Idol Gives Back: Emotion, Another Master Class and A So-So Fantasia Impression

Idol Gives Back kicked off tonight on Idol, with some great heartwarming looks at poverty in Africa and here in the States. The performances were inspirational, emotional and heartfelt. It was a great start to the night from Chris and it ramped up to the close of the season from Jordin and possibly the best performances ever on the show.

So, who is in the bottom three. After some great performances and down to six, it’s going to be tough to find a bottom three. Lakisha will be there this week for reasons explained and she did a song that is too fresh in the minds of fans of Fantasia. Big big mistake on that song. The other two…although Phil did a great job tonight and is starting to get some praise, I am afraid it may be too little too late for Phil, the other girls will be safe so that leaves either Blake or Chris. Blake was solid on “Imagine” and has built up more of a fan base over the past weeks than Chris, which should put Chris in the bottom three with Lakisha and Phil this week. Who is headed home? Be sure to listen to the podcast shortly…

Idol Gives Back Performances(Top 6)

Well it’s a night of hope and compassion with Idol Gives Back. Bono is mentor, should be a fun evening. Nice piece to open the show with Coldplay’s “Trouble”. Tonight with two numbers per contestant. Chris Richardson up first

Chris, “Change the World,” good use of his vocal range, he’s put in some of his personality, nice start to the night. He’s very comfortable, nice job. Liked the rise at the end…Judges: Randy, for the first time in a long time, that was great, Paula, you did fantastic, great song choice, Simon, kinda feels like the competition starts tonight, good vocal, more soul in it, did really well. Melinda up next.

Melinda, “There Will Come a Day,” once again, a master class from Melinda in the period of a few minutes. The band did a great arrangement. Nice to hear an urban vibe to a Faith Hill song. Judges: Randy, you have arrived, Melinda is here, Paula, there’s no one like you, your magical, Simon, it wasn’t a copycat performance, it really was a vocal master class. Blake up next.

Blake, “Imagine,” …my girlfriend just put a magazine over the screen so I don’t know if I’ll be typing correctly…forgive me if anything doesn’t quite look right from this point on…Blake has a cool look going into the song tonight. He kept to the standards of the song and did a nice job with the song. It’s a night of compassion, so do I dare say Blake played it safe…no, but I can think it. Judges: Randy, great choice of song, performance was alright for me, Paula, first real sensitive performance from you, enjoyed it, Simon, felt sincere, didn’t go anywhere, you sang it with sincerity. I agree with Simon, Blake picked a BIG and very well known song and its hard to do anything unique with that.

Lakisha up next, “I Believe”, from Fantasia, she started out well, it’s tough to not compare her to the original. I think Lakisha is in trouble this week. Judges: Randy, had some pitch problems, did like it, Paula, a powerhouse of a vocalist, hard time comparing it to Fantasia, Simon, it was very emotional, having an issue with the shouting.

I think Lakisha is in trouble of heading home this week. She’s been playing it safe for a few weeks now and I think it’s going to catch up to her.

Phil next, which means Jordin closes the show.

Phil, “The Change,” going for some Garth Brooks. It’s nice to hear Phil in his lower range, I think this is where he is at his best vocally. He’s comfortable and singing with some emotion tonight. Nice job from Phil, but is it enough? Judges: Randy, since last week your back again this week, nice vocal, Paula, feel like you’ve found your comfort, this was your best, Simon, I really like you, came back with confidence, good choice of song.

Jordin up next to close the show, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” great vocal to start, liked the falsetto, she’s got some emotion in that voice tonight, solid vocal tonight, best of the night, nice close to the show. Judges: Randy, one of the best vocals ever on this show, in six seasons, Paula, picked an amazing song, very haunting, did a lovely job, Simon, well, unlike Randy I thought you were fantastic, brilliant.

A solid night by all tonight, but who is headed home…the wrap of the night in a few.

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….