And the next ” American Idol” is David. But David who? Not everyone agrees on which David will win Wednesday night.
The winner: David Archuleta. There’s no question David Cook is a far more original and versatile performer than his young opponent, but as Randy has told “Archie” so often, “Dude, you can sing the phone book.” Add to that Archie’s devoted legion of prepubescent and postmenopausal fans. And then there’s this year’s coronation song, which is bound to be more syrupy than a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth’s. No one serves up syrup sweeter than Archuleta. We can already imagine his dad saying, “Pour it on.” - Daniel Bubbeo
The winner: David Cook. “Idol” missed its shot with Chris Daughtry two years ago. Sure, 19 Entertainment still makes money off him, but it would have been so much sweeter if the “American Idol,” not the fourth-place finisher, had been the biggest-selling artist in 2007. Cook’s potential CD sales could even overtake Daughtry’s. He’s über-talented and can sing “Phantom of the Opera” with as much ease as Phantom Planet. The stylists have exposed his raw sexuality and - surprise! - he’s also a nice guy. The perfect “Idol” package. Make no mistake, it’ll be Cook singing the assuredly icky “coronation” song Wednesday night. - Ronnie Gill
Tuesday night, the final four took on the huge selection of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” This was the night that was supposed to be David Cook’s, after all he is the “resident rocker” of the group. Oddly enough, the night was owned by the 17-year-old “pop sensation,” “lil’ David”(as Seacrest likes to call him). Let’s break it down by performances now:
4. Jason Castro
As Simon stated, Jason should pack his suitcase. He tackled two “Bob” songs. The first, “I Shot the Sheriff” by Bob Marley was slightly awkward, especially when he tried to dance amd bob his head. Did anyone else notice that?
His second song, ”Mr. Tambourine Man,” by Bob Dylan, I thought was a better choice. I actually thought he sang it pretty well, but he did commit the ultimate ‘Idol” no-no by forgetting his lyrics. Although, he is the third contestant to do that this year following in the footsteps of Brooke White and David Archuleta. Whoops! It’s hard not to like Jason because he is so charming and laid-back, but he will go home Wednesday.
Grade: D
3. TIE between David Cook and Syesha Mercado
David Cook
Did anyone else expect more out of DC tonight? His first song, as Simon said was a bit of a copycat version of Duran Duran’s ”Hungry Like the Wolf.” He sang it pretty well, but had some trouble hitting those lower notes. He also sang with a more nervous energy than he has in the past few weeks.
However, David seemed more in his element with ”Baba O’Riley” by the Who. I do agree with Randy in that something weird was going on with him tonight. He definitely will survive and I fully expect he will be on his A game next time.
Grade: B
Syesha Mercado
Once again, Syesha has proven why she is the last female standing. She has such a strong, powerful voice that causes one to have goosebumps when she sings.
Her first song ”Proud Mary,” by Tina Turner was quite theatrical, which seems to be her nitch. I don’t know if it was the best choice because she did not get to show that powerful voice.
She definitely redeemed herself with the second song, ”A Change Is Gonna Come,” by Sam Cooke. She truly connected with that song for various reasons as she stated and we saw her completely lose it when Randy told her she tried too hard. Surprisingly, Simon and Paula both loved it and Syesha seemed to calm herself down after hearing Cowell’s approval.
Grade: B
1. David Archuleta
“Lil David” had the best night by a mile or as Simon said “he crushed the competition.” His version of ”Stand by Me” by Ben E. King was excellent because he truly made it his own and connected with the audience by opening his eyes, as Paula pointed out. His vocals were also outstanding.
For his second choice, David sang the more subdued “”Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley and I don’t think it was quite as good as the first because of the lack of vitality within his vocals.
One slightly negative thing to say about David is that he sometimes chooses songs that may be a bit too mature for a person his age and in the process loses some of his youthfulness. No harm done, though. He definitely rocked and had the best night of the remaining competitors.
Grade: A
I am still thinking that it will be a David vs. David final, but both men better be at the top of their games next week because Syesha is on fire right now.
What do you think? Do you think Jason Castro will be the one packing or do you think there may be a “huge shocker” in store for us?
It’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame night on American Idol tonight. Which seems oddly appropriate, somehow, in this strangest of Idol seasons — fine one minute, not-so-fine the next — because there’s only one true rocker left in the bunch.
And, no, it ain’t David Archuleta.
Those Idol fans with long memories — long enough to go back, way back, all the way back to this time two years ago — will remember that it was at about this point in Idol’s season that consensus critics’ pick Chris Daughtry was told his Idol journey was over. Daughtry, the sole hard rocker to make the final four that year, exited the stage — and immediately went on to sell a gadzillion CDs. He’s still selling them, to hear the music charts tell it.
