I thought for sure I wouldn't get a chance to do a complete recap of tonight's performances, but with only six contestants left, it's getting easier and easier (but soon they'll be doing two songs). So just in the nick of time, here we go!Tonight it was the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, quite possibly one of the greatest broadway music composers of all time. I had the opportunity to see Phantom of the Opera when I was a freshman in high school and it was such an amazing show to see live. It wasn't in New York City but in Green Bay, Wisconsin when the show was traveling across the country. And some of the other shows that Webber has written songs for, such as Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar. Even though I may not have ever seen those shows, at least I am familiar with some of the songs in those shows. So this will definitely be a very entertaining night of American Idol. It may not be as edgy as it's been with some of the other mentor weeks, but it'll be interesting to see how well the contestants adjust to singing these songs. Onto the reviews!
Syesha Mercado - singing "One Rock and Roll Too Many" from Starlight. She is looking very sexy and sultry on stage tonight, complete with a stunning red dress. She's definitely showing a large amount of personality on stage tonight, something we haven't seen from her yet this season. She's dancing with Ricky Minor and another member of the band. Now that's really great to see and I'm really liking her performance tonight. She's clearly playing the part of a broadway star on that stage and she's owning it. In my view, this is her best performance of the season so far. Clearly, this is her element and she's made to sing these songs and become a star on broadway. It was a very enjoyable performance and it should definitely keep her in another week.
Jason Castro - singing "Memory" from Cats. Jason is a big risk taker this week, singing a song that's very familiar with the general public, especially one from such a long-running musical. Reports are that he was very ill this week and lacked energy (and who could blame him). We'll see if that ends up affecting him tonight. The opening package of Jason being mentored with Andrew Lloyd Webber was very funny, but Jason admits that he was very nervous about tonight. He looked very stylish, although his vocals were definitely off. He was pitchy in spots and he had some difficulty hitting the lower notes of the song. I did think the last half of the song was better than the first and overall, it was a decent performance. Definitely not his strongest but he did take a risk picking this song. It may not have had the results he wanted, but it wasn't completely terrible.
Brooke White - singing "You Must Love Me" from Evita. Oh man, right off the bat - she flubs and forgets the lyrics. She asks Ricky to start the song over, which she does. Thank god it wasn't later into the song, otherwise she'd have no choice but to keep going (ala David Archuleta: "We Can Work it Out"). Still a very awkward moment and it definitely threw her off for the rest of her performance. She is clearly shaken by the mistake and sounds unsure, almost wavering a bit as she sings (as if she's about to cry or is very nervous). But gradually, she starts to pick herself back up and by the time we reach the last note, this is the Brooke White we're all familiar with. However, she did seem to struggle the most with the lower notes in the song which ended up being in the first part of the song. She looks thoroughly disappointed at her blunder and it just might end up costing her this week.
David Archuleta - singing "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. Word is David is going to be changing the tempo and arrangement of the song up a bit and make it sound more upbeat. We'll see if this risk will pay off for him, since he hasn't done a more upbeat song in some time. I wouldn't say it had a really high tempo with it, but it was definitely mid-tempo. It ends up being a great arrangement for the song and he hits this song out of the park. He was phenominal vocally and very consistent to what he's been doing. I like that he's not using the ear piece anymore which shows his comfort of performing on that stage now. As Simon said, it was very pleasant but I completely disagree with his assessment of calling it forgettable. That just more or less throws him under the bus after he did a great job with the song. I really felt that emotional connection that David displayed while singing the song. He was definitely into the moment.
Carly Smithson - singing "Jesus Christ Superstar." I think Carly has become my new favorite female contestant on the show just because of her bubbly personality. She may not be as wholesome as Brooke, but she is able to take criticism from the judges quite well. I am not all that familiar with this song, although I have heard it before. This is truly the first (and only) upbeat performance of the night and gets everyone on their feet. The song did seem a bit too high for her in parts and she tended to over-shout at times. The background singers also overpowered her in a few segments. But overall, it was probably her best performance in some time and she definitely displayed her vocal power in this one. You could tell she had a lot of fun up on that stage and just hearing Simon give her a positive review, she was absolutely giddy. That's nice to see.
David Cook - singing "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. Aw man, David Cook with the pimp spot again? Let's hope he really brings it tonight. I love this song choice and it's probably my favorite from Phantom of the Opera. I really enjoy seeing this broadway-side to David and it shows that he doesn't always have to be a rocker week in and week out. Tonight's performance definitely does not hurt him and he'll sail safely into the top five. He's very soothing and sensual with the softer, slower portion of the song. He's really connected with this selection and I am loving the passion he's bringing. He did a splendid job tonight and it's my favorite of his since "Little Sparrow" from Dolly Parton week. Absolutely amazing vocally and the end note was a fitting way to conclude the night. Awesome and very consistent for Cookie.
I really liked tonight's show, even though some of the contestants didn't have spectacular performances. I would give tonight an eight out of ten, overall. It was pretty easy to guess who would be the most challenged tonight, but who would've guessed that Brooke would end up faltering as badly as she did. That just might be the final straw for her and she'll end up packing tomorrow night. With that being said, here are tonight's rankings:
#1: David Archuleta - top performance
#1: David Cook - top performance
#3: Carly Smithson (minor shocker ~ eliminated - 4/23/08)
#4: Syesha Mercado - bottom three (bottom two - 4/23/08)
#5: Jason Castro - bottom three
#6: Brooke White - eliminated
Yes, I gave both David's #1 tonight because they were both spectacular and it's extremely difficult for me to pick one over the other. I hate to say it, but I think Brooke will be going home. Jason had a sub-par night, but I don't think it's the end of the road for him quite yet. I think he'll have one more week to recover and deliver one more decent performance. I've been a fan of Brooke's for a long time, but I also tend to believe she's worn out her welcome some with her excessive back-talk to the judges at times and her failure to really enjoy the moment. With that being said, she has my pick to be sent home tomorrow.
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