American Idol Top 10 Guys Recap: It’s Good to Be Named David
Hooray! It was another night of American Idol!! No matter how bad a day you might have had there was the strange comfort of knowing that you could curl up on the couch under a blanket with some popcorn and get all excited about your new “friends” performing! Nice tie Ryan!! Was it leather or silk? He apparently runs Hollywood now according to Regis Philbin (he said that earlier on Regis and Kelly)… the guy does absolutely everything!!! I would have to agree.
It was an Interesting line up for the show. Some of the top guys from last week were slated to go right out of the gate which made me kind of nervous. Michael Johns and Jason Castro were first up, two of my very favorites. As Ryan drew the judges out on what they expected from the night Randy hoped the nerves were gone and said they had to bring it hard and they needed to be in it to win it. Never a truer statement. I think in past seasons what always happens is that second week lull. There is the initial let down and gear up and nerves for week one and then some of them flounder, play it safe, get lost, or get confused. I suspected it would be no different than any other season. Paula thought it would be better this week regarding nerves and Simon said the guys who were bad last week just simply needed to be better. With that it was time for the guys to take on classics from the 1970’s. Oh! Does that mean it will be 80’s week next week??? Each contestant also would be answering a question for America telling us something we may not know about them.
First up out of the gate was Michael Johns who admitted he loved tennis! So he was a jock too! The ladies were certainly going to love that!! Well, you cannot deny it. The camera loves Michael Johns. He sang “You Can Go Your Own Way”. I didn’t like the performance this week as well as last week but it was still just fine. Maybe it was because I see a band behind him backing him up and he seemed kind of even keeled and not full of energy like usual. He also sounded kind of sharp and a little pitchy. Both my husband and I thought he might get ripped to shreds by the judges. Randy thought it was nice but it wasn’t his best. Randy wanted him to let go during the song but he never did. Paula thought he was consistent and got the whole crowd working. She thought he was seasoned, charismatic, and charming. Simon thought it was okay but by far his weakest performance of the whole competition. Simon thought it was coasting for him, that there was no “moment” and really a weak choice of song for him. Michael thought it was a dream to sing a Fleetwood Mac song so he was happy. Reality said it was really one dimensional.
Jason Castro was up next. He was so endearing about how he doesn’t interview well and there was a lot of “non-music” stuff that went with music. Nice and comical edit Idol team! He had his guitar again which of course I love! He did amazing in my opinion but would the judges pounce upon him for playing guitar once again? He sang “I Just Want to Be Your Everything”. I think he can make anything sound good, even that crazy song. I loved the arrangement he did. It was interesting. Randy liked that he was a good act but his vocals weren’t all that great. He thought it was karaoke like. Paula thought he made a clever choice and interpreted it well. She wanted to hear him next week without the guitar and be more vulnerable and she thought he did a good job. Simon thought the song was horrible, to schmaltzy and it didn’t all go together, the song, his voice, and the guitar like it did last week. Simon thought he chose a very average song and he could have chose a better one. Well, I did have to agree with Simon on song choice.
After the break it was time for Luke Menard. His interesting fact was his time spent in an acapella group. They traveled everywhere and he was on the road 6 years. He is very seasoned for Idol. Too seasoned! Man, he picked a DANG hard song to sing. He chose to sing Queen’s “Killer Queen”. I thought Luke did 10,000 times better this week but I still think he will go home. He does have a very good voice and he took a risk with the song but he is certainly no Freddie Mercury. Plus he did the dorky dance which never bodes well. Randy said he picked a tough song and he liked him better this week. Paula thought it was great for him vocally, he picked the perfect song and she was glad she fought for him to be in the Top 24. Simon thought it was a huge mistake to pick a Queen song. He would be compared to the charismatic and “fill the stage” Freddie Mercury and Luke came up way, way short. Ryan wondered how Luke was going to take that comment and Luke pointed out last week he was 0-3 with the judges and now he was 2-3 so he was happy. Now that was a great attitude Luke!
