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!

Latin Flair, Channeling Gloria Estefan, and "The" Goatee?

I found it Latin Night to be a very entertaining night, however it should have been called, “Gloria Estefan” night. Melinda kicked off the evening with Michael Buble’s “Sway” which I thought was pretty good, and the evening ended with Sanjaya pulling off a Spanish tune and not sounding bad. Jordin, Haley, and Lakisha seemed to have the most fun with their performances. Jordin had the best female vocal of the night, with Blake taking it for the guys. I still feel Lakisha is playing it safe week after week. She just isn’t hitting it, which is why this week she makes it into the bottom three, along with Haley and Phil and, I think there is a possibility that Sanjaya may be safe for another week. Who’s headed home? A more complete breakdown in the podcast shortly….

Latin Night with J-Lo(Top 8)

Well, another round of Idol, here we go, Latin night with J-Lo…and as Jennifer says it’s about the ‘passion’…up first tonight, Melinda
Melinda, “Sway”, like the look, decent stage presence, like her little touches to the song, this girl can sing the Oscar Mayer theme and make it amazing, solid performance from Melinda tonight, like the band’s rendition to…Judges: Randy, another solid performance, Paula, very sultry, smooth, wasn’t one where you had to wow us, Simon, had to happen, didn’t like it, that song is all about personality, and you appeared older, was very lounge, cabaret, bit lazy, thinks she’s better than that….next, Lakisha
I find it interesting they put the two with the most potential ‘trouble’ up front and center. With Idol its all about strategy and where you sing, could one of these first two be at..dare I say…’risk’ tomorrow night?
Lakisha next…”Conga”…solid on the stage, keeping the tempo well, I like her voice on this song, it’s tough because everyone is going to compare it to Gloria. She did another ‘safe’ song…Judges: Randy, having fun, made it your own, that was hot, Paula, didn’t feel it as much as Randy, felt it was a safe Lakisha, Simon, not a singers song, a performance song, quite a safe song to do, the dancing wasn’t great….Lakisha may be in the bottom three this week. Chris next.
Chris Richardson, “Smooth”, oooh, ooh the Justin Timberlake version of “Smooth”, stage presence is okay, doesn’t seem original too me tonight…like the color of the guitar, that’s sweet! Had some nice vocals..Judges: Randy, did a good job, very cool, Paula, hot performance, sexy, Simon, preferred to the first two, more contemporary, was a good performance. Haley and Phil on the way.
Haley, “Turn the Beat Around”, solid start, her vocals were a little muddled from the backup singers, nice stage presence, and she’s clearly having a good time. Not a bad job from Haley. Judges: Randy, really karaoke, Paula, a fun song, you had fun up there, Simon, think she has a very good tactic, wear the least amount of clothes as possible. Vocals were rushed. Haley will be in the bottom three this week.
Phil, “Maria, Maria”, Phil using his smooth side on this one, he’s very comfortable on stage tonight, it’s nice to be able to hear Phil’s vocal range and his voice, he’s having some fun with it as well. Best of the night so far. Judges: Randy, didn’t quite connect, Paula, vocally it was good vocal, Simon, found the no originality in the performance, nothing to get positive or excited about. Up next, Jordin and Blake, which means Sanjaya is closing the show….interesting.
Jordin, “Rhythm is Gonna Get You”, like the look tonight, solid vocal, great stage presence and so far, the BEST of the night. She’s having fun, and the little run away from the lead vocal is great, she put her on touch on the song, WOW! Judges: Randy, that was hot, Paula, so authentic, your you, out there having a great time, Simon, feel about you they way I’ve felt all night, they’re all okay performances. Blake next…
Blake, “I Need to Know”, a asolid start, seems a little robotic, nice vocals with the run toward the end of the song. Best of the night so far, he could have been a little more risky. Judges: Randy, liked it, best song choice of the night, Paula, very smart performance, Simon, best choice of the night, best performance so far. Sanjaya up next….
Sanjaya, “Besame Mucho”, I mentioned in my blog about the possibility of someone doing a Spanish song, but I didn’t expect him to do it…well, he’s singing the song, a little Spanish, and some English too. He did a solid job. Judges: Randy, really good, Paula, good pitch, smooth, nice, very very nice, Simon, right, I couldn’t understand a word of it, it wasn’t horrible.
The wrapup of the evening coming in a few…

Idol Thoughts Top 8 Preview:Jennifer Lopez

Well, break out the bongo drums, it's Latin Week on Idol!
This Week Jennifer Lopez is the vocal coach for the remaining eight. Check out the latest podcast on the right, and then come back and let me know your Idolthoughts.
www.idolthoughts.us