The Monitor's American Idol Chat

A far-from-perfect 10 are left — which contestant decided to make good use of Gwen Stefani’s rad music selections? Which decided it was disco night? Find out as Idol Chat reviews the Top 10 of American Idol.

BRANDON GARCIA: Tonight the Top 10 tackled Songs By Singers Gwen Stefani Likes. While it’s definitely one of the most oddball theme nights in memory, Gwen Stefani has surprisingly good taste in music, and overall it was the best setlist of the season, the only concert I’d have paid to see. I came across a spoiler list of tonight’s song choices, and everyone performed more or less as I expected them to. Gwen, subdued and icy without lipstick, seemed a little disappointed overall, perhaps because not one of her Top 10 pupils heeded her only piece of advice: Stick to the melody, lose the Idol-isms. I feel ya, Gwen. And while tonight couldn’t compare to last week’s Idol On Acid, it was miles better than Diana Ross Week. 

MARITZA HAMILL: Oh dear me, another night of Idol fun. Or at least this is what the night lends itself to be. After an epic Sanjaya performance last week, I’m sure a number of us long for what he has up his delicate sleeves next. Sit back and take in the Idolicious fun.

 

Click on the contestants’ pictures to see their performances from last week on YouTube.

 

“Last Dance” (Donna Summers) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Wow, LaKisha looked 10 years younger than last week. That was an impressive start. We hope the rest of the night will be just the same. The women, again, are a lot more powerful than the men. Great energy from LaKisha, like always. This is Amanda’s favorite song, and LaKisha did it justice. We just hope she doesn’t get stuck in the same ole ‘70s rut because that is what she sings better. SCORE: 7  

BRANDON GARCIA: Well, that settles it: One way or another, LaKisha will find a way to sing the dullest, most tired song available. On a night when her opponents chose cool songs by The Police and at least attempted to outdo No Doubt, LaKisha gives us Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” in a dress that made her look like a black Buddha standing on rickety prosthetic legs. LaKisha’s confidence was nowhere to be found and her reliably in-tune voice took the night off. She basically dared voters to send her home. She just might get her wish tomorrow. SCORE: 3

CHRIS BENITEZ: I really don’t care for LaKisha’s voice. Bold statement? Well, I feel it is powerful but lacks feeling and character. Tonight, she was OK. If she wants to win, she has to blow everyone away. I don’t think that is happening. SCORE: 6.5

GLORIA CHEEVER: I really liked her outfit tonight! I’m glad Simon commented about her dress a few weeks ago because it’s been better ever since. This was a great choice for her. I wasn’t blown away — but it was really good. SCORE: 8

MARITZA HAMILL: Well, well, my darling, ‘tis the season to be singing fun songs. Congrats on the song choice — I see this wonderful voice now being put to good use. The other songs can get a bit dreary … so with this bit-o-joy, I can say I like what I hear.  SCORE: 8

“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (The Police) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Chris has let us down the past couple of weeks. He tends to get off-tempo every week and we don’t know why. Is he still getting nervous? He hasn’t had the coming-out party we have been waiting for, and time is running out. He needs to step it up NOW. His highs were off and again; every week, he tends to be faster than the band. Doesn’t he rehearse all week long? SCORE: 5

BRANDON GARCIA: As soon as I heard he was going to sing this, I knew it’d be bad news. Instead of bubbly and charming, we got off-tempo and aimless. Like LaKisha, Chris sounded overwhelmed — even he looked annoyed at his performance, which ended abruptly on a particularly foul note. And while he looked sort of ruggedly well dressed in a wool-lined leather jacket, his meandering around the stage and stilted gesturing were even more stomach-turning than usual. Chris is usually better heard and not seen; tonight, neither option was tolerable. SCORE: 5

CHRIS BENITEZ: Chris Sligh started off pitchy; his tone sounded strong until the chorus. I always feel like Chris is going to crack, and he finally did today. He looked sloppy, and he sounded vocally tired. Like I’ve said before, I don’t know how much better Chris can get. SCORE: 5.5

GLORIA CHEEVER: I didn’t really love this. He has a great voice, but this didn’t do it justice. It was definitely less than entertaining. SCORE: 5

MARITZA HAMILL: Oh, dear … not another cool song that can’t be sung cool. If that makes sense. Gwen was right with the whole pitchy sound. I am counting the days for this guy … I think he may be next to go home. Nice guy, REALLY?!? Dunno?? I can quit him. SCORE: 4

“I’ll Stand By You” (Pretenders) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Our rocker girl really turned it up this week. She chose the perfect song for the occasion. It was a great recovery from last week. She looked very good. A classy rock girl. Is that an oxymoron? She wasn’t. We hope this is the step up for Gina, and we will see great things from her. SCORE: 7 