Next was former boy band member Robbie Carrico who totally made me laugh out loud as he told Simon to “get used to it” regarding his style of rock. He had an exciting hobby of drag racing and warned us to participate safely!! He chose to sing “Hot Blooded”. He had charisma and reminded me of an 80’s band lead singer. Maybe that was why I liked Robbie Carrico…his 80’s vibe not just in music but hairstyle. He definitely had stage presence in his nice “Foreigner” cover but it wasn’t necessarily vocally challenging. Randy didn’t know (like Simon last week) if rock was really Robbie’s thing. Man, they were picking on Robbie about his whole genre of music. Randy did think he did a pretty good job but he didn’t really let it all go on stage. Paula pointed out that nobody knows who you are but you (referring to Simon and Randy telling Robbie that rock wasn’t his style). True in most cases! I know I’m trying to still figure me out! Paula thought he played it a little bit safe and he needed to just come out and be him. That was a right on assessment! Simon told him not to get too defensive about his comments last week because it was just Simon’s opinion after all and that actually he thought the vocal was alright. Nice. Back on Simon’s good side.
Then there was Danny Noriega He used to be in a punk rock band! How fun is that! What? Okay, that picture of him with his band mate made him look like a girl! Maybe it was the leopard pants and the purse he had…and the jean vest…and the matching rhinestone belt he had with his friend! Danny! Fashion faux pas!! Danny chose to sing a nice slow song to showcase his vocals. By slowing it down he showed the judges that he had listened to what they had to say last week. Reuben did the same song “Superstar” on season two and did amazing. How did Danny compare? I personally liked the Velvet Teddy Bear’s version better and die hard Idol fans will most certainly agree. But, I was glad Danny brought it down to show his “softer” side. The crowd seemed to love him. Randy told him he was a fan of him. He thought the vocals were okay, but he needed to just let it go. Paula told him he had amazing vocal skill. She told him to not over think it. Simon told him this week was better than last but he tried to hard, almost like he was over concentrating. However, he looked terrific on camera and he stood out from everyone else and Simon liked that about him. Oh Danny is very likeable. I’m sure he will be around next week.
After Danny’s attempt to slow thing down it was time for David Hernandez to speed things back up. We found out he was quite the accomplished gymnast in his younger years! He chose to sing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, an absolute perfect song choice for him. David Hernandez was a fighter! I loved that about him! He came back swinging this week! Man, he really has a great voice. Plus he is a great performer and the camera loves him! I think by far the best performance so far. He was at ease, I believed every word he said and he went for it! Okay, his jacket was SWEET too! Loved it! He was so comfortable up there and worked great with the band and the back up singers. Dang, he hit it out of the park. LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!! Randy was like “this is the David Hernandez we fell in love with”. According to Randy it was hot and very nice. Paula loved how pure his voice was, every note was right in the pocket. His personality really came out too, he told a story, and it was perfect. Simon told him it was the best vocal of the night so far! Yeah! Simon liked that he wasn’t childish about receiving criticism (like some of the other ones) but he took it as a challenge and at first he wasn’t a fan but now he was. Yeah! Go David! I really, really hope he makes the Top 12.
With that amazing performance I felt bad for Jason Yeager. Who would want to follow that? His video montage informed us that he was self-taught on the guitar, piano, and drums. The reality with Jason is that he really does have a great, great voice, but that is about it. Is it possible he can be too happy, it’s almost like he needs to bring it down a notch. He, for me was uncomfortable to watch but if I closed my eyes extremely wonderful to listen to. Randy thought the 70’s was the greatest music and wondered why nobody was picking good songs. With that he thought Jason was pitchy and karaoke. Paula liked to see this side (the more upbeat moving around stuff) of him but the song didn’t show off his vocals. She told him to pick singer songs. Simon told him last week was boring and this week was awkward and the ending was horrific. He thought he was a drunk at a party and that it was corny. Oh, harsh, but mostly what I was thinking but didn’t have the heart to write. Simon thought he was a quite good singer who couldn’t perform very well. That is EXACTLY it. Jason thought he put a lot of thought into it and picked a song with soul. Ryan pointed out how tough Simon had been on him. Last week he was like a dependable little dog and this week he was like drunk. Well, Jason said that hopefully next week he would find something he could do straight from the heart. Simon then had one final stab to say it was like “The Oscars” with the never ending speeches and couldn’t they cue the music. Poor Jason. I felt bad for him. I don’t think he will get the chance to do something straight from the heart.
