Tossing Salt Is American Idol - March 7, 2012

Tossing Salt Is American Idol
March 7, 2012

Greetings, salutations and how the heck are you? I'm Doug and this is my recap of American Idol. It's week number one for the thirteen finalists and tonight, it's the songs of Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder. That's a lot of pressure for these guys and girls in the first week, especially with Whitney's death so fresh and on everyone's mind. I'm calling it right now - the first person eliminated, tomorrow night, will be a female because they're not going to do a "Whitney" song the way Whitney would have and they're going to be decimated as a result. The guys will be doing Stevie Wonder's songs and I wonder what Stevie will be thinking when he sees them? Oh wait - he can't. Never mind... lol.

In case you're wondering what qualifies me to watch and rank the contestants of American Idol, well nothing really except for I love music and I love to write and I got such favorable reviews for doing this Idol review thingy last year, I couldn't resist giving it another shot and doing it again this year too. I'm just calling it like I see it with the good, the bad and the ugly. I'll try to do this every Wednesday night with my analysis of each contestant and a prediction for the Bottom Three (and who will be getting eliminated) at the bottom of each column. If I ever get a job (keep your fingers crossed for me), there may be some weeks I'm not able to do a recap, but for now, this will be a weekly committment.

And I can't think of anything else to ramble about so let's get right to it. Ryan Seacrest is the host and the judges are Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson. This is "Tossing Salt Is American Idol". Let's do this!

By the way, I'm not worrying too much about the chit-chat segments or the pre-song segments with Jimmy Iovine & Missy Elliot. I'm here for the songs and performances and nothing else. I'll worry about the filler stuff later on in the season, but for now, there are too many guys and gals competing to worry about the small stuff. Happy 400th Episode to the Idol folks...

We start off with Joshua Ledet, singing "I Wish", a Stevie Wonder classic. And for me, it was okay, but the voice didn't really match the song and wasn't all that. Joshua had a lot of energy on stage though and looked as if he felt comfortable. Steven Tylder said that Joshua had the swag and brought the song home and nailed it. J-Lo noted that Joshua could really feel the music and feel the performance. And Randy called it "flawless".

Next up was Elise Testone, who did a rendition of Whitney's "I'm Your Baby Tonight" after being talked out of doing "Greatest Love Of All" by Iovine and Missy Elliot. She tried, but the song just didn't seem to work for her and felt more like karaoke night at the pool hall than a professional singing in front of millions of people. Randy said that it wasn't her greatest performance and it seemed as if she was boxing with the song. Steven said that she needed to find just the right song, but missed it tonight. J-Lo noted the timing issues in the song and said that Elise was struggling to make it her own and it just wasn't her best.

Jermaine Jones was up next doing "Knocks Me Off My Feet" and he did a great job. He's a big man with a big, unique voice that reminds me a lot of Barry White or Teddy Pendergrass. He took this song and just did a great job making it his own. Steven Tyler told Jermaine that the song fit him "like an Armani suit!". Randy noted that he was glad that they brought Jermaine back and mentioned that he didn't really love the chorus, but loved the verses. J-Lo loved the performance too and told Jermaine that he just needs to relax a bit more and let himself connect with the song.

The fourth performer was Erika Van Pelt, who did the song "I Believe In You And Me". And what can I say? She took the song, owned it and made it her own. Erika has a real strong and powerful voice and used it to maxium capacity. Steven Tyler called her performance "so beautiful" and "perfect". Randy noted that Erika's performance gave J-Lo goosebumps and said that Erika can sing anything. J-Lo complimented Erika about being able to make songs come alive, but noted that she needs to quit playing safe and quit thinking.

Colton Dixon, who I think looks like a mini-me James Durbin, was up next doing the song "Lately". He's got a good look and a good voice, but this song and performance just didn't do anything for me. Doesn't matter though because I think Colton (and Deandre) will be able to coast by on their "pretty boy" looks for a few rounds anyhow before having to worry about elimination. Dixon needs to trim the hairs on his ears too. Just saying. Steven called Colton's performance "outstandng" and "well done". Randy noted that it wasn't a perfect performance and started off a bit shaky, but the ending was flawless. J-LO noted that Colton was somewhat out of his element with Stevie Wonder, but thinks he did great.

Shannon Magrane was up next to attempt to do "I Have Nothing" and well, she was right. She was all over the place and lost her flow a few times. Not a good performance at all. Randy noted that they all know that Shannon can sing, but she wasn't great tonight. Steven remarked that the nerves got the best of her and she "crashed and burned in the turnaround". And J-Lo said that thinking got the best of her and she just needs to learn to relax and let the song tell the story.

