Again, am watching last night’s performances from the Top 11 on American Idol season seven about 90 minutes before they announce this weeks loser on the east coast. This week the contestants are singing songs of The Beatles. Will they be able to choose the right song this week and sing it well? Let’s see.
How Did the Performances of the Top 11 on American Idol Season 7 Rank?
- Carly Smithson – She was the seventh to sing and chose “Blackbird.” There is starting to be a lot of separation between actual contenders, which Carly is one of, and the rest of the field. She sounds really good. Randy thought it was “another great performance.” Paula thinks she has “amazing tone” in her voice and that she was “Fantastic.” Simon doesn’t think it was a good song choice and didn’t like the performance.
- David Cook – Took the stage sixth and sang “Day Tripper.” He too has the knack of picking good songs for him. I’m thinking best of the night so far. He keeps performances like this up and he will become the popular choice as well. Randy thought is was “solid.” Paula thinks he is “ready to go sell records.” Simon doesn’t think it was as good as David thought it was. Don’t usually disagree with Simon, but I think he was wrong this week in this case.
- David Archuleta – Took the stage third and sang “The Long and Winding Road.” Last week he was terrible and really needs to step it up this week. Well, he is definitely sounding better than last week, a lot better. Randy says that he has “brought the hotness back” this week, but could of taken a few “liberties” with the song. Paula liked that he came back from last week. Simon thinks it was “amazing” and a “master class” in stage performance.
- Syesha Mercado – Came out ninth and sang “Yesterday.” That is a very iconic song to choose, so she better really knock it out of the park. She is doing really great for the most part. She shouldn’t be in the bottom three after this week’s performance. Randy thought it was “very, very, very good.” Paula liked that she let herself be “vulnerable” tonight and that it sets her apart from the rest of the contestants. Simon it was probably her “best performance so far” and that she “sold” it very well.
- Brooke White – Was the fifth to take the stage and sang, “Here Comes the Sun.” She is sounding really good. She seems to have the knack for picking good songs for her. Randy thought it was “awkward” for me and was “never really connected to the song.” Paula thought she could of played it less safe. Simon thought the “performance was terrible.” She was weird on stage, but I thought she sounded better than the judges did.
- Kristy Lee Cook – She was second to go and sang “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” She started out pretty good, but hit a rough patch in the middle. She brought it back around towards the end, but it is a slow and kind of boring performance. Randy thought it was a “little boring.” Paula thinks she looks “lovely” and the performance was “safe.” Simon thinks she isn’t a “good performer” and that she is making “no impact.” She definitely needs to show some personality on stage, as she is great on camera in the taped segments.
- Jason Castro – Was the eight to take the stage and sang “Michelle.” He learned some French just to be able to sing it. He is sounding pretty good, but it is slow and boring and not connecting. Randy thought it was “subdued” and didn’t really get it. Paula feels he “gets a little disconnected” when he isn’t using his guitar. Simon thinks his “face sold that” performance, but the vocal wasn’t all that great.
- Amanda Overmeyer – Was the first to take the stage and sang “Back in the U.S.S.R.” Well, you can actually understand what she is singing, but she doesn’t sound that great to me, even thought the crowd seems to really like it. Randy thought it was “pitchy in the beginning” and gave her a “7 out of 10.” Paula thought it was a bit “sketchy at first” and that she is “authentic.” Simon thought it was “predictable” and a “mess in parts” and that she needs to do something that is a bit of a “surprise” to keep from becoming considered “boring.” I think Simon is right, if she keeps doing the same thing each week, people aren’t going to want to be buying any tickets to see that.
- Michael Johns – Fourth to sing and chose “A Day in the Life.” Started out really well, but the middle is not so much. He did bring it back and closed out pretty well. Still hasn’t reached the heights of his Hollywood week performances. Randy thinks it wasn’t his best. Paula thought the rehearsals sounded great. Simon thought it was “a mess” and thinks he needs to “nail the song” to continue on.
- Chikezie – He is singing “I’ve Just Seen A Face” and was the tenth to take the stage. Not measuring up to last week’s performance. At least he is having fun with it. Randy thought it was “strange.” Paula thinks he is showing who he is and loves it. Simon thought it “started off okay” and that the harmonic was “atrocious” and didn’t know what it was all about and that it was “gimmicky.” I think it was the worst of the night so far, but there is one still to go.
- Ramiele Malubay – Was last to go and sang “I Should Have Known Better.” Hopefully that song title doesn’t come back to haunt her. Well, it kind of is, as she should have sung better. You never want to be the last to sing and be the worst of the night. She doesn’t really sound that bad at times, but the song arrangement and tempo is really odd and not good. Randy thought it was “all right.” Paula thought it “was better than last week.” Simon thought it sounded like “Chikezie on harmonica” and chose a mediocre song and didn’t really do that well. At least Chikezie’s performance was upbeat and that covers a myriad of sins when watching someone sing on TV.
Based solely on this week’s performances, I think Ramiele Malubay should be exiting the stage. The bottom three will probably be her, Kristy Lee Cook and Chikezie, with Malubay going home, but after this week’s weird performances, who really knows. I was right on last week with David Hernandez packing his bags and have been running about 75% right since voting started. We’ll see what happens in about 10 minutes from now when they announce the winner on the east coast.
What do you think? Who should go home after the Top 11 performed on American Idol Season 7?
