American Idol: Season 7

[MNNHFLTX]

Uh, more Beatles?

Yep.

And they look like predictable choices for songs (with the exception maybe of Syesha). And if David A. had trouble remembering the words last week, I wonder how he's going to do with his song choice this week. It does not have the easiest lyrics to remember, in my opinion.

[Aurora]

Yep.

And they look like predictable choices for songs (with the exception maybe of Syesha). And if David A. had trouble remembering the words last week, I wonder how he's going to do with his song choice this week. It does not have the easiest lyrics to remember, in my opinion.

He was awesome!!!!!

[MNNHFLTX]

I thought David Archuletta was good, but he didn't blow me away. Actually there weren't a lot of outstanding moments. There weren'te any major flubs either--I think I'm just ready to move onto new music.

My favorite singers--Carly and Sayesha (surprisingly!) I thought their performances were very thoughtfully done.

Least favorite--Amanda, Ramiele and Kristy.

The guys were all okay, although the weakest ones were Jason Castro and Michael Johns.

[PirateLover]

My reviews coming up.... after the break! (Lol, I'm working on them).

[PirateLover]

Last week I felt was lightning in a bottle. A perfect mix of quality songs, good song choices, and good performance. Tonight, two of those aspects were missing. Of course I think all of the songs are quality- I'm a Beatles nut and I found myself saying "This is one of my favorite songs" over and over again... but over and over I was very disappointed. They should not have done Beatles 2 weeks in a row.

Amanda- "Back in the U.S.S.R."
I am not a fan of this arrangement, and her timing is either strangely chosen or completely off. I did not like it all. I feel like she really exposed her vocal limitations to anyone familiar with this song and I'm back to really disliking her. Why do the judges always have to find something good to say about her when they are so quick to criticize others? Finally though, Simon speaks the truth about everything sounding the same etc. One thing I do respect is that she does her own thing and refuses to play the game. But I'm done with her I think.

Kristy Lee Cook- "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
If you go back you'll see that when they first announced Lennon/McCartney night, I said that I hoped someone did this song. Boy do I take that back. I HATED this arrangement. This is a beautiful acoustic song that was turned into... I don't even know what kind of arrangement that was to be honest. It wasn't country, pop... it was just weird. She also went off key every time in the refrain. No. Sorry. Don't like anything about it. Does she even understand the words she is singing? No emotional connection to the song at all. Simon says it's better, but I think she sang worse than last week.

David Archuletta- "The Long and Winding Road"
Much much better. He pretty much stuck to the melody and the changes he did make worked. I think he did play it a little safe, but I also thing he had to after last week. I loved it.

Michael Johns- "A Day In the Life"
I think he tried to take a risk with this song, and it could've been great, but it fell a bit short. He messed up the lyrics towards the end which is regrettable because I think it flustered him and didn't allow himself the chance to bring it home. Still, I thought overall he was good and I don't agree with the judges. That whole thing with Paula and the in-ear monitor was very awkward and a bit embarrassing for both parties.
-By the way, a little FYI... the "recap" clips they play at the end of the show are taken from rehearsals sometimes. Tonight they definitely were because they showed Michael singing the line he flubbed correctly. I thought all the performers did better in these clips actually. Shame.

Brooke- "Here Comes The Sun"
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't up to par. The whole thing felt odd, she didn't connect to the song. I love her attitude though, I thought she came off as very sincere with her response to the judges comments.

David Cook- "Day Tripper"
Uh-oh... I see the second mike stand... is he going Frampton/Bon Jovi TalkBox on us? The answer unfortunately is yes...
(Ready, Sherri?) I found that to be very unnecessary, and very gimmicky, and yes a bit smug/self indulgent. However aside from that part, I like the actual singing and other parts of the performance.

-Another aside, Paula's hair was looking very dead tonight.

Carly- "Blackbird"
Well, unfortunately she did NOT cover her arms as we all wanted. And I don't like that top. In the close-ups, she looks like a horse that has just won the Kentucky Derby. This performance didn't do it for me. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't on par with last week.

