Top 3 Reviewed

Ok. First order of business… Mayor Snar from Murray City, UT, what is up with the circa 1923 moustache? Second, way too cheesy product placement with the iPhones getting TXT messages from the judges.

And now to the reviews:

David Archuleta:

And So It Goes… Wow… wow… wow. This is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love this arrangement. I love his voice on this song. I would buy an album of his with this as the title track. I’m kind of floored. This one gets a video.

[flashvideo filename=video/top3-archuleta.flv /]

With You… congratulations go out to David Archuleta and Ryan for the most awkward live TV moment this season, trying to get him over and in position for his second number. This song reveals just how ‘precious’ David is. He just kind of bobs around to the music like he’s at a Stake Dance and sings it just effortlessly.

Maybe someone can educate me what a “boo” is… I even googled it and didn’t find anything…

Longer… This just reinforces David’s stake in the ground as the melt-your-heart ballad singer in the competition. Other than that this song did nothing for me. Didn’t help or hurt him at all. Just more of the same…

Conclusion: I think David did what he could with what he was given. I thought song #1 was his best. Song #2 was a good opportunity to see him try something different, which he will need to get better at to become a real artist with any longevity. I think tonight was a wash for him. I don’t think he did anything that advanced his case in anyone’s mind tonight.

Syesha Mercado

If I Ain’t Got You… I love the sparkley dress! You are sparkling more and more every week, and your voice is sparkling, too. I thought the song was beautiful, you look lovely… what more would someone want from American Idol?

[flashvideo filename=video/top3-syesha.flv /]

Fever… This is a really cool song, and she did it well. Several people have sang this song on Idol, and this version shows that Syesha can shimmy her way through a song. She was really overselling the “acting” thing she seems to have just recently discovered. It’s almost as if someone handed her a little slip of paper that said, “ham it up, darlin’, this is your audition for oprah and The Color Purple.” So… I think she sang it well (it’s an easy song), but she decided to take it way too hammy!

Hit Me Up… I like the change in tempo of song for her. It was a little opposite of what she’s been going for so far. I will say that she held it together vocally. I didn’t wince at all, at least, but it didn’t really make a case for her to become the American Idol or pull ahead of David or David.

Conclusion: Syesha did awesome with her first song but went sadly downhill from there. Go home, honey, and wait for Oprah to call, cause you know you’re getting a stint as Celie in the 2nd National Tour of The Color Purple.

David Cook

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face… Wow… another great song choice, and an awesome arrangement. This is a very very hard song to sing, and it showed in his voice a bit. He’s not as good at holding out notes and just letting them be out there. The song had a great climax, though, moreso than the other contestants. But it was a song that asked us to feel something, to go on a journey with him.

[flashvideo filename=video/top3-cook.flv /]

Dare You to Move… I think this is a good fit for his voice, a natural choice. Not a super-creative version or anything, but it reminds his base what kinds of brooding, self-indulgent records he will make. And what is up with his hard r’s? Did he take a page from Carly’s dialect?

I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing… I thought this song choice was too “predictable” (to use an overused word from tonight). But since the “predictable” producers (which simon cowell is one BTW) chose the song, I can’t fault him on that. I loved having the strings on the stage with him, although I thought it looked like they were going to break into a Bach minuet at any second of the first verse of the song.

Conclusion:

  1. David Cook
  2. David Archuleta
  3. Syesha Mercado

I think it’s possible that Syesha might have tied David A in terms of quality of performance tonight, but unfortunately David has much larger a following and is riding the wave he created early on, even before the top 24.

So it is with great sadness that I admit that mahhhh woooman of Season 7 will probably be going home tomorrow night…

I agree with Simon that David Cook won the night, but it wasn’t because of any uncontrollable factor (like song choice), in fact song choice went against him in my opinion. His songs were more recognizable and “predictable”. David C won the night because of hard work and sweat he left on the stage. David Cook did something with every piece of crap he was handed. The others made some missteps in their own song choices and only met expectations with the songs that were chosen for them.

As I listened to everything, I caught myself thinking… “Is this guy more believable as America’s Idol than David Archuleta?” Suprisingly, the answer I came up with is yes. Let’s see if that holds up for the next week.

8 thoughts on “Top 3 Reviewed”

  1. To my understanding a “boo” is a ghettoization of the word beau. It means boyfriend/girlfriend. Also, when we old, white folks come across words such as “boo” that we don’t understand, I would highly recommend urbandictionary.com. Very helpful. 🙂

  2. I agreed in many ways actually. I loved the songs that were picked: First time every I saw your face, longer, and hit me up. THought they fit the contestants best. Didn’t care for the middle round too much. Though fever was fun, just overacted. I do agree that Cook gave ths smack down and left more on the stage. Syesha just can’t compare with the fan base of the boys. But she did amazing things with being in the bottom every single week. I think if it’s down to an idol… it’s Cook. He’s more,marketable, has more longevity and will fit with the industry. But never underestimate the teenage girl vote. It will be an interesting week next week. Hubby will be out of town, so I will be feeling very sorry for myself when I watch it …. alone.

  3. I actually thought David A. won the night. And it was really because he nailed the first song. Syesha
    and Cook were off. I didn’t like what they did at all.

    I think Cook was given the best songs to work with.

    But Archuleta’s 2nd ssong was pretty bad. Luckily the other two followed with pretty bad performances, themselves.

  4. Yeah right on the party.
    1. Its a crazy week, school’s almost out.
    2. Both grandmas work
    3. I wouldn’t fit in with your hip single friends, I have had 4 kids
    4. Hubby will be out of town
    5. It is supposed to warm up past freezing here, I can’t miss that can I?

  5. caralee thought you were right on W.E. – be she still wants David A to win – and she loved David A’s dancing.

  6. Wow, first night I have really enjoyed this show in quite a while. On a side note: I think I preferred Syesha with her short spunky hair. Her long hair is pretty, but I think the short hair was so great.

    David A: Just crown him now, her deserves it and will appreciate it so much more than David C. It will be a huge let down if David C. wins this whole thing because really, he could care less and everyone knows that.

    Syesha: A little too late to find some personality because not it is just strange.
    Go home sista, your road needs to end here.

    David C.: He just so doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion and I feel like he is very smug.

    Go David A. I am rooting for you.

  7. This was one of my favorite nights this season. I’ve got to disagree with YFC- David C. does care. The hard work he puts into his stellar, original performances shows that. Anyone that makes it that far and works THAT hard has got to want it ’cause it’s a heck of a lot of work. I think the “smugness” you’re referring to is his fatigue you see showing through.

    I think all three did wonderfully last week- but David C and David A topped it off well and it was no surprise that Syesha would join the going home group. I’ve got to say that I love when David C slows it down and gives us some rich solid notes with a dash of vibrato… makes me melt.

    And “boo” is a term of endearment. If it meant girlfriend/boyfriend I think I’d be in trouble… ha!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.