American Idol 7 - 4/1/08 - Dolly Visits with the Top 9

Oh my, Ryan tried to pull an April’s Fool’s joke and not that well either although I did laugh about Simon being on “The Moment of Truth” a show I haven’t watch but the commercials alone show it to be the absolute dregs of entertainment but I digress. This is ….American Idol!

Country theme week is normally a train wreck and I wasn’t really expecting much. I adore Dolly Parton and I have pretty much the majority of her albums but as is usual the celebrity coaches are way too nice for their own good and Dolly is no exception but it is clearly part of her nature. I realize we only see bits and pieces of what occurred but I have really never heard a celebrity coach say anything truly negative. It is staggering the amount of songs she has written and the fact she remembers each one, what she was thinking is amazing. It will be all about song choice tonight.

I can’t wait to hear what Dolly sings about on tonight’s result show. Her new album is great but on with my thoughts on last night’s show and the top 9 performances.

Brooke White

I so called Brooke choosing “Jolene”. It is quite frankly the one song of Dolly’s that I absolutely totally hate, come one, what kind of woman would beg another woman not to take her man, come on fight for the bastard if you really like him otherwise good riddance and find a better man. Take a lesson from Loretta Lynn, “You’re not Woman enough to take my man”, also the screeching of Jolene always caused needles to go down my back. This is the one song you won’t find on my IPod.

Brooke is back in her comfort zone, sitting on a stool with her guitar but I did in fact dig the blue grass approach to the song. There were a few bum notes but overall the vocals were okay. My problem was there was no excitement in the performance, I didn’t feel any emotional impact, and there was hesitation in the beginning of the song.

Randy – the music suits your voice, it was not a stellar performance, it was pitchy and you rushed the music at times, alright

Paula – you are consistent, you connect with your heart and soul, excellent, wonderful (what are you drinking tonight Paula?)

Simon – I disagree with Paula, the song lacked emotional connection, all of you looked strange together, not one of your best

David Cook

Good heavens and praise the lord, David washed his hair and got it cut! David looked great tonight.

David went with “Little Sparrow” and tonight came up with his own arrangement and I totally loved it. This was a very haunting performance and the vocal was outstanding. There were subtleties I hadn’t heard before in his voice and that falsetto was unbelievable. This was a very hot performance.

Randy – the arrangement showed your range, that falsetto, wow, hot

Paula – “love your haircut”, this is the first time I have heard a guy sing that song, fantastic

Simon – not as good as last week but if you can make a song about sparrows good, congratulations. (Good grief, that is not what the song is about, give me a break)

Ramiele Malubay

Killer shoes but what is up with that horrible outfit, how can someone so cute choose outfits that make her look terrible, it boggles my mind. I also totally hate that damn hair over her eyes.

Ramiele went with “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind”. All I can say is I can’t say anything because I could not hear her at all, the band and back up singers so overpowered Ramiele that she was lost. The performance itself was kind of fun in how she was connecting with the audience but her movements were awkward. This was totally forgettable for me.

Randy – I was not jumping up and down but I was not mad at you either, pretty good, 6.5 out of 10

Paula – proud of how you are connecting with audience

Simon – I won’t remember that in 10 years, it was cute, you sang it quite well but it was like a cruise ship performance

Jason Castro

Jason chose “Travelin’ Through” and for those trivia folks it was nominated for a best song Oscar from “Transamerica”. I think it was a good song choice but the performance was just okay. Jason was just the same, back in his comfort zone although it was a bit more up-tempo. I thought his voice was very soft and he definitely appeared to be rushing the lyrics as if he was off tempo. It was definitely better than last week but there is no wow for me.

Randy – it started rough but by the middle of the song it picked up, pretty good, you worked it out

Paula – one of your strongest performances, you let go, confident, loved it (Paula is definitely high on something)

Simon – I am going to lose my season pass to Dollywood but I didn’t like it, you sang it well but it doesn’t suit you

Carly Smithson

Oh my, what is she wearing, Carly so needs to hire me as her stylist, it was a hideous outfit and tonight probably because of the song; the arm tattoo was a bit distracting.

Carly chose a great song “Here You Come Again”, how sad that I have this in a 45 version. I am old but I digress. I totally adored the acoustic arrangement and it allowed Carly’s vocals to soar. The tone of her voice is unbelievable and she has incredible breath control and there was so much feeling in this performance. The held note towards the end was brilliant.

