Last night was the first live night of performances on American Idol season 10. It was a little disappointing and the nerves showed up for most of the Idol contestants. There were a few who shined through though. James Durbin continues to impress me, and Casey Abrams is still my front runner to win AI this season. Contestants were to choose a song from their musical idol this week.Here’s how the first live night went on AI season 10:
Lauren Alaina - Shania Twain “Any Man of Mine”
It was a fun song, but for the first time it felt like a karaoke bar when Lauren Alaina sang. The performance was okay on the whole, but not nearly what I expected from this powerhouse voice.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said he wished it had been “a little more kick ass…”
Jlo said the judges wanted to hear Lauren “kick it into a higher gear…”
Randy Jackson agreed that Lauren sang it well, but needed to find a song to “make her shine.”
Casey Abrams - Joe Cocker “With a Little Help From My Friends”
Great song choice for Casey Abrams, though I don’t think there is much he couldn’t make his own. Backed up by the AI choir, Casey said he thought Joe Cocker embodied him at one point, “not that I’m Joe Cocker!”
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler called Casey a “rainbow of talent” and a “plethora of passion” (ok, we have our Paula back!)
Jlo asked Casey, “What am I watching?” and said he blew her away.
Randy Jackson , after a mouthful of “dawgs” and “yo” said it was unbelievable and that he loved it.
Ashton Jones - Diana Ross “When You Tell Me That You Love Me”
Apparently Ashton took on Diana Ross after the judges told her she was like the diva last week. I think they just meant the hair. This was not a good song for Ashton at all. (Somewhere Clint Gamboa is crying harder than ever at not getting a wildcard spot.)
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler told Ashton he “thinks there’s a lot more in there…”
Jlo said “we’re seeing what a real professional you are…” (m’kay)
Randy Jackson tried his best to convince visiting guest Barry Gordy that he “actually really liked it.”
Paul McDonald - Ryan Adams “Come Pick Me Up”
It’s a good thing I love Paul McDonald’s voice. He sounded weirdly off key through most of the beginning of the song, but I’ve nearly come to accept that… it’s his dancing that’s getting hard to take. It looked more like Paul had channeled Joe Cocker. Ryan Seacrest even tried to duplicate the steps… only Elaine from “Seinfeld” can dance like that though.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said he loves the “character and rasp” in Paul’s voice, but cautioned him about his pitch.
Jlo said Paul is so unique and that she “hopes America gets it.”
Randy Jackson said he loves “who Paul is” and that he loved Paul for this show.
Pia Toscano - Celine Dion “All By Myself”
Pia had set her bar high last week… and I think she missed it this week. Such an over played song, will always be compared to the original and can’t be changed. Pia has the pipes to hit the notes but she really shouted them tonight. It was okay. She was undeniably the best female of the night.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler babbled about it being “the sum total of all the work you’ve done up to this point” then wished Pia a “Happy International Woman’s Day.”
Jlo said “we love you” and that it was very beautiful.
Randy Jackson told Pia, “…these notes that you hit, you hit ‘em dead on!” and said “that was dope!” I’m sure the first time in history a Celine song was referred to as “dope.” Another Idol first.
James Durbin - Paul McCartney “Maybe I’m Amazed”
I was just glad that at least one of these kids knew who The Beatles were, or at least Sir Paul. I feared for James Durbin on this song, but he actually did it justice. Durbin showed control that I really didn’t think he had. Good job again tonight. He may wind up a frontrunner after all.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler told James, “You’ve taken everything you ever did and kicked it into the middle of next week.” (Obviously Steven got a new drink in his sippy cup for the live shows.)
Jlo noted James’ use of his vibrato.
Randy Jackson said James is one of his favorites “for this whole thing” and told America, “dude, James Durbin is dangerous!”
Haley Reinhart - LeAnn Rimes “Blue”
I feared for Haley when she announced her music idol, hopefully it’s only her music idol anyway. This was not a good song for Haley at all. She has the quirky voice that could have made it a decent performance, but I think she tried to hard. It was not good… and it was boring.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said “that was beautiful.”
Jlo told Haley she though America is “getting to know you.”
Randy Jackson got booed for being honest and calling it “boring” and “sleepy.”
Jacob Lusk - R. Kelly “I Believe I Can Fly”
Again, hopefully only a music idol for Jacob Lusk. I was not shocked by the song choice, it was good. I don’t really believe that R. Kelly is Jacob’s idol, but he did well. Also backed by the AI choir, as expected, the middle of the song was not good, but by the end Jacob brought it home strong.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said it was “pure passion and pure music” and said, “I can’t even judge you.”
Jlo said, “You make us feel so much when you sing… you are at the top of the list!”
Randy Jackson said Lusk has a “signature sound” and said by the end of the song he was unbelievable.
Thia Megia - Michael Jackson “Smile”
I think Thia chose MJ after the judges’ comments last week… it was a little sad that she thought this was an original MJ song though. At least teach them some music history. The song was excessively boring… and there was a sort of disco remix in the middle that did not help at all. I fear Thia may be sobbing through this song as she leaves the Idol stage for good.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler told her it was a little “pitch-y” and that he liked the front more than the end. (Bet he never thought he’d say that!)
Jlo told Thia her voice was “ranscendent.”
Randy Jackson said he liked the beginning,and again that he could hear the MJ in her.
Stefano Langone - Stevie Wonder “I Sing to Thee”
I assumed this was Stefano’s idol. I think he picked the wrong song though. I think he would have done better with a more emotional effort like the one that got him the wildcard last week. Stefano sang it well, but it was not as good as last week.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said he pulled it off and that it was “beautiful.”
Jlo told Stefano he had her “dancing there in the middle… you sounded great!”
Randy Jackson said it “started off a little rocky” but on the whole it was “very nicely done.”
Karen Rodriguez - Selena “I Could Fall in Love With You”
Karen had a big act to follow after her performance last week. She did not pull this one off. It was very boring. This girl can sing, but she seemed to be having some technical difficulties tonight. Such is a live show.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said she was lacking in energy during the song.
Jlo said she could tell Karen was “a little uncomfortable,” but told her “you are one of our strongest girls.”
Randy Jackson said it felt like “you were fighting the song… it was sleepy.”
Scotty McCreery - Garth Brooks “The River”
Love Garth, love Scotty… but I was still worried about him remembering his words. No need, again Scotty did a good job. I don’t think it was my favorite, but there were no errors. It’s tough to do Garth when Garth does himself so well. Scotty needs to learn to work the crowd and connect more. He’s so close!
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said, “You did Garth justice.”
Jlo said she saw Scotty McCreery “open up as a performer.”
Randy Jackson told Scotty, “If it ain’t broke, don’t even think about fixing it!”
Naima Adedapo - Rhianna “Umbrellas”
Naima came out dancing and tried her best to close the show big. It sort of worked. Her voice is too nasal for me, but the song sounded okay. She lost her wind from all the dancing… gotta remember it’s a singing contest.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler told Naima she was “crazy good ... It was a little pitch-y.”
Jlo said she didn’t care about all the pitch problems (go figure) since she was “doin’ it up there!”
Randy Jackson said he didn’t care as much about the pitch problems as he did the cut offs, but said he loved the reggae part in the middle.
So there you have the first live performances of the American Idol top 13 for season 10. Overall it was a little boring with some stars shining brightly. In other words, it was a regular live night on Idol. My guess would be that either Thia Megia or Haley Reinhart will go home tonight on Idol.
I’ll post all the American Idol videos as soon as they are available. Don’t miss the first official live AI elimination tonight on FOX. Diddy and Adam Lambert will be appearing with performances.
Copyright @ 2008 TV Review
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