BRANDON GARCIA: “Stand there and be very emotional,” Gwen Stefani recommended. It’s hard for me to buy Gina as “emotional” or vulnerable when she’s dressed as go-go dancer from a Marilyn Manson video, but the restrained vocal approach was refreshing. Gina’s pretty convincing in this lighter rock style, but I wish it hadn’t been so rough around the edges. Too many pointless vocal runs and longing glances at the camera for my taste. SCORE: 7

GLORIA CHEEVER: Wow, she looks great! What a great performance! I think she was really emotionally connected to this song, and that really made a difference for her. She has a fantastic instrument! SCORE: 9.5

CHRIS BENITEZ: It started off really good, spot on! I was not too crazy about the arrangement towards the end. Not her fault in my opinion. The song was a great choice, better than Evanescence was for her. I think Gina has a lot of potential, but picking the right songs is so vital to her. I really don’t know how far she will go. We will see. SCORE: 7

MARITZA HAMILL: Ohhhhhhh, gooodie! Gina has made a 180 and makes me want to vote for her!! Woooo! I’ll stand by you, Gina. Ignore the galantince set up for you last week. I change my mind, you can stay. Loves! SCORE: 8   

 

“Bathwater” (No Doubt) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Go away, Sanjaya!!! A village has lost their idiot. Why is he still here? Just hearing him makes our blood boil. My poor TV always takes the brunt of it. Bask in the fact that people are voting for the worst-sounding person in order to throw a monkey wrench into American Idol — it’s time for you Sanjaya to enjoy the limelight. I wonder if he knows how he is still in the competition. Would it bother him? Go home! SCORE: 1

BRANDON GARCIA: Oh, Sanjaya’s Hair. Week after week you’ve made bold choices that have usually worked in your master’s favor. I can’t explain why you transformed into a Pomeranian tonight. Maybe you got too big for your britches. Maybe an Idol stylist with an agenda was out to make sure Sanjaya suffered for humiliating the company last week. Even though he gave a competent if not edgy reading of one of Gwen’s better songs, no one paid attention to him — all eyes were locked on you. With Crying Fanatic Girl locked up in the mental ward and Sanjaya singing lines like “I know I’m diving into my own destruction,” it’s back to hard shower water and Herbal Essences for you after tonight. SCORE: 4

CHRIS BENITEZ: This guy is riding his own wave! Where will it take him? I sure can’t tell you. I’ll tell you what, if Sanjaya and Lakisha had CDs released right now, I think Sanjaya might out sell her. I would buy neither, but you get the point — he is getting a lot of votes. Music is crazy, isn’t it? SCORE: 4

GLORIA CHEEVER: What in the world?! No, Sanjaya …you’re not Nadia Turner. You can’t get away with the crazy hair! The vocals weren’t that bad, but I think he should’ve gone home a long time ago. Thank you to all the great Web sites out there … you’re really making a difference. SCORE: 5

MARITZA HAMILL: Snick, snick, snick….. Even the judges are at a loss for words. The pony hawk, no mas, no! He he he he… Sanjaya, you’re loved … just not by me. SCORE: Coo-coo out of 10

 

“True Colors” (Cyndi Lauper) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: San Antonio did a little better than last week. She still has the annoying Sandy-from-Grease voice. There is no way she will be able to change that, so song choice has to be at its utmost with her. Haley, again, did not choose a good song. A lot of people have done this song, and I think I heard a better rendition of it last week at a local karaoke. Sorry Haley, we think you are going be to Remember the
Alamo this week. SCORE: 3

BRANDON GARCIA: Haley’s momentum came to a grinding halt the moment she opened her mouth and little old lady sounds emerged as she perched innocently on the stage. The talentless sex kitten we were introduced to last week has left the building. The talentless pageant queen is back, the Dainty Hand of Profundity has returned to haunt us and we were reminded of Haley’s true colors: Tedious, too sweet by half and terrible, through and through. Gwen called Haley’s inept vocal acrobatics “so unnecessary” — kind of like Haley herself. SCORE: 2

CHRIS BENITEZ: I think her time is coming. What time you might ask? Well, she is not going to win so what do you think? Yeah, she is fortunate to even get this far. Her pageant voice kind of came out again today. I would be very surprised if she doesn’t go home tomorrow. SCORE: 4

GLORIA CHEEVER: This was kinda nice. It was all a little too soft for me. I think that’s in part to the fact that she kinda struggles with her “belt.” She sings everything in head voice — so it doesn’t have that power behind it. SCORE: 7

