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American Idol Power Rankings: Beatles (again)

Contributed by: Eric J. Lubbers/YourHub.com   on 3/19/2008

Disclaimer: Sarah and I had a really long day, followed by a really long night yesterday, so Sarah won't be writing and I won't be making much sense. Also, Simon seems to have been reading Sarah's part of the blog, as everything he said to almost every contestant was either verbatim or a slight interpretation of something Sarah's already written in the hallowed pages of this blog. Great minds, people (you know the rest). Anyway, for some reason, America's Singing Monkeys are doing Beatles songs this week. "But they did that stupid 'Lennon/McCartney' thing last week, right? Am I going insane?" I can hear you saying. The answers are 1) yes, but the producers are idiots and 2) possibly. Even though last week was really nothing special, anything that was special about doing Beatles songs on American Idol has been completely obliterated by their decision to do it again. And, no one sang the Joe Cocker version of "With a Little Help From My Friends," ( click here to be blown out of your chair) which is about the only reason I was kind of excited about Beatles week. Losers. Without further ado, here are today's slightly hung-over rankings:
1. David Archuleta // "Giggles McGee"

"The Long and Winding Road" is not an interesting song. Nor does David Archuleta make it one. But simply by being his adorable little self and getting through the song and not forgetting the words, he instantly became one of the audience favorites and, really, best performances of the night. Maybe the acoustics are better live or something, but everyone just fell all over themselves over the performance like they just watched Hendrix or something.

George Michael. Long and winding road. Live. - YouTube
2. Jason Castro // "Mr. Distinct Charm"

Man, everyone just looks tired and disconnected this week, am I right? Is there a carbon monoxide leak in the studio or something? Even Jason Castro, still Sarah's and my favorite, sang "Michelle" and looked like he could really give a crap about being there or not. I think it's the fact that they have to sing Beatles, for the second week, and the whole show just feels like a weird bout of deja vu. Anyway, it was still good and he was all goofy and cute and will sail through to next week.

YouTube - Michelle (Beatles) ukulele cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHDTfS8_ATY
3. David Cook // "I Cover Whitesnake"

"The Rocker" covers "Day Tripper" channeled through Whitesnake and ends up sounding like the guy in a touring rock band that's 35 and still trying to pick up the 18-year-old girls at the club (that was Sarah's observation just from his sound). He even threw down a Peter Frampton PIG voice/guitar effect and it kind of worked. And Paula picks up on that, but then jumps several logical steps and tells him that "GEICO commercials are next" for him. And Simon calls him out for being "smug" and "unsurprising." I agree, Simon.

YouTube - Whitesnake - Day Tripper (Very Rare Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub8rPHBXd20
4. Brooke White // "Secretly Canadian"

Brooke talks about some relatives from Nova Scotia, and it totally strikes me that that's what gives her that odd edge. She's Canadian! She sings "Here Comes The Sun" with lots of trademark Brooke White vocal stylings and a couple of weird "I'm having fun!!!!" twirls and jerky dance moves to try to involve the audience. The arrangement goes off the rails and gets weird at the end, but this chick's staying around. But at least Randy called her out for being "awkward."

YouTube - Nina Simone: Here Comes the Sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSSIlx9hiu8
5. Carly Smithson // "Corned Beef & Cabbage"

Carly delivers an oddly paced "Blackbird" and it's clean, decently sung, but just leaves me and apparently Simon feeling weird. She sang it well, sounding better than she's sounded in weeks, but it just wasn't earth-shaking. But that isn't going to matter at all, because she's building a strangely loyal fanbase.

YouTube - Bobby Mc Ferrin "Blackbird"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUnI9GcON-s
6. Michael Johns // "The Constipated One"

Michael Johns sang a midget Frankenstein version of "A Day In The Life," which according to my music library is 5:34. He had to slice it up and stitch it together into a 90-second weird tapestry. Plus he cannot get on stage to sing lately without twisting his face into a horrible grimace like he's trying to pass three kidney stones. He might be going home, which would be exactly what he really wants (and who could blame him?) but I have a feeling he'll stick around for a few weeks yet.

YouTube - "A Day in the Life" Jeff Beck Tal Wilkenfeld Crossroads 07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
7. Syesha Mercado // "Tamyra Gray 2.0"

WILL PEOPLE STOP CHANGING PRONOUNS IN COVER SONGS!? Sorry, but when you sing "Yesterday," as Syesha did, singing "I'm half the girl I used to be" just sounds like a skip in the record. Anyway, it's an "intimate" performance, what with the sitting-on-a-stool, accompanied-only-by-an-acoustic-guitar thing. It sounded way better than last week and she finally sang up to her ability.

YouTube - The Beatles - Yesterday (Live in Munich 1966)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4889T6IL3y8&feature=related
8. Amanda Overmeyer // "Too Much Rock For Her Own Good"

Amanda sings "Back in the U.S.S.R." and it was pretty sloppy, if I have to be honest. She was way off pitch for most the performance and she changed all the female pronouns lyrics to male, which is about my biggest pet peeve with cover songs. She won't go home, but she won't win any new fans with it.

YouTube - Type O Negative - Back in the U.S.S.R. Live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScYtBqV_w8
9. Ramiele Mulabay // "4' 9" In Heels"

"I Should Have Known Better" is a Beatles song I've never heard and, based on that performance, I don't know if I ever really care to ever again. It was plain and boring and repetitive and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ... sorry I just fell asleep on my keyboard. How did she go last with this crap?

YouTube - I Should Have Known Better - Beatles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9e21ZMLvTE
10. Chikezie // "I Just Learned The Harmonica"

He's going second-to-last, so you know he can't be that great. He sings "I've Just Seen a Face" and the first half sounds exactly like something you would have heard on a horrible adult contemporary R & B station in the mid '90s, then it goes bipolar and turns into crazy harmonica-fueled/jug band weirdness. I didn't like it, but he's not going to go back to checking bags any time soon.

YouTube - David Lee Roth - I've Just Seen A Face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOzOpsghhs0&feature=related
11. Kristy Lee Cook // "The Hot One (Really, Though?)

Fresh off of missing the democratic guillotine last week, Kristy awkwardly stumbles around the stage in her boots and sings a vaguely country-ed up version of "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and her eyes are just dead. Girl is finished with this show. Plus, she gets Paula's kiss of death, "You've never looked better." This is part of the the weird phenomenon where everyone is now treating her like she's just dripping with sex appeal. She isn't. I'm just sayin'.

YouTube - eddie vedder sings You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfIh34uZY00
Tell me what you think. Leave a comment.


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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
Submitted By: John Eisel
posted on 3/19/2008 @ 10:42:44 AM
Rated Blog Entry
I hate Jason Castro. He looks like he should be singing for POD, but doesn't have the talent.
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Submitted By: John Eisel
posted on 3/19/2008 @ 10:37:36 AM
Rated Blog Entry
I liked Chickizie. His things was at least entertaining. David Cook who looks like he could go on tour TOMORROW and kick some a. David Archuleta, my fellow male Honduran, is David Cassidy. Sorry.
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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
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