American Idol 7 - Semi-Finals Round 2 - The Men - 2/26/08

Welcome to another performance elimination round. Let your fingers do the voting. After last week’s very lackluster start for the men I am expecting better especially to live up to the hype of this being the best group of any season.

The producers are going with another theme, this time the songs of the 1970s. I love the 70’s. It was my time. The contestants better not ruin any of my favorite songs or they will suffer my wrath! Can we count on songs of the 80’s for next week?

Michael Johns

Michael gets the coveted first position, how interesting. Michael chooses "Go Your Own Way". Interesting choice of song, I am not sure it was the right one though. Michael’s outfit of jeans and a t-shirt were unkempt, like they had been thrown in a suitcase and weren’t ironed before he came out and don’t get me started on his hair. This performance was definitely not as good as last week. The music really overpowered him and he was off the beat, the chorus seemed to be shouted vs. sung. I found the vocals very tentative and he was flat quite a bit of the time. On the other hand, Michael has great performance skills; he knows how to work the stage.

Randy – It was good, not your best, you need to let go when performing, I liked it

Paula – you are consistent, the crowd likes you, you are like a seasoned performer, way to go

Simon – it was okay, your weakest performance so far in the competition, there was no moment, you were coasting, and you were hurt by choice of song

Jason Castro

I realize I am in the minority but I hate his hair, it is totally distracting for me. We get another shirt/jeans combination. I see Jason has his guitar again, my first thought was one trick pony and that was before he even opened his mouth or the judge’s commentary. Jason went with "I Want to Be Your Everything", Bee Gees via Andy Gibb. This was a disco ballad and a song I adore. I did not like the arrangement at all. I think this was a very weak performance for Jason. I noted that he let the backup singers do all the hard vocal gymnastics, i.e. falsetto notes. The guitar playing was an impediment to Jason this week and he hurt him severely especially with breath control given the nature of the song. Jason stood in one place and sang there was no joy, fun in the performance. He can sing but this was just okay for me. There was no wow moment like last week.

Randy – the guitar is cool as an act but the vocals were not that great, okay, it bordered on being karaoke like.

Paula – you are cute, it was a clever choice of song, I liked the arrangement and how you worked with the band, my recommendation is next week we need to see you without the guitar, we need to see your vulnerability as an artist

Simon – the whole thing was horrible, schmaltzy, I agree with Randy, it was weak, you were out of sorts, looked uncomfortable, and you did not do yourself any favors.

Luke Menard

Luke tells us he sings in an acapella group and since there is no band you have to be flawless. Luke chooses "Killer Queen". I was impressed he wants to tackle such a difficult song but you can’t out Freddie Mercury and his showmanship. There are plenty of other songs in the 70’s which are difficult but won’t have people trying to compare you with the original. Oh NO is that strumming of the fingers on the mike, Luke you are loosing points with me. Overall Luke did much better then last week but there were still plenty of issues. I thought his performance was bordering on cheesy. There were some pitch problems and his enunciation wasn’t good either. There were vocal moments throughout when it worked but he was hampered by the band and backup singers who were very loud. Better but not great.

Randy – credit for the degree of difficulty in the song, I liked it better then last week, there were some pitch problems, it was pretty good

Paula – it was the perfect song for you, it was a great week for you

Simon – the performance was a mistake, you are always going to be judged against the original and you do not have the charisma and personality of Freddie Mercury, it was theatrical and verging on whiny.

Robbie Carrico

What is up with the sloppy clothes? I hate the chain, the jewelry, and is that a handcuff hanging from the back pocket? Robbie please comb your damn hair. Robbie goes with "Hot Blooded" which is probably an okay song choice for him but his execution was not that "hot". Robbie’s enunciation was not good so he looses points immediately. I don’t give a rat’s ass about all the talk between the judges on authenticity, "faux" rocker, et al. These contestants need to come out and sing. They have to sell the song regardless of genre or their personal style. I think Robbie failed. The vocals were weak and he couldn’t sale this song. The band was not helping him and I understand the need to change the key but once again the backup singers did the hard vocal work with the falsetto high notes.

Randy – I agree there are different forms of rock but rock is about attitude, it was a pretty good choice of song but there was no wow, you don’t have a rock voice, it was just okay.

Paula – you know who you are so it must drive you crazy when people say you are not authentic, I think you played it too safe which made you loose your character and personality; you need to up the ante.

Simon – don’t be so defensive, it is only an opinion, your vocals were okay.

Danny Noriega

Danny is clearly the candidate of the year where you either love him or hate it. I think I fall into the first group. I will give Danny credit, he has great style. Danny did choose the wrong song, not because he couldn’t tackle it but because this is a song a former Idol sent through the roof. How can people say they watch this show from the very being and then chose a song done by a prior Idol, get a clue contestants. Danny clearly heard the judge’s comments from last week to chill the theatrics and sing; my problem is that it killed his personality. Overall I thought the vocals were pretty good and much better than last week, it started out a little rough but improved from there. The number allowed him to actually prove he could sing but he was trying so hard for that goal there was no fun in the number, no personality, it was robotic.

