American Idol 4/8

[mike79]

American Idol 4/8

Not a bad show this week. Here's my rankings:

1. Ruben: There is no question in my mind that he is the American Idol.

2. Rickey: Wow! He was awesome tonight. He made the song his own.

3. Kim L: I really enjoyed her singing although she could have picked a song that wasn't so obvious.

4. Clay: The guy's a good singer but it's the same thing from him every week. He's like a cross between Barry Manilow and Rick Astley.

5. Carmen: I actually liked her performance, unlike the judges. She's got good stage presence.

6. Trenyce: I would have ranked her higher if she wouldn't have ruined the last few notes.

7. Josh: Oversang an overplayed song. It could have been good if he would actually sing instead of yell. And did someone forget to tell him that this isn't Hillbilly Idol? This is for POP singers.

8. Kim C: Oh my, that was really bad. Gotta give her credit for trying something different but she blew it.

 

[heyang]

Re: American Idol 4/8

Clay: Sang Billy and the Beater's song " " (Alex & Ellen's song from Family Ties) Paula actually put her finger right on it - I didn't feel the gut wrenching emotions of the song. He did a nice job, but he still hasn't raised the bar enough. With that voice and that song, he should've brought a tear to my eye and didn't. I want to hear him sing something different.

BTW, Mike. I posted on another board that I could see Clay hawking a 'Clay sings Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits' CD someday.

big Kim Didn't care for her rendition. (Theme from Titanic by Celine Dion) The middle part was stronger, but it started off weak and ended weak. Guess I didn't agree with the judges.

Ricky I still like him and I thought he did a good job with 'Endless Love'. I'm starting to think that he doesn't have enough vocal range - he's great at the high end, but he's beginning to sound too falsetto at times.

Blonde Kim: 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You' by Bryan Adams from Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood. Nothing special. She did look great - much better than the denim and lace skirt from country. The dress was great for the song. At times her intonations of the words seemed flat - the notes should have been fuller. I can see her as a lounge singer after that performance. She still hasn't kicked it up a notch.

Josh: sang 'Amazed' Nice job. 100% better than last week. Good song choice for the country man.

Carmen just ok - didn't do a thing for me. She sang Blondie's 'Call Me'. I didn't think her voice and style really suited the song. She wasn't 'raunchy' enough. I think she would've been better off singing Olivia Newton-John or Debbie Gibson (I've liked their music in the past and they have the same type of 'clean' image.) Finally, Simon criticized his choice.

Trenyce: Celine Dion's Power of Love. Wow. She chose another diva to emulate. I thought she was doing well until the beginning of the last notes which showed that she doesn't have the same range as Celine Dion (not many do). Thought Simon was a bit tough on her, but she doesn't have the range and power to continue with the Whitney and Celine ballads.

Ruben Manhatten's "Kiss and Say Goodbye' Yes - he can wear something besides a 205 jersey. Very nice job and good look for him. If he doesn't let fame go to his head, he can be a superstar.

Lionel Richie Finally, a guest judge who was able to be a bit critical. Thought he did a good job of being negative without being harsh and wasn't so nice as to be wimpy.

My bottom 3 for this week: Carmen, Blonde Kim, Clay (just to shock him)

Combined with Disco Week: Carmen, Blonde Kim and Trenyce. I think Carmen will be eliminated.

 

[HamiltonBrowningFan]

Re: American Idol 4/8

I have half an hour before this shows here...

Country can be very cool and "pop" just look at Faith Hill and Tim McGraw...

anyway is 'Amazed' the country song... "Baby I'm Amazed by... you" ?

 

[mike79]

Re: American Idol 4/8

Yes that's the song.

The thing with Josh is this: He's not a very talented singer and he has very little vocal range. Country is fine (I like quite a bit of it) but to come out every week and sing that style on a show geared toward pop music is just weird. Plus, it's almost like he played a little game with the voters: I'll sing pop for a couple weeks and then when I've got America eating out of the palm of my hand only because I'm a marine I'll sing the music that I like.

I'm really sick of the whole I'm a marine crap. Until this week it was being forced down our throats every week. Oh well, it's not like Josh has a chance of winning.

Sorry for the rant. Maybe Josh will impress me next week.

