AMERICAN IDOL – Top 9 Perform

I’ve been such a crazy person running around L.A. this week that it was nice to sit back and just enjoy AMERICAN IDOL tonight. Well, “enjoy” might not be the right word as overall I didn’t think it was a very strong night, but IDOL is still IDOL and it was nice to catch it tonight.Before we get into a recap of tonight’s show, we must acknowledge the passing of Claudette Yamin – the mother of former IDOL contestant Elliot Yamin. If you were watching his season, you will remember Elliot’s mother and her adoration and support of her son. She seemed like a sweet lady and I was sad to hear of her passing.

As for tonight’ IDOL, the mentor was none other than Dolly Parton (who I kind of hero worship). Dolly Parton!! No way ’round it…this woman is legendary. The kids are all singing her tunes tonight, and I inwardly curse the rule that prohibits duets because I love me some “Islands in the Stream”. I think the big shocker of the night was that no one sang “9 to 5”. Perhaps they somehow heard me belt it in the shower and they were intimidated that they couldn’t compete. Yeah, that must be it.

Leading things off tonight was Brooke White with her rendition of “Jolene”. I think Brooke is on some shaky ground. She’s had a few rough weeks and needs a solid performance to get her back on track. Unfortunately tonight wasn’t her night to do that. Although I agree with Randy that the song was indicative of the type of recording artist Brooke might one day be, I don’t think the song allowed her to shine. None of the judges were overly impressed, nor was I.

My main man David Cook to the stage next. Before I get to my thoughts on his performance I have to say that for those of you who enjoyed David’s take on “Billie Jean” you must, MUST head over to iTunes and purchase the full version of the song. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to that song. The full length version is off the charts better than what he did on the show, and that’s saying a lot. Ok, but tonight is a new night, and David (sporting a new haircut) takes on “Little Sparrow”. His original arrangement was solid and I loved it. It didn’t stand out like the past few weeks (then again the bar was set pretty damn high) but there’s no doubt this kid is worthy of what comes his way. His falsetto was nice and it showed a lot of depth. The judges were all about him, and even though Simon didn’t think it was as good as last week he was still impressed.

Ramiele Maluby was the next to perform. Here’s where I’m at with Ramiele – I think she has a good voice, better than a lot of artists on the charts today. But there’s nothing exciting about her. I don’t feel any connection to her, and I never expect anything great or stand out from Ramiele. I always expect a performance that’s easy on the airs, but I somehow always find myself bored. And that’s just what happened with tonight’s performance. Half way through I was ready to fast forward. And I think if the judges could, they would too. No one seemed particularly excited.

Ladies prepare to swoon because Jason Castro is up next. Being on the chopping block last week must have affected Jason because he had a lot more energy and a bit of fire in his eyes when he took the stage tonight. I think he took Simon’s criticism to heart and decided to really put in some more effort. I thought his performance was fantastic and he picked a really great song for not only his voice but his style. Randy and Paula were pleased but not overly enthusiastic. Simon wasn’t a big fan of Jason’s performance.

Carly Smithson, or as Simon calls her ‘that Irish girl’ performed her rendition of “Here You Come Again”, one of Dolly’s most famous songs. Although a bit understated, I thought Carly had a great performance tonight. Listen, the girl can sing and if you don’t realize that I think you need to head over to the Doc’s and have yourself checked out. Carly hasn’t always picked the right songs to prove what a breakout start she really is. While I wait for Carly’s BIG performance, I’m going to go ahead and download the studio version of her performance on iTunes. Oh as for the judges – Randy and Paula loved it while Simon wasn’t all that impressed.

Put in your ear plugs because the screaming tweens are about to erupt for David Archuleta. The early favorite has faltered a bit over the past few weeks and may have to rely on his super cute looks to beat out some of his talented competition. David needs a big night tonight to get him back in the game. And while he sang a great song, and sang it well, I don’t think it stands up as well next to some of the other performances. Here’s my deal with David. He has this sweet and beautiful voice, but I get nervous for him when he goes to his upper register. Every time he belts a note my breath hitches because I’m never sure if he’s going to make it. It’s almost like he’s holding back a bit. I would love to see him just belt it once, just to see if he can do it. The judges were quite pleased with David tonight – high marks all around.

On a night filled with country songs, I think it says a lot when I wasn’t overjoyed to see Kristy Lee Cook take the stage. I’ll be honest and just say that this girl has overstayed her welcome in my book, and short of a mind blowing , off the charts performance, I can’t imagine that I’ll ever be impressed by her. Her performance was ok – nothing special per usual. Country is the place to be though. If Kellie Pickler can be a star the so can Kristy Lee Cook. The judges were pretty positive, but as much as they can be for Kristy Lee.

Syesha Mercado has been fighting to stay in this competition for the past few weeks. I think you all know by now that I’m a big fan, but I don’t think Syesha will make it too far. Not sure why she doesn’t have more voter support but I guess that’s just the way it is. As a fan of hers I was shaking in my boots when Ryan announced she was taking on “I Will Always Love You”. Yes it was a Dolly song, but it is owned by Whitney Houston, and I don’t think anyone should ever take on Whitney Houston. She did a nice job with it, although I found the arrangement a bit lacking. Her big note at the end was fantastic…but then she held it about four beats too long and she started to falter. The judges were a bit all over the place, all agreeing that she didn’t bomb with it, but as Simon said, it probably won’t be what she needs to win over the voters this week.

Finishing off the night was Michael Johns. Coming off a really strong performance last week, Michael once again showed some real talent tonight. More than any other contestant tonight, he sold himself as a legit star. He’s taking more risks and proving that he has the talent to back it up. The judges all agree and they were very pleased with his performance tonight. That being said I’m not convinced Michael has made the connection with the audience that others have. Case in point – Michael had a great performance last week but there was very little interest in the online space from people looking for the video. Nothing compared to the number of people looking to check out David Cook’s performance. Michael has a great voice, he’s easy on the eyes…what am I missing?

So that’s that. I’m loving that we are down to 9 because recapping is so much easier. As always, I’ll be posting my favorite performances (as well as those I think many of you will be looking for) in just a bit.

As for who I think will be going home this week? I definitely think it will be a girl. the bottom three should definitely include Ramiele and Kristy Lee. I’d put Brooke in the bottom three this week over Syesha, but I’m not expecting that to happen. I think it’s Kristy Lee’s week to go home.

What did YOU think of tonight’s performances? Any standouts? Who WILL be and SHOULD be going home tomorrow night?