First of all, I thought this night was one of the best vocal wise. There were no vocal train wrecks, nd everyone sang very well, I thought. Performance wise... These were covered in so much cheese that they were sickening.
And worst of all?
I enjoyed it all. Kinda.
Fuck.
I felt like all the contestants really got into their songs and delivered very believable performances. It's gonna be a tough one from here on out - it is clear that each contestants have a strong fan base.
Chris Richardson — Change the World - Chris infused this classic with his own style. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of that style, buut I still think it worked for Chris. Of all the contestants tho, I felt that Chris was the one that felt his song the least.
Melinda Doolittle — There Will Come A Day - Melinda looked great again tonight. She needs to add a bit of color in her wardrobe tho! Very cheesy song, but Melinda reminded me tonight why she is the favorite to win it (wether we like her or not). Listening to this with audio only - she gave me chills.
Blake Lewis — Imagine
Singing right after Melinda - tough order. I think my boy did very very well vocal wise. He gave a very heartfelt, sincere performance. I agree with Paula, in the sense that I felt it was his first really emotional, sensitive performance. He looked terribly sad... True this song requires a simple performance, but I feel he could have done a bit more with it. I am scared for my boy tonight.
LaKisha Jones — I Believe - I have never Fantasia sing this song, so I guess I am not biaised. I don't feel it ws her best vocals, nor her best performance. But once again, I think she really felt her song. But why would she choose another idol song? Maybe to show she can be the next Idol? Not sure she succeeded in that tonight...
Phil Stacey — The Change - Tonight was the first time I was able to watch Phil for some reason. He delivered a solid, believable performance tonight. Yeah his voice was cracking a bit on the higher notes, but I kinda like it. Last week was still his best, but this week is a close second.
Jordin Sparks — You'll Never Walk Alone - The phrasing was so very slow.... Excellent vocals for Jordin, tho there were some pitchiness here and there... But she delivered such a great performance... Very emotional, heartfelt... I goptta say tho, when she holds a note like at the end, and she moves her head from side to side... It REALLY affects her vocals. Listening to the audio only, the final note is pretty painful because of her shaking her head. Still, Jordin showed me tonight that she is a very serious contender for the crown...
No one was sent home this week. Votes from this week will be added to those of next week to determine who will go home. Two people will go home next week.
My !@#%%&^&(*&^&$%%#&^&(&*%R#$&%^& TIVO freaked out on me last night, and didn't record the show. So my comments are based solely on listening to the audio performances...
Phil Stacey — Where The Blacktop Ends - This was GREAT! I can't believe I'm liking Phil that much this week. I could have done without the money notes, but other than that, I thought this genre really suited him. His voice was great - I especially liked the little "twang" he's got in there. Very, very nice. My fav of his by a big huge freaking MILE!
Jordin Sparks — Broken Wing - Only saw her dress from the recap at the end of the show... Hidious. Now, onto the voice... She doesn't seem to have much control over her lower register... The first time she hits a high note, she's pretty pitchy... But once she hits the chorus... PURE MAGIC. Pure. Magic.
LaKisha Jones — Jesus, Take the Wheel - From the recap, I thought she really didn't look good. Her voice sounds beautiful in the beginning. Chorus - not so good. There were some good parts, but she sounds like she's shouting all throught the really high notes. Not her best.
Chris Richardson — Mayberry - VERY nasal in the beginning. The chorus was good. From the vocals only, not very memorable. I did see a clip of this performance, and I liked it much better. Goes to show that when performing, it's not all about the voice.
It's a bit unfair, as I've seen the last two performances on tv...
Melinda Doolittle — Trouble is a Woman - Melinda looks so good tonight. Voice only - she sounds amazing. I get the Tina Turner comment from Simon. But her performance lacked the energy the song required. She still did really well tonight, and got me much more interested than she has in the last few weeks.
Blake Lewis — When The Stars Go Blue
LOVE his falsetto. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It seems to me like the music was way too loud and drowned Blake's voice a bit. He seemed annoyed to me tonight. Not his best, but it was still pretty darn good.