 

[Sally1214]

Re: American Idol 4/8

My thoughts on tonight's show:

Clay - Great job, as always. I thought he really tried to *stretch* and put more emotion into the song. Really good. But, as always he is left in a quandary. He finally pleased Simon but the others said he chose the wrong song!! Oh well ..... he's not in any danger of being eliminated - that's for sure.

Kimberly Locke - I was NOT nearly as impressed as the judges with her rendition of My Heart Will Go On. Once again, I think it's a mistake to choose a song like this because it's darn near IMPOSSIBLE to sound really good when compared to the original.

Ricky - Endless Love - Good job. His voice is so true - no pitch problems that I heard. He has a knack of choosing the right songs for himself. Hope he stays another week.

Kimberly C. - No emotion; pitch problems; POOR CHOICE OF SONG. She looked lovely BUT ..... Wow, she should be glad that Carmen and Trenyce were in the bottom 2 last week or she might be gone.

Josh - Amazed - Is Josh country or is he country? The guy can sing country - what else can I say? Good song choice - great job.

Carmen - Call Me - I thought she was *slightly* better than Kimberly C. (I'm splitting hairs here); but, given that she was in the bottom 2 last week, she's my prediction for the one to be eliminated this week.

Trenyce - Power of Love - Well, she did a better job than Kim. L. on a Celine Dion song. Overall, I thought it was quite good. I think she sang herself *out of the basement* tonight. I hope so.

Ruben - Kiss And Say Goodbye - STAR QUALITY!!! PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT .... maybe even PERFORMANCE OF THE SERIES (as Simon said). This guy makes it look so easy. I think Ruben and Clay are in a virtual tie as far as *voice* is concerned. But, I think the judges are trying to draw out of Clay something that they already see in Ruben. It's hard to explain. It's kind of intangible - an ability to reach out and touch people, draw them in and make them feel what you want them to feel. Ruben does it week after week. Clay is getting there; and, if he keeps working as hard as he has been, he just might make it.

Bottom line - I think Ruben and Clay are in a class by themselves and Carmen should GO.

Sally

 

[RealtorGal]

Re: American Idol 4/8

<span style="color:navy;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Good show tonight.

Carmen will be voted off--no doubt about it. She was AWFUL.

Ruben & Clay were terrific. Ruben touches the audience more at this point, but there's no doubt about the fact that Clay has it within him as well. Ruben was SHARP (i.e. off key) twice--noticeably so.

I thought Trenyce (oh gosh I could fix that vocal tension problem SO EASILY and that last note would SOAR!!!) did a pretty good job (see comments below on singing a song made popular by a chart topper), as did Ricky. He should be voted off for wearing that ridiculous hat.

Josh was okay, not spectacular, MUCH better than last week!

Both Kims were just okay.

Who in their right mind would sing a Celine Dion song? You should NEVER sing a song that is so strongly identified with a currently popular singer! The audience will ALWAYS be comparing you to that singer and won't be able to get beyond that.

I hope Carmen enjoyed her last night on the show!</span>

 

[guinevere]

re: AI 4/8

Dang - I made it home from work again late (tax season, grr), but only missed the first singer. I had to wait another 40 minutes to find out who I missed - noooo! Not CLAY!!!!!! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

Great show tonight. Lionel Ritchie was a great guest judge!

Kim L: Great job!! She continues to impress me as someone who grows stronger each week.

Rickey Smith: Holy ****! EXCELLENT. I agree the hat was dorky, but that was the first time I felt he had a lot of power and control in his voice from start to finish. Also growing better by leaps and bounds each week. Kim L and Rickey are my 2 dark horse candidates.

Kim C: loooved the dress, it was beautiful. This was definitely a case of poor song choice - not so much that the song was wrong for <em>her</em>; it's just a bad song. I did hear a couple of flat notes, but mostly I was bored.

Josh: I think he's a good country singer. It's just so out of step with what this show is about. Even when he sings really well (like tonight), once someone else starts singing I just forget about him.

Carmen: This was wrong on sooo many levels - the notes of the song, the attitude, the "dancing". Unlike most of the songs that contestants sing on this show, I grew up listening to Blondie, and this was offensive. But I realized that for all my complaints, I like the tone of Carmen's voice - I'm just convinced that she has absolutely no control over it, because every single week she has major major pitch problems. But <strong>finally</strong> the judges (especially Simon) have faced the reality when it comes to Carmen. I have great fears that the underdog backlash will rescue her this week, but if there is any justice, Carmen will be thankfully removed tomorrow night.

