Real Kato Blog: American Idol 2008 Week 7: Top 9

Chikezie went out last week. This week's theme: Dolly Parton.

Brooke "Granola" White: 6.3
"Jolene". Good song, and not a bad performance, but hmm, the interpretation isn't terribly original, and she's smiling too much for a bitter song. Vocally not very challenging, and it seemed a little rushed. I give her a 7.

David "Shaggy" Cook: 8.8
"Little Sparrow". Oooh, pretty nice. It's great that he can take a Dolly Parton song and make it sound like a modern rock song. Another excellent performance from the front-runner. And the hair is a big improvement. I give him a 9.

Ramiele "Monique" Malubay: 5.7
"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." It's a little mumbly, and she seems really uncomfortable with it. The bridge is pitchy. This is waaaay out of her comfort zone. I'm a big Ramiele fan, but it's getting harder and harder to believe in her. I give her a 5.

Jason "Battlefield Earth" Castro: 6.8
"Travelin' Through". Hmm, it's not awful, but I think he had an opportunity to make this really interesting, but missed it. As it is, it's an OK cover version of the song, but not spectacular. As Amy points out, it's kind of like a Grateful Dead song... something that would be better if you were stoned. I give him a 7.

Carly "Potatoes" Smithson: 6.7
"Here You Come Again". It's pretty... pretty boring, that is. I thought this had a chance to be nice, but it's so 1970s easy listening, I don't think it's redeemable. Maybe if she'd done it a capella or something... as it is, it's a lounge act. I don't think it'll connect with people. I give her a 7.

David "Cheeks" Archuleta: 6.5
"Smoky Mountain Memories". Good choice, I think, and he seems to be taking it seriously for a change. It's a little Josh Groban-y, maybe, but nice. He's redeemed himself. I give him an 8.

Kristy Lee "Jessica Simpson" Cook: 3.2
"Coat of Many Colors". If Country Girl can't sing a Dolly Parton song, she has no hope. It's a little pitchy, and it's kind of like a church recital. Or a Muppet Show interlude. Just mediocre. I give her a 5.

Syesha "Whitney" Mercado: 6.8
"I Will Always Love You". Really a Whitney song more than a Dolly song, and it's not even close to the Whitney version. She really needs to get off the Whitney kick, because she can't pull it off. I give her a 6.

Michael "Aussie" Johns: 6.0
"It's All Wrong But It's All Right". Well, he's half right. This just isn't his kind of song. His singing is pretty good, and it's good that he's changing things up a bit, but this is a little too vanilla. I give him a 7.

My bottom three: Ramiele, Syesha, and of course, Kristy.

Permalink