My fav: Melinda, Blake, Phil Bottom 3: LaKisha, Chris, Phil Going home: LaKisha
I knew I forgot to listen to one performance... Sanjaya! *LOL*
Sanjaya Malakar – Let's Give Them Something To Talk About - Hidious hair do... Damn. From the very first note, it was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. He's clearly the worst, but will he go? I couldn't even listen to the whole thing, it was really getting on my nerves.
*****EDITED*****
Weird night...
I liked that Simon set the record straight. He even seemed kind sad about the whole thing.
Enjoyed the group song for once. It also reinforced that Phil should sing country. Really good again tonight.
I hate with a passion the two groups and the "lucky" 7th person choose. Good for Melinda for not playing.
VERY surprised that Blake was in the B3. Hopefully his fans will pick it up now and vote more and more for him.
Glad Sanjaya is gone, but I can't even enjoy his departure. The poor boy took it HARD. I really felt bad for him. He has been ridiculed over and over again - granted he did not belong there, but I feel he endured what he did because the judges let him through. I hope this will be a lesson for next season...
Well, tonight was better thn I thought it was going to be, but not as good as it could have been. JLo was good, I thought. I thought it was pretty funny when she called Blake to do the beatboxing on Haley's song!
Melinda Doolittle — Sway - Melinda looked the best she's looked all season. She had the best vocals of the night. But for some reason, her performance was very forgettable, and by the end of the night, all I could remember of her performance was the black dress she wore. She tried to be sexy, but she didn't quite succeed.
Lakisha Jones — Conga - LaKisha looked great in red, but that dress really was not flattering. Not at all. She also looked totally terrified up there. It felt like she was trying to have fun, but she really couldn't get into it. Her voice was thin, and she seemed out of breath...
Chris Richardson — Smooth - Oh I liked, I liked!!! He got the "Chris Daughtry" musicians... *L* I don't know why this guy doesn't sing more in his lower register, which is actually quite pleasant. The second part was much better tho, as it felt like he was finding himself and really getting into the performance. However, I thought the performance was much better than the singing.
Haley Scarnato — Turn the Beat Around - This really wasn't very good. Yeah, she seemed to have fun, but she also seemed really desperate. Simon usually doesn't turn around to look at the contestants up on the platform behind the judges table, but for some reason he did when Haley was up there... Gee, I wonder why. I thought Simon was right in his comments to her, but unecessarly cruel.
Phil Stacey — Maria Maria - I can't watch him, I just can't. So, with my eyes closed, his voice was pretty good, and the genre really suited him I thought. It's too bad his voice cracked at the end, he was doing well vocally wise.
Jordin Sparks — Rhythm is Gonna Get You - I like Jordin, but I did not like this performance. Her age really showed and how inexperienced she is performing. Her voice was fine tho. Maybe it's because I don't like the song, but I thought she made poor choice, as this really isn't a singer's song. She looked amazingly good tonight tho!
Blake Lewis — I Need To Know
This genre really suits Blake. He was very good tonight. Very good! There was a little bit of passion missing from him - I would have loved to see him really painfully telling this girl he needed to know.... But, he was sexy, oh yes he was - he looks really good in red... Yum! *what's the matter with me???* His voice was spot on and his performance, the dancing and everything was really good. My personal favorite tonight.
Sanjaya Malakar — Bésame Mucho - WTF? Sanjaya gets the pimp spot??? He actually was good tonight. Pretty good I might even say. He looked and sounded believable. But again his voice was too low on the english part. The spanish parts were really, really good.
Best of the night: Blake Worst of the night: Haley
B3: Haley, Phil, Chris (althought he doesn't deserve it IMO) Gone: Haley, but Phil could easily go, too....
*****EDITED*****
So, the bottom 3 was Phil, Haley and Chris. And Haley went home. I think it's the first time this season that I am right in my predictions! I thought for a little bit that Phil was going - he was pretty "zen" about the whole thing, so that fooled me into thinking he was going. Blake got a huge reaction from the crowd everytime his name was mentioned... I think he's a favorite! *L* I purchased his latest song from American Idol "I Need To Know". He beatbox at the beginning of the song, which I think is pretty cool. Blake records really well, his voice sounds great on record.