Randy – you are a fun guy, there were some problems with the vocals, you should have sped it up a bit, you were over thinking it, you have a good voice and sometimes you have to let it go

Paula – you have amazing vocal skills, sometimes you can’t over think it you just need to perform, your vibrato is excellent.

Simon – this was better than last week but you did try too hard, I like that you stand out in a crowd and you are interesting, you look terrific on camera.

David Hernandez

David was looking good tonight, he showed some style. David went with "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". This was by far my most favorite performance of the night so far. I liked how he started on the stairs and moved down. David took command of the stage and he was very much in sync with both the band and the backup singers, it was like they had rehearsed this multiple times. The entire performance was spectacular. It was the come back of the week for me. His vocals were crystal clear and I didn’t hear a bum note throughout, I liked how they changed the arrangement, his enunciation was good, he was confident, sexy and he sold the song.

Randy – this is it, the David Hernandez we fell in love with, loved the personality, hot, very nice

Paula – (this was the first performance so far where Paula stood up) David you have such a pure voice, you pierce the heart (I am sure she would like something else pierced – Paula chill girl), the notes were amazing, you told a story and didn’t overdo the song, it was just perfect.

Simon – This was the best vocal of the night so far, you treated the criticism as a challenge, I was not a fan of you being here but you made me glad

Jason Yeager

Poor Jason, all I can say is he has a million dollar smile. Jason chose "Long Train Runnin", what was up with that choice. What kind of 70’s song book where these contestants looking at, they should have called me for advice. This performance was a train wreck. It was at least more entertaining then last week but it was way too over the top. Jason should avoid dancing at all costs, he was worst than Taylor Hicks and that is saying a lot! What was up with the ending movement, it reminded me of the end to "The Jazz Singer" with Neil Diamond, he could pull that off, Jason could not. The vocals weren’t bad but there was nothing special, no wow! If the man can play 4 instruments he should have taken the opportunity to demonstrate that skill with a much better song.

Randy – this was not a singer’s song, it was very pitchy and karaoke.

Paula – I liked seeing a different side of you, it was fun but the song doesn’t have many notes it so it doesn’t show your vocal range, pick singer songs.

Simon – last week was simply boring, this was awkward and ordinary, the ending was horrific like you were drunk at a party, it was corny, you are a good singer but you can’t perform very well

Chikeze

Oh my god, Chikeze admitted that last week’s suit was actually his and that he loves it, I can’t believe it. I wasn’t very much impressed with this week’s outfit either, the blue sweater over that horrid colored polo shirt and the shoes, ghastly, red sneakers and he matches it with an ugly red watch and some horrid red thing tied around the other wrist. These contestants need to hire me as their stylist so I don’t have to bitch about what they wear. Chikeze or Chi (as Simon as now decided he will say) chose "I Believe". I didn’t really like the performance at all. Do not get me started about the cheesy inserting your own name into the song! It was better than last week by a mile, at least it was fun but he can’t dance either, his movements were awkward and I thought he shouted a lot. I just do not get Mr. Chikeze.

Randy – Chikezie is back America, this is the guy we fell in love with, you were having fun, it was hot

Paula – it was clever to have this song tie into his story, brilliant, fun

Simon – you look better and sound better, it was a clever choice of song

David Cook

So David is a word nerd, he gains points from me on that one. I do think even though he was going to rock, he was too shabby and what was hanging from his back pocket, friggin clean your hair dude and shave! David went with "All Right Now" and accompanied himself with an electric guitar. It was a nice change of pace. I think the vocals overall were good although his enunciation sucked and I think he fouled up some of the lyrics as well. I liked his performance, he was definitely rocking it and was having fun, and the audience was definitely enthralled. It was a much stronger performance than last week.

Randy – you are a real rocker for the boys, great choice of song; I really, really liked it

Paula – the band is on fire tonight, you are the real deal, every kid who loves guitar loves that song and girls will love it, it was smart, fun and very relevant, I loved it.

Simon – it was solid and believable but not a lot of charisma

David Archuleta

The girls were screaming just from hearing his name. David goes with "Imagine". I absolutely hated the arrangement of the song, it was too damn slow but even with that, David can sing, there is no question about it. David has one of the purest voices I have ever heard, every note, crisp and clear, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand. I think there were a couple of pitchy moments though. I still think David Hernandez won the night but this David is definitely safe.

Overall this week was much better for the men overall. I was a voting fool again last night. I managed to get in only 145 votes last night in two hours. The lines were fairly busy. David Hernandez and David Archuleta got 50 votes each from me, David Cook got 30, Danny got 10, Jason Castro got 3, and Michael Johns got 2.

I am predicting that Jason Yeager and Luke Menard will be going home and I think that Robbie is in trouble as well.

Until tomorrow…