MARITZA HAMILL: Nope! Lost it this week. Flattery will only get you so far. I think Paula thinks you’re hot though … but your voice did not land you a safe spot in the Idol Zone. Sorry Haley, you may be going home too … tear for you. But look on the bright side — Disney is hiring right now. SCORE: 4 out of 10  

“Every Breath You Take” (The Police) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Phil is back. We loved the way he looked on stage this week. We believe Phil is the strongest of the men. We loved the hat, made him look a lot more comfortable and his vocals this week were great. Did it almost sound like Sting? Maybe if you lowered the volume on the TV … really low. Very smooth, Phil. SCORE: 6  

BRANDON GARCIA: I imagined the worst when I heard Phil was going to sing this song — bumbling low notes, agony faces, etc. On the contrary, Phil was calmer and more collected than he’s been all season (‘80s is his ticket, I’m telling you). He kept the Idol-esque vocal runs to a minimum, and his voice came out sounding pure and unfettered. Gwen was “pleasantly surprised.” Me too — this performance inspired me to cast my first vote of the season. Please keep a hat on forever, Phil. SCORE: 8.5 CHRIS BENITEZ: Phil Stacey actually sang pretty well tonight, but would I buy his CD? No, I wouldn’t. Why? I could buy so much better with my money. I find him as interesting as Sheetrock. With that said, he did sound OK today. On the judges, does Paula actually think you can just belt a whole song?  Well, you can, but the dynamics would be lost. Don’t listen to her — she is pretty crazy at times. SCORE: 5.5GLORIA CHEEVER: He’s such a great singer! I really liked this! It was solid! This was a great song choice for him. He’s my favorite tonight! SCORE: 10MARITZA HAMILL: You go, Phily boy! Good song choice; last week you were the scary-looking stalker, this week the smooth singing gentleman … goodie goodie. SCORE: 8

“Heaven Knows” (Donna Summer)

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Melinda is from another planet. She should NOT be on American Idol. It is not fair. Every week she blooms even more. Just when we think she cannot do any better, she does. A lot better! We loved the good up-tempo song she did this week. It’s Melinda …then everyone else. SCORE: 9

BRANDON GARCIA: I want to grab Melinda and LaKisha by the collar and demand to know why they have to pick such mediocre material — “Why must you make me hate you?!” Sure, we heard some velvety deep Melinda singing and the obligatory “lil’ ole me?” modesty, but does this show really need another Donna Summer song? As gifted as she is, these cut-rate lounge acts are going to do Melinda in. SCORE: 6.5. Free half-point for the warm pink makeup tones.

CHRIS BENITEZ: Head and shoulders (minus the neck of course) above everyone. Melinda is an awesome performer and vocalist. That’s all that needs to be mentioned — the only great performance tonight! I thought she looked nice as well; Simon didn’t like her shirt or whatever, but who cares at this point? Win this competition for all the talented artists out there! SCORE: 9

GLORIA CHEEVER: Fun, fun, fun! Is this girl ever going to sing poorly? This was a great vocal, but I have to agree with Simon — I  didn’t really like the outfit. SCORE: 9

MARITZA HAMILL: Simon no likey the outfit, and neither does America. But oh boy is the singing was good. But still giving us the surprised looks I see Melinda …”OH REALLY! Me singy goody? Ohhhh!” Thanks, Melinda, You need not apply for acting school. Singing you can do. SCORE: 8

“Lovesong” (The Cure) Watch the original

J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: Should have been Amanda’s night because they are all singing her songs. We thought Blake did well with the composition he did of the Cure. That R&B sound of his is going to take him places. He did the right thing by not adding any beatbox to this song. We saw some really good vocals from Blake tonight. He gets better every week, but next week, he has to turn it up a notch — it is time. SCORE: 6

BRANDON GARCIA: Blake’s quasi-hipness and aggressively irritating beatboxing have become next to unbearable, so it was nice to get a break this week. He couldn’t have picked a better song to highlight his wistful, gentler tones. Sounds a bit like Boy George (a compliment). I still feel like his thin voice sometimes chokes on its good intentions, but so did Chris Daughtry’s. Nothing a little ProTooling can’t fix. SCORE: 7

CHRIS BENITEZ: Remember when Blake Lewis was the best male in the competition? Yeah, I believe those days are gone. While he might be popular, his voice is weak! I don’t see him getting much better either. Blake is comfortable onstage, but he shouldn’t be anymore; he needs to work on those vocal pipes of his. SCORE: 5

GLORIA CHEEVER: This was good. I think it showed a different side of him. I’m still cooling off from last week’s performance, so I have to say it wasn’t my favorite Blake performance. I like Phil just as much, contrary to what Simon might say. SCORE: 8    

