American Idol Season 7: Top 7

I have to admit: Mariah Carey week was better than I expected.  I also have to admit that Mariah Carey is uber-talented, even though she is equally annoying.  But, enough from me, I know you want to hear from Dixie.  Here is this week's recap.

DIXIE SAYS: This was it? Really? Where were all the fun Mariah songs? You know, “Fantasy”, “Dreamlover”, “Someday”, “Emotions”? I realize the up-tempo songs are harder to sing, but the top seven should be able to pull it off. Tonight was a ballad-ridden snorefest. And to make matters worse, rumor has it that Michael Johns was intending to sing a bluesy, soulful rendition of “Vision of Love”, which would have been awesome.

 

David Archuleta “When You Believe”

I still have many issues with his singing abilities. Even though he nailed the glory notes, the verses were either breathy or nasally. He even fell behind the beat for a few seconds and had to catch up. Of course, he did the ending proud and once again, received lavish over-praise that I will never understand. He will be completely safe for many weeks to come no matter how he sings. Performance wise, I don’t like looking at him. He reminds me of a smurf and he just isn’t credible. Wardrobe wise, in spite of the switch from blazers to leather pants; he’s still a dorky 17 year old boy with a sheepish personality. I’m not sure what Simon meant by “not a lot of laughs tonight”. I don’t think Archie knew what he meant either. Are there normally a lot of laughs?

Carly Smithson “Without You”

Sleeves!! Sleeves!! Beautiful three-quarter length sleeves! Thank you, stylists!! Unfortunately, that’s the most positive thing I have to say about this performance. First of all, “Without You”, which is a song about loneliness and suicide, isn’t technically a Mariah song; it was written by a guy who actually killed himself! Mariah covered it and turned it into a vapid love song, complete with back up singers and choreography. Honestly, the video is the most emotionally tone-deaf, repulsive thing I’ve ever seen on MTV. Not kidding. Secondly, this had to be Carly’s flattest, most unaffected performance to date. Rather than sounding like she couldn’t go on living, Carly sounded like she might be bummed for awhile, but with some Ben & Jerry’s and a few chick flicks, she’d actually be okay. Technically, Carly is always pretty close to perfect, but I think she started too low and screeched too high. I really wanted Carly in the top three, so hopefully, she’ll squeak by.

Syesha Mercado “Vanishing”

Although Syesha was pretty good technically, she has no soul and that’s why she continues to fail to connect with the audience and her song choice. She just sings the notes. Personally, I thought she was smart to choose a song we don’t really know. She has obviously learned from her mistakes! Syesha probably did enough to stay on for another week, although I’d like to see her or Brooke get the boot tomorrow night.

Brooke White “Hero”

Pre. Dict. Able. At the piano, stripped down, and a little slow, pretty much like all of her other performances. This setting makes Brooke dependent on the passion in her voice and how she handles the bridge, and unfortunately, there are too many bland parts to keep me entertained. Per usual, Randy criticizes Brooke for ‘speeding up” parts of the song. How dare she crawl out of her slow, draggy “Brooke Box” and actually add some pace to her songs! Meanwhile, Burger King, Mayor McCheese, and Jack in the Box decide to use fast food/hamburger analogies with the frailest, skinniest contestant to ever grace the AI stage! Are they trying to tell her something?

Kristy Lee Cook“Forever”

KLC is on a streak! Once again, I enjoyed the performance and I adore her in a dress. In the last few weeks, she has come into her style and it seems like the audience loves her more than they used to. She sang the song straight-ahead, hit the big notes, and got a little bit of her country tone in there without coming off as cartoon-y. It wasn’t flawless, but on a night of a thousand ballads (or so it seems), it was one of my favorites.

David Cook “Always Be My Baby”

I thought for sure David would sing “Bringing on the Heartbreak” by Def Leopard (Mariah covered it, just like she did “Without You”.) He could have really rocked out and boy, it would have been a relief from all the slow sap. So when they showed him with Mariah working on an alternative, stalker sounding version of “Always Be My Baby”, I settled in for the train wreck. Okay, it wasn’t a total wreck, but he just didn’t sound right. He was slightly sharp for the entire song and he never corrected it. Combine that with the fact that he was overpowered by the backup singers on the chorus, and technically, I’d say it was the worst of the night once again. Two weeks in a row I am unhappy with my favorite contestant! However, I still think he is the most talented! I love the way he interprets songs and I loved his one shouty note. Not sure why the judges didn’t mention that he was off key for every single note of the performance, minus the glory note; perhaps they want an all-David Finale? In case you haven’t heard, his brother Adam was in the audience. He is currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer and unfortunately, the disease has spread to his spine. No doubt that his presence brought on a lot of emotion.

