.
Arrrrgggggg. Yeah, that ruined it for me. But along with the deadly Stapp association, I realized something about David Cook - yes, he’s authentic. As in, he is acting and singing in what he believes to be a rock-and-roll fashion, right down to the leather jacket he got at Hot Topic. In that sense, yes, he’s “real.“ But he has no fucking idea what real rock-and-roll is. To him, it’s Nickleback-ing “Eleanor Rigby” to death and screaming out the last note like he’s Kenny Loggins in that silly “Danger Zone” song (seriously, if you’ve got it recorded, go back and listen; the resemblance is uncanny.) He poses like a rock god when he sings because that’s what he’s seen other rock singers do, and I feel like he’s fallen into that trap that so many “goth” kids do in high school -- they think they’re being so different and nonconformist and all that by wearing black clothes and clunky boots and eyeliner, when in reality they’re just conforming to a completely different group in a way that’s no different than the preps or the jocks.
Sure, he might have re-made “Hello” into a cool and current-sounding version, but I don’t think he’d have the balls to admit that the original, as it was, is a great pop song. Because liking pop music in an unironic way isn’t cool or “rock” enough. And that’s why I fucking hate him now. Heh. I may be completely wrong about him, but this show is all about perception, and I think I’ve nailed this guy down, and I’m not sure I approve of what he’s selling.
Honorable mention:
Brooke - A few bum notes, but I dig the sincerity, and her voice is just so pretty. Girl needs to learn how play piano, sing, and look to the crowd/camera at the same time, though, because I think trying juggle all three at the same time was really awkward for her. On second, thought, she needs to learn to ignore the cameras entirely and just perform for the crowd (see Smithson, Carly), because that just reads better on TV.
Amanda - Sure, she’s just a great bar singer and not much else. Still, that’s a bar I’d like to go to. Lots of fun. I get the feeling that at 15, Amanda decided to be a Janis sound-alike and never tried anything different. I have to wonder what would have happened if a vocal coach had gotten ahold of her at that point in her life.
So boring I completely forgot about her:
Syesha - Which probably means she’s going home.
Best of the night: Chikezie and Carly, both by a comfortable country mile. I had originally wanted Danny, my Imaginary Gay Shopping Partner to make the finals, but after Chikezie tonight? Damn. How inspired was the bluegrass opening in his song? That might have been one of my favorite performances on the show, ever. Wow. On the one hand, I hate the theme nights because it forces contestants to sing songs that they don’t give two shits about. On the other… Chikezie + “She’s A Woman” = awesomeness. Had he been familiar with the Beatles catalogue, he never would have re-arranged the song like that.
And this is only the second time I’ve liked Carly (the first being “Crazy On You”), but she sang her ass off and looked comfortable onstage and had an awesome song to work with. She’s clearly in her element doing rock songs, which makes her Orbison/Celine song choice last week even more baffling.
The boringly competent:
Jason - It is now dawning on me that you are a pony of only one trick. I wonder what’s going to happen when America realizes this. Your pretty, pretty eyes can only carry you so far.
Ramiele - So pretty, and I don’t think she’s ever sung a note out of tune. So why is she so fucking boring? She should be this season’s Melinda or something, but I keep forgetting about her tiny little self (seriously, did you see her at the end of the show standing next to Jason? Even wearing 12-inch heels, she’s a head and a half shorter than him.) I dunno, there’s just no there there.
Michael - “Across the Universe” is so mellow to begin with, why would you ever pick this? It’s a great song, yes -- but it’s not a great Idol song, and there’s a huge difference between the two. The contestants would do well to realize this. He sang it just fine, but he needs to cut it out with those Up-With-the-People-bullshitty hand gestures, stat.
The tremendously sucky:
David H. - So, you worked at a “pizza bistro,” eh? Is that what they’re calling it these days? Anyway, desperation is pouring off this kid in waves, much like Robbie reeked of “poseur.” You’ve got a good voice, dude, but I can’t buy that a former stripper has so few performance chops.
David A. - Usually they save the best performance for last. Instead we get this? Oy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Idol contestant forget the words TWICE in the same song. And please, please don’t sell me this “I’m not that familiar with their songs” line when you sang “Imagine” two weeks ago. Arrgg. I’m sorry, but everybody on this planet knows at least ten Beatles songs, whether they want to or not. I didn’t give two shits about music until age 15 -- never bought an album, went to a concert, acted like a fangirl, nothing, not even for the typical teeny fare like NKOTB -- and I still knew a ton of Beatles songs because I listened to the freaking radio. And then I remember that my city got rid of its oldies station a few years ago, and I feel sad for the next generation. And I guess it’s one thing to just be musically ignorant like I was at 15; sure, I knew a bunch of Beatles songs, but it was all their poppy early I-wanna-hold-your-hand-do-you-want-to-know-a-secret-doo-wah-doo stuff. Abbey Road came much later, but still.
