American Idol Top 9

Via Fox

Much like the title says, and then there were nine. I know many folks were upset that Curtis was the one eliminated last week. Was he the least talented? No. Did he put on the most forgettable performance? Probably not. But he was in the death spot on a two hour show. When you hit leadoff for these two hour shows, you have to knock it out of the park or else people will forget you even performed. It’s really Idol’s fault. They stretch out hour shows into two hours and very few singers are memorable.

Call it nerves or bad luck, but Curtis didn’t sing well enough to make you believe he was ripped off by being eliminated. In a perfect world, he makes the top five. But with his shaky performance last week, I wasn’t surprised. In fact, I called it.

It was Beatles night last night and it was generally good. The artists who connect with the Beatles seem to do really well and those who don’t, just don’t understand what made those songs great. And heck, some of these kids are so young, how could they?

Before the show started, the very meaningless competition between Charlie and Aubrey as to who was going on the Idol tour was decided. If you guessed that the pretty girl beat out the ugly dude, you’d have guessed right.

Performances Of The Night

Kree (Summer) might be the one. She gives off a Kelly Clarkson-like confidence, but she doesn’t have the same sassiness that could irritate the voters. She’s humble, yet she knows she’s good. And while I’m not sure I absolutely loved With a Little Help from My Friends for her, I dug the overall performance. She doesn’t sing scared. And she hit leadoff. Curtis, that’s how you hit leadoff.

I’m not sure how long Burnell lasts, but he’s using his time wisely. He’s done two near-perfect performances two weeks in a row. And he might have to continue to do that because he doesn’t have the swagger or personality that a lot of the winners generally have. But, his aw-shucks personality could work for him. He didn’t know Let It Be before he performed it, but it may be one of the best performances of that song on American Idol. I’m rooting for Burnell because he’s the underdog. And we haven’t had an R&B winner in a very long time.

Devin saved his rear end with a really good performance of The Long and Winding Road. It was perfect for his voice and now only Paul Jolley is up for the award of most forgettable.

(By the way, I know most loved Candice and while her vocals were off the hook, her performance left a lot to be desired. I liked Janelle’s vocals too, but was slightly bored with her. And Angie? Hmmm. I didn’t dislike it, but it felt disingenuous. Amber was in good voice, but drab and boring.)

Who Dropped The Ball?

I think the easy person to start with is Lazaro. He simply looks uncomfortable performing. I don’t even really want to watch him. He’s out of his league and it’s hard to hide at this point.

Paul Jolley’s version of Eleanor Rigby was a good Paul Jolley version. But compared to David Cook’s version? Couldn’t hold his jockstrap in a briefcase. Jolley has a good look and a decent voice, but talent-wise, is just going to be near the bottom every week. He should try acting.

Who Goes Home?

I think Lazaro has one more week and it will be Paul Jolley who goes home. It was Devin Vasquez’s turn, but he saved himself with his performance.