This time, music fans, and not just Idol believers, can only hope the same doesn’t happen to David Cook.
But it might.
Right now, this is the other David, David Archuleta’s, Idol to lose. In a terrific — if somewhat angry — post on The Huffington Post, that noted archival site for all things Idol, culture critic Chez Pazienza said as much, noting: “David Archuleta’s going to win American Idol — you may as well get that through your head right now.” Read the rest of this entry »
Last night’s show was another interesting one. We had it all, full-voiced jam sessions, shaky vocal tone qualities, near meltdowns, and funky syncopated arrangements. It actually turned out A LOT better than I had expected, and Andrew Lloyd Webber was an amazing mentor (and I can’t STAND Andrew Lloyd Webber). He really did an amazing job with the contestants, and I have to give him kudos for giving each contestant more insight into exactly what they needed to do to deliver their performance to the audience effectively.
Well, Archuleta fans, what can I say? Last night’s episode was a strange one…very strange indeed.
“Inspirational” songs was on the menu, and once again, our man Archuleta delivered a powerhouse “Angels” performance that featured his piano skills, his wide range, his expert note selection in the ad-libbed melismas, and his ever-growing readiness for a world-wide concert tour!
What’s interesting about this week’s performance is that his voice was not as on-pitch as it has been in the past. In fact, he looked exhausted as he sang. Has Archuleta been losing sleep (like I have these past few weeks)?? However, that look of exhaustion added a whole ‘nother dimension to the entire performance, and he ended up turning it into artistic gold. His performance last night was on par with seasoned performers who take the stage at their concerts and just absolutely captivate the audience with their voices and musicianship, regardless of the minor pitch issues and vocal faults. I challenge everyone who is reading this to attend a concert with the absolute best singer on the face of the earth that one can think of, and I can guarantee that he/she will not sing everything in tune.
The judges loved it, the fans loved it, I loved it, and that’s really all that needs to be said. AWESOME JOB, ARCHULETA!!!!!
Now for the strange….follow me over the break for the rest of the review…..
A fan Carisa says her thoughts on tonight’s performance…
David Archuleta never fails to be as sincere as possible with every song he sings during this American Idol competition. The sweet, 17-year-old dazzled the stage tonight with “Angel” while playing the piano. When this kid chooses a song he loves and truly believes in his voice tells the story to the audience and they become absolutely captivated. He is always himself, but that fact makes it easy to see when he is not enjoying what he is singing.
Such a sweet and honest guy, David has a loving side that just shines through when he sings a song he loves. And tonight was no exception. He should be dubbed as the best performance of the night. It was sweet and sincere from the first word. You could feel the immense emotion … enough that it should have put a huge smile on your face.
David did so extremely well tonight that he made you feel that he WAS identifying with you and any problem you had and then offering you the best advice - love an angel instead. They were certainly loving his amazing voice and humble yet confident spirit. You have to just love this kid to death. Although he seems like a simple young man, he showed tonight the extreme depth of love and faith that resides in his soul. He will definitely NOT be going home tonight.
So…it seems the buzz going around lately is who the front runners are and who will win the title of American Idol Season 7. With tons of polls on the internet clearly showing both Davids to be the lead ins, who is it to win? Family, friends, and fans support David Archuleta 110% that he will continue strong throughout the rest of the competition and win this. David Archuleta has proven to be the strongest competitor earlier on in the competition, but David Cook has thrown bullets more recently showing that he is there to win. What are your thoughts Archies?
Mr. Archuperfect is back, making America’s ears (and, uh, loins?) tingle with glee. No lyric flubs to report, although we did get to see a clip from last week’s mess again, thanks to the evil “Idol” producers who included it in David’s preperformance package. (I’m sure Daddy Archuleta loved that decision.) But all memories of Davidgate were flushed out of my brain as soon as the teen started his pitch-perfect rendition of “The Long and Winding Road,” although, like the Beatles’ legendary concert at Shea Stadium, it was hard to hear most of it over the constant screams from the audience. If only the new stage setup came equipped with a cold shower for the mosh pit.
Tuesday night, the final four took on the huge selection of “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” This was the night that was supposed to be David Cook’s, after all he is the “resident rocker” of the group. Oddly enough, the night was owned by the 17-year-old “pop sensation,” “lil’ David”(as Seacrest likes to call him). Let’s break it down by performances now:
So…it seems the buzz going around lately is who the front runners are and who will win the title of American Idol Season 7. With tons of polls on the internet clearly showing both Davids to be the lead ins, who is it to win? Family, friends, and fans support David Archuleta 110% that he will continue strong throughout the rest of the competition and win this. David Archuleta has proven to be the strongest competitor earlier on in the competition, but David Cook has thrown bullets more recently showing that he is there to win. What are your thoughts Archies?