MARITZA HAMILL: Thanks for not smoking…. Errrr I mean beatboxing, whatever it’s called. Now it is clear that this guy’s voice is not WOW, but there’s something about this guy that just makes me stare. He puts passion into the song and I think the guys may be a bit jealous of him. He’s that type of guy that mesmerizes you with the style of singing, not the talent. SCORE: 7

“Hey Baby” (No Doubt) Watch the originalJ. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: We did not like it too much. Where are those powerful vocals, Jordin? Wait to do these FUN songs for after you win. This is a competition, and you need a competition song every single week. We were hoping Jordin would challenge herself more this week. She has to make up for it next week. Hopefully, this doesn’t get her in the end. You’re in the Top 10 Jordin. C’mon, you are our girl. SCORE: 4

BRANDON GARCIA: Jordin gets props for trying to make something out of the worst No Doubt song in existence, but no dice. Paula said she looked “hip and young” — she looked more like Little Hooker on the Prairie to me in that checkered tablecloth blouse and those skimpy boots. The band was barely audible, exposing the minefield of mistakes in Jordin’s vocals. Despite the judges’ rosy comments, this was Sanjaya-level dreadful. SCORE: 3

CHRIS BENITEZ: Jordin, I didn’t hear the greatness tonight. No not at all. That song wasn’t one to wow audiences with. Now you said you wanted to have fun and try something different … well, it really wasn’t different and it wasn’t that fun. You know what would have been different and fun? An awesome performance tonight! There is no time to waste; do it, and do it right. SCORE: 7

GLORIA CHEEVER: I hate her outfit! She took a step backward in song choice. Some of the pitches were way too low. It was all kind of weird and imitated to me. Sounds like the judges agreed. Not her best. SCORE: 6 out of 10

MARITZA HAMILL: This girl is so cute. The song choice in my opinion didn’t showcase what she can do though. I still can’t believe that no one knocked the song. Yeah she did good, but definitely not her best performance. She is so talented that this made her sound karaoke-ish. SCORE: 6

 

“Don’t Speak” (No Doubt) Watch the original J. CANTU AND AMANDA FLORES: OK, Chris, we are tired of the same ol’ thing every week. You sing the same way, no matter what song you pick and ou dress the same and the moves … I could train my dog to do the same thing you do. Wave those hands, move without your neck and bounce all over the place. We want to see something else, Chris. You ride the fence and stay on it. You are a pretty boy and that will probably keep you in this week, but let’s see something else. SCORE: 5BRANDON GARCIA: Chris’ Timberlake affectations are becoming as painful as canker sores, I can’t stand his white tennis shoes and I love how Gwen called him out on his “vocal Olympics.” That aside, it was better than I expected; Chris made his first real connection with the camera. I got burned out on this song 11 years ago, so the R&B twist was refreshing and well executed. While Chris is easily a better singer than Gwen, that’s not saying much, and all in all I’m just not a fan. SCORE: 6CHRIS BENITEZ: I don’t think the R&B goes with that song at all. But I do think his performance was better than Blake’s today. I really don’t know what else to say. I will say that all the contestants are finding their own style and there are fewer bad wardrobes. That’s positive right? SCORE: 6.5

GLORIA CHEEVER: This wasn’t my favorite Chris performance, but it was kinda nice. This was a better song choice — more entertaining. I’d like to see him go back to his fun sense of style, though. SCORE: 8 

MARITZA HAMILL: Better than last week’s choice. In fact better than all his choices. Made for a nice little ending for American Idol. This guys gets my attention only every other song. He seems to be getting better, but then he throws a curveball of boredom. This week was good though. SCORE: 7

 

BRANDON GARCIA: Phil Stacey. Then Blake. Then Gina.

 

CHRIS BENITEZ: Melinda Doolittle, Gina Glocksen 

 

GLORIA CHEEVER: Phil Stacey 

MARITZA HAMILL: I can’t believe I’m saying this: Phil Stacey.

 

BRANDON GARCIA: Jordin Sparks. Haley nipping at her heels.

   

CHRIS BENITEZ: Sanjaya Malakar, Blake Lewis, and Haley Scarnato

 

GLORIA CHEEVER: Chris Sligh and Sanjaya Malakar

 

BRANDON GARCIA: Sanjaya. Haley or (gasp) LaKisha wouldn’t surprise me.

 

CHRIS BENITEZ: Haley Scarnato

 

GLORIA CHEEVER: Chris Sligh 

 

MARITZA HAMILL: Chris Sligh

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Will Chris Sligh be the unlucky one? Or will it be Sanjaya or Haley? Tune in Wednesday at 8 p.m. for results.

Posted in: American Idol • Competition reviews • Contestants |

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