American Idol 6 - 4/17/07 - "Hee Haw Country"

American Idol went country last night with Martina McBride. Overall it was one of the better shows with a country theme and 1000 times better than Latin Music Theme (may they never try that one again).

I had rehearsal again last night but I still managed to get in 127 votes. 25 each for Jordin, Melinda, LaKisha and Blake with 10 for Phil and 7 for Chris. There were none for he who should not be named.

I agreed with much of what Martina was saying regarding the importance of connecting and telling a story with country music. I am not sure she was as harsh as she should have been but I suppose as an artist you don't want to stomp on someone's dreams even though many times you should.

On with my comments and predictions:

Phil Stacey - "Where the Blacktop Ends"

I think Phil made a good song choice and for once he actually looked comfortable on stage and his outfit was appropriate and well put together. I hate to admit it but Phil totally surprised me and gave one of, if not his best performance of the season. His vocals were spot on, his tone was rich, he was having fun, it showed and he connected with the audience like he never has before. The only real criticism I had was his enunciation, he dropped more consonants at the end of words then I thought possible. I am giving Phil his chops for finding his niche but I am not sure it is enough to save him from the bottom three though.

Randy - interesting, I never would have thought country was your thing but you could have a career in country music, it was awesome, hot

Paula - this seems like a comfortable genre for you, you sounded good from beginning to end

Simon - it has only taken 10 weeks but you chose the right song, right arrangement, and for the first time we saw some personality.

Jordin Sparks - "Broken Wing"

Before I get to the performance, whoever convinced Jordin that was the right outfit should be taken out and whipped to a bloody mess. I think that dress was hands down the worst outfit of the season, what was the girl thinking about, oh my god! Jordin is one ballsy performer, once again she chose a song by the mentor artist. Moving on to her performance, last night was another American Idol moment. I actually got goose bumps when Jordin was singing. The control she has for one so young. She made the song fresh and new. She is so able to sell a song and she took Martina's advice to heart when she told her to just plant her feet and sing. Jordin was amazing. Jordin had amazing enunciation, every word crisp and clear. I never took my eyes off her face, she connected to the audience. There was one horrible pitch problem when she moved to the chorus and her higher register but oh that ending note made up for it. I am telling you Jordin is the one to beat now.

Randy - check it out, I know I keep saying you are only 17 but you blew me away, you started it slow and took your time, da bomb!

Paula - gorgeous, fantastic, you told the story, great job in building the song, great facial expressions, great job

Simon - for the first time I can say based on that performance you could win American Idol (I have been saying it before Simon)

Sanjaya Malaker - "Something To Talk About"

I am not sure I should even bother but telling the world his goal is to do justice to Bonnie Raitt, please, as one of my friends said Bonnie should sue for defamation of character. I think we are truly stretching the definition of country music to include this song. He who should not be named looked ridiculous again. What was up with the bandana, it wasn't even over the hair just perched on top. The clothes didn't fit him, they were way too loose. Luckily the fake facial hair was gone. I will keep saying it, the difference between the other contestants and he who should not be named is bigger than the Grand Canyon, he continues to be in a bad high school talent show. Last night's performance was a total and utter train wreck. I can't even come up with enough words to describe the mess of what that performance was. It brought bad to new levels of being bad. He was on top of the world bad! His vocals were flat and there was no excitement. His enunciation sucked big time. He was primping to the camera. His pathetic moves were lacking in rhythm and even the backup singers were trying to avoid him. This was just BAD!, BAD! BAD! Let's all say it again - BAD!

Randy - keeping it real, it was just way karaoke, (you are giving him too much credit, it didn't even rise to being karaoke) vocally bland and boring

Paula - you thrive on adversity, you were having fun, you are loveable

Simon - utterly horrendous, as bad as what we've ever seen, it was funny for awhile, but this is after all a singing competition.

At this point I have to interject the producers are now using the Sanjaya controversy to get ratings. Never before has Ryan ever gone as far as he did last night so I know it was all Nigel, telling Simon he never liked Sanjaya and even if he nailed it you wouldn't like it, and Ryan kept after him and then dragged Randy into it as well. It was totally shameless and uncalled for.

