American Idol: Beatlemania!

Beatles night is now in the books and it was interesting to say the least. Some contestants had a hard days night while others really came together with their songs.

No one went too far out on a limb with their song choice and tackled "I Am the Walrus" or "Yellow Submarine" (where is Danny Noriega when you need him?) but I'm sure at least Sir Paul and Ringo can rest assured that they retain the definitive versions of most of their songs.

What did you think? Who did you love? Who did you hate? Who surprised you the most?

Here are my thoughts:

Song: Got To Get You Into My Life

Rants & raves: Not the strong start I was hoping for (considering the hype of the night). I thought it was a cheesy arrangement that did little to get me excited about Beatles night. Syesha had some fair moments, but this was not her night to shine. Also, someone seemed to have missed the memo that Idol wasn't doing 90s night this week. What was up with that hair?

She's a Woman

I loved the bluegrass arrangement at the beginning. Chikezie gave the song a great soul vibe. He's a natural performer and upbeat tunes like this allow him to show that. This is the performance that should have opened the show.

In My Life

I did not hate this nearly as much as the judges. On the contrary, I thought Ramiele finally showcased that mature voice that defies her years. She had nice control and pacing and delivered a lovely song in a simple fashion. I was happy with it.

If I Fell

Yay! The guitar is back. There is such a lovely tone to his voice and I like the minor changes he made to the song. He's not a powerhouse singer, but he remains true to his style. I can tell what kind of album he would do and I am ready to buy it and enjoy a lazy Sunday morning listening to it. I liked this song, but I still would have loved to hear him sing "Yesterday" tonight.

Come Together

Whoa. Holy vocals. Carly was certainly blowing on this song. She was a bit awkward on the stage, maybe not used to it yet, but no one in the competition could have sung this song like she did tonight.

Eleanor Rigby

I didn't want to like this guy (it must be that hair plastered against his forehead) but what a great song choice. It worked well with his gritty rock treatment. And for the second week in a row, David C. gives us a song that could easily be a hit today (I would totally buy it).

Let It Be

Nice performance. Glad she sung it straight. It was a good vocal and she looked very natural at the piano. Plus, she's still so dang likable. It's hard not to root for her. Not my favorite of her performances, but she'll be back next week.

I Saw Her Standing There

This did not work for me at all. It paled so much in comparison to the original (or even subsequent covers). Overall it came off very cheesy for me.

You Can't Do That

I still can't understand half of what she says but I liked her a lot on this song. It was a great choice - I think her best of the season. And finally she shows us that she can indeed sing (instead of grumbling through every song) and even pulls out a glory note.

Across the Universe

Good vocal, but a lackluster performance at a time when he needed a big hit. He's probably got a week or two to hit one out of the park, but it's getting to be all hype, no delivery.

Eight Days A Week

Honky tonk Beatles. No. It's time to say goodbye. (Frankly, I can't handle any more video of her on that horse, much less another disasterous performance).

We Can Work It Out

Lucky little David A. gets the cushy final slot for the second time in just a few weeks. Interesting. And he blows it! Whether it was the pressure or not, David A. had a bad week. Forgets the lyrics, murders the song, treats the Beatles like musical theater. Yikes. I'm in total agreement with the judges that he should have dumped the Stevie Wonder version and stuck with the original. At least now David A. has a chance for redemption and growth. He'll be back.

Most likely to go home: Kristy Lee Cook or David Hernandez

TELL US: Do you have a favorite performance from last night? Who's going home?

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