The night started slow and shaky but got better during the second half. Chikezie and Luke probably saved themselves but Robbie Carrico and Jason Yeager are in deep trouble.
David Archuleta just solidified his front runner status right then and there with “Imagine.” Phew! No contest. I can see him winning this easily.
The rest in order: David Hernandez, David Cook, Chikezie Eze were all excellent. Danny Noriega surprised me and I’m ranking him fifth. Luke Menard saved himself and I thought deserved No. 6. Close call but I place Jason Castro just ahead of Michael Johns, a disappointing No. 8. The bottom two are clear and as noted are Jason Yeager and at the bottom, Robbie Carrico.
Michael Johns (“Go Your Own Way” Fleetwood Mac) - First up! He’s big on tennis. Is this the first time Fleetwood Mac has ever cleared a song for “Idol”? It’s just an okay rendition. His vocals are a bit sloppy. It was good, not especially astounding. And that T-shirt is kind of ordinary. He likes to pull his mike in and out while hitting bigger notes. Interesting. Randy: “It started a little slow for me then you got into it. I wanted you to let you, you didn’t quite go there.” Paula: “You’ve got the whole crowd working. You’re a seasoned performer. You’re charming. You’re already there.” Simon: “It was by far your weakest performance. It’s what I call coasting along. There was no moment. A very weak choice of song.” B
Jason Castro (“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” Andy Gibb): What he hates is interviews. Loves singing, hates talking. He started strong, hit a few bad notes along the way, especialy in the chorus, but overall, charming. I liked it more than the judges. Randy: “As a vocalist, if I take [the guitar] away, the vocals just weren’t that good.” Paula: “I think you made a clever choice with the song. I liked the way you musically interpreted it.” She asks him to go without the guitar next week. Simon: “I thought the song was horrible. It was too schmaltzy, didn’t suit your voice. Your vocals were very weak on that. It didn’t got together this week. You looked uncomfortable.” B
Luke Menard (“Killer Queen” Queen) He’s part of an a capella group and has travelled around the world. Up third, he tackles Freddie Mercury. He is no Freddie Mercury on the charisma level. But he is darn good lookin’. Vocally, he’s very clean, just not anything breathtakingly special. Randy: “In degree of difficulty, you chose a tough song. I liked you better this week. This seems more your wheelhouse, your vibe.” Paula: “You picked the perfect song.” Simon: “It was a mistake. You are always going to be judged with the original. The singer of that song had charisma and personality. You didn’t. It was theatrical and verging on whiny.” B/B+
Robbie Carrico (“Hot Blooded” Foreigner) He drag races cars. He starts a bit sluggish, picks it up in the chorus. He’s like a less authentic version of Bo Bice. It’s quite karaoke. I don’t feel him being terribly hot blooded at all. Randy: “I don’t know if the rock is really really your thing. It doesn’t have enough oomph to be a rock voice.” Paula: “You played it a little safe. You have to up the ante.” Simon: “You don’t have to get so defensive. I thought the vocal was okay tonight.” C-plus
Danny Noriega (“Superstar” Carpenters) He sang in a punk rock band in ninth grade. I have to say he’s a far better vocalist than Sanjaya. He did a fine job. Wow! Randy: “I’m a fan of yours. You are a fun guy. There were some problems with the vocal. You have that slow vibratto. You should speed it up. Just let it go.” Paula: “You got amazing vocal skill.” Simon: “Last week was a disaster. It was better. It wasn’t a fantastic vocal. You were trying to so hard. What I do like is you stand out in the crowd and you’re interesting. And you look terrific on camera.” He said last week was a “disaster,” he admits. B-plus/A-minus
David Hernandez” (“Papa Was a Rolling Stone” The Tempations) He was a gymnast as a kid. He’s been my favorite pure vocalist in this competition and tonight, he proved it. That was really impressive. He had control of the stage and the song. Total soul patrol! Randy: “This is the David Hernandez we fell in love with!” Paula: “Your voice is so pure, it pierces right through the heart. You told a story.” Simon: “This may surprise you. In my opinion, that was the best vocal of the night so far.” A-minus/A
Jason Yeager (“Long Train Runnin’” Doobie Brothers) He plays multiple instruments. After last week’s soporific “Moon River,” he’s going to have to step it up to survive. This is better but he lacks the edge to truly pull of that song. He’s almost too clean cut. He just doesn’t have it. Randy: “It isn’t a singer’s kind of song. It was very pitchy and karaoke.” Paula: “It was fun to see this side of you.” She notes it lacks vocal range. “Pick singer’s songs.” Simon: “The simple truth last week was boring. This week was awkeward and ordinary. That horrific ending. It like you were drunk at a party. You are a quite good singer who can’t perform very well. I’m disappointed.” C-plus
Chikezie Eze (“I Believe to My Soul” Donny Hathaway) Why did he drop his last name? It makes him more memorable! His name is Nigerian, translates into “something well created by God.” It’s a mispronunciation but he lets it go. That was a solid performance, very soulful, very dominant. Randy: “Chikezie is back America!” Paula: “Very clever to pick a song in a story. Better remember my name!” SImon: “You look better. You sounded better. A million times better than last week!” A-minus
David Cook (“All Right Now” Free) He’s a huge crossword and word search man, a “word nerd.” Compared to Robbie Carrico, David is a much more convincing rocker. His voice has some edge and grit. Excellent! Randy: “You are our real rocker from the boys. I really really liked that. Smart choice of song.” Paula: “You are the real deal.” Simon: “It was solid. I don’t think that film helped you. Crosswords. That’s boring. That’s partly your problem. You don’t have a lot of charisma.” He talks back: “I don’t have to win you over with charisma. I have to win them over.” Simon: “I know the rules of this conversation… this is called an opinion. I don’t think a film like that does you any favors.” A-minus/A
David Archuletta (“Imagine” John Lennon”) He’s in the pimp spot. No surprise there. When he was 11, he got to meet Kelly Clarkson. He even had a video of himself awing Kelly while he sang “And I’m Not Telling You.” What a gutsy choice. He has that X factor. A tour de force in singing technique, with proper emotion and modulation. Bravo! Randy: “Dawg. That was one of the best vocals I’ve ever heard on this show.” Paula: “You are ridiculous. I want to squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rear view mirror.” (That has to be one of the funniest Paula quotes in history!) Simon: “Very very risky to do a John Lennon song, particularly that one. I got to tell you. Right now you are the one to beat. There are 19 very miserable contestants.” A plus
