The AI Finals

First song:

Clive Davis Pick

• David Cook - “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
• David Archuleta - “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John

I love "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and David Cook did it well. From the 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, this song along with With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name set it number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's greatest 500 albums ever. Unfortunately, though it's a terrific song, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” is a bigger song musically (not lyrically) and music is what you hear. It was right up Archie's turnpike, and I think he probably took round one.


Second Song

Songwriters Contest

• David Cook - “Dream Big”
• David Archuleta - “In This Moment”

Let's be honest - both songs sucked. Not so much from a performance point of view, but neither is memorable. Neither is big. And both are laden with cheese. Having said that, I thought David Cook had the better performance of the two.


Third Song

Personal Choice

• David Cook - “The World I Know” by Collective Soul
• David Archuleta - “Imagine” by John Lennon
  

I will never like "Imagine". It sounds like Lennon childishly whining out that the world would be perfect if it was only the way HE wanted it to be. It's socialistic drivel, and I don't understand a generation's infatuation with it. I also don't like the fact that Archie reprised it. I have never liked that practice, though I suppose it makes things actually easier for the singer when they don't have to learn a new song. DC did a sweet job with "The World I Know." I've heard only a couple songs from Collective Soul before and that wasn't one of them. But I really liked his performance of it.

Because of this mindless love for "Imagine" Archie probably won the round. I would have picked DC though. His performance was artistry. Archie's was schmaltz.

So in my world the score ends up David Cook 2, David Archuleta 1.

But I've always preferred art over teenage marketability. Guess that's why I'm not rich.

Idol Wrap - Wednesday Night

I don't want to go into any specific comments with regards to particular singers and songs. However, I do have to say that the judges seem to be following some sort of scripted(?) path to carry Archuleta to the finals. I don't know why, but he just didn't deserve the magnanimous amounts of praise heaped on him.

He wasn't bad, but he wasn't THAT good.

I think Jason looked and sounded better during dress rehearsal than the live performance. Syesha did a really nice job, both songs.

And David Cook was David Cook.

With the show creating David Archuleta as some sort of strange standard-bearer, I find my interest levels dropping in the whole process. Next week, when it's only Cook, Mercado and Archuleta, I'm going to be hard pressed to think of a reason to tune in.

But I probably will anyway.

500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll

This is the list that the AI contestants have to choose from this week:

500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll

They pick two from the list. Which direction do you think they'll go in?

Jason - The Weight by The Band?
David C - London Calling by The Clash?
David A - Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel?
Syesha - Respect by Aretha?

Tune in and find out.

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AND HERE ARE THE SPOILERS:

Performance Order! From Carie

• David Cook - “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran
• Syesha Mercado - “Proud Mary” by Ike and Tina Turner
  
• Jason Castro - “I Shot the Sheriff” by Bob Marley
• David Archuleta- “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King
  
• David Cook - “Baba O’Riley” by The Who
  
• Syesha Mercado - “Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
  
• Jason Castro - “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan
  
• David Archuleta - “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley

What They are Singing Tonight - Spoilers & Wrap

Jason Castro - “Forever in Blue Jeans” - I liked this a lot. Liked the vibe, the personality Jason brought to the song. Had a peppery feel to it. Hoped he would big voice the part that Diamond does, but Jason doesn't really have the big voice. I disagree with Simon; I didn't think it forgettable.

David Cook - “I’m Alive” - Of the two David did, I liked this one better than the second. It has a good hook to it.

Brooke White - “I’m a Believer” - decent job with a nice country feel to it.

David Archuleta - “Sweet Caroline” - eh? Yeah, I heard the changes he made to it. Didn't really like them. Sweet Caroline is too iconic a song for Red Sox fans to take to Archie's version.

Syesha Mercado - “Hello Again” - It was OK. Syesha has a nice delivery and she looked hot. But let's face it: she's no Mindy D or Jordin Sparks. She's not even a Lakisha.

Jason Castro - “September Morn” - boring boring boring - sorry Jason. You'd have been better off switching the songs and doing this one first.

David Cook - “All I Ever Really Need is You” - Good rocker. Hard to hear the lyrics at times. Not sure if it was the music or enunciation. Still liked the first better.

Brooke White - “I Am … I Said” - Very sweet presentation. Liked it a lot.

David Archuleta - “America” - predictable. I wish the judges would stop touting Archie as a second coming of something.

Syesha Mercado - “Thank the Lord for the Night Time” - average.

Idol

In order of how the performances went (in my opinion).

1. Syesha Mercado - “One Rock & Roll Too Many” from Starlight
Syesha stole the show. Most memorable.

2. David Cook - “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera
It was a nice vocal from David. Showed what a mellow/slow song would be like on an album.

3. Carly Smithson - “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Thought it a bit screechy at times, but overall decent.

4. David Archuleta - “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera
Good vocals, boring performance. I can't even remember how his song goes today even though I remember all the others.

5. Jason Castro - “Memory” from Cats
I like Jason a lot. This just wasn't a standout performance of the song. Didn't Streisand sing it? Jason needed to power ballad it, not whisper sing it in his style.

6. Brooke White - “You Must Love Me” from the film adaption of Evita
Brooke looked awfully good. Unfortunately that was about it. She had trouble singing through the lower register at the beginning and the rest of the song came across as mostly meh with a few spots of emotion sprinkled in.

Based on performance, Brooke should go.

Quick Thoughts

First, I think everyone did a good job tonight, some better, but all pretty good.

There was, in my opinion, no one bad performance where I can definitively state that a certain person will not make it. Having said that I think a couple observances can be made.

