2. Brandon Davis - I was really expecting him to do a song that matches his low raspy voice, but he totally surprised me by picking a Michael Jackson track. I thought it was okay in a really weird way. I don't know, I guess because he took on a new spin on the song, I liked it.
3. Jason Sundance Head - I am including his other first name so that people will still remember him not just by Sundance. I thought the song choice was really bad and the performance was stale and uninspired. I am still wishing Tommy made it, and with this performance, I am regretting Paula ever letting him through.
4. Paul Kim - Just when I thought Sundance was bad, in comes Paul doing a classic George Michael track. And he did not fail...to disappoint even more. It was pitchy and all over the place. I really thought he had one of the best voices and I wanted to pull for him, you know, Asian pride and all that, but now I'm second guessing my decision after that performance.
5. Chris Richardson - I don't think he's related to former boybander Kevin Richardson (Backstreet Boys) and yet, during the audition rounds, he was told he looked like another boybander Justin Timberlake. His own take on the Gavin de Graw monster hit, I Don't Wanna Be sounded just like Timberlake trying hard to "rock" out. And oddly more so, I think he sounded like a rat. I, however, liked the different arrangement on the track and if the vocal was better, he may just be right up there with Bo Bice (season 4) and Elliott Yamin (season 5) who also did fantastic takes on the song.
6. Nicholas Pedro - What a romantic sounding name. He chose a romantic song too, but the performance? Almost cringe-worthy. Don't get me wrong, I like Nick and his tenacity to come back and try again, but when I get out of my seat, during an American Idol performance, that doesn't bode well for the performer who's on. I believe Nick can still "wow" me with his talents, but he needs to step it up next week, if given the chance...again.
7. Blake Lewis - I thought he killed it during the Hollyweird group performances. Who knew a ballad softie like "How Deep is Your Love?" can be funky and groovy? All thanks to his amazing beatboxing. (Justin Timberlake, eat his dust!) My boy definitely got it goin' on. And so it was a pleasant surprise for me when he did the Keane track. It showed a whole new dimension of him and he truly delivered when he said in his opening spiel that he's definitely bringing the singing into the show. Brought it he did. Best performance of the night IMO.
8. Sanjaya Malakar - Oh goodness, maybe I expected too much from this sweet lookin' guy, I don't know, but I was really disappointed in him. All the time during his performance I was grunting and making weird sounds because that's what he lacked; grit, energy. Where was the charming little firecracker I saw at the auditions? He was definitely not on the AI stage last night.
9. Chris Sligh - I still cannot believe he made it this far and most especially I still cannot get over how good he really sounds. I don't know the song to begin with though I think he really performed it well. He just needs to work on his stage persona, because other than during those moments when he raises his hands, he was like a stiff tree on stage.
10. Jared Cotter - Four words. Brian McKnight rip off. Sorry guys, but he didn't do much with the song for me. The ending sounded rushed, really weird, but I do believe he has great potential and if America gives him a chance next week, he better step it up.
11. A.J. Tabaldo - Excuse me for being a bit bias about A.J., but this was the first time I fully heard him sing and I have to say, he's kind of better than last year's lone Pinoy contender, Sway Penala. I'm not quite familiar with the song, but I think he did it pretty well. Loved his stage energy. I hope he makes it farther than Sway did. Itodo n'yo na ang pagboto mga chong!!
12. Phil Stacey - Well we all know Ryan's favorite line to introduce the last performer huh? And was Phil the best? No. But is the performance good enough? A few rough spots in the beginning verse, but the runs he made on the end more than made up for it. One thing though, he's got the rocker, Chris Daughtry vibe goin' on, but when he sang last night, I could hear traces of Clay Aiken in it. Hmmm...weird.
I would give the guys the benefit of the doubt for now, after all, it is their first night performing for millions of people on TV and nerves had definitely taken the best of them. But they need to shake it off right away and put on their best game face next week if they think they want to win really bad. That would mean better song choices, and most definitely, translating these songs into great performances on stage.
Before I end this up, if I had the chance to vote for each one, here's how I would allot them, say I can give them a maximum of five votes:
1. Rudy - 1
2. Brandon - 3
3. Sundance - 0
4. Paul - 0
5. Chris R. - 3
6. Nick - 1
7. Blake - 5
8. Sanjaya - 2
9. Chris S. - 4
10. Jared - 2
11. A.J. - 5
12. Phil - 4
I don't have much to say about the judges, because they were pretty much the same as they were last year. Harsher? I don't think so. I believe they are just looking for the best of the best, and unfortunately last night, I don't think they've seen it. There'll be other chances next week, but for those who will be eliminated on Thursday, their chance to impress them might just be cut short.
