American Idol Top 12 Recap: The Cream Rises to the Top and What’s Left Behind Will Be Thrown Out with the Dregs
With my friend praying to not have her baby until after Idol tonight and just the utter excitement that after all these weeks we are FINALLY to the Top 12 and FINALLY to the big stage I could hardly wait for the competition to begin.
To start things off totally new for the season they changed the computer animated introduction for the show. I noticed it ended with major focus on the last winner Jordin Sparks and the biggest and best selling artists Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. Then there was a HOT new SET. Dang. You’ve come a long way American Idol. It really was bigger and better than ever. If you ask me it was all just plain insane! The band had their own “penthouse” and what seemed to be a larger audience to cheer on the contestants. They also had a mosh pit in front of the judges and what was this? Simon was wearing angelic white with his manly chest showing through? It really was “new beginnings” for Idol.
Then there was a big and fabulous introduction for the group that you could feel right through the television set. The excitement and energry must have been amazing in that room! What a big night for the contestants. The special theme for the night was the Lennon/McCartney songbook. That would be a tall order for the kids and would most certainly make for a great night of entertainment.
First up on the big stage was Syesha Mercado. Their video introductions just gave a little more information about them. She was a student at FIU in Florida and was a working actress. Her mom was a singer too and they showed some family pictures. She sang “Got to Get You Into My Life”. I loved the big band behind her and I loved that they were now on the big stage. It really felt like the competition had finally begun. Syesha did okay. I didn’t think she took it out of its 1966 era. She didn’t make it current. No doubt the girl can sing it just wasn’t very exciting! I give her “props” as Randy would say for going first on the big night. Randy thought it was a nice arrangement but thought it started rough but she got into it later. He told her she had to loosen up a little, it was alright. Paula told her she was a very good singer but it started off pitch and then midway through she found her zone. Plus, she looked fantastic. Simon thought it was a great choice of song and better than alright. She also looked very, very nervous but was much better than she was last week.
Chikezie was up next and there were lots of cheers for Chikezie! We found out he used to work security for LAX. He was raised on Nigerian cultural music and he chose to sing “She’s a Woman” with his own personal “funk” added to it. That video showed me just how much more likeable he was becoming. From the very beginning I LOVED IT! He sat down at first with the fiddler and banjo players and really made it interesting. Plus, what a great versatile voice peppered with some falsetto? Chekizie! I didn’t know he had it in him! He definitely deserved to be in the Top 12 after that!! Rock on Chikezie!!! I loved it! Did he let loose or what? I’m lovin’ this new side of Chikezie!!! Whew!! Hot, hot, hot! He filled the whole stage. He was in it to win it! Randy said he was thoroughly entertained and who knew Chikezie had it in him? He loved the arrangement and said he smashed it! He so did Randy, he so did! Paula told him the “reward” paid off for him changing it up! Simon was really surprised that he agreed with Randy and Paula. What Simon loved about it was he actually changed within a week and took control unlike Syesha. The stage didn’t control him, it was certainly a unique version and he was terrific. So then Ryan and Chikezie worked the stage. I tell ya, Ryan was in rare form for Top 12 night.
Then it was Ramiele’s turn and did I feel bad for her following that HOT act from Chikezie. We found out she worked at a Sushi place. Hey, that was her Sushi outfit (she had it on in her video) she was wearing in her racy photo’s that surfaced on the net! She also comes from a musical family and they were originally from the Philippines but live in Florida now. She chose to sing “In My Life”. She dedicated it to her close friends who left the show, i.e. Danny Noriega. I love this song! She started at the bottom of the stairwell with her back to the audience but of course singing to America. Interesting. The accompaniment was beautiful. She had a nice voice of course but I just kept waiting for her to blow me away but she didn’t go there. It was sweet and boring and paled in comparison to Chikezie. Maybe she was still thinking about Danny Noriega getting the boot last week. Dare I say it was a “safe” song for her to sing?? Randy said it was kind of pretty but also pretty boring. She didn’t do anything special with it. Paula first told her she looked lovely (never a good sign) but it was pretty safe. She needed to take advantage of her voice. Paula told her she needs to not hold back. Simon said he was bored to tears and the song choice did absolutely nothing for her. He said she was better than that. Randy didn’t know if she did enough to stay in the competition. Oh, I agree with that but there were still nine more people who hadn’t sung yet so maybe she wouldn’t be the worst and the most boring!
