Not foolin’ anyone – HELLO Dolly!

It’s American Idol, and tonight Dolly Parton is the “mentor” to the top 9.  Ryan tried to start the show with an April Fool’s joke, but, come on, was anyone fooled?

 The show kicks off with Brooke White, singing “Joleen”.  I know the judges love this girl, but I’m never blown away by her.  She has a good enough voice, and she sounded alright tonight, but I just don’t get excited with her performances.  Tonight was no different, it was just …eh….

David Cook is next up with “Little Sparrow”.  I officially have a new favorite.  He’s been creeping up on me little by little but with this performance he solidified it for me.  It was a fantastic performance, and this kid could put out an album today and sell millions.  Love him!

Next is Ramiele Malubay.  I really liked this girl in the beginning, and I wanted her to do well, but the last few week she’s disappointed with both song choice and performance.  It wasn’t a bad performance, but it just wasn’t great either, it was alright.  I think she’s in danger thi week.

Jason Castro is next, and he’s going to be singing “Traveling through”.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this kid has something special.  I love his voice, I love his style, I love his delivery, and I really enjoyed this performance.  I know he may not be the most talented contestant, but I could listen to him for days. 

And then there was Carly Smithson, singing “Here you come again”.  I loved this performance, she has a beautiful voice and I think she is one of the best singers in this competition.  It was pretty flawless.  Now for my conspiracy theory, I really think that the controversy surrounding her existing record deal in the past, has put pressure on the show, and that is why Simon and Randy have been so unfairly hard on her.  She in now way deserves the harsh (and crude) criticism she’s been getting, and Simon?  Giving fashion advice?  Laughable.

Moving on with David Archuletta and “SmokyMountain Memories”.  Ah yes, there’s the little David I’ve loved all along.  This was a great performance, he sounded fantastic.  Did I say I had a new favorite earlier?  I may have to rethink that statement.

I will say this though, this is the boys’ season, isn’t it?

And then there’s the girl with 9 lives, Kristi Lee Cook.  I figured with it being “Country” night, she’d pull off another performance that would get her through.  She might have.   It wasn’t spectacular, but the song worked with her voice, and I think she made it work.

Syesha Mercado is next with “I will always love you”.  Dangerous song choice, of course, because picking a song that Whitney has sung ALWAYS backfires on this show.  And yet, she sort of nailed it, didn’t she?  I liked the arrangement she picked with it, and how she chose to sing it, and she sounded amazing.  That last note was KILLER.  But, again, the judges can’t step away from Whitney, so they, of course told her it wasn’t as good as Whitney, and that puts her in the danger zone.

And last, but certainly not least, it’s the Aussie, Michael Johns.  Great song choice, I love this sound for him.  He’s been flailing a bit the last few weeks with songs that just didn’t showcase his talent, and this song was perfect for him.  I LOVED this performance.  What did I say about favorites?  I take it all back, he’s got me back after tonight.  It was HOT, I loved it. LOVED IT.  Michael Johns.  WOO! 

All about the boys.

So, bottom three this week?  I’m going to pick my bottom three, not the three I think America will put there.  So, I say Kristi Lee Cook, Brooke White, and Ramiele Malubay (sorry girl).  What did you think?