Jason- "Michelle"
I liked it overall, but he does seem a bit awkward without the guitar...but I guess that can be considered part of his charm as well. I agree with Simon, the vocal wasn't the strongest, but it wasn't bad.

-I'm beginning to think the girls in the "mosh pit" (I can't believe they use that term by the way) are plants. There have been a few occasions were girls have yelled these random things seemingly on cue and in complete unison.

Syeshia- "Yesterday"
Well, in my opinion she finally made an emotional connection to the song. I think the vocals were weak in spots, but she did keep it in a tender place and it was enjoyable for the most part.

Chikezie- "I've Just Seen A Face"
I liked him again this week. I thought it worked, though not quite as well as last week. I actually thought the harmonica playing was decent, and a nice touch! The Beatles used harmonicas a lot in their early songs so it was totally appropriate, sorry Simon.

Ramiele- "I Shoulda' Known Better"
It was nice to see her try something more upbeat and she showed more personality, but it wasn't as good as she needed it to be. Also I didn't like the hat.

My bottom 3 would be KRISTY, Ramiele, and Amanda with Kristy going home. Although I really don't know. At this point it's a battle of the fan bases. Kristy is really the only one left who appeals to the country crowd. Ramiele has a strong filipino base and also all of Danny's fannies (lol). Amanda also has some big supporters out there. I think that we will see Syeshia get forgotten in the mix and sent home, or possibly Chikezie ,or Michael for the shock elimination.

In my opinion, Archuletta was the best followed by Chikezie and David Cook

[PirateLover]

I thought David Archuletta was good, but he didn't blow me away. Actually there weren't a lot of outstanding moments. There weren'te any major flubs either--I think I'm just ready to move onto new music.

My favorite singers--Carly and Sayesha (surprisingly!) I thought their performances were very thoughtfully done.

Least favorite--Amanda, Ramiele and Kristy.

The guys were all okay, although the weakest ones were Jason Castro and Michael Johns.

Beth I agree with basically everything you've said tonight, including earlier about the songs being predictable. I think many of them were kind of sleepwalking through and we didn't see the same spark we saw last week. Hopefully next week's theme re energizes them. I've heard some rumors for this year including an iTunes top 100 night and another year you were born in night like they did in season 4.

[Ian]

I found myself saying through the entire show, "WHY would you pick this song?? WHY would you pick THIS song??"

I wasn't thrilled with many of the song choices and, when I was, it seemed like the performance was weak. I kind of agree that they should have moved on from the theme. As faux excited as many of them seemed, it didn't come through in their performances. Most of them were dull and uninspired to one degree or another.

My thoughts:

Amanda - I'm through wasting time ripping her. The judges obviously have some vested interest in keeping her around, because week after week they praise her and yet week after week she stinks.

Kristy Lee Cook - I thought she was okay. I didn't really agree with the judges ripping her. Yeah ... she's not the best performer in the bunch. But I think she has a pretty sweet tone to her voice and I kinda thought the vocal was decent. Certainly not one of the best, but not nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be.

David Archuletta - I'm officially off the Archuletta bandwagon. This whole saccharine sweet, sensitive, ballad-guy thing he's got going on has finally started to irritate me. I actually find him annoying now, I thought the performance was boring, and this isn't one of my favorite Beatles songs anyway. I actually kinda hated it. And you know ... I still don't see where this kid fits in in the music business. The more I see him the more he screams "BROADWAY!" to me. Unless he wants to try going the adult contempo route at age 17. He's like a 45 year old in a 17 year old's body.

Michael Johns - First off, this was just a completely stupid choice for a song. I kind of agree that he tried to take a risk and make some magic, but it totally backfired. I hated it. You can't boil A Day in the Life down to 90 seconds and you certainly can't do it the way he tried to do it. Plus he jacked up the lyrics, which irks me when it's a Beatles song because everyone should know all the words to all these songs by heart.

Brooke - I love Brooke to death and when I heard her song choice I shushed everyone in the room because I thought it was going to be something special. But as soon as it was over I said to DD and DW, "That wasn't nearly as good as I wanted it to be." First off, the entire performance was off and awkward. The "WHOO!" was completely out of place. And really I kinda got a totally off-kilter, disconnected vibe from it. Definitely not her best and she seemed to realize that. I think she'll get it together next week.