Oh hooray!! Jason Castro was up next!!! My favorite… Oh, what were we going to learn about him and what song was he going to sing? He went to school at Texas A & M and really had respect for The Beatles and what they did for music. He chose to sing “If I Fell” calling it a beautiful song that he couldn’t wait to sing. He had his guitar back and what a smart choice to sing to the ladies Jason! You so know what you are doing and you know your audience. It was great, groovy, laid back and interesting just like him. Randy liked it but didn’t love it. It was one of his favorite songs but didn’t love the switches to the melody Jason did. Paula disagreed with Randy. She said what was so special and unique about him was that she did feel his heart and it was a special connection that made him truly unique. He didn’t do all the riffs and runs because he had an emotional connection with the song and America connected with that. Simon told him that it was all a little student in the bedroom at midnight. He thought the song was boring, but it was good enough but not great. Maybe next week Jason needs to pick something more upbeat to show Simon that his style is NOT boring!! I wasn’t bored at all!!
Next up was the lovely and talented Carly Smithson who looked totally hot! I loved her outfit and I loved her hair!!! She originally was from Ireland but presided in San Diego and loves it there. She bartends and waitresses. She chose to sing “Come Together”. Oh how she was owning that stage. She sounded great and man can she “blow” as Randy would say. I’ll tell you right now that some of these singers definitely stepped up their game and the great are easily being separated from the good! She mixed it up that was for sure and she did an amazing job. The best performance of the night so far. Excellent job Miss Carly. Randy asked her if it felt good and that got the audience screaming for her! Randy loved that she was strong, confident, that she looked amazing, had a stellar performance with not a note out of tune. Paula felt like she was already watching a star. Simon said week after week he thought she had chosen the wrong song until now. Simon said that it reminded him of exactly 6 years ago on the same night in the competition back then and that was with Kelly Clarkson. Song choice was so key and Carly had it going on!!! Now that was a compliment because there is no one like KELLY CLARKSON!!!!!!!!
After Carly was another favorite of mine David Cook. Was David ready to rock?? He grew up in a suburban town and he was a bartender in Tulsa where he played shows there from time to time. He picked to sing “Eleanor Rigby” with no guitar. I loved, loved his outfit! His jacket was totally hot. I liked that he didn’t play his guitar too. It showed that he doesn’t have to hide behind it but can be a front man without it. Well David, you picked the most perfect song and totally rocked it out. He is a true rocker and man did he nail it. Sweet David Cook! Randy told him that he could definitely rock out on Idol and man was he rockin’. Paula told him that he was a dark horse in the competition and she loved seeing him as a front man. Simon told David that he thought it was brilliant. Simon said that if the show stays a singing competition and not a popularity contest he could win the show. Wow!!!!! What a huge compliment.
Up next was Brooke White and I must add again that Ryan was in rare form on that big ol’ stage! He kept making me laugh with is crazy antics. She moved to L.A. a few years back to work on her music and was a nanny before American Idol and was so grateful to be on Idol. She chose to sing “Let it Be”. Brooke was at the piano which was very nice. I loved that she was just there singing all stripped down. Brooke continued to do her thing and be herself. She knew who she was and I love that about her. Man this will be a tough season to win! Randy didn’t know if it was her best performance but she was living her dream and he loved that she gave a very big heartfelt performance. Randy was totally a fan along with the rest of us here in America! Paula told her that her niche was picking songs where we could feel her heart. Simon said it was again one of the best performances of the night. It was a brilliant choice of song 3 weeks running now and it was believable. Wow. Can you love Brooke anymore with her expression of gratefulness and her tears and how genuine she was??? Then Ryan got her shoes for her and Randy and Simon razzed him forever about that… You know sometimes I feel bad for the contestants as Ryan and Simon go at it and they just have to stand there and watch.
After that heartfelt performance by Brooke it was now time for David Hernandez. He was from Arizona and used to work at a pizza bistro and was in college. He chose to sing “I Saw Her Standing There”. He started out in the audience and worked them so that was kind of good. I thought the arrangement of the song threw him back too far too, like almost from the 1950’s. David has a great voice but he seemed kind of “weak” vocally. Usually his voice is fuller or something. Maybe it was because Chikezie and David had already worked it out big time earlier. I don’t know but I didn’t love it liked I loved his performance of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”. Randy thought the song was overdone so Randy was lost. Paula told David that she loved his voice but he overdid it and needed to scale back some. It was too much for her. Simon said “no, no, no” and that is was corny verging on desperate. He said it was all a little bit rabbit (not deer) in the headlights. He didn’t think it was a particularly strong performance from David and I agreed.
Next up was Amanda Overmyer with her amazing striped pants and hair extensions. We found out again that she was from a small town and her whole family rode Harley’s (not really new information from these contestants but maybe some of America doesn’t watch until the Top 12 so they have to recap for them!). She sang “You Can’t Do That” and put her Amanda spin on it. Well, she rocked it out now didn’t she! Great job Amanda! She had such ease on the stage and she totally made it her own. Loved it! The crowd loved her too. Randy told her she took a Beatles song and brought it to a southern bar and rocked it out. He loved it! Paula told her she was smiling, having fun and was a star up there. Simon didn’t think it was as good as last week but she was a breath of fresh air when she came onto the stage. He made me laugh saying he couldn’t understand about 30% of what she sang and then Paula and him got into a cat fight. One thing I worry about Amanda though is what we’ve seen is all we are going to get. Can she sing a ballad? Can she be versatile? I think that maybe we have seen all that we are going to see from Amanda Overmyer.
