Idol Thoughts: Top 7: Can We Carey a Tune?

For the first time this season, Idol stepped into the world of today..well, more along the lines of about 15 years ago, but it was better than it has been. Mariah Carey was the vocal coach and some of her biggest, and not so biggest hits were performed. (I'm really glad that one one chose to do 'Glitter'.
Before we get into the performances, don't forget you can purchase any of last night's performances by clicking on the ITunes link above. Getting it all started last night was David Archuletta.

(When You Believe) - probably not the best performance I've seen from him, but it was solid. The teenie bopper vote will more than likely put him through, but he is a choice for me for the bottom three this week.
2nd, Carly, (Without You), this performance was the beginning of people sounding like Mariah..almost till the end. However her performance was pretty good and she looked like she was getting into the emotion of the song.
3rd, Syesha, doing a song not as well known as the others, (Fantasy), her song choice was a little awkward, I understand she is trying to get away from the more popular tunes, but it may have cost her the competition. Vocally she was very good.
4th, Brooke(Hero), she did a great job with the performance, but I think America is getting tired of tired, slow sounding Brooke. I do realize this is her bread and butter, but do something original and different, or go home. (She may not have much of a choice soon on the latter)
5th, Kristi Lee, (Forever), I enjoyed this performance, the 'countrification' wasn't necessary and her high notes were awesome. It was the better of the female performances of the night, if nothing else it was the most upbeat.
6th, David Cooke, (Always Be My Baby). OK, David is ready to go and sell records he is in a totally different league from the other six. It was totally brilliant and at times haunting. He made it his own, which is what the show is all about.
7th, Jason, (I Don't Wanna Cry), it was not a bad performance, I liked the almost latin flair it had, ir reminded me of a Jason Mraz song with his vocals. Solid performance.

I want to know your Thoughts on last night. Click 'Comment' below and tell me who's continuing on and who's leaving.
The bottom three this week...pretty easy...Syesha, Brooke, and David Archuletta.
Who's headed home. Check out the podcast listed above....

Idol Thoughts: Fun Weekend and The Top 7

First off, thanks to all you who listened and participated in 'Idol Thoughts Live' - our first live show...we're going to do it again in a few weeks...look for details soon.
You can listen to the full show by clicking on the Blog Talk Radio logo on the right.

As far as this week, Brooke needs to step it up or she may be going the way of Michael, Ramiele and those before them. More on the podcast above.....

JP

Let us know your thoughts on the 'Live' show by clicking 'Comment' below.

Idol Thoughts: Top 8, Inspiring Songs, But Art Thou Inspired?

It's Idol Gives Back week, which means, as predicted...songs of inspiration. Some of the performances were good, would I go as far as saying inspiring - probably not.
Don't forget if you enjoyed the performances from this week you can purchase the full length versions by clicking on the ITunes link above.
At this point in the competition I'm looking for 'knock it out of the park' performances. Let's see how the evening unfolded...
Up first, in - at least for the past few weeks - the dreaded #1 slot is Michael. (Dream On)...I enjoyed his rendition of the song, it was a good way to start the night...upbeat, however the judges picked him apart. Simon made a good point saying he should have done a bluesy/jazz version like the song he did last week.
2nd, Syesha, (I Believe) - this may be her week to go. Two weeks in a row, two bad song choices. Of all the songs she could have chosen she sings the 'signature song' of Fantasia, and the judges let her know. Ouch.
3rd, Jason, (Over the Rainbow) This performance was one of the better ones he has done on the show, although the song has seen better in recent years with Katherine McPhee. However, the version he chose was by Iz Kamakawiwo'ole. It was nice and playing the ukulele was a nice touch.
4th, Kristi Lee, (Anyway), it was nice to hear Kristi Lee in her comfort zone doing country, and sounding pretty good as well. Her vocals were solid and she hit some great highs toward the end of the song. Her star is rising this week.
5th, David, (Innocent), was not a song that really had a chance to get into the main stream. He's ready to sell records, but after last night he may have stumbled a little. I think his fanbase will pull him through to next week though.
6th, Carly, (The Show Must Go On), picking a Queen song is always going to get you comparisions, but her version was angry, and on the verge of mad at some points. I like Carly, but her performance last night may drop her into the bottom three this week.
7th, David Archuletta (Angels), the original is one of my favorite songs. David did a pretty good job with it, he used more emotion with the lines toward the end of the song which is what I really enjoy about his singing.
8th, Brooke(You've Got a Friend), it was clear she was singing to some people who were in the audience, but she pulled out every inch of emotion you can pull out of that song. Her rendition was solid, but boring I thought.

