Real Kato Blog: American Idol, Week 9

Well, it's odd to be blogging "Idol" in the wake of a shooting, but hey... the blog most go on.

Martina McBride leads the singers through country night. Country music is both a blessing and a curse for the contestants: the style is easy to get into (because it's so cliché), but it'll be hard to be outstanding.

Phil: 8/10.
He sings "Where the Blacktop Ends". Huh. This is actually believable. His goofy grin fits much better with this style of music. It's not terribly challenging and he still seems a little stiff, but it actually has some personality. Randy says he could have a career in country music. Paula says he sounded good from the beginning to the middle to the end. Simon says it's the only time he chose a good song, and even more surprisingly, we actually saw some personality.

Jordin: 9/10.
She sings "Broken Wing", a Martina McBride song. Ok, hey, this is the Jordin we like. It's pretty and it's strong and contemporary. She looks and sounds professional, and she shows a lot of emotion. Very nice. Randy says it's a difficult song, but she took her time and it was the bomb. Paula says she did a fantastic job and built the song, telling a story. Simon says it's the first time, based on that performance, where he believes she could win American Idol.

Sanjaya: 3/10.
He sings "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About". (Like his ridiculous hair.) It's pitchy in the low register, as usual. It lacks strength, as usual. And most importantly for this song, it lacks attitude. He had made some progress last week, but lost it all again. Randy says it was just like karaoke, very bland and boring. Paula says he loves adversity, and the vocal wasn't good. Simon says it was horrendous, as bad as anything we've seen since the beginning of American Idol. He says it's been funny for a while, but based on the fact that we're supposed to be finding an American Idol, this is hideous. Go Simon!

Lakisha: 7/10.
She sings "Jesus Take the Wheel". It's not bad at the start... folksy and nice. But the chorus is a little pitchy and suddenly she doesn't have the spirit of the song. She's screaming at Jesus to take the wheel. Meh. Randy says there were some pitch problems and it wasn't his favorite vocal; she should have done more with it and made it more gospel. Paula agrees with Randy, and it sounded like she was shouting. Simon says it's like eating a hamburger for breakfast: it doesn't go together. It sounded like she was shouting at us. (Simon yells at the booing crowd, saying "you're sitting in the back, you can't hear!")

Chris R: 4/10.
He sings "Mayberry". It's pitchy right off the bat. The song feeds his nasal tendencies. Gah. This is almost unlistenable. Randy says he sang it okay (but he was pitchy and nasally) but there was no connection, no emotion. Paula says the joy and love didn't come through. Simon says he heard a very nondescript, nasally, tinny vocal that had no impact on him.

Melinda: 8/10.
She sings "Trouble is a Woman". It's energetic and fun, and I do like when she shows some attitude. But I don't really like the song. She does it well but it doesn't suit her; it's more a Taylor Hicks song. Randy says it's another solid performance. Paula says she knows how to pick the right song and sing her heart out. Simon says it was fantastic and it was a good choice of song; he saw a little bit of Tina Turner.

Blake: 6/10.
He sings "When the Stars Go Blue". This is an awfully challenging genre for Blake... and it shows. He's pitchy and it's karaoke-ish. Fortunately for him, he should be able to rest on his prior performances. Randy says he picked the right song and it was a good arrangement, and that he knows who he is. Paula says he picked the right song and has the right "isms". Simon it wasn't a jumping-out-of-my-chair performance.

Standings: (Weighted running average)
Safe:
Jordin 8.0
Melinda 7.8
Blake 7.3
----
At risk:
Phil 7.2
Lakisha 6.7
Chris R 6.0
Sanjaya 4.3

Permalink 2 Comment

Posted by Ken in: television

Comments

Comment #1 from minty (Guest)
2007 Apr 18 - 10:20 am : #

If Sanjaya doesn't get voted off tonight, there is no God. Or, Howard Stern's evil plan is working!

Comment #2 from Ken (realkato)
2007 Apr 18 - 11:22 pm : #

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I mean, aww, poor Sanjaya.

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