Best Week This Year

OK, “best week this year” may be faint praise but at least there were no train wrecks. A lot of solid, safe, predictable choices which is why a few performances – and one in particular - really stood out which was …

. . .David Cook – WOW. One of – maybe - THE best of the year. I’ve been lukewarm on him all year but as Randy said, he was molten hot (or whatever he said, dawg). I think you can see Chris Cornell’s version (I love Chris Cornell btw) rise to the top of the iTunes charts. David C. can win this.

Also good:

Brooke – I agree that I wish she had just stayed on the piano but she picked a good song and not a safe one although arguably you get the same type of vocal performance each week. That’s fine, it’s who she is, and she’s got a unique quality.

Syesha – a safe choice but she finally did her R&B diva thing. I could have done without the scale the heights ending, too, endings which happen way too often every year with almost every contestant.

OK, I got my crushes out of the way. Now on to commenting on the rest in order of performance, excluding the above:

Ramiele – closest thing to a train wreck. Safe song choice and not done well although apparently she had no voice. Like Rice Krispies, I want to like her but there’s nothing but a little sugar and a lot of air.

Jason – imaginative song choice, typical nice job but nothing special. A lot better than last week, of course. I still like his laid-back, hippie vibe and vocal style. And the girls are clearly smitten with him.

Chikezie – OK, Wanda, I’m finally going to dog my boy. I keep saying that being a big black guy aren’t enough qualifications to do Luther. STOP! One of the reasons I never watched Idol was that I tuned in one night while on the road and saw Rueben sing a Luther song and I was appalled. No, no, no Chikezie! I still continue to say he has a nice voice when he gets the song right. Tonight, he would have been better served by doing one of the many catchy uptempo R&B songs that were done in the 1985 (Billy Ocean, Kool and the Gang, maybe Freddie Jackson rather than Luther) or even something funky but riskier like Loose Ends, Pet Shop Boys, Level 42 or Simple Minds.

Michael – easily his best night to date but I think the jury is still out on him

Carly – OK, let the debate begin! I liked her again. I think she has an amazing voice and thought this was a perfect song for her no matter what Randy says. Carly is not quite a pure pop singer and not quite a pure rock singer so a song like “Total Eclipse” which straddles both genres I think is her sweet spot. I don’t get why Simon (and Randy) are dogging her so much.

David A. – props to Diandra who noted that she knew of a song that Randy Jackson don’t know about as fabulous Australian Christian artist Rebecca St. James covered “You’re the Voice” on her incredible album “God”. Anyway, David was OK, nothing great. A little risky doing a song few people had heard of. I do agree with Simon that it sounded a bit theme-parkish. But we know he can sing and he will continue to sail through.

Kristy Lee – very, very clever song choice. And she sang it really, really well. I mean, I hate to say it but she was (pretty and) pretty good tonight.

Bottom three prediction: Ramiele, Chikezie and Kristy Lee. Possibly Carly as Simon seems bent on having her voted off. Kristy Lee may have done enough to pull her out of the bottom. Maybe, maybe not.