David A. did a bang up job with Appalachian Memories. I have not particularly cared for him this season. I think he's a good singer, but I've always thought his song choices were very transparent. And he's obviously a ballad singer - the uptempo stuff messed him up. But this week he really nailed it.

Michael J., in the pimp spot, reminded me of Delbert McClinton. And that's not a bad thing.

Ramiele may not have been particularly memorable, but she at least wasn't boring.

Kristy Lee seemed a bit flat at the open, but eventually picked it up a few bars in. The night's style suited her marvelously.

Loved Jason's Travelin' Thru. Thought Randy's comment was right on with the singer/songwriter vibe.

Brooke's opener, though not a huge stand out, was solid Brooke.

David C. - glad to see him take on Little Sparrow in the fashion he did. It showed he's not all about the harder rock aspect.

Carly and Syesha - both decent performances, but Syesha strayed way too close to Whitney territory in her close. She had a good voice, but she sounded too much like she was trying to sound like Whitney. Carly's version of Here You Come Again was quite different from the orginal (I remember when it came out). Not sure if I liked it or not.

There will be a bottom three, and I have no idea who it will be this week. I almost think Syesha will be one of them, perhaps with Ramiele. As to a third, I can't say.

Voted off prediction: Syesha, for becoming a cliche as a Whitney wannabe. I also lean toward Syesha because she has been in the bottom three already and Ramiele has not. If the show were about performance, then I'd say Ramiele will go.

But it's so much more (or less) than that.

Quick Shots

Syesha - If I Was Your Woman
I like Syesha. I wish she'd do songs I like, but I like her. I think she's cute and can sing better than Ramiele. This song didn't do much for me, but she sang it well.

David Cook - Billie Jean
So many of these songs have been covered over the years that you can't tell if these people are singing someone else's cover version or if they came up with the arrangement on their own. I suspect that they are usually doing a cover version (like Daughtry singing Live's version of I Walk the Line). Probably Blake Lewis was one of the most original innovators. Apparently David C. was singing Chris Cornell's (Soundgarden) version of Billie Jean. . Still he pulled it off quite well AND in the pimp spot no less. He's a rising force.

Carly - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Jim Steinman wrote Total Eclipse of the Heart. He was Meatloaf's hit song writer with songs such as Two out of Three Ain't Bad and Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. He also wrote Air Supply's Making Love out of Nothing At All. You can tell a Jim Steinman song - it's always about relationships and it has long rambling lines. Total Eclipse of the Heart was sung by Bonnie Tyler who had a short run of fame late 70s, early 80s. She had a distinctive, gravely voice, sort of like a female Rod Stewart, and it gave her songs a strong personality. I don't know if Carly's version lived up to the original. She sang it pretty well. I just don't know if it was enough.

Chikezie - If Only For One Night
Yeah, it was Chikezie being Luther for the night. Very 80s sounding. I thought it was a decent performance, his vocals are smooth. Funny thing is, Simon, who panned Chikezie's last performance as sounding like several different songs in one, now says Chikezie needs to go back to singing with that energetic kind of personality. These contestants can't win. lol.

Brooke - Every Breath You Take
The judges complained that Brooke should have not had the band come in uptempo like they did. I disagree. This wasn't Brooke's best performance of the season, but it was good. And the song really calls out for its hook, that haunting guitar part it starts with. The band provided that. She's still moving on, I'm pretty sure.

Jason - Fragile
I like Jason, even if he stays within his genre/style. He's a good package of personality, performance and presence. He does make some weird faces while singing though, which can be distracting. I don't know this song, so I don't know if it has any Spanish influences in it. Thought it was a good performance.

Ramiele - Alone
Not bad. But she is going to get compared to Nancy Wilson's version which is difficult. She seemed to fall short a bit.

Michael - We Are The Champions
I don't think this was significantly different from how Michael has performed to date, so I'm not sure where the judges are coming from. But I've always thought that what they see and hear there in the venue is probably quite different from what we see/hear in our living rooms. Probably enough to keep him safe.

Kristy - God Bless The USA
Finally, Kristy gets back to something she can do - country/pop style songs. She sang it quite well, thought she was a tad out of tune at the key change, but she came back OK. She will have to be very careful about song choice from this point on.

David A. - You're The Voice
He has a good voice, a smooth delivery. But he makes every song sound the same. David may have peaked too early unless he gives a total package in upcoming shows. He's getting a bit boring, he is.

If I had to guess as to who will go? Probably Chikezie. He seems to be the odd man out right now and I can't imagine his fan base is growing.

I hate the "mosh pit." Can the show stop getting camera angle from behind it. Seeing people's hands wave over the singers is quite irritating.

Beatlemania Revisited

Without going into a song by song breakdown, last night was the Beatles meets Bizarro World. Everyone's stylizing now, and to the point where it's just getting weird. I'm not a Beatle's fan, but I still winced at times from the performances which were, I assume, done the way they were to avoid being called karaoke. It would seem that everyone is afraid of that term.

But really. You either tear a song apart, reassemble it or you do a straight cover. I don't see putting different inflections or runs in it as making it your own necessarily. Trying to sound like Whitney or Celine singing one of these songs is making it Whitney or Celine singing one of these songs.

I don't remember what half the people sang, so I guess it was quite memorable. ha! I know David A sang the Long and Winding Road, but that's only because it was my high school senior class song. Not sure what the lyrics have to do with a high school graduating class, but that's what they voted for. It was either that or Do You Know Where You're Going To?

Don't know if I'll watch the "who gets booted" show tonight. We'll be out for a couple hours and away from television. Probably need the break anyway.