Then it was time for Chikezie. Yes, that really is his name and it is always mispronounced. His whole video montage was about his Nigerian name. He came out with confidence and sounded great! I did not love his blue and green layered polo shirt but vocally he sounded very, very good. He was definitley in it to win it. He picked a great song and worked it out! The second best performance of the night for sure! Nice! Randy said that Chikezie was back America. It was blazing, he had fun, and it was hot! Chikezie was in it to win it. Hey, that’s what I said!! Paula thought it was clever and brilliant and fun. Simon said he looked better, sounded better, it was a clever choice of song and a million times better than last week. He sang Donny Hathaway’s “I Believe to My Soul” and gave a shout out to one of Donny’s daughters, his Idol back-up singer. Nice Chikezie! He will so be here next week! He totally did a 180 in my opinion.
Next up was the rocker David Cook who admitted that he was a huge “word nerd”. He loves crossword puzzles and words. I kind of liked to see that side of our rocker friend. Not only can he rock, but he is smart! He pulled out his guitar this week and sounded hot! He has a GREAT rock voice. He sang “Alright Now”. He totally got the crowd going and singing with him. He definitely has a recording voice. David rocked it! Randy loved him throwing the guitar picks out in to the crowd like a real concert. Randy told him he was the real rocker from the boys this year. Oh, ouch to Robbie Carrico! Randy believed him when he performed. Paula pointed out the band was on fire and David was the real deal. He got it, he got it. Very smart and very relevant to who he was. Simon told him it was solid but that David didn’t have a lot of charisma. Simon didn’t think that the film about crosswords did him any favors and Simon was irritated that David pointed out that it wasn’t up to Simon but viewers at home. Man, touchy touchy tonight for Simon. That has got to be hard though for the contestants to have Simon irritated at them. I’d cry myself to sleep wanting to get back on his good side! At least Paula pointed out that women like smart men! I think David will be safe to sing again next week.
Finally it was time for darling “let’s adopt him” David Archuleta. When Ryan introduced him the girls went crazy. Oh the girls love him! I predict they will be fainting in a few weeks as his heart throb status grows. We found out that when he was 11 he met the American Idol finalists after the season one finale (I love Kelly Clarkson!) and got to sing for them in the lobby. They were all into him including Kelly Clarkson who was quite amazed with his voice! I love him even more now because he impressed Kelly! David chose the John Lennon song “Imagine”. He was amazing. He didn’t over sing it, he was sensitive, he made it his own, and he rocked his clothes. Oh how the girls screamed. Randy said it was about the young ones this season and that he just had one of the best vocals he had ever heard on the show. Randy said he was born to sing. Brilliant. Paula told him that he was ridiculous, she wanted to squish him and squeeze his head off and dangle him from her rear view mirror. Oh Paula, you just said what we ladies were all thinking but so much better!!! Paula said it was one of the most moving performances she had ever heard and that he was destined for superstardom. Simon said it was very, very risky to do a John Lennon song but it worked and right now he was the one to beat. Then he pointed out that there were 19 very miserable contestants sitting there tonight after that performance. Oh David, you are so on your way!
So, after the Top 10 boys performed here is there standing order in my opinion…
1. David Archuleta
2. David Hernandez
3. Chikezie
4. Michael Johns
5. Jason Castro
6. David Cook
7. Robbie Carrico
8. Luke Menard
9. Danny Noriega
10. Jason Yeager
Obviously the David’s were AMAZING and Chikezie was quite fanstastic too. Michael Johns and Jason Castro fell kind of flat (the second week lull’s and poor song choice) but I love them still and know they have it in them and will come back blazing next week. I must say that it probably is time for Jason Yeager to go home and I hope upon hope that Luke Menard is right behind him. But, Danny could be the one on the chopping block with his more “sensitive” performance. However I think his fans will save him to fight it out another week. At this stage you really, really have to bring it each week to stay alive for the Top 12.
Next time on American Idol the Top 10 girls perform and I’m curious to see if Carly Smithson makes a better song choice and if Amanda Overmyer gets her sensitive side on. America (meaning young teens with amazingly swift dialing fingers) can only take so much hard core real rock and roll!!! She will totally be in her element though with 70’s week on her side. It may just be the little gift from heaven she’s looking for. I have a feeling this week’s theme will fit her quite nicely like a silver chain tucked into her back pocket. I cannot wait to hear what she has to deliver.
I guess it’s goodbye to Jason Yeager and Luke Menard. Hopefully Jason had enough time on American Idol to show his son that you can achieve your dreams and I’ll cross my fingers for Luke that his acapella group hasn’t filled his spot yet!
© Copyright 2007 Blindigo Magazine | Article written by Niki Tschirgi