David Cook - I totally disagree about the talk box being gimmicky. I thought it was very creative, not at all "indulgent" (whatever that means from a performance perspective), and I thought it added a very cool element to a very cool performance. People can argue with me if they want, and they're certainly entitled to their own opinions, but right now when it comes to finding someone who can truly be a marketable star, there's David Cook and then there's everybody else. This guy has already arrived. He might as well leave the show and start recording albums. Even if he doesn't win, he's this year's Daughtry.

Carly - Okay, after discussing it here I just couldn't look away from the arms. I kept wondering why, with those arms, she would choose a sleeveless dress. It was actually really distracting. Also, I don't particularly like Blackbird, and I thought it was kind of an "indulgent" choice that came off as being a little hokey with that lame explanation she gave at the end for why she chose the song. Not my favorite performance from her.

Edited to add: Did anyone besides me notice that Carly kept botching the lyrics? She was singing the line, "You were only waiting for this moment to be free" when she should have been singing "You were only waiting for this moment to arise." The first verse with that line does say free, but the subsequent verses on the ride out say arise.

Jason - He was good. Middle of the pack. He's kinda like blending into the background. He's definitely got a lot more charm that some of the others, though. I like watching him perform, for the most part.

Syeshia - This was another one that I just didn't get at all. I honestly don't like the way she sings and I think the judges were nuts to praise her for that mess. I hated the arrangement, I thought the vocal was spotty, and I did not think she connected with the real meaning of the song at all. She like tried to gussy it up and give it some kind of odd gospel vibe ... I hated it. Worst of the night for me.

Chikezie - I actually liked this performance. Kind of a lot, actually. I totally disagreed about the harmonica choice. I thought it fit in well with the song and I thought he did a good job blowing his harp. If anything, I thought it was a little odd he used it so little. I would have liked for him to blow a little more. All in all I thought this was a good job on a good song. He was one of the best tonight, IMO.

Ramiele - Sorry. Didn't get it. I see bad karoke for like 90% of her songs. The other 10% she shows what she's capable of, but she never carries through an entire song. Plus, this was a hokey song choice. Not even close to one of the best Beatles songs. It was all very amateurish and weak for me. Definitely put her in the bottom 3 for me.

Top 3 for me would be Cook, Chikeze, and Archuletta (in that order).

Bottom 3 are Ramiele, Amanda, and Michael Johns (from best to worst).

Who goes home? Johns should go home for that disaster he put together, but it will probably be Syeshia. I don't think she has much of a fan base ... for obvious reasons ...

[SBETigg]

I thought it was an appalling week in which even the better contestants came off like rank amateurs at a karaoke bar.

Amanda- "Back in the U.S.S.R."
It's the same every week. This is all she can do. Growl, prance, scream, lather, rinse, repeat.
Kristy Lee Cook- "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" Can we hide Kristy Lee away at last? Please? Other than a passable rendition of Amazing Grace, she doesn't have what it takes.

David Archuletta- "The Long and Winding Road"
My favorite of the night. He's adorable. Not rip his head off and hang him from my dashboard adorable (makes you wonder what else Paula has in her car, doesn't it?) but talented and sweet.

Michael Johns- "A Day In the Life"
It was probably, as Simon said, a bad idea to cut a long, very involved song down to the minute forty seconds they get to perform. I think his problem with lyrics comes down to the cut and he was good enough to stay. He'd better work on song choice.

Brooke- "Here Comes The Sun"
Awful. I was embarrassed for her. She proved that she needs to hide behind her instrument, making me think she would make a great Folk Idol. But this is American Idol. In past seasons, with no instruments allowed, she wouldn't have even made it to the stage because her stage presence is that awkward.

David Cook- "Day Tripper"
"(Ready, Sherri?) I found that to be very unnecessary, and very gimmicky, and yes a bit smug/self indulgent." Yes, Maryanne! My thoughts exactly. It was bad. Very smug. He is so affected and fake. And now I am finding more people who do agree with me, so I'm happy. Even though he'll probably be around for weeks and weeks.

