Last night’s “American Idol” had a bit of everything, but the 12 guys who kicked off the America voting portion of the season just didn’t blow everyone away on the first night as in previous seasons. Still, there were some standouts and some clunkers, some back-and-forth between judges and between some bitter contestants. As we have done the last two years, we’ll pick the good, the bad and the in-between. It was a ’60s theme, so all of the contestants were singing songs that were released before they were born. Here we go….
THE GOOD
David Hernandez kicked things off with “Midnight Hour” and to me appeared pretty confident and natural, and he definitely has a great voice. Randy said it was a good way to start, Paula agreed and Simon said it was better than he expected it to be.
25-year-old David Cook sang a rock version of The Turtles’ “Happy Together” and it wasn’t bad at all. In fact it was better than I anticipated. Randy said it was weird at the start but that David worked it out. Paula agreed (as she often does with Randy), and Simon said it was good except for some shouting in the middle.
David Archuleta is 17 and just has a natural voice and an innocence that might take him pretty far in this thing. He sang “Shop Around” which seemed to be kind of ballsy for a young kid, but he really hit it out of the park. Randy said it was brilliant and mature-sounding, Paula said it was brave and bold, and Simon said David has “got it” and that it was the best performance of the night to that point.
Michael Johns closed out the show with The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and it was as good as you would expect from this rocker dude. Randy loved it and so did Paula, and Simon said Michael is consistent and has star charisma. No argument from me on any of that.
THE IN-BETWEEN
Robbie Carrico, the boy band kid who is trying to grow up into a rocker, sang Three Dog Night’s “One” and it was pretty good. I’ll take Randy’s term and say “aight.” Randy took a more common word and called it “nice,” Paula said it was the perfect song choice and Simon said it “made sense” and was “current.” In other words, it was a solid B or maybe B+.
Danny Noriega, who is pretty effeminate and didn’t hide that this time around, did a weird version of Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock,” and it was a bit disturbing for reasons I’m not completely sure of. Randy said it looked like Danny had a good time, Paula said he has an amazing voice but it was safe. And Simon said it was “grotesque” and “hideous.” Maybe that was a bit harsh, but it was definitely a strange performance. But worse than that was the fact that Danny didn’t like Simon’s take and acted kind of snotty. Kid, that attitude will get you nowhere with the American voters.
There were a few guys in the top 24 that I don’t remember at all from the opening auditions. Jason Castro was one of those, and he performed “What a Day for a Daydream” complete with his guitar and with minimal help from the band. It was pretty decent and Randy correctly called it both interesting and pitchy. Paula said it blew her away, but I’m not sure why. Then Simon said it was in the Top 2 of the night and that Jason has “got it” too. I don’t see that, but again, who am I?
Garrett Haley is only 17 and sang Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” and while it was not great, this kid has an innocent charm about him and is not at all full of himself. Randy said Garrett didn’t take a chance and Paula agreed, then Simon said it was boring and whiney and that Garrett needs more sun because he seemed awfully pale up there. That was funny and not really relevant, but I didn’t think the kid was that bad.
THE BAD
Chikezie was one of my favorites before last night. But he came out in an orange suit and looked like he was performing at “Showtime at the Apollo” 30 years ago. And his vocal was all over the place. Randy said it was just pretty good, Paula said she loves him and he is infectious, and Simon hated the whole thing, calling it “old-fashioned” and “corny.” Chikezie then lost a lot of points with me by arguing right there with Simon. Sorry dude, you just weren’t that good last night and could be going home.
Jason Yeager (seriously, who??) sang “Moon River” and looked like a salesman. His performance was about as good as you would expect from a salesman too, one that maybe does karaoke on weekends. Randy said it was pretty good but pitchy in spots, Paula said Jason didn’t stay on track, and Simon said it was like a cruise ship performance. That’s pretty accurate.
Luke Menard, the third guy who I don’t remember a thing of from the opening auditions, was just not good at all. Randy said it was totally pitchy, Paula said it was not a good song choice and Simon said it was “forgettable,” and that pretty much summed it up. But ol’ Luke took Simon to task on that, showing that he also is full of himself. There certainly is that theme among these dudes this season.
Colton Berry is someone I didn’t think should have been in the finals, and neither did Simon. He took on Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds,” and it was pitchy and to use Simon’s term, “forgettable.” Randy said it was pretty good, Paula said it wasn’t his best, and Simon said it was okay but not great. Let me just say it…this kid kind of sucked and he also seems a bit full of himself.
So there you have it…..the girls will go tonight, and then we’ ll have the agonizing results show on Thursday to see who gets the boot. For these guys, I’m going with Jason and Luke. Chikezie had some strong auditions to start out, and that should keep him around. And Colton has a boy-band quality that America may like. But really, no one is going to remember Luke or Jason when going to vote. So Simon picked the right term with “forgettable.” And as a whole, these guys were “aight” but nowhere near great. Let’s see what the ladies can do tonight….and I’ll see you all tomorrow….
