The Beatles......

By Rodney Ho Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 05:12 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New set, new opener, same show!
And it’s.. the Beatles!
I’m sorry but I’m a tad disappointed by the night as a whole. I’m so familiar with a lot of these songs, it’s awfully difficult to take on such iconic tunes and put on a special spin. Who would have thunk it that my favorites were from Chikezie and Amanda???
And the frontrunner crumbled!
Okay, here’s the order: 1- Amanda 2- Chikezie 3- Carly 4-David C. 5- Jason C. 6- Syesha C. 7- Michael 8-Brooke 9- David H. 10- David A. 11 - Ramiele 12- Kristy Lee Cook.
Who should go? I originally thought Kristy Lee but instead, I’m going to say Ramiele. I think Kristy Lee took a greater risk and some voters will admire her for it and give her enough votes to overtake (snooze) Ramiele. The other person in the bottom three will be David Hernandez. He’s performed well enough to this point to avoid elimination but he clearly tried to do too much and failed. And despite his collapse, David Archuleta is perfectly safe. I expect many of his text-happy teen fans will vote double time to make sure of that. And bravo to both Amanda and Chikezie for saving themselves.
First up: Syesha Mercado (“Got To Get You Into My Life”) - She does it with a bit of a jazz vibe and does a fine job after a few off notes early on. I like her hair, too. Randy: “Nice arrangement of Beatles… It was alright.” Paula: “You know you’re a good singer. It started it pitchy but midway through you found your zone.” Simon: “I thought it was a great choice of song. You looked very nervous but you need to get passed that. You were better than last week.” B-plus
Chikezie Eze (“She’s a Woman’) - He thought he was going last week. (And he should have.) He talked about an LAX screener. He was raised on Nigerian cultural music but his mom is an encyclopedia of music knowledge. He does it with a bluesy/country vibe with a fiddler, a banjo and a tambourine. It’s a great arrangement. He’s having a fun time up there, real loose and confident. Wow! He upped his game big time. Randy; “I was thoroughly entertained. Who knew?” Paula: “Those who take a risk, the greater the reward.” Simon:”I’m really surprised but I agreed with these two! You actually have changed! You took control the stage.” A-minus/A
Ramiele Malubay (“In My Life”) She works at a sushi place and her parents played a lot of old-school music like “Yesterday.” Good song choice. It’s a perfectly adequate vocal presentation.But again, she doesn’t take it to the next level. Yawn. Adequate doesn’t cut it at this point, especially after Chikezie shocked everyone. Randy: “It was kind of pretty but pretty boring. I was waiting for you to do something special. Paula: “It was pretty safe… I feel like you’re holding back.” Simon: “I was bored to tears throughout the entire song.” B-minus
Jason Castro (“If I Fell”) He failed his music class at Texas A&M. He seems familiar with the Beatles. He’s mesmerizing and he does “If I Fell” in a sweet, understated manner. I liked it. He is truly heartfelt. There were a few missteps and strange note shifts. Randy: “I found myself tuning out. It was alright.” Paula: “I disagree with Randy. I do feel your heart.” Simon: “Last week, you were incredible. It was a bit student in the bedroom at midnight. I thought the song was quite boring.” Then there’s some weirdness between Simon and Ryan. Any theories? B-plus/A-minus
Carly Smithson (“Come Together”) They moved into their own apartments. Amanda is her roomie. She misses Ireland but loves San Diego. They show at the bar and sings “Come Together” every Saturday. They clearly made an exception (for Carly, of course) by taking a song from “Abbey Road,” which came out after “Revolver.” The song allows her to belt, her specialty. She does it with her usual intensity. As usual, I’m fine with it but didn’t love it. Randy: “You were strong. You were confident. You sounded amazing. Stellar performance.” Paula: “I feel like I’m already watching a star.” Simon: “Week after week, I feel you’ve chosen the wrong song til now.” B-plus