Randy – this was one of the better performances of the night, nice job

Paula – it was glorious, your voice is beautiful, you have amazing talent, and you look great

Simon – good but not great, you need to talk to the people who are dressing you, at this stage you need to look more like a star

David Archuleta

David chose “Smoky Mountain Memories” and David pulled it off. This was an absolutely brilliant vocal performance; he connected with the song and was able to sell it to the audience. My one complaint is David’s breath control; his heavy breathing was a bit distracting. Another problem was he was constantly closing his eyes and he does this quite often. Perhaps the mosh pit girls swinging their arms is distracting him but if you want to connect with the audience, look at them for crying out loud!

Randy – David is back, that was the best performance of the night

Paula – your voice is beautiful, amazing tone, glorious

Simon – I had a problem with your song selection last week, this week “absolutely on the money”

Kristy Lee Cook

What is it with the stylist’s? I thought Kristy’s dress was horrible and the bare feet were way too over the top.

I so called Kristy’s choice of song this week. On the way home last night I was singing “Coat of Many Colors” to myself knowing it was going to be sung tonight and by whom.

The performance was okay for me. I can’t really call it karaoke because they changed up the arrangement but it was pretty damn close. Overall she sang it well but there were a few moments that were way over the top. The back up singers overpowered her during the chorus and I don’t think she really sold the emotional impact of what the song is about.

Randy – country music is your wheelhouse, this was a very nice performance

Paula – you look stunning, beautiful, it was your best performance

Simon – I disagree, last week was better, this was pleasant but forgettable

Syesha Mercado

Syesha looked totally hot last night. I loved the choice of sitting on the piano; it kept her from getting too out of control. I also love her hair in the style of last night versus that horrible out of control afro she usually has.

I was surprised Syesha chose “I Will Always Love You” but I have to give her chops, it was a great vocal performance. Dolly was right she did combine the simplicity of Dolly’s original version from the film “The Best Whorehouse in Texas” with Whitney’s more over the top style and she pulled it off. I will say it now I think Simon was totally off on his comments. I thought this vocal was perfect and that sustained note at the end was nothing short of amazing. This is a singing contest and Syesha can sing.

Randy – you took on “the biggest tiger of the night” and it was pretty good too, you did alright

Paula – your voice has a velvety tone, you are growing, connecting with the audience

Simon – the first part is good, the second party paled in comparison to Whitney, good but not fantastic

Michael Johns

Now Michael came on to that stage and looked every part the star, great choice of an outfit except for the stupid scarf.

Michael chose “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right” which was a perfect choice. Who would have thought he could pull off the whole bluesy/soul type number? This was a great arrangement and a totally awesome vocal. Michael has shown the total package and he finally had his wow moment. This was my absolute favorite performance of the evening. Outstanding job and totally changes the dynamic of the top 4 now.

Randy – blazing hot vocal

Paula – these songs have great melodies and great hooks, you’re a star, you’re gorgeous (Paula come on, old down the lust girl)

Simon – best I have heard you sing


I was pretty ticked off that Michael did not get the time he deserved from the judges because of the time of the show on a night when he should have gotten more air time, Chef Ramsey could have waited a couple of minutes to open Hell’s Kitchen.

I have to get on my soap box again, the mosh pit has to go, those girls are totally ruining some of the performances and those damn waving arms are sending me to places I don’t want to go.

I have to say this is the best season ever for the tackling of country week, not everything hit the mark but it wasn’t the total train wreck I was expecting and there were some seriously great performances tonight.

I was hot last night in voting, I managed to get in 523 votes on my land line and cell phone last night. All my votes went to Michael, Carly, Syesha, David Cook and David Archuleta.

Trying to pick the bottom 3 is harder not from the standpoint of who I think should be in the bottom 3 but trying to figure out how America will vote and who seems to have the stronger voting block.

My personal choices for the bottom 3 would be Ramiele, Brooke, and Kristy with Ramiele going home.

I think the actual bottom 3 will be Ramiele, Syesha and Jason. My pick for who is going home is Syesha which will sadden me but I don’t think she has the support that Ramiele and Jason apparently have. I hope I am wrong but America usually disappoints me.

Until tomorrow…