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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Latest update: We’re going to Dollywood
Dolly Parton, the little woman with the big singing voice, served as the celebrity mentor this week on American Idol.
Dolly said she would have a tough time judging or criticizing others, and from the footage Idol aired, that seemed to be the case. I never got the sense that she helped the final nine singers all that much.
She comes back Wednesday to perform.
Brooke White goes first and sings “Jolene.”
My take: Another solid, yet unspectacular, performance that should get her into the next round.
Randy: Some pitch problems at points, and she rushed the music. It was all right.
Paula: You have an emotional connection with each song you pick.
Simon: It wasn’t one of your best performances. I wasn’t crazy about it.
David Cook is up next and does his own take on “Little Sparrow,” which won praise from Dolly.
My take: He nailed the vocals, and I loved the arrangement, but I am not familiar with the original. It could be a hit today.
Randy: You’re showing unbelievable range. Once again another hot, consistent performance.
Paula: I’ve never heard a guy do that song. It was fantastic. It shows how well-rounded you are.
Simon: If you can make a song about sparrows good, which actually you did, congratulations.
Ramiele Malubay admitted being starstruck as she worked on “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” (She was last week’s most likely to be kicked off, according to our online poll here.)
My take: Not a good performance. She had pitch problems, trouble with words and pacing. She looked like she knew she was in trouble.
Randy: Pretty good performance, 6.5 out of 10.
Paula: You really had a great minute and 30 seconds.
Simon: We’re not going to remember this in 10 years. Forgettable. Cruise ship performance.
Jason Castro tries “Travelin’ Through.”
My take: One of his better performances, but that’s not saying much coming from me. Not a big fan of his.
Randy: Thought it started rough, but by the middle of the song … you worked it out.
Paula: One of your strongest performances. It was great. I loved it.
Simon: I didn’t like it at all.
Carly Smithson hits one of Dolly’s best-known songs, “Here You Come Again.”
Dolly’s take: Now that’s the type of voice this is written for.
My take: I struggled to feel the connection with her for most of the song, but she nailed the big notes at the end.
Randy: I do believe that will probably be one of the better performances of the night.
Paula: That was glorious. You are beautiful.
Simon: Good, not great. You’ve got to look more like a star, and I am not seeing that progression now.
David Archuleta takes on “Smoky Mountain Memories.”
Dolly: I could feel that he was so into it. It’s all I could do to keep from crying.
My take: (Disclaimer: I’m not as big a fan of his as so many others are.) I thought after the build-up from Dolly, this would wow me. It didn’t. It was solid, but I wouldn’t want to listen to it again. Am I the only one who thinks David is overrated?
Randy: That was the best performance of the night.
Paula: You have an amazing tone in your voice. You have a beautiful aura.
Simon: Absolutely on the money.
Kristy Lee Cook picks one Dolly wrote about her own childhood, “Coat of Many Colors.”
My take: Kristy Lee needed to hit a home run with the country night, and she didn’t. It was fine, but not nearly the knockout she needed to stay in this thing too much longer.
Randy: Nice performance; this is in your wheelhouse.
Paula: You look stunning. I think this is your best performance.
Simon: I thought last week was your best performance. I thought this was pleasant but forgettable.
Syesha Mercado takes on a big one, “I Will Always Love You,” which Dolly and Whitney both made famous.
My take: This is a tall order, but I think she delivered on the vocals.
Randy: You took on the biggest tiger of the night, but I think you did pretty good.
Paula: You’re growing and growing, and I love it.
Simon: The first part was good, the second part paled by comparison to the Whitney version. It was a good, it wasn’t a fantastic, version of the song.
Michael Johns picks “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right.”
Dolly’s take: I could write some good records for him, so I hope he does become a star.
My take: Lose the scarf. Vocally, it was another top-shelf effort for Michael.
Randy: You keep on bringing it up a notch every week.
Paula: Great melodies, great hooks. You’re a star.
Simon: I think this is the best I have heard you sing so far.
After listening to the recap, I think this is the end of the line for Ramiele or Jason. If it wasn’t country week, Kristy Lee could be out, but the audience for Dolly will help keep her around once again.
So, who do you want to go home? Leave your comments here and take part in our unofficial poll to check the pulse of our readers. [an error occurred while processing this directive]
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