Can't wait to hear and see what he'll come up with next week, as it is country night!
Avril and her band recorded this studio session in march 2007. In total, 5 songs. LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of Jimmy in all 5 of those clips, but especially on I'm With You and on When You're Gone. His voice is put to the forefront with Avril's, nd the two voices mesh well together. Check it out on my video page!
I was a bit disappointed tonight. I was expecting a better show given the theme. We still got a pretty decent show, but I thought it could have been better.
I thought that was one of Blake's best vocals. I was a tiny little bit disappointed he didn't try to make it a bit more his own. I liked the scat at the end.. Not my fav performance of his, but I think he did really good. He looked great - I love his Colgate smile! :) And I really love the way he moves on stage.
Phil Stacey — Night and Day - Phil looked awful tonight. He looked sick. I just can't watch him, he creeps me out. Listening with my eyes closed, it was actually a lot better than the judges gave him credit for. But the line "spending my life making love to you" really did me in. Blech. Sorry, Phil fans! He just doesn't do anything for me vocally.
Melinda Doolittle — I Got Rhythm - LOVED the dress, hated the hair. I love that style of music for Melinda. She was great! I think this was my favorite performance of hers. She seems to have finally gained confidence!
Chris Richardson — Mr. Saturday Dance - He looked great tonight. The hat really suits him. He's got beautiful blue eyes and a great smile. :) I LOVED his voice tonight. No nasal stuff at ALL tonight. Fun performance, and yeah, he put lots of himself in this one. One of his best, and my fav from him.
Jordin Sparks — On A Clear Day - She did good! Her breathing really bothered me on the softer part of the song, mainly at the beginning. That money note at the end was really impressive. This was young and fun, just like her. Very good!
Gina Glocksen — Smile - Her tongue ring and her hair really distracted me tonight. Listening to the audio only, her voice was really good on this. The arrangement is horrendous tho... Yikes. All in all, good vocals, but a bit boring.
Haley Scarnato — Ain't Misbehavin' - Well, she's a smart girl. She knows she's got a great bod, and she's using it. She made me think of Jessica Robinson in that performance. Her voice was good, and I thought her performance was good, too. It was fun, and she seemed to have had fun with it. All three judges were asses with her. I felt bad for her.
Sanjaya Malakar — Cheek to Cheek - One of his best vocals. But why oh why doesn't he sing in a higher register, and louder? He's actually pretty good when he kicks in! His personality is showing through, and he seems to have so much more confidence this week - seems like he's believing his own hype. Again, the judges were being total assholes in their comments to him. They clearly want him out - and so do I, please dog have mercy - but do they really need to be that cruel?
LaKisha Jones — Stormy Weather - I HATE her lower register. On the first phrase, when she sings weather... ARGH! It really is grating to my ears. She looked great, she sang great... But it was not anything that really wowed me.
Best of the night: Melinda, Chris R Worst of the night: Sanjaya, Phil
Bottom 3: Phil, Gina, Haley Going home: Phil
*****EDITED*****
Wow. I have to admit my jaw dropped. It was clear to me that the last two would be Haley and Gina - Phil looked way to chipper and Gina looked way too gloomy to suggest otherwise. But I never expected that Gina would be the one to go.
Yea, it doesn't really matter in which order they go - the F4 will be Melinda, Lakisha, Jordin and Blake, bearing an enormous surprise. So yeah, it's ok that Gina's gone. But it's hard to take that she went before Haley, before Phil, before freaking Sanjaya!!! I'd rather listen to her until the F4 instead of the others.
She knew it was coming, too, she looked so sad and just exploded when it was revealed she was going home. She still sang really well - which she had sang like that last night...
Mom Has Stacked Dinner Party Roster
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GOLDEN, CO—Their eyes widening in amazement as the 43-year-old rattled off
the names of heavy hitter after heavy hitter, impressed members of the
Dreesh...
