Tonight the top 4 singers tackled songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 500 Most Influential Songs. It was interesting to see what songs were picked.
David Cook chose to sing “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Baba ORiley”. Duran Duran was one of my favorite groups in the 80s, but even I thought this was a bit of a strange choice. It’s really a pop song more than a rock song. David Cook sang it without any major changes, and he sounded good, but it wasn’t particularly unique. He also seemed a bit low key this week. I don’t know if he just wasn’t feeling well, or what, but it certainly wasn’t his strongest performance. Randy said it was just okay, and Simon said it was good, if a bit copycat. “Baba OReilly”, however, is exactly the kind of song he excels at singing. It’s a vocally demanding song, but as he’s shown many times in recent weeks, he can certainly sing vocally demanding songs. My only complaint was that it wasn’t long enough. Randy said it was great. Simon simply said, “welcome back David Cook”.
Up next was Syesha Mercado, who sang “Proud Mary” and “Change is Gonna Come”. She did a fine job with “Proud Mary”, even though it was a bit like watching “Tina Turner’s Life Story”. Apparently, Tina Turner was her character this week. Randy said she was in the zone. Simon thought it sounded like a bad, shrieking impersonation of Tina Turner. “Change is Gonna Come” sounded good vocally, but it was back to being a bit more “soulless”. I guess there was no character she could think of for this song. Randy didn’t love this performance or the arrangement. Paula and Simon both liked it.
Oh, poor, poor Jason Castro… I don’t know if he’s just ready to go home, or what. After several weeks of sliding downhill, this week I think he reached the bottom. He sang “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Hey, Mr. Tamourine Man”, which SEEMED like good choices. Bob Marley and Bob Dylan? Those seem to be right up Jason’s alley. It just goes to show that the music you listen to shouldn’t necessarily be the music you sing. “I Shot the Sheriff” was HORRIBLE! I really can’t overstate how bad it was. Worse than Brooke’s performance of “I’m a Believer”. No, really. Barring the birth of the baby in the next day or two, I’ll put both performances up and let you vote for which was worse. “Tambourine Man” was definitely better, but the judges weren’t any more enthusiastic. They tore apart both songs, and Simon said Jason should pack his bags. I have to agree.
It was a pretty predictable pair of performances by David Archuleta tonight. I’m sure there are those out there who loved his versions of “Stand by Me” and “Love Me Tender”. I had the same complaints I’ve made for weeks. Too many runs, too oversung. Good vocals but just too much. There’s really no need to critique the songs separately, as they were pretty much the same. I guess this year’s American Idol will be the next great adult contemporary singer. Randy, as usual, thought David was unbelievably, remarkably fabulous, the best singer ever, hot, etc. Simon was less enthusiastic, but I’d say David’s a shoo-in for the finale, if the producers have anything to say about it.
My favorites:
1. David Cook
2. Syesha Mercado
3. David Archuleta
4. Jason Castro
You may think that I want David Cook to win. The truth is… I don’t. I’d love to see him come in second, though. I do want to see him sing in the finale, but I don’t want to see him saddled with the American Idol contract and title. So, David Archuleta can have it, as far as I’m concerned. It won’t hurt him, but it could hurt David Cook. As a matter of fact, I’d rather David Cook came in third, rather than win the competition. Who is your favorite to win?