Who's in the bottom three? Syesha, Carly, and Michael as far as who is headed home. Check out the latest podcast above...We'll also discuss musical comparisons because there were a lot of them last night....

Now it's your turn, let me know what your Thoughts are. Click 'comments' below

Idol Thoughts: Idol Gives Back...Possible Song Choices

It's Idol Gives Back this week on the show. The big question is..Will they send someone home? If they do...it may not be the person who had the worse performance. It's all about fanbase and this week, with many more people watching someone could be in serious jeopardy of winning this competition.
More on the updated podcast listed above...plus, give me your possible 'inspirational' performances for this week...

Your Idol Thoughts: Idol Gives Back...

The upcoming week is going to be filled with stories and children, all of which are good..it's the kind of week that makes us realize how good we have it in the United States. Last year the contestants performed songs from the heart....what songs do you see the contestants doing this upcoming week. Let me know my posting comments here.

JP

Idol Thoughts: Top 9...An Alright Night for Country....

With 9 performances to get to in an hour, they got right to it. Dolly Parton was the coach and she looked great....sounded pretty good too. Don't forget if you would like to purchase any of last night's performances you can click the link above.
Up first was Brooke(Jolene), song started pretty good and ended on a solid note, and unlike previous weeks it was pretty upbeat. I enjoyed her performance.
Second was David Cooke, who didn't sing like a (Sparrow), but nailed the song. He was as solid this week as he was last, and if not for another guy would have had the best performance of the night.
Third, Ramielle, (Do I Ever Cross Your Mind), after that performance...I would have to say no. There was a simplicity and a blandness about it that made it forgettable and she didn't use her range very effectively. At times she was even hard to hear.
Fourth, Jason, with a fun, upbeat and folky version of (Travelin' Thru), not sure if it will win him votes, but he looked like he was comfortable and having fun with it, which is half the battle with American Idol.
Fifth, Carly slowing things down (Here You Come Again) - I enjoyed the performance, the emotion came through and she was a lot more comfortable this week on stage compared to last week. Carly should be safe this week.
Sixth, David Archuletta (Smokey Mountain Memories), smoked the song. It was the best performance of the night for me. He is back on his game from the past two weeks and the girls love him.
Seventh, Kristi Lee (Coat of Many Colors) - I thought country week would be her strong point, but the judges didn't really see it. She did a pretty good job and not as bad as some of the other girls this week.
Eighth, Syesha (I Will Always Love You) - Syesha is going to be a superstar, but that song could have cost her everything. It's tough to do a song that is going to be compared to the artist who did it best, which is exactly what happened while she was performing it.
Ninth, Michael (All Wrong, But It's Alright) - I liked what Michael did with this song. He made it bluesy and cool. His vocals were very solid, he had a solid night.

Now, the not so easy part. Who's headed home....It's between Ramielle, Jason, and Syesha this week..at least that is my gut feeling. For more, check out the updated podcast above.
Don't forget to leave your comments below....

Idol Thoughts: Top 9...Podcast Updated...

We're previewing the Week for the Top 9..Dolly Parton is the vocal coach...could that mean a country themed week for the contestants? If so, what should they sing...will country girl Kristi Lee do well? Who may be at risk?
A blog listener has some input. check out the latest podcast above....

-- JP