LaKisha Jones - "Jesus, Takes the Wheel"

Lakisha has guts as well taking on a song from a recent Idol winner and a Grammy winning song at that. I hated LaKisha's dress but loved the gold boots! I loved the arrangement of the song. While I adore LaKisha last night was not her night. I think it was a mistake to chose the song she did when there are so many other country songs she could have chosen to showcase her powerhouse vocals. The ultimate problem is the key LaKisha was singing in was not the same key the band was playing in. LaKisha had breathing problems which created issues where she was forced to end lines (creating enunciation issues as well) and then couldn't recover quickly enough for the power notes. The other problem is she wasn't selling the song, she did not take Martina's advice, this is the third time in a row she has totally ignored the advice of the mentor and this creates the three strikes and you are out vibe. I totally agree she was shouting at the end versus singing.

Randy - there were some pitch problems, not my favorite performance, you should have gone for a more gospel sound

Paula - I agree with Randy, you may not have been able to hear but you weren't swelling with the band, you were shouting, even given that you are a brilliant solid performer

Simon - "It is like eating a hamburger for breakfast, it doesn't go together." You blew us away with the Jennifer Holiday song and you need to find those moments again, it was not the right song, about half way through you were shouting

Chris Richardson - "Mayberry"

Chris looked good, outfit was right for the song. I am not sure it was the right song choice, there are much better Rascal Flatt songs he could have chosen. I liked the arrangement with the banjo and fiddle. I believe this was the worst performance Chris as put on. I know everyone has been talking about his nasally voice which I don't hear but if you listen to the original song, the lead singer does have a nasally quality to his voice. Even outside of that issue, Chris started off key at the beginning and I am not sure he ever got back. Chris also had horrible enunciation problems. Chris also shamelessly mentioned the shooting at Virginia Tech and a shout out to his friends there, please!

Randy - you can sing, you were nasally, there were some pitch problems, there was no connection, no emotion

Paula - the joy and love you have didn't come through

Simon - very non-descript, nasally, no impact, utterly insignificant but the audience must hear something different

Melinda Doolittle - "Trouble is a Woman"

Melinda looked great and once again provided a sterling performance. I just have to say I wrote in in my notes before Simon said it, that Melinda looks like a young Tina Turner, so there! What I really like about Melinda is her control over the material. Her enunciation was perfect even with some down right difficult lyrical transitions. Melinda showed some sexy attitude last night as well. Melinda sold the song. This was a totally awesome performance.

Randy - another solid performance from our resident pro

Paula - you picked the right song and you performed it well, you sang from the heart

Simon - you were fantastic, great choice of song and I saw a little Tina Turner in you but you have to stop looking surprised about the compliments

Blake Lewis - "When the Stars Go Blue"

Blake stated up front that he is uncomfortable with country and it showed in his performance. I am not sure the song choice was right for him, there are other Tim McGraw songs I think he could have done better with. I give Blake chops for choosing a difficult song. I thought he sang it well but he was nervous which he has never shown before in a performance. Blake was still good, his vocals were on pitch but it wasn't a wow me performance like he has been doing.

Randy - I love your sense of style, it was a good song choice, liked the arrangement, you know yourself well

Paula - you have the whole package, great song for you

Simon - it wasn't a make me jump out of my seat performance, it was okay. I think you were wise not to do something that doesn't suit you.


I am torn about predicting the bottom 3 as it does get harder as we move to a smaller number of contestants. Just strictly on performance alone I would pick Sanjaya, Chris and LaKisha but I am not sure. Phil is on the cusp but he actually pulled it out of the hat but it may not save him.

I think I am going with Sanjaya, Phil and LaKisha and just because I want it so bad and perhaps if I believe it will be so HE WHO SHOULD NOT BE NAMED will be packing his bags and if there is a true surprise then my next prediction will be LaKisha although I am hopeful I am wrong.

Until tomorrow.....