Michael Johns was one of the standout performances from American Idol 7 Episode 11 (there weren’t a lot). He wants us to know he’s a bit of a jock (tennis) and sings Go Your Own Way.
Randy-Started slow but kinda got into it.
Paula-Got the whole crowd working for you.
Simon-Okay. By far your weakest performance of the whole competition for you. Weak choice of song.
Jason Castro also had a good week. During his interview, he tells us he hates interviews. He’s back with his guitar again, singing I Just Want to Be Your Everything.
Randy-Cool as an act with the guitar, but the vocals are really just okay.
Paula-Not as bad as Randy heard it to be.
Simon-Horrible song. Didn’t suit his voice. Weak vocals.
Luke Menard is part of an a cappella group. He sings Killer Queen, a fairly forgettable performance.
Randy-Pretty good.
Paula-Glad this week was a great week for him.
Simon-Mistake. The original had charisma and personality, but Luke didn’t. Verging on whiny.
Robbie Carrico tells us that Simon’s wrong because there are a lot of different levels of rock. He drag races cars, loving the sound of fuel and burnt tires. Robbie sings Hot Blooded. Sounds good, but I’m still not getting a rock vibe.
Randy-Agrees with Simon. Don’t know if the rock thing is really his thing.
Paula-How does anyone know who you are but you? Played it safe.
Simon-Don’t have to get so defensive about it. Okay vocal tonight.
Danny Noriega believed he was good last week. He tells us the story about how he was in a punk rock band that sucked when he was younger. Sure, the punk rock part was a surprise, but I don’t think the sucking part’s a stretch. He sings Superstar, a song he can’t possibly make work.
Randy-Some problems, too much thinking.
Paula-Can’t overthink it. Just perform.
Simon-Better than last week’s disaster, but at least he stands out in a crowd.
David Hernandez was in gymnastics as a little kid. He sings Papa Was a Rolling Stone in a performance that should help him stand out more from the rest.
Randy-This is the David Hernandez we fell in love with.
Paula-Pure, piercing voice. Perfect.
Simon-Best vocal of the night so far.
Jason Yeager plays guitar, piano, and drums, though he isn’t playing any instruments in the competition just yet, as he sings Long Train Running.
Randy-Wasn’t like a singer’s kind of song, pitchy, karaoke.
Paula-Didn’t show his vocal range.
Simon-Last week was boring. This week was awkward and ordinary. Like he was drunk at a party or something.
Chikezie (formerly known as Chikezie Eze) has a misprounounced Nigerian name, which has just stuck with him because people kept mispronouncing it since elementary school. He sings I Believe, and he gives a good show, something he really needed after last week’s close call.
Randy-Chikezie is back. In it to win it.
Paula-Brilliant. Fun.
Simon-Looked better. Sounded better. Clever choice of song.
David Cook is a word nerd and demonstrates it by talking like he’s on Dawson’s Creek. He sings All Right Now while playing guitar. This is the type of song that’s hard to screw up because it’s so fun and everybody knows it.
Randy-Real rocker from the boys this year.
Paula-The real deal.
Simon-Solid. Believeable. Story was boring, though, and he doesn’t have a lot of charisma. David snaps back at him, which is a bad idea. Justin Guarini learned this the hard way in season 1, yet 6 years later, David Cook is relearning it.
David Archuleta gets the pimp spot, not surpising considering he’s growing more and more as the favorite as the weeks go by. He tells a story about how he met and sang for the American Idol 1 finalists when he was 11 (check out the video in the American Idol 7 Episode 3 post). He sings Imagine and lives up to expectations. One of these weeks he’ll probably have an unexpected off night, but not this night.
Randy-One of the best vocals ever on this show. Maturity way beyond his years.
Paula-Ridiculous. She wants to dangle his decapitated head from her rear view mirror or something. One of the most moving performances ever. Destined for superstardom.
Simon-Very risky, but it worked. The one to beat.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of American Idol 7 episodes 15 and 16.