Hello, Dolly! Top 9 'Idol' singers go from 'aight' to out-of-sight on Parton night
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- April
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Last night’s episode of “American Idol” was pretty darn impressive.
None of the performances was anything less than decent and some elicited goosebumps. Nine songs in just one hour kept the show free of fluffy filler. Dolly Parton proved that the only thing more impressive than her résumé (100 million albums sold? Holy cow!) is her gigantic heart.
And what else did we learn, students? Aussie heartthrob Michael Johns is heating up at the right time.
His version of “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” wasn’t as refined as David Archuleta’s comeback on “Smoky Mountain Memories” or as original—yes, original!—as David Cook’s own arrangement of “Little Sparrow.” But after a predictable Queen redux last week, Johns channeled the soul of Otis Redding from his original audition and one-upped it, resulting in his best performance as an “Idol” contestant, by far.
This serves as bad news for Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado, who, despite excellent vocals, didn’t earn rave reviews by Simon Cowell and might be forgettable by comparison.
Now, the semi-surprising rankings of last night’s performances:
1. Michael Johns (right)—I’ll give him the nod, if for no other reason than because I don’t think he’ll ever repeat the wow-factor of this week’s defining performance. For one week on “Idol,” his song was the best beginning-to-end performance of the night.
2. David Archuleta— In reaching for those high notes and cascading downward for the conclusion of “Smoky Mountain Memories,” Archie took some risks and made an emotional connection to the song. It resulted in goosebumps jutting out of my forearms by the end. Definitely up there with his season-defining performance of “Imagine,” but not so unexpected as Johns’ out-of-nowhere performance.
3. David Cook—The dude did everything right. Rocked a new, improved hairstyle without highlights or hypercranial exposure. Acknowledged all of the arrangements he borrowed in previous weeks. Sang his own version—really!—of “Little Sparrow” with a slick falsetto and sensitivity. So it just goes to show how amazing the other performances were. Still, an excellent job that should not go unrecognized.
4. Carly Smithson—I’m absolutely shocked I’m ranking Smithson this low for her excellent rendition of “Here You Come Again,” but that’s only because the three performances I’m ranking above her were that fantastic. To her credit, even the sweet and polite Parton wouldn’t be so quick to say something like “Now that’s the type of voice that song was really written for” if Smithson weren’t the real dealio. And while I agree with Cowell that Smithson has some, um, unconventional clothing selection, I wonder why he seems to be so tough on her every week. The criticism came across more like an attack than a suggestion, and her glassy eyes could not hide the pain she seemed to be fighting off.
5. Syesha Mercado—I agree with Cowell a little more for his mild criticism of Mercado’s “I Will Always Love You.” The restraint and nuance that she showed on the first half of the arrangement—a Parton/Whitney Houston fusion—worked for the Parton part but sounded a bit shouty and forced compared to the Houston coda. Still, the girl’s got pipes. And it would have been a bit of a letdown if the show’s biggest belter didn’t dig deep and give the Whit version a shot. Certainly, points for degree of difficulty are warranted.
6. Kristy Lee Cook—For the right reasons, try to ignore last week’s performance of “God Bless The U.S.A.” and take “Coat of Many Colors” on its own. Yes, it’s country, but KLC did a dang good job with it this time out. And, thankfully, she didn’t stay seated at the edge of the stage as too many affected contestants have done in the past. It was the best vocal she’s had to date on a song that thankfully didn’t conjure up images of a bald eagle with a baseball bat in its beak flying out of grandma’s red-white-and-blue apple pie.
7. Brooke White—Could Brooke White really wind up in the Bottom 3? Unlikely, yes, but a possibility after a night in which the vocals were just off-the-charts impressive for three guys and well above average for two other women. With Randy Jackson correctly acknowledging that Parton week is in Kristy Lee Cook’s “wheelhouse,” this might be the first time we see White receive fewer votes than America’s favorite kickboxer/horse-rider, especially after White’s pleasant yet pitchy performance on “Jolene.”
8. Jason Castro—With an entertaining but not remarkable “Travelin’ Through,” the normally mellow Castro seemed reenergized one week after being told by Cowell that he didn’t appear to be taking the competition seriously enough. But look beyond the pure performance for a moment if you want to predict the extent of his success. Among Bible Belt and Heartland voters, don’t dispute the power of the visible crucifix around his neck and lyrics that repeatedly reference Jesus.
9. Ramiele Malubay—You know, her version of “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind” wasn’t bad at all. But I doubt she’ll cross too many voters’ minds after a night like this. Everyone else was just that much better.
Prediction: Mercado unfairly gets the boot instead of Malubay, but the latter and Smithson fear the reaper as fellow Bottom 3 contestants for the rest of the results show.
(Photos by Frank Micelotta/FOX)
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 am by Chris Serico.
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