American Idol - "Ten Lads a Singing"

American Idol - "Ten Lads a Singing"

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American Idol - "Ten Lads a Singing" 2/28/07

By Marcus

Last week two of the men were sent back home to their mamas. Tonight the remaining ten singers try their best to impress the judges and especially to impress you.

How did they do? Where you impressed enough to cast your vote? Let’s do a recap to better help you with that decision as the men made a personal dedication with each song.

First up was sailor Phil Stacey who dedicated his song to the Navy. He needed to continue making a connection with us. And he did. He has personality and energy. His voice is good but certainly not fantastic. But compared to how the majority of the men sang last week, he really stood out. That says a lot for him and conversely, that says a lot about the others. Phil will be back next week, but he needs to WOW us with something very original. What he needs is to take ownership of a song and sing it for himself with pure and exciting originality.

Jared Cotter’s mother practically dragged him to the American Idol audition. Well tonight, Jared, you made her proud. He was relaxed and in control but did have some seemingly forced stage movements that looked quite unnatural and distracted from his otherwise very pleasant performance.

AJ Tabaldo credits his parents’ creed of “never give up” for inspiring his singing aspirations. But he needs something more to stay competitive. He needs to push himself to impress us. He started out like a weak cup of coffee. He then added a little sugar and a drollop of Half ‘n Half to finally produce an acceptable but not an exceptional performance. I think he may be in a little trouble. Not for this week, but in the coming weeks when his weaknesses will be more obvious against the powerhouse singing of Phil and Jared.

Sanjaya Malakar dedicated tonight’s song to his much loved grandfather who passed when Sanjaya was only five. This is hard to say to you, Sanjaya, especially with the respect and honor that you give to your family, but to stay in this competition you will need angelic intervention. Your voice is dull, your movements were non-existent, and your performance was forgettable. This is Hollywood, not a high school talent show and you are failing to impress us.

Singing impressively, Chris Sligh, dedicated his song to his beautiful wife. And that dedication was also made to us with a full throttle vocal performance. He has range and ability. Yet his stage moments were kind of like an aimless pigeon pecking about Trafalgar Square. But don’t worry, Chris, you can learn how to command the stage because you certainly have the voice to keep our interest. By the way, ain’t love grand?

Dedicating his song to long time girlfriend Caitlin, Nick Pedro’s singing was good. He could be very good. He could be a serious contender. However, he doesn’t sparkle. You know how this goes…..it is like walking into a jewelry store and something suddenly grabs your full attention as if it was calling your name. Yet for the most part, you walk by 99% of the stuff without a second look. Nick needs to work on getting us to stop and look at his sparkle. Maybe sweet Caitlin could give him some advice?

Very original Blake Lewis is cool.. He combines words, body movements and hot jazz like no other talent in the show. Now this man gets our attention because he knows how to sparkle. However, I detect a limited vocal range that will hamper him as the contest continues. Yes, he will be back and he is planning to win. He dedicated his song to his hardworking father and his musically talented mother. They know that he is indeed very special.

Brandon Rogers’s grandmother wanted him to be the best that he could. He came here as a back-up singer who wanted to the featured singer. Tonight he disappointed us. His very first words sounded and felt like tepid oatmeal. He did recover but ended weakly. He can do so much better. Perhaps it is because we know and have heard his fantastic voice that we demand so much out of him. But that is what we want from stars, We crave their very best every time they perform. And Brandon needs to fulfill our expectation.

The judges felt that Chris Richardson was outstanding. They were wrong. He tenderly dedicated his song to his Big Mama grandmother, but he rushed through it leaving us in the dust. He did not take us along for the ride. Maybe that was part of his appeal, the squealing of the tires burning down the road. Yet his vocals range is limited.

Mrs. Sundance Head and baby Levi, are you ready for the big time? Because your husband and father is an incredible talent. He is, right now, ready for the studio and ready for the stage. This big man packs a mighty wallop of a voice. He is sizzling on the grill and we are ready to devour him.

What a difference a week made for the men. Last week they were as bland as unsalted English peas, but this week they were like hot juicy peppers popping in your mouth. The men are back in the race for American Idol. But what about the women? Will they stay competitive? Tomorrow night we will hear from them and make our decision.