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.

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.