Trenyce: I LOVED this performance. I understand where you're coming from, RealtorGal, about the problems with singing a signature song by a contemporary singer, but I can't stand Celine Dion, and I enjoyed both Kim L's and Trenyce's performances immensely, precisely because they didn't sound like Celine. I don't know what Simon's problem was...I can see him not liking this performance, but I thought his comments were spiteful rather than constructive or true this time around.

Ruben: Ruben is the master of picking the right songs for his voice. I do think he has star quality, and at this point I would bet he will win. But he's not my favorite - I always feel like he's holding something back, singing within his (impressive) comfort range, and I always wish he would just let loose.

My order (remember I missed Clay, so I'm not placing him):

1. Trenyce
2. Rickey
3. Kim L
4. Ruben
- huge gap-
5. Josh
6. Kim C.
-HUGE GAP-
7. Carmen - goodbye!

guinevere

 

[rgirl181]

Re: American Idol 4/8

I generally agree with what everyone else has said. Heyang, it's funny but a few weeks ago I posted a similar thing about Clay--that I loved his voice but that I could see him on late-night cable hawking one of those K-Tel-like albums, "Clay Sings Songs of Romance" or something like that. I got a little goose-bumpy once early on when he sang, but not lately. I'd love to hear him tear one up. I want to see the guy risk something of himself emotionally. Don't know what's up with Simon and the one week "dreadful" and next week "great," unless it has something to do with Clay speaking out last week and saying, "We're confused." I had to give him kudos for speaking up about the vastly different opinions of the judges (hmm, sound familiar?:lol: ) and thought he came off well for doing it, certainly better, IMO, than Kim C. who said, "Well I always like to keep my opinions to myself." Good, Kim, just keep pushing that image of the empty-headed, blonde theme-park singer and you will probably become one! Okay, that was b***** but she did indeed look great in the green number last night.

Ruben. Although I think the guy is great and absolutely the best singer along with Clay, last night was the first time I felt the Rooooben love-fest had taken over genuine evaluation of his performance. Loved seeing him in the gray pullover and leather jacket--ideal look for him--and I thought I was nuts thinking he was off on a couple of notes until I read Rgal's post. I'm sure it must be difficult with all the energy in the theater and the judges having to compare Ruben's high-quality singing to the lower quality of most of the others, but I don't think they're doing Ruben any favors by slobbering over every single thing he does. I think the guy has more range, more colors, and is capable of a deeper emotional connection to and expression of songs than what we've heard so far and I just wish someone on the panel would push him. Without all the screaming and just hearing his voice, I had to ask myself, "Would I buy a CD of Ruben?" and as of now, the answer would be, no. For me, he's got at least one more level to go before I would shell out the bucks and listen to his CD. JMO.

Carmen. I've liked her in the past, despite her many weaknesses, but last night I was groaning. I felt like she was singing "Call Me" at a church social as if it was about "Mom, call me when you get home!" Talk about theme-park singing. Honestly, I don't think Carmen knows what the song his about and what the words "Call me!" really represent. Debbie Harry sure did and it was in every note she sang. That's the kind of song you have to sing from your crotch. OTOH, if Carmen keeps at it (she's only 17) and gets a vocal coach who knows what s/he's doing, who really pushes her (and if she can take being pushed), in three or four years, Carmen could have something. I wonder, though, if her upbringing will hold her back. I think she may definitely steer herself toward country.
Rgirl

 

[mike79]

Re: American Idol 4/8

Isn't it so funny-A little Mormon girl singing a song about a prostitute.

 

[guinevere]

re: American Idol 4/8

RGirl - ITA with everything you said about Ruben!! And you hit the nail on the head about what was wrong with Carmen's delivery of "Call Me".

BTW, after AI, I flipped over to Cher's farewell concert while I was doing some work, and it occured to me that Cher has the same lower register tremolo that Carmen does - only Cher can control it (and she hit most of the notes, although she was definitely lip-synching everything except the chorus in "Believe" ). I do think that, with massive coaching, Carmen could have a great voice.

guinevere

 

[Jules Asner]

Re: re: American Idol 4/8

Ruben: I really liked the new look, enjoyed the song.

