Tossing Salt Is American Idol - March 21, 2012

Tossing Salt Is American Idol
March 21, 2012
Doug Maynard

It's Week 3 of American Idol and the search for America's hottest music sensation rages on. Last week, the young men and women sang songs from the year of their birth and when the smoke cleared, Shannon Magrane was voted off the Island. So what happens this week? It's the songs of Billy Joel. Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson are the judges. Ryan Seacrest is the host. And I'm slowly being driven crazy by a hyperactive cat. Let's do this...

Starting off was DeAndre Brackensick, singing the song "Only The Good Die Young". J-Lo complimented DeAndre for his laid back vibe and called it a great way to start the show. Steven Tylder said that maybe it was a little too happy, but maybe that's what the world needs. Randy agreed that it was a great way to start the show and that DeAndre did a good job.

Next up was Erika Van Pelt doing "New York State Of Mind". I've never heard of this song, but apparently, it's a big one. J-Lo complimented Erika for doing a beautiful vocal and says that she would love to see Erika let loose just a bit more with her vocals and body. Steven says that she could put more character in it, but called the vocals "outstanding". Randy said that he loved the new look (new haircut), loved the vocals and that Erika's performance was very very nice.

Joshua Ledet performed next, doing "She's Got A Way". I wasn't crazy about it personally, but the judges were much more enthralled by Ledet's performance. J-Lo said that she felt stupid giving any criticism, but she didn't feel that Joshua connected to the lyrics he was singing. He was singing, but not "singing". Steven said that Joshua took a song that he didn't know and brought it to life. And Randy said that in the end, Joshua made the song his own.

Skylar Laine was next and she sang the song "Shameless". It reminded me of a bad karaoke night and Skylar sure as heck isn't a Garth Brooks. That's for sure. J-Lo called Skylar fearless and said that she had the audience by the end of the song. Randy said that it was a little pitchy at first, but pretty good. Steven said that Skylar sang the chorus with conviction and even though it was a little pitchy at the beginning, Skylar was good.

And here comes Elise Testone doing another song I've never heard of called "Vienna". I really like this and think the song fits her so well. Elise reminds me of Marianne Faithful with this song. J-Lo said that she was so happy for Elise and this performance was a beautiful thing. Randy said that she made it her own and is so unbelievably talented. He said that Elise had "a moment". And Steven said that Elise was "all over the place, but still in the room" and called it beautiful.

Phillip Phillips came up next and totally disregarded all of the advice given to him by the mentors to sing "Moving Out". J-Lo called the performance "awesome". Steven said that he took that song and "Phillip'ed it". He also told Phillip it was beautiful and don't stop being himself. Randy said that Phillip was an unbelievable talented artist and should stick to his guns.

Hollie Cavanagh came up next and I still think she looks about fourteen years old. She performed the song "Honesty" and in my opinion, it just didn't do it. J-Lo said that the sound of Hollie's voice is one of her favorites, but she has to nail those notes. Randy also commented that it was a little pitchy and she needs to nail those notes a little better. Steven said that it was a little pitchy, but good.

Heejun Han was the next up and he is a freakin' trip. What the hell is the deal with this guy? He sang the song "My Life" and I liked it. The vocals weren't great, but after so many slow songs and ballads, it was great to see some energy. Randy said that it was great to see Heejun have a good time and that he was entertaining. Steven admitted that he was tongue tied and told Heejun that the music biz will kick his ass and he needs to take it more seriously. And J-Lo said that it was a lot of fun and a breath of fresh air. She really enjoyed it.

The next up is Jessica Sanchez, doing the song "Everybody Has A Dream". This woman has a great voice. J-Lo said that Jessica's perfomance was a defining moment and the song was hers. Randy said that it takes consistency to win and everytime that Jessica steps on stage with the big songs, she has a moment. He called her performance "flawless" and "perfection". Steven told Jessica "thank you for letting me hear you sing".

And finally, we closed the show with Colton Dixon, who performed the song "Piano Man". And he nailed it. He owned that song. J-Lo said that Colton sings with "pure feeling" and did a great job. Steven called the choice of chords "stunning" and said it was a great performance by a great singer. And Randy said that Colton "definitely is a rock star".

A pretty good show, but way too many ballads. Where were the songs with fire and energy? Nobody did "Uptown Girl" or "Pressure" or even "Second Wind". I wanted to hear some harder, more energetic songs. But I guess everyone wanted to play it safe. Oh well!

Now let's figure out who's going home this week. My picks for the infamous Bottom Three this week are: Skylar Laine, Hollie Cavanagh and Heejun Han. And when the votes are counted, I've got a feeling that it will be Skylar taking that walk of shame and heading home.

And that's all for me. I'll be back Saturday with a wrestling column, "Wrestling Fact Or Fiction", so look for that. And I'll be back next week with Week 4 of American Idol. I'm Doug and thanks for reading. See you on the flip side.

Ubuntu!