American Idol: The Top 7 Perform

(S07E31) It's Mariah Carey night. Woo. Hoo.

When the show started and they panned the final seven contestants, the first several were giggling until they got to Archuleta who had a weird smile on his face. I wonder if he had just cut one? Or maybe Ryan did, but it was in front of David and so he was trying not to pass out. Ryan opened the show by discussing the elimination of Michael Johns but did not offer an apology, as many have demanded, for the false glimmer of hope he cruelly gave Michael when he was cut.

You can still join the chat by following this link.


Mariah Carey
I always like it when Idol gets an artist that's still relevant to the generation of the contestants as Mariah is. Generally they get people who are legends in their own right, but perhaps have moved past their heyday as artists the "kids" are listening to. And Mariah has some great pop songs, so they've got good choices.

Ryan brought up the fact that the judges always criticize contestants for trying to tackle the big voices like Mariah and Whitney and yet Mariah's the theme tonight so what do they do? My guess going in was that they hate the whole night. Fair enough, right? They tell each contestant that you can't help but compare a Mariah song to Mariah and you, sir (or ma'am), are no Mariah! Then tell them they should all be worried about going home.

David Archuleta - "When You Believe"
He said that he thought he wasn't worthy to be in her presence in his video entry. Let's see if going first will hurt David Archuleta at all as it has so many others; my money's on "No." He gave a really solid vocal on this song, which is a good fit for the kind off artist he should be. And he took Mariah's advice and slipped into a falsetto for a few notes, which actually worked. It was a good night for David. I just wish his dad would take off that stupid hat for once.
Judges: If you can sing, you can sing anything and you can sing anything is pretty much how Randy summed up the performance. Paula said that Mariah had to be beaming and that David made her proud. Simon knew this would be the song David picked and thought he performed it very well.

Carly Smithson - "Without You"
Carly said it's been boring without Michael Johns. As had been reported elsewhere, MJ was a bit of a goofball off-camera and that was missed. Mariah was actually excited to meet Carly. All the Carly-haters out there can be happy to see that she covered up her tattoo, while showing a lot more of her cleavage. So at least they still have something to look at and obsess over. Carly did a great job of arranging the range of the song to suit her voice and despite a missed run of notes toward the middle, she performed well, if not particularly exciting or memorable. And she made her classic Carly funny faces. Still, she could be in trouble considering her overall standing in the rankings and her being second to sing.
Judges: Randy wanted her to believe in herself a bit more in her lower range, but overall said she did a pretty good job. Paula appreciated the vocal restraint before her voice swelled and soared. And Simon wanted Carly to sing this song and thought she was capable of matching Mariah, but didn't. She held herself back and didn't believe in herself enough.

Syesha Mercado - "Vanishing"
I agree with Mariah that this was a good choice for Syesha. Considering that Syesha seems to want to be Mariah or Whitney every week, she had to be just thrilled that no one could criticize her for singing Mariah tonight. And again, I enjoyed the arrangement of the song and the vocal prowess that Syesha showed on this one. I truly think she has the power and ability to grow into a singer reaching toward Mariah's caliber if she sticks with it.
Judges: Randy appreciated her picking a tough song and thinks she did a good job on it. Paula gave her a standing ovation and credited her for being smart in selecting a lesser known Mariah song and summed up her performances a "unbelievably masterful." Simon said it was technically very, very good but he's worried that she chose a song that not many people know about.

Brooke White - "Hero"
Brooke followed up on the fact that she had to miss her sister's wedding this past Saturday due to Mariah being there. I'd argue that people get married on average two or three times and meeting Mariah is a once in a lifetime experience so her sister should understand. I think the song was a smart choice for her as it sticks to a much more manageable range. Still, there was really no way for her lack of range and vocal power to stand out on a Mariah joint and it did through much of this. I dug that she stuck with just the piano and her voice throughout the performance and she almost had one of those moments. There were just a few too many "off" notes and she seemed to pick up the tempo toward the end as if she was rushing toward the end.
Judges: Randy appreciated the singer-songwriter vibe and thought it was pretty good overall. Paula said she was identifiable and that she gave a brave performance and despite a few off-notes she was good. And Paula called her on picking up the tempo as well (see I'm not crazy). Simon thought she didn't have any choice but to perform how she did but compared her to a hamburger without a bun; her voice isn't strong enough to carry that song.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Forever"
She likes Kristy doing a song that many people don't know and said Kristy gave her goosebumps and performed the song better than even she did. If that doesn't give Kristy a shot of confidence nothing will. My wife pointed out last week that everything Kristy wears has some shiny element, and she took that to the next level this week with a shiny dress. I will give credit to Kristy for growing as a singer and performer, and in the choral parts of this song she was pretty good. But there were moments during the verses where she slipped the key and the melody. She did do a better job of not looking she's trying to straddle a horse up on the stage, which would have been really awkward in a dress.
Judges: It wasn't amazing, per Randy, but she definitely stepped up the performance toward the end. Paula again thinks she is smart and that she keeps improving each week and making strong song choices. When Simon finally got Paula to stop talking he said Kristy managed with what she had, was a bit whiny in places, but bottom line: it wasn't great for him.

David Cook - "Always Be My Baby"
Before his performance we got to see Ramiele in the audience. Rami could have had an amazing week with this theme. David put a really different twist on the song and Mariah liked the way he rearranged it into a haunting rock number. She felt he could have a hit record with it and I think I agree. He turned a love ballad into a stalker anthem and I really dug it more and more as it progressed. By the time he kicked it up a notch, David gave me tingles (sorry Kristy).
Judges: Randy said he was a hot recording artist ready to make an album and called it the most brilliant performance of the season offering David a standing ovation. Paula followed it up by agreeing that it was ready to be on a movie soundtrack and that David was "It." Simon said it was like coming out of karaoke hell (Kristy) and into a breath of fresh air. It was original, daring and the sign of a great potential artist. David took the praise very much to heart and actually got tears in his eyes.
DOUBLEPLAY - It doesn't happen at all some weeks and sometimes it happens multiple times, but for the most part, it is rare that a performance is so good that I want to go back immediately (the joys of DVR) and watch it again.

Jason Castro - "I Don't Want to Cry"
Before we could get to Castro, Ryan had to destroy a sign reading "Simon for President." You know, because he's a British citizen and isn't eligible. Jason again set up a jam band on stage but went without a guitar for himself. As Mariah stated, Jason's key was to connect with the audience in his performance, and he delivered on that in a big way. Like David Cook, and yet so unlike him, Jason turned this into something completely removed from how Mariah sang it and yet it was a beautiful tribute to her songwriting prowess. I think Jason also had an amazing week and has a lot to be proud of after that performance.
Judges: Randy didn't love it, comparing it to a strange beach luau. Paula would love to be at that luau, praising his confidence and growth. Simon said he thought that while it wasn't the best vocal it was a very cool version of the song.
DOUBLEPLAY - It doesn't happen at all some weeks and sometimes it happens multiple times, but for the most part, it is rare that a performance is so good that I want to go back immediately (the joys of DVR) and watch it again.

Best of the Night
Syesha Mercado, David Cook, Jason Castro

The Bottom Three
Carly Smithson, Syesha Mercado, Kristy Lee Cook

Going Home
Kristy Lee Cook (Or maybe Carly will go even though she covered her tats like so many of you wanted her to).