David Cook (“Eleanor Rigby”) We’re halfway there. He was a bartender in Tulsa. I thought he’d go for something a little edgier like “Revolution.” “This song is already so powerful. If I played guitar, it would be overkill.” He gives it that grungy Nickelback/Daughtry-like take and it’s okay if you like that sort of thing. This is such a sacred song, it’s hard for me to absorb it this way. Not that he did it badly. I have to give him credit for doing it the way he wanted to do it. Randy: “Started a little unsafe for me.. but once you hit that chorus, you let go. It was rockin’!” Paula: “This is proving there’s more than one horse in this race. You are a thoroughbred.” Simon: “David. I thought it was brilliant.” B-plus
Brooke White (“Let It Be”) She was a nanny. Well, obviously, Nigel was wrong because here is yet another song post-“Revolver.” She does the song pretty straight. She has some strange breathing issues I’ve never noticed before. This is one of those classics that I’ve heard so many times, I’m sorry I didn’t hear anything extra from her. I was really hoping for more. Randy: “I love the fact you have all of this conviction. It was a very heartfelt performance.” Paula: “This is your niche. You have this emotional connection that makes people fall in love with you.” Simon: “It was one of the best performances of the night. A brilliant choice of song… It’s believable.” She is so likable though! More gay insinuations courtesy of Simon and Ryan grins and bears it. B
David Hernandez (“I Saw Her Standing There”) He got fired from a pizza bistro (maybe he was spending too much time stripping?) He’s solid but I’m mildly bored. It doesn’t quite touch me. Disappointing. Randy: “It was too overdone. I was lost from the jump.” Paula: “You overdid it.” Simon: “It was corny, verging on desperate.” B-minus.
Amanda Overmyer (“You Can’t Do That”) She worked as a nurse. She took one of the Beatles’ less famliar songs and it works amazingly well. Sure, she’s limited in her vocals but she picked a tune that fit her voice. She really rocks it! Randy: “That is the true mark of great songs. Guess what? You took a Beatles song and took it to a Southern bar!” Paula: “You are a star up there!” Simon: “I didn’t think it was as good as last week. It was like you were slurring your words.” A-minus/A
Michael Johns (“Across the Universe”) Oddly, he still is given credit for living in Buckhead though he moved way four years ago. He discovered Lennon/McCartney at age of 10. This song is really personal for him so let’s see if he can pull it off. And he does. That “heartfelt” line can be used here and it’s my favorite Johns performance since week one. Randy: “I thought it was good. A little sleepy.” Paula: “I disagree with you again. It takes an inner strength… and do nothing but sing brilliantly.” Simon: “I’m going to agree with Randy. Carly did something brilliant. It was a little monotonous. You have to let yourself go. I’m still a big big fan. I’m frustrated still.” B-plus/A-minus
Kristy Lee Cook (“Eight Days a Week”) She’s a country girl who will countrify this Beatles song. Wow. She wasn’t kidding! It’s too honky tonk and kind of corny. But no guts, no glory. She gave it the best shot he could and this competition could use a little bit of country in it. Randy: “I liked the idea of the song. Vocally, you forced some runs in it. I’m kind of torn with this one.” Paula: “I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t get it.” Simon: “I thought it was horrendous. You sounded like Dolly Parton on helium. A very brave but foolish performance.” B/B-minus
David Archuleta (“We Can Work It Out”) He gets the pimp spot— of course. He’s a mixed race dude with a Honduras mom and a guy from Utah. He wasn’t too familiar with the Beatles but was familiar with the Stevie Wonder version of “We Can Work It Out.” Lucky him! Gasp! Did he just miss some lyrics??? The nerves of being the frontrunner has gotten to him. He picks it up at the end and redeems himself but wow! I’ve never seen someone in the pimp spot screw up like that! Randy: “I like your voice. This week, it was not on point. It felt very forced. It didn’t quite work.” Paula: “This wasn’t your best week but you are a frontrunner. Forgetting the lyrics-you should never let it show on your face.” Simon: “That was a mess. You stumbled over lyrics. At this point, I expect incredible performances. It wasn’t. It was your weakest performance so far.” B-minus