American Idol: God bless Billie Jean

The good old "birth year" theme night. This year, that means a second chance at 80s night -which you'll remember was a pleasant surprise the first time around.

Well tonight (like Beatles redux night) was not as good as the original, but it did afford one interestingly cheap song choice and one tantalizingly delicious song choice. (Read on to see who did which ones.)

I never thought I'd say this, but can we please have Mariah Carey night next week? These poor kids need a good dose of new(ish) songs to sing (even if they are courtesy of Mariah Carey or her peers). Haven't these contestants waded through the Classic Pop Songbook long enough? If you don't let them sing something from this century soon, I'm afraid they'll start worrying about Y2K.

(Side note: Did anyone else think Paula Abdul looked like she was coming home late from a rowdy New Year's party circa 1987? Yowza!)

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

Here are my thoughts:

Singer: Ramiele Malubay (Birth year: 1987)

Song: Alone

Rants & raves: In the dreaded kickoff spot, Malubay will suffer tonight with this performance. For me, Carrie Underwood did the best cover of this song (see my Top 10 all-time best performances blog entry) and this one pales in comparison to that. She didn't hit the power notes on the chorus and screeched her way through some improvised big notes at the end. It shouldn't be good enough for next week, but we'll see how the night plays out

Fragile

I'm not familar with this song, but it certainly sounds like a
Sting number. Happy to see Jason back on guitar. I thought he did a good job with the song though it wasn't terribly exciting. Because it's so mellow, it ends up sounding more like background music or a B-side than a single. Jason does need to work to find more "Hallelujah" type blockbuster numbers if he wants to stay in the game (though something tells me we're never going to see him jumping around the stage like Chikizie- and that's ok with me.)

If I Were Your Woman

Great vocal for her and it's easy to agree that this is her best performance yet. It didn't whip me into a frenzy though. I can appreciate that she found a great song for her style, but I still don't feel a strong connection between her and the audience. (And that stupid baby cry thing she does isn't helping.)

If Only For One Night

Lovely tone on this song. Chikizie totally has a Luther Vandross vibe going and it works for him. I still like the bluegrass crazy man from the last two weeks, but this is a good softer side for him to display. He's overcome his early mistakes and shows a lot of promise. Here's hoping he gets to show us more.

Every Breath You Take

Total agreement with the judges on Brooke's performance (the judges that count that is). The opening with just the piano had my complete attention. As soon as the band came in (honestly, are they really necessary ALL the time???) I crinkled my nose at how cheesy it started to sound. She still has a talent for morphing songs to fit her and I'm willing to keep tuning in to see that.

We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions

Yes, Michael Johns can sing. And yes, he sounded good during this medley. But I'm still not buying it. To me, he sounded like someone singing Queen. He didn't do anything different with the songs. I don't feel a connection with him either when he sings.  I want to. I feel like the potential is there, but for me, he still hasn't picked the song that encompasses who he would be as an artist.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Big Bonnie Tyler song for the girl with the big voice. She was paired with Michael Johns in this segment appropriately because I have the same complaints for her that I had for him. There was something not quite right in the performance - a disconnect with the song or something. Sigh.

You're the Voice

For a minute, I thought I was watching that "Songs of Worship" commercial and I was frightened at where American Idol was going. I didn't like this song, but David A. still gives a pretty good performance. For his young age, he is full of feeling when he performs and that will take him far.

God Bless the U.S.A.

Can you hear the patter of red states running to the phone right now? Am I the only one that got visions of post-9/11 patriotism as KLC sang? I'm going to have to cry foul here. By all accounts, she should have been going home this week, but I have no doubt that this stirring song of national love will not only keep her in the game, but well out of the bottom three. Good (if not cheap) song choice indeed.

Billie Jean

And the Hobbit makes it three weeks in a row! No contest, David C. is the hands down winner yet again for a good, interesting, entertaining performance. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. When I snuck a peak and saw he was singing "Billie Jean," I was ecstatic. When I saw the actual performance, I was even more thrilled. David C. is a smart contestant and (unlike KLC) makes clever song choices that don't patronize the audience. Bravo!

Most likely to go home: Ramiele Malubay

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

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