Carly- "Blackbird"
Maryanne said "she looks like a horse that has just won the Kentucky Derby." And I agree. I loved her performance, though. I thought she did a great job with it.

Jason- "Michelle"
I like him. He's not the most talented, but he always seems sweet and sincere, if a little goofy. He makes me smile.

Syeshia- "Yesterday"
Hated it. It was a ridiculously indulgent arrangement. Sing a note, hold a note. The song was not written to run all over the place. She probably shouldn't go home, though. Not this week.

Chikezie- "I've Just Seen A Face"
I liked him at first, except that he was overpowered by the twangy guitar, and then it went to the bad pseudo-bluegrass place that worked well for him last week, but not two weeks in a row. He's at risk.

Ramiele- "I Shoulda' Known Better"
She should have known better. This smacked of high school talent show performance right down to the hat. For a talented singer who supposedly has a good personality, she should be doing much better in this competition. Week after week, she isn't bringing much to the stage.

My bottom three: Amanda, Ramiele, Kristy Lee.

The real bottom three: Ramiele, Chikezie, Kristy Lee. In a surprising turn of events, Ramiele will go home. (But the predictable departure should be Kristy Lee).

[JanetMegan]

First off I agree with all above posters that Beatles two weeks in a row was a really bad idea. I didn't think it was that great, in fact it was a little boring...Almost made me wish I had watching Dancing with the Stars instead...anyways, on with the reviews...

Amanda- "Back in the U.S.S.R."
It's sooo the same every week, although she was dressed MUCH better and her hair lacked that Bride of Frankenstien look it has had the last couple weeks.

Kristy Lee Cook- "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"
Well it wasn't as bad as last week, I'm still having spontanious physical reaction to 8 days a Week, but it wasn't good. I'm so over her and ready for her to go home. Paula even gave her the kiss of death "but you look so beautiful tonight."

David Archuletta- "The Long and Winding Road"
Much better but I feel I really have to go off here. First off I made a very hilarious but totally Intercot inappropriate comment during his song to my Idol watching buddies and we had food coming out of our noses, if you want to know what it was email me or PM me and I'll share. Next I think it was Ian who was saying, where on earth is this kid going to fit in and I'm 100% onboard with that comment. He's going to sell out shows to Barry Manilow loving 40-50somethings like Clay Aiken, I just don't see him as having an ability to be a pop star. I think even the Hannah Montana crowd is going to tire of him in another couple weeks. He's a great singer, but he's the ultimate one trick pony. I don't see him being able to do anything else. (Which he proved last week.) And why oh why has no one poasted-WHY DOES THE KID KEEP LICKING HIS LIPS??? Is anyone else driven batty like I am over this? Ok.

Michael Johns- "A Day In the Life"
Now I didn't think this was great but I don't think it was the worst of the night like some folks do, I still really like him, in fact he could read me the phonebook in that accent and I'd enjoy it.

Brooke- "Here Comes The Sun"
It wasn't bad?? Really?? Man, my poor favorite singer of the show-that was terrible. It reminded me of "Sunshine Day" by the Brady kids. She does seem VERy awkward without an instrument to "hide" behind. I think she'll be fine, but it was awful for me.

David Cook- "Day Tripper"
And see I didn't think think was as bad as some thought either, I enjoyed it. I like him with the guitar, the voicebox thing was gimmky but I think that unless you bring something new and different each week you run the risk of becoming boring (wow that sounded exactly like something Simon would say.) He's still in my top 3 overall.

Carly- "Blackbird"
Floppy arms again. Really that shirt was REALLY UGLY. I mean all in caps U-G-L-Y. Now onto the song, I actually thought it was ok, but I had to close my eyes, her facial expressions are just odd. That being said it might be my fave performance by her so far, and I'm not really a Carly fan. I did rewind and listen to it twice, it was pretty ok, glad she didn't screech.