Then it was time for Aussie born Michael Johns who had been in America ten years and now lived in L.A. for the past four years. He said he had done odd jobs like labor work and tennis coaching on the side to keep music in his life. He chose to sing “Across the Universe”. Michael sounded great as usual but I felt like he could take it to such another level. He has more in him. Of course he has a great voice but he has really got to pop. Some of the guys, like Chikezie and David Cook brought such energy to the stage and compared to them he came in last. Of course his voice sounded good but competition was stiff and good wasn’t going to cut it! Randy didn’t think it was his best performance and was waiting for something big to happen. It was a little sleepy to him. I totally agreed with Randy! Paula disagreed and said it took a certain inner strength to stand at the microphone and just sing. Paula thought it was brilliant. Simon agreed with Randy and told Michael that it was a little bit monotonous. Now was the point you had to let yourself go. Of course Simon is still a big, big fan but was a little frustrated that he hadn’t heard all Michael could do. Simon!!! You read my mind!!!
The last girl of the night was Kristy Lee Cook who came from a town of 500 people in Oregon. Her family was musical too and she chose to sing “8 Days a Week” and totally changed the song to a country song. I thought she sounded great. It was different, unique, and not forgettable at all. I totally pictured people line dancing to it. I think she totally did the right thing making it her own. One thing I didn’t love was the arrangement. It seemed a little frantic. Randy liked the arrangement and the idea of the song but thought she did too many runs (wow, I was opposite not liking the arrangement but I liked what she did with it). He was torn on it. Paula didn’t enjoy it and didn’t get it and man did she look irritated with Kristy. Simon thought it was horrendous. He thought she sounded like Dolly Parton on helium. What? Well, I didn’t agree with that. Simon thought it was very brave but basically bad. He didn’t like the arrangement of the song. Now I can agree with that but I must be from a different planet than the judges because I didn’t think it was horrendous and I certainly wasn’t irritated like Paula was. Then Simon and Ryan got into it and I thought Simon was going to kill Ryan with laser beams from his eyes. I feared for a knock down drag ‘em out fight after the break. We’ll see if they still love each other after results night.
Finally it was time for David Archuleta who lives outside of Salt Lake City. Again we were reminded that he was a junior in high school! He chose to sing “We Can Work it Out” and shared that he was a little stressed out about it. Uh oh. That was not a good sign when you aren’t “feeling” it. When David gets on stage he just seems so much older and more confident. I hope he doesn’t fold under the pressure on him!! He did a fine job minus a few lyrics! Not my favorite, but very good because he is very good. Randy thought it wasn’t on point and it wasn’t David’s vibe. He said it felt forced. Oh Randy that was how I felt but couldn’t express it! The Dawg helped me out! Paula said it wasn’t his best week but he was still a front runner. Simon said it was a mess, he stumbled over the lyrics, he shouldn’t have done the Stevie version, and it was his weakest performance so far. Well, that was all true but David will not be going home anytime soon if if tiny tweener finger dialing has anything to do with it!
What an amazing Top 12. For really the first time there really are SEVERAL people who could win it all. I have no doubt that David Cook, Carly Smithson, Jason Castro, Michael Johns, David Archuleta, Brooke White, or even Chikezie could take home the title after those Top 12 performances. The competition is by no means all sewed up with a clear frontrunner. It was very tough to rank them too because of that. It was easy to pick who didn’t come up to par and believe me the oil and water separated with these performances and they ain’t gonna mix again. I hate to even put Jason Castro at the number 4 spot because I love him so but I had to because David, Carly, and Chikezie totally raised their game and owned it! So here they are in standing order from the Top 12 performances. David took the top spot over Carly only because of stage presence and conviction. She had it too but he had it more.
1. David Cook
2. Carly Smithson
3. Chikezie
4. Jason Castro
5. Amanda Overmyer
6. Brooke White
7. Michael Johns
8. David Archuleta
9. Kristy Lee Cook
10. David Hernandez
11. Syesha Mercado
12. Ramiele Mulabay
Unfortunately for Syesha and Ramiele they right now are the weakest links. Syesha needs to sing like she did on her final song for Hollywood week. Ramiele needs to knock off the timidity and let her voice just go. David needs to do more “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” songs and Kristy Lee Cook needs to do country but not obnoxious. With that being said I’m afraid Syesha may have just sung her last tune on the American Idol big stage. Really she was better than Ramiele this time but I think Ramiele may have a bigger fan base at this point that will save her from the dreaded vote out. Unfortunately “Got to Get You Into My Life” is “Going to Get Her Off of the Show” during results night.
© Copyright 2007 Blindigo Magazine | Article written by Niki Tschirgi