Jason Castro “Only If I Cry”

My expected train wreck arrived at 8:58 EST.He may not want to cry, but I almost did. During the clip with Mariah, it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t like the idea of Jar Jar even singing this song. She called the idea “interesting and different” rather than “exciting” or “good.” Then she told us that she gave him a lot of musical ideas, and if he doesn’t use her ideas, well, then, whatever, hopefully he’ll do great. Interpretation: She hated his first attempt so much that she basically tried to rewrite the song for him. And even though she hopes he does well on his own, she really can’t see how that could happen. With that intro, I’m very curious as to how he got the pimp spot, unless TPTB knew it was going to stink and tried to save him. Jason was “okay’ on the soft, soulful verses, but those big notes were unbearable. Strained, off key, and obviously what Mariah was worried about. Randy needs the big notes; if you’re not a diva, you don’t exist, dawg. My favorite from last week tanked, as far as I’m concerned. Now, what’s this about Paula loving the idea of being at Jason’s luau? Unfortunately, she would drain the keg and then someone would have to watch her to make sure she doesn’t fall into the pig-roasting pit. And then she’d pass out before Jason started to sing. Hard to believe Simon actually liked this performance, but his positive endorsement, along with the pimp spot, should keep Jason safe for another week.

 

After last week’s shocking elimination, I haven’t a clue who is leaving this week, and honestly, I don’t think I care. Normally, Ryan puts six of the contestants into two groups and then makes the seventh person pick the winning side. I could be totally off, but just for kicks, I think it may end up like this:

• Group One: David A, David C, Jason
• Group Two: Syesha, Carly, Kristy

(If Kristy has power-voters out there, then Kristy and Jason might be switched around.)

And then Brooke will be told that she is safe and to pick the safe side. Of course, she’ll say “Come on guys” and work her frail act. She may even pick the three girls even though she knows in her heart they are the Bottom Three. And Carly may get the boot, or even Kristy, even though I think it should be Syesha or Brooke. I definitely put my money on a female to leave. Stay tuned!

 

Comments

[Stefanie]

My picks are as follows (and funny enough, they mirror last week's exactly)...

Bottom three: Brooke, Carly, Syesha.

Peace out: Brooke.

While it's not my personal preference for Brooke to go home (I LOVE the Carly Simon/ Carole King tone of her voice), I think she's out over Carly or Syesha. Carly: gotta have another shot at connecting with the audience. I mean... come on... sing another Lennon/McCartney or Heart song or whatever it takes to make it happen, GIRL!! Syesha: I'm not saying peace out to her this week because I like her. Because I don't. I just think that some people tolerate her because technically she's a good singer, and while her time IS nearing an end, it's not her week to go home. So that leaves Brooke. Brooke: like I said, she's been a favorite of mine, but she was so insanely nervous up there on the piano -- lips quivering, notes speeding up involuntarily and all -- that I truly think it's her time to go. Don't worry though Brooke... I'll buy your album (it'll probably be sold in Starbucks)!!

Nice recap Stacy and Dixie! Good call with the seventh person picking the winning side. Had forgotten about that. Anxiously awaiting tonight!

[Elisa Camahort]

Great recap. However I must point out that Harry Nilsson (guy who wrote WIthout You) died of a heart attack. Here's his wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Nilsson

My S.O. is a BIG Nilsson fan.

[Dixie]

Elisa, This is from the link you posted: The first was a cover of Badfinger's song "Without You" (by Pete Ham and Tom Evans), featuring a highly emotional arrangement and soaring vocals to match, a performance that was rewarded with Nilsson's second Grammy Award. Pete Ham of Badfinger wrote the song- he hanged himself.

[titlepolice]

It's "I Don't Wanna Cry" not "Only If I Cry"