Jason- "Michelle"
I believe it was Emily who said a few weeks ago how she thought he was "pretty" and I agree, he has like a girl's face or something. but the dreadlocks kind of freak me out, I always thought automatically and fairly stereotypically that people who had them were anti-clean. Like anti hair washing and since I am a super shower freak, it's kind of grossing me out about him. I thought the song was corny. Almost like he was making fun of it when he sang it-which Simon alluded to as well.

Syeshia- "Yesterday"
I thought it was ok, kinda boring, but better than the last few weeks, but I think she may go home, she just isn't hitting it home with the fans.

Chikezie- "I've Just Seen A Face"
I liked it, didn't love it. I feel like of all the contestants I know the least about him, I mean he was a screener for the TSA, he tried out for Idol before etc. But i think I would like him more if I knew more about him?

Ramiele- "I Shoulda' Known Better"
Wow I thought this was bad, very childish. I just don't like her. I really can't say much more than that, but this time in the show I was bored to TEARS.

My bottom 3 would be Kristy, Ramiele and Amanda with Ramiele going home.

Top three for this week only-David Cook, David A and I guess Carly. It was actually hard to find a top 3 this week.

Whew.

[Ian]

Wow, Sherri ... you and I really have different tastes, don't we?

[JanetMegan]

I thought it was an appalling week in which even the better contestants came off like rank amateurs at a karaoke bar.

Oh and by the way-BINGO!

[Ian]

David Archuletta - He's a great singer, but he's the ultimate one trick pony.

Absolutely. He's also really, really bland. Milquetoast is the word I used for him. Blah. No zip at all. The only thing he's good for is crooning dull ballads to an audience of middle aged women.

Carly - Really that shirt was REALLY UGLY. I mean all in caps U-G-L-Y.

That's an understatement. Between the the ugly shirt and the flapping arms, I could barely focus on her singing. Whomever was responsible for dressing her really missed the mark. She needs to wear long sleeves at all times.

[tinkerbell04]

Ok, last week I had such a crazy week with so much going on, I never did get around to watching the DVR'd episodes so, I just got the summary from last week last night I totally agree, why would they do those two weeks back-to-back, there are so many more themes to choose from. I also agree that there were times that I wanted to choice to sound so much better then it did! I won't recap everything, you guys do such a great job at the note taking, I feel like I don't even have to watch. My bottom three would be Kristy Lee, Raniele and Amanda. My top two...couldn't really think of three...David Cook and David Archuletta. Nothinkg on the books tonight, so I will surely be tuning in.

[eam]

First of all, I have to say that I love reading these reviews on Wednesday morning. Thanks to all of you that take the time to do this for the rest of us. It's so nice to say 'Wow, I agree with wholeheartedly with one of you and disagree just as much with another'. I love Intercot!!
That being said, I must say David Cook just annoys the heck out of me. He's a good singer but, as my mother always says, Buy him for what he's worth and sell him for what he thinks he's worth and you'll make a fortune. Did anyone else notice that he clapped for himself after his performance last night? And totally ignored the fans wanting to shake his hand. Poor taste, IMO, and poor judgment. I'm sorry for venting, but it did so annoy me. Looking forward to reading everyone's posts after tonight's vote.

[Melanie]

Ugh. I'm glad Simon agrees. Another week of the Beatle's was just too much for me too.

[SBETigg]

Brooke- "Here Comes The Sun"
It wasn't bad?? Really?? Man, my poor favorite singer of the show-that was terrible. It reminded me of "Sunshine Day" by the Brady kids. She does seem VERy awkward without an instrument to "hide" behind. I think she'll be fine, but it was awful for me.

The Brady Bunch, yes! Except even they could get the dance moves down. Well, maybe not Bobby. But it was definitely more Brady than Beatle.

Wow, Sherri ... you and I really have different tastes, don't we?

Shocking, no? I do agree that there's no real market for Archalutta and he's getting a little cutesy. And that Carly needs sleeves.

That being said, I must say David Cook just annoys the heck out of me. He's a good singer but, as my mother always says, Buy him for what he's worth and sell him for what he thinks he's worth and you'll make a fortune. Did anyone else notice that he clapped for himself after his performance last night? And totally ignored the fans wanting to shake his hand. Poor taste, IMO, and poor judgment. I'm sorry for venting, but it did so annoy me.