But I don’t dislike David personally or anything; he’s a nice kid with a great voice and (I suspect) a horrible stage mother. He’s everything that bugged me about Diana DeGarmo a few years back; it’s like he’s been groomed to be this perfect little Performer-Bot before he ever hit puberty (and still hasn‘t), and that shit is just wrong because it’s setting him up for failure. And I know that’s exactly the case because he only knew “We Can Work It Out” from Stevie Wonder. Here’s the thing: if you’re musically savvy enough to know Stevie, then you should know the Beatles. But he doesn’t know the Beatles because they’re “songwriter’s songs” for the most part, but he’s been spoon-fed Stevie since birth because his songs are “singer’s songs” that would allow him to show off. Bleh. Seriously, I know nothing about his parents and I fucking hate them already, because they caused this shit, and now poor little David has to deal with it. I guarantee you he only knew “Imagine” because his mother or someone else told him to sing it, not because he heard it himself and felt so moved that he wanted to perform it in front of 30 million people.
On the plus side, at least for one week the judges weren’t seeing rainbows and puppies shooting out of his ass.
The two-minor-tweaks-away-from-not-being-a-trainwreck:
Kristy Lee - The idea wasn’t a bad one, but I feel bad for her because Simon’s shoved her into this Country Music Box and she’s going along with it like a good little puppet, but I don’t think she’s got the musical… uh, the musical… something to pull off country-fying a Beatles song. And she probably shouldn’t have even tried, because even Carrie had the sense to leave Heart and Donna Summer as-is when she sang them.
BUT… had she slowed this down a bit and had the drummer back the fuck off that double-time thing he was doing, this might have been cool. Her vocals were fine, but as it was? A hot mess. I don’t think she’s going home, though. Never underestimate the power of the country fanbase.
The sudden, burning hatred:
David Cook - I thought he was great last week. This week, uh, not so much, and here’s why: for the first half of the song, he was painfully, make-your-teeth-itch flat. Then he kicked into the chorus and it became all 80s-power-ballady (which in and of itself is not a bad thing), and he hit a pose, and suddenly it all became so clear. Who did he remind me of when he hit that pose?
Scott Stapp.
Arrrrgggggg. Yeah, that ruined it for me. But along with the deadly Stapp association, I realized something about David Cook - yes, he’s authentic. As in, he is acting and singing in what he believes to be a rock-and-roll fashion, right down to the leather jacket he got at Hot Topic. In that sense, yes, he’s “real.“ But he has no fucking idea what real rock-and-roll is. To him, it’s Nickleback-ing “Eleanor Rigby” to death and screaming out the last note like he’s Kenny Loggins in that silly “Danger Zone” song (seriously, if you’ve got it recorded, go back and listen; the resemblance is uncanny.) He poses like a rock god when he sings because that’s what he’s seen other rock singers do, and I feel like he’s fallen into that trap that so many “goth” kids do in high school -- they think they’re being so different and nonconformist and all that by wearing black clothes and clunky boots and eyeliner, when in reality they’re just conforming to a completely different group in a way that’s no different than the preps or the jocks.
Sure, he might have re-made “Hello” into a cool and current-sounding version, but I don’t think he’d have the balls to admit that the original, as it was, is a great pop song. Because liking pop music in an unironic way isn’t cool or “rock” enough. And that’s why I fucking hate him now. Heh. I may be completely wrong about him, but this show is all about perception, and I think I’ve nailed this guy down, and I’m not sure I approve of what he’s selling.
Honorable mention:
Brooke - A few bum notes, but I dig the sincerity, and her voice is just so pretty. Girl needs to learn how play piano, sing, and look to the crowd/camera at the same time, though, because I think trying juggle all three at the same time was really awkward for her. On second, thought, she needs to learn to ignore the cameras entirely and just perform for the crowd (see Smithson, Carly), because that just reads better on TV.
Amanda - Sure, she’s just a great bar singer and not much else. Still, that’s a bar I’d like to go to. Lots of fun. I get the feeling that at 15, Amanda decided to be a Janis sound-alike and never tried anything different. I have to wonder what would have happened if a vocal coach had gotten ahold of her at that point in her life.
So boring I completely forgot about her:
Syesha - Which probably means she’s going home.
His performance being the last of the evening didn't help either, it was a bummer to end the show that way.
As many people as possible should post their reviews; it's what this site is for after all. Exchanging opinions. 
like I said it seemed redundant just in format only... I am not saying people shouldn't put their reviews in.
He's gonna nail it.
and take your Sadie Hawkins country music with you!
at who went home...
And I'm not even a fan of the person going home.
