Judges Truth, Another Vocal Class and NOTHING to Talk About

Martina McBride brought Country to Idol, and it rubbed off on most of the contestants. I’m not quite sure what Sanjaya was doing, but he secured safety for Chris and Lakisha with his performance tonight. The belters were out in force, mainly Melinda, Jordin and Blake. Phil seemed the most comfortable and for the first time in a few weeks showed that he belonged in the competition for this long.
A great night of comfort for everyone, but again, Lakisha seems to be hurting herself with her song choices. Thoughts and prayers to students, friends, and Alums of Virginia Tech.
My bottom three: Lakisha, Chris, and Sanjaya.
Who’s headed home. Check the podcast, updated soon…

Country Night with Martina McBride(Top 7)

Martina McBride tonight on Idol, it’s Country night. Let’s get right to it…
Time for the Top 7. Phil up first with some Keith Urban…
Phil comes out to the stage looking very relaxed and sounding great..nice start to the evening..Wow, Phil is performing, like the crowd strolling too, he’s showing some personality…nice job…Judges: Randy, that was hot, really good, Paula, sound good from the beginning, Simon, you’ve only taken ten weeks, only time I’ve heard you and saw some personality. Phil is SAFE, I hope. He chose the right song, but people already have their favorites.
Jordin next…”Broken Wing,” nice job on the start, putting emotion in all the right parts, she’s not rushing the song, solid stage presence, very cool, calm and collected. Nice to hear the power of her voice, with some emotion. Wow….Judges: Randy, another great performance, Paula, you look gorgeous, did a fantastic job, Simon, I believe, based on that performance you can win American Idol.
Sanjaya, “Something to Talk About”…ok that was my second choice for him to John Denver….apparently Country means it’s bandana time…not sounding bad at the start, uh uh playing to the camera, but he seems to have a limited range, but he’s staying in his safe lower range..but he’s having a lot of fun up there. Judges: Randy, really karaoke, what are we doing up here, Paula, watching somebody who loves adversity, Simon, utterly horrendous, as bad as anything we’ve seen at the beginning. I agree with Simon, it’s time for the fun to be over.
Lakisha, “Jesus Take the Wheel,” oh, I’m supposed to be writing…sorry, almost fell asleep. Not a bad start, she’s got that great booming voice and she used it tonight, but I think Jordin did a better, more original job. Judges: Randy, had some pitch problems, but my favorite vocal, Paula, agrees with Randy, vocals were powered, sounded like she was shouting, Simon, it’s like eating a hamburger for breakfast, it doesn’t go together. Her and the song didn’t go together. That was the wrong choice of song for you.
Chris, “Mayberry,” solid stage presence, seems comfortable, sounds pitchy to me, he’s not fitting the mold of the song. Judges: didn’t feel any emotion, felt lost, Paula, the joy and love on stage didn’t come through, Simon, I heard was a very nondescript nasally, tinny vocal, it was insignificant.
Melinda up next..Blake closes the show…Blake is in a prime spot to take over as top vote getter for this week.
Melinda, “Trouble is a Woman”…well, she gets the sass award for the night. Very comfortable, very solid, great performance, she’s putting personality into it. Well, she blew Lakisha away, again. Judges: Randy, another solid performance from a resident pro, Paula, a girl who knows how to pick the right song, Simon, it was fantastic, it was a great choice of song, saw some Tina Turner going on, an attitude.
Blake up next…”When the Stars Go Blue,” showing some nice range getting into the song. Like the falsetto, he’s putting his own style on the song and keeping it Country. Another great performance from Blake. Judges: Randy, loved he picked the right song, love that you know who you are, Paula, kinda have the whole package, always fun to watch you, Simon, thought it was okay.
The wrap on Country night, in a few.

Sanjaya's Gonna Pull a Denver....

Haven't seen any of the pre stuff for this weeks show, but it wouldn't surprise me, as I said in the podcast, if Sanjaya pulls out a showstopper like John Denver's Thank God I'm a Country Boy, wears a cowboy hat and dances with Paula into the Top 6...I see Phil possibly working some Johnny Cash tonight and Lakisha will have some issues...just a prediction.
We'll see in about 45 mins! Be back then...

Country Week with Martina McBride

It's Country Week on Idol and What Will Sanjaya Do? I may have some insight on what will keep him in the competition. Check out the podcast to the right and we'll be back to blog the evening tomorrow!