Rickey: he's got a good voice, still prefer Lionel's version

Kim L: I didn't like her rendition. kept wishing for Celine. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/grin.gif ALT=" >D">

Clay:

Carmen: :x :x :x :x :x

Trenyce: off on a few notes, OK performance but she's beginning to try my nerves.

Josh: somebody tell him he's not garth brooks

Kim C: god-awful :x :x :x :x :x

 

[sk8cynic]

Re: re: American Idol 4/8

Oy Gevault!!!!

Clay - Such an amazing voice, with so little variation in style. I still think he's built for Broadway rather than EMI. Still love his singing, no doubt he's safe this week. Maybe he should have sung some Rick Astley instead of Billy Vera.

Kim L - Simon mentioned something on an earlier show about live vs. playback, and that just has to apply, 'cause I just didn't get this song. Granted, it's THE most overplayed song of the '90's by one of the most talented yet most annoying singers out there, but I just don't see how that was a wonderful job of singing. I thought she was a lot better last week

Josh - He SO needs to be on the Nashville Star contest or whatever it is for country singers. He's got a great country voice, but, as mentioned before, he's got to stop with the Garthcloning. Also, was it just me or did he look scarily pissed off during about half of his performance?

Carmen - Oh dear lord. I had such high hopes for her, but these last two weeks..........Cory getting booted was a major gift for her as I'm sure she'd have been gone. A senior in high school has no business singing a song like that. I was never crazy about Blondie (especially after the unforgivable Tide is High song she released), but Carmen's rendition sent my cat running out of the room. Granted, my hearing is fuzzy, but even I could tell that performance was an abomination. She's got the goods, just needs to refine, get some experience, and pick better songs.

Kim C. - AAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHH. Just terrible. I don't know, there's something about her that just reeks of "mall trash" IMO. I realize that's catty and petty, but she comes across as vapor-headed, phony, and a touch sleazy with all the midriff baring. She looked a lot better tonight, but that song made my ears hurt even more than they have been lately!! I was reaching for the Lortab before she finished. There's very little range or variation of expression in her voice; I think she sounds the same from week to week far more than Clay.

Ricky - He did fine for Ricky, I'm just not fond men singing an octave higher than my mother. The term 'castrato' comes to mind. He's such a warm, fun, personality, though, and I don't want to see him voted off yet.

Trenyce - Liked her rendition better than Celine's, but then again, see my above description of CD. I don't think she warranted the flogging that Simon gave her, but I have to admit there is something about her voice that bugs me. I don't know if it's that she gets shouty at times, or if it's that her mouth and face sometimes do strange things when she's singing; there's just something not quite there that keeps me from really digging her.

Ruben - SO GLAD to see him in something other than the 205 jersey. Loved the singing, hate the song. That's one from the nightmarish vaults of my formative years, one I thought I'd purged from my mind. Thanks, Fox!! You gonna pay for my therapy now?

Who I'd like to see go: Kim Caldwell
Who should go: Kim Caldwell
Who will go: Carmen Rasmussen

 

[sk8cynic]

....Whoa.........

Well THAT came out of nowhere. Can't believe Ricky got the axe. Looks like I almost got my wish of Kim Caldwell getting booted.

Sorry to see him go. While I didn't think he's the American Idol, I didn't think he'd go this week. I figured Carmen, then Kim C., then Kim L., THEN Ricky.

Please don't let Kim C. be the Nikki McKibbon of this group!!!

Bummer. I didn't see the judges reactions, but I'm sure they were pretty shocked by it. That just wasn't right.

 

[RealtorGal]

Re: ....Whoa.........

He probably got booted off for that HAT! Seriously, you have GOT to be kidding! No way did he deserve to go. I thought he'd be in the final four if not the final three. Hmph!

Well, I don't want to spoil it for my daughter! I won't even tell her I know. We are a divided household: I prefer Clay and she prefers Ruben.

 

[realistic51]

My take on 4/8 and tonight

Clay- sounds the same for every song he sings. He has a marvelous voice, very pure and rarely goes flat or sharp. However he sings the SAME style week after week after week. I'd like to see some versatility in his song choices.

Kim C - needs to go. She should stick to Melissa Etheridge/Bonnie Tyler songs. Even songs by Heart. She totally ruined one of my fav Bryan Adams' songs.

Carmen - I love this young girl but she was horrible tonight. She was flat throughout most of the song. She is better at country songs than these pop songs.

