American Idol Round of 9: A Horseplayer's Perspective

[brianwspencer]

Blake
I get the feeling that it's going to become more apparent that his vocal abilities are not quite up to par with some of the girls. He's consistent and he's good. I think the thing he's got going for him after a night like tonight is the concept of the "whole package," because he's a good singer, a good looking guy, and arguably the "coolest" of all of the contestants. That may continue to carry him through the next few rounds even when his vocal isn't anything to write home about, which I assume will be the case again tonight once the rest of the performers are through.

Final Score: 7.0 phone-in votes

Phil
I really wish that his hitting that one big note at the end of every song would stop saving him. It was boring, it was bland, it was uninspiring, I could simply not point to a single part of this performance of which I was a fan. Then, he added in the "focus on my wife" thing. He needed that. Nothing like an "Aw, shucks, awwwwwww," moment to try to get some sympathy votes. If that's all the energy he could muster up while "focusing on his wife" during a big love song, I'd hate to see what married life is like for those two. Ten bucks says she becomes the world's biggest cockblock after tonight's performance.

Final Score: 5.5 phone-in votes

Melinda
I need to just start copying and pasting what I write about her. It's all superlatives. Can anyone who watches honestly remember her ever hitting a single note that was off in any way? She's flawless, she's a performer, and she absolutely deserves every ounce of praise that's been coming her way during this season. There is really nothing here not to like, once again. It wasn't my favorite performance of hers, but it was still perfect and it was still better than anyone else here.

Final Score: 10.0 phone-in votes.....yet again.

Chris R.
I guess I can't believe that he dressed the way he did. This week (or its similar counterpart of old classic songs) always calls for an extra bit of class. I've said all along that I think he's trashy, and coming out in jeans and the vest from my Senior Prom tuxedo seemed a bit tacky. With that said, the vocal didn't bother me as much as most weeks. I think that outcome is more a result of the song choice than that I actually like him, because this song doesn't lend itself to lots of appalling whining throughout. It wasn't awful, for someone who I generally consider to be pretty awful.

Final Score: 7.5 phone-in votes

Jordin
I've absolutely loved watching my audition favorite blossom into a true bonafide contender in this competition. Her vocals seem to just get better and better with every week, and tonight was no exception. She was totally on from start to finish. I found it funny that Simon commented that she didn't make it "young & fun," as about 25 seconds prior to him saying that, I had written on my paper, "made it young and fun." I completely disagree and I thought it was just exuding fun and showing her personality once again. She's making a habit of singing great and being the second best performer each week behind Melinda. Thus far, this week looks like that will be the case again.

Final Score: 9.5 phone-in votes

Gina
It was okay. She's really prone to being hot or cold week to week. This week was right in the middle. It paints me to put her on par with Chris R., but I must. Uninspiring, but not bad.

Final Score: 7.5 phone-in votes

Sanjaya
Oh man, what to even say. In his defense, I figured this week would fit his vocals perfectly. They aren't powerful, and this week has lots of opportunities for understated vocals. I think that from listening to the chatter about him in the last month or so, there are things about him that I do like. I love that he's seventeen years old and really doesn't seem fazed by the fact that half of America hates him and would be happy to never hear from him again. He seems to be enjoying the hell out of himself, and having a really good time. Vocally, tonight was not half bad. I would hesitate to label it anything above average, but for Sanjaya, an average night is like reaching the top of Everest. I'm hardly warming up to him, but I think that the vocal was passable, if unspectacular.

Final Score: 6.5 phone-in votes (Jordan just came over and said "you rated him a whole point above Phil?!" I can understand the criticism, but let's break it down. Sanjaya is notoriously bad to average. Phil is notoriously bad to average. They hit about the same number of notes tonight. Regardless of the fact that Phil's good notes were better than Sanjaya's, Sanjaya had lots of fun and didn't seem to be channeling a deathwish for his wife during the performance, so yes...I stand by my highly effective phone-in votes ranking system.)

Haley
First, quit it with the stairs. Stand up on your own two legs, you've got them for a reason. The "start on the stairs" performance is good, one time per season per contestant. That said, she played her angle tonight. Her two best performances have come when she's played up the sort of "sexy kitten" aspect. While I'm not a huge advocate of something like that being the basis for one's "talent," I think she holds a distinct edge here because she's the only girl in this competition who has "got it," so to speak. She's the only one who can pull that image off, and she'd be well served to slut herself up and tramp it out every week because it's her big edge. The vocal was good. Another in a line of good, if unspectacular vocals, but with her image tonight the song worked great for her.

Final Score: 7.5 phone-in votes

Lakisha
She's suffering from Phil Stacey syndrome tonight. She was very suspect at the beginning. Very suspect, and then she went on in the song and recovered with the huge notes. Those huge notes generally wash away the bad taste from the rough start, ie why Phil has stuck around this far. It wasn't a bad performance, but I wish that those huge endings would stop making people forget about the rough beginnings. She's a great singer, for sure. But she's pigeonholed as that girl with the huge voice. Those types never win this competition, and she is not going to be the one to end that streak.

Final Score: 8.0 phone-in votes.