The resident "pretty-boy", Deandre Brackensick, was up next. If nothing else, he looks the part of rock star more than anyone else in the competition. He sang the song "Master Blaster" and was really just all over the place on stage, but in a good way. He really looked natural and liked he belonged up there. Steven loved his performance from the very beginning and called Deandre a "different flavor" and "beautiful". J-Lo complimented his rhythm and swagger and said that she didn't want his performance to end. Randy called it a "job well done".

Skylar Laine was up next and did a great version of "Where Do Broken Hearts Go". She took the song, made it her own and gave it a kind of country vibe. Very well done. Steven called her performance a "thing of beauty" and "well done". J-Lo called Skylar the "definition of composure" and noted how the song started off a bit nasaly, but Skylar kept it together and had what J-Lo called "the biggest moment of the night". Randy said that Skylar can sing any song and is HOT!

Heejun Han was the next one to perform and he did a fantastic rendition of "All In Love Is Fair". This guy, to me, seems to be a joker and comedian first and then a singer second, but I've got to give him credit. He's got one helluva voice on him and did a really good job. Steven said it was "fantastic" and that he "loved the voice". J-Lo told Heejun that "I love you!". And Randy closed out the segment with "not perfect, but really good!".

Hollie Cavanagh was the next one up and she looks, to me, so much like Jan Brady from the Brady Bunch. I want to hear her say "Marcia Marcia Marcia!". The song she performed was "All The Men That I Need" and she did a great job. In my opinion, the best voice of the night so far. J-Lo called her "the one", while Steven said she was "nailing it everytime" and was "really nice". Randy just said bluntly that she "nailed it!".

The Teddy Bear of this year's competition, Jeremy Rosado was up next to do a version of "Ribbons In The Sky". Jeremy seems so nervous and uncomfortable when he's being interviewed or just standing around, but when he gets on stage and sings, he's like a whole different person.. His voice is amazing and beautiful and he really owned that song and that stage. Steven said that Jeremy had a "beautiful voice" and was "velvety smooth". J-LO said it was "really, really beautiful" and Randy had to be the buzzkill by saying that it "wasn't the best" and that Jeremy needs more "swagg" to make the song more believable.

The next talent to perform was Jessica Sanchez, who did the impossible and took on the song, "I Will Always Love You". And she freakin' nailed it! Best on-spot performance of the night in my opinion. This gal had guts to take on that song and she not only took it on, she beat it down and made it her own. Just amazing! All the judges were very complimentary with Steven noting that Jessica "just made 40 million people cry", while J-Lo called her "amazing" and Randy called her "legit" and said that Jessica's performance was the best vocal of the night, one of the best in the whole competition, and one of the best in the whole country. That young lady was amazing!

And finally, we got to see Phillip Phillips doing "Superstition". A great performance that saw Double-P really jam out and make that song, which has been done by a million other people, his own. Steven told Phillip that "you just are", while J-Lo said that Phillip "killed it!". And Randy finished up by telling Phillip that he might be the most different artist ever on the show and that the show needs people like him.

And there you go - that was the thirteen men and women and what they sang and what the judges (and I) thought of their performances. It was an okay show, but I didn't see anyone yet who really jumped out at me and screamed "I'm going to win and be the American Idol". Last year, it was obvious from the start that James, Casey and Scotty were all big stars waiting to be discovered, but this year, I haven't seen that person yet. Jessica, Phillip and Deandre were the three biggest stand-outs in my opinion. Heejun was the biggest surprise because I really didn't expect that great voice. I think this year, it's going to take a little longer for the favorites to really start to emerge from the pack.

Okay, as for who will be at the bottom of the voting and face the threat of being sent home tomorrow night, it's pretty obvious for the females that Shannon had the worst performance of the night and will probably be on the chopping block. As for the guy who I expect will be there along with her, I think it will be Joshua. No real reason because he wasn't bad, but of all of the guys, I think since he went on first, he'll probably be the harshest judged.

So tomorrow night, it's either Shannon or Joshua who will be going home and my guess / pick is... Shannon.

Will I be right? We'll find out tomorrow night. And that's all for me tonight too. I hope you liked the recap. Questions and comments are welcome and appreciated. And with that, I'm Doug and I'm out of here. Have a great night and I'll holla holla holla at you later!

Ubuntu!