Rickey - I love his voice too. And he always has such fun.

Kim L - Actually I agree with the judges. She has the vocals and the lungs to do a Celine Dion song. She neither pushed nor pulled her voice in order to do it. And to me, since I'm a Celine fan, she did a damn good job.

Josh - Well, this was better than Celebration!

Trenyce - Absolutely BLEW this song. She does NOT have the range in octaves nor the type of voice that is required to sing Power of Love. Actually I've been tried of Trenyce for 2-3 weeks now.

Ruben - Well, I think he should win. He and Clay are the best out of this crop with Ruben topping Clay because he isn't afraid to get out of his "comfort zone". Actually I enjoyed his "Sweet Home Alabama" (LS fan here) so much that I'm glad I recorded it.

Now, I don't know what 21 million Americans are toking out there in lala-land, but NO WAY did Rickey deserve to go before Kim C, Carmen or Trenyce. NO WAY!!! And I thought the judges were going to faint themselves. That just means I'm going to have to call 300 times more than normal to keep the others from kicking off Ruben.

If Kim C., Carmen, Josh, or Trenyce stay and one of the other 3 goes, something is clearly wrong with people's hearing out there.

 

[Sally1214]

Re: My take on 4/8 and tonight

What on earth are the voters thinking?

ITA that there was NO WAY that Rickey should have been eliminated tonight. Something is really WRONG when Carmen and Kim C. can give such pathetic performances and Rickey is one of the BEST of the night and HE gets the boot?! Oh, puleeeeeeeeze ......

Yes, all three judges looked shocked .... well, Simon actually looked quity ANGRY ... but who could blame them? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">
Sally

 

[KwanFan1212]

Re: My take on 4/8 and tonight

Some random thoughts from me on AI this week.....

Good news: Kelly rocked!! And I had heard a sneak preview of that song on one of the radio stations here in Cincy and LOVED it (had the radio in my car cranked...LOL) and she was really on tonight. I love it! I can't wait to get her album. She is definitely a star in the making. You go girl!

Surprising news: I was really shocked that it was Ricky to go tonight. He did NOT have the worst performance last night at ALL. I expected Kim C to be in the bottom three but Carmen and Trenyce's friends and families must have voted in DROVES to keep both of them out of the bottom three. Wow. I totally expected it to be Carmen or Kim C tonight. Ricky will be missed. He was definitely one of the more fun contestants. Oh well. I was thrilled when Josh was safe though! I think on this board I am WAY in the minority though so please don't hurt me....LOL

And Paula and Simon's antics......sigh. The saga continues! LOL

 

[mike79]

Re: My take on 4/8 and tonight

Did anyone else notice Clay and Carmen during the group performance? They seemed rather cozy with each other.

 

[Jules Asner]

Re: My take on 4/8 and tonight

Poor Rickey. I hope Ruben fans don't become complacent and assume he will get enough votes (I think that's what happened to Tamyra last season). Once Ruben is gone, I won't watch anymore.

Kim C. has got to go, then Carmen, then Kim L.

Does Simon's closet have 500 black t-shirts in it? He really needs to wear something different. I wish Paula wasn't allowed to speak and instead would just hold up signs saying "Good Job" or "Not a Good Job, but I'm a big fan of yours." Can Randy come up with a different saying than "You did your thing Dog"?

 

[RealtorGal]

Re: My take on 4/8 and tonight

<span style="color:blue;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Mike, funny you should say that... Last night my 8 year old daughter said, "Clay is Carmen's boyfriend." I told her that they were dancing that way because the choreographers had told them to do it. She said NO, and hadn't I been watching them together since last week and she was sure they were boyfriend and girlfriend. BTW, I've never even heard her SAY the words "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" before, so I was quite shocked by her perceptiveness!" </span>

<span style="color:maroon;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">We were both totally distraught at Rickey getting the boot. :| I can't even begin to imagine who would vote for Carmen over Rickey. Did anyone notice that they were down to 4 ladies and 4 guys? How conveniently symmetrical for them... And giving Ruben a huge solo was a bit unfair to the others.</span>

<span style="color:navy;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">I thought the song Kelly sang was just awful and she looked awful in that "just got out of bed" hairdo in her face.</span>0] 8o

<span style="color:green;font-family:georgia;font-size:small;">Just one Gal's opinion.</span>