Well, this season’s Kellie Pickler (version “PicklerLite”) survived again on American Idol… so that means someone decent had to go. And that decent performer was the opinionated Amanda Overmyer. I don’t even think I can recap the horridness that was Beatles Week 2, mostly because these kids, overall, are clueless on how important the Beatles have been to the music industry. I grew up listening to the Fab Four, and as aspiring musicians, at least some of the band’s catalogue should be a musical staple in these kids’ careers. The other opinionated one on the show and my favorite of the women, Carly Smithson, who tried to explain why she sang “Blackbird” to Simon (who made it clear he hated the song no matter what), was in the bottom three. This was one strange night.
Overmyer performed “Back in the U.S.S.R.”, and as usual, she was very comfortable on stage and very much into her performance. As I mentioned in the beginning, I admire her candor, particularly her explanation that “ballads are boring”, and how she has a minute-and-a-half to show the audience what they would see if they bought a ticket to or helped her sell out a concert. PicklerLite did “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”, which was better than last week, but it wasn’t the best. I can’t say I want to hear it from anyone but the Beatles.
David Archuleta was back in top form, with his convincing “The Long and Winding Road”. I was a very good and moving performance, but I’ll be happy when he can do something more upbeat.
Michael Johns had a not-so-memorable performance of “A Day in the Life”, but he wasn’t the only one to phone it in. He’s not in serious trouble, but he’s really going to need to step it up here to stay in this competition.
Brooke White took to the sun theme way too far by dressing like the sun for her performance of “Here Comes the Sun”. She’s not a performer, so don’t expect any Paula choreography with this kid. She’s meant to be a musician and that’s where her comfort zone is. We all learned that, and that and she can be cheesy, but she’s modest and honest about it, at least.
David Cook covered “Day Tripper”, and it was one of the better performances, as he’s become one of the serious male threats in the competition.
Jason Castro did “Michelle”, which to his credit, was a challenge for him, but I hated the song. I find the song itself to be pretty dry, and I think Castro will do much better next week, no matter what the theme happens to be (but what the hell is he going to do for Mariah Carey week?).
Syesha, hands down, was the best-dressed of the whole night. That’s the best she’s looked to date, and she did a good version of “Yesterday” to boot. The show points out she’s a actress (or she does rather), so often that it’s hard to tell who the real Syesha is. Is she being genuine or is it all just an act? I like her, though, and I like what she brings to the show with her talent.
Chikezie was a real surprise this week, with his contribution of the night being “I’ve Just Seen a Face”. He’s going to soar on Dolly Parton week if he lasts that long.
Finally, we close out the night with Ramiele Malubay performing a corny rendition of “I Should’ve Known Better”. She’s got a great voice, but it seems as if lately her performances really leave something to be desired. And moreover, I’m not a big fan of her acting like she’s six when people talk to her about her performing.
YouTube (Oprah) Video of the Week:
I would have showed you a YouTube Video of the Week of this same performance, but Harpo Productions took it off of YouTube. So instead, please see the talented Leona Lewis on Oprah’s Web site. Leona has a new album coming out, called Spirit, on Apr. 8, and and she is already a worldwide hit. I’m very excited to hear what many have said is the Next Whitney.
Thank you for reading; make your moment your breakthrough.