Absolutely, thank you. How about the comb-forward hair? My dad calls him Rocky the Flying Squirrel. I just watched a Daughtry video and reaffirmed that David Cook is no Chris Daughtry.

[poeticeclipse]

Amanda Overmyer - “Back in the Ussr”
This was actually better than I thought it would be. I love this song so that helps a little. I still don't know if she was singing the right words or not. And she had a piece of blonde hair that was flopping around on top of her head that bothered me. I did enjoy that she actually smiled more. Sure, it looked a little forced but still. OH! And I did enjoy when she said that she wanted to perform like she would if you bought a ticket to see her show. But, I liked it even more when Simon said that no one is buying tickets for her show yet.

* Kristy Lee Cook - “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
The performance was as bad as her explanation as to why she chose the song. "I saw the title, liked it, and said 'that one.' " She just looks miserable. Like, she knows she's gonna go any day and she just wants someone to put her out of her misery.

* David Archuleta - “Long and Winding Road”
I liked it a lot. It was one of his "typical" sounding songs but he sounded good singing it. I can't help but smile when I look at him. Oh, and I must say that it looks like he lost weight and not in a good way.

* Michael Johns - “A Day in the Life”
Eh.... the way he holds the mic bothers me. His voice had some rough spots as well. I gotta say it though... his hair is BEAUTIFUL!

* David Cook - “Day Tripper”
WHY? WHY did I have to like it? He's killing me. I can't stand him but he keeps picking really good arrangements. Stupid David Cook.

* Brooke White - “Here Comes the Sun”
One of my favorite Beatles songs of all time. It was just a matter of time before someone picked it to butcher it. Thank you Brooke for doing it and doing it so well. Butchering it that is. After I heard her version I put in my Beatles CD to listen to the way it is meant to me performed.

* Carly Smithson - “Blackbird”
I don't think it was as good as last week. Her shirt was interesting. Her voice is still killer. I liked that she was able to express why she chose the song. And Simon's comment after about how he felt uncomfortable because he imagined the contestants as falling birds (or something like that) was just priceless. Love you, Simon!

* Jason Castro - “Michelle”
He's still the dreamiest thing i've ever seen. This song was not his best, though. He did fine with the French. He just seemed unsure of himself. Ehh.. he'll redeem himself like always next week. And I'll be 2 inches from the t.v. watching him.

* Syesha Mercado - “Yesterday”
Thank you! Much better. One of my favorites of the night. She looked and sounded great.

* Chikezie - “I’ve Just Seen A Face”
Not bad, not good. I liked last weeks a lot better. I'm still not big on him.

* Ramiele Malubay - “I Should Have Known Better”
Again, with the friends she's made. I don't care!! Do what you're there to do. It's not social hour. She's got a great voice and she keeps wasting it on mediocre songs.

[2Epcot]

Tuesday night was one of those nights where 3 DVRs were not enough. American Idol was the only show we watched somewhat live, the other programs were from the night before.

My favorite perfomances were from David Cook and Carly, though I can't stand the tatoos. I thought David did a decent job with the talk box considering he just learned how to use it.

I also liked Brooke and Syeshia. Brooke has such a great personality, and Syeshia has a great voice which I appreciated even more last week hearing her live.

I still like Kristy Lee Cook and Ramiele, though I know they aren't favorites of many. Both just need a great song to break out.

While David A. isn't my favorite, he does a good job as well as Chikezie. My choice to leave would be Amanda.

[Ian]

I just watched a Daughtry video and reaffirmed that David Cook is no Chris Daughtry.

Well ... did you compare him to a current Daughtry video or a Daughtry video from when he was on AI?

You can't compare a professionally recorded and produced video from a big-label recording artist to a 90 second, rough performance from a new artist.

[poeticeclipse]

I forgot about Brooke's "OH!" Right after she did that I thought "that's one thing she's gonna regret." It was just so bad. Oh oh!