AI7 - Top 10 (3/25/08)

Tonight's theme is songs from the contestants' birth years, which means it's 9/10ths of another 80's show! Video clips tell something about the contestants' childhoods. And several people are, again, sick (at least Randy and Ramiele, though Paula sounds stopped up as well).

Ramiele (who was born in Saudi Arabia!) sings "Alone" - It was brave of her to attempt one of Carrie's best songs. Some of it sounded off-key... Randy agreed. He also said it was a bad song choice. Paula was glad people have heard her do other things; Simon said it wasn't as bad as Randy said (hee!).

Jason (whose birthday is tonight!): "Fragile" - I thought Sting was a good choice for him, and the performance (with guitar, on stool) was back in his comfort zone. Randy agreed that it was a good song choice, but Paula said it was a bit safe and same. Simon said he's had 2 bad weeks & needs to take this more seriously.

Syesha: "If I Were Your Woman" (I was a child of the 80's and there are an awful lot of these songs I don't know!) Very good performance; best she's done in a while, but then the fact that I'm less familiar w/the song may help. The judges agree: Randy says it's her best yet, and Paula says everything about it was fantastic. Simon said it was good overall but she overreached at the end.

Chikieze: "If Only for One Night" - very good. Paula agreed, but Randy said it was too old-school and Simon said it was cheesy and lacked originality.

Brooke: "Every Breath You Take" - well, Phil's was better. ;-) Brooke played the piano again for this and then the band joined her at the bridge adding a more rock feel, which I liked. As did Paula, but Randy & Simon didn't.

Michael: "We Will Rock You"/"We Are the Champions" - decent performance, though he struggles on the high notes (as usual). The crowd loved it! Paula said he finally found the right song (wonder which one she meant? heh) and this was his shining moment; Simon said it was the first time he's seen star potential in him.

Carly, we find out, was indeed named for Carly Simon but only because her mother heard her on the radio on the way to the hospital to give birth. She sings "Total Eclipse" and does a really great job vocally, though she didn't sing the right lyrics on the powder keg line (grr). Randy didn't like it, said it was a bad choice for her. Paula disagreed & said that Carly has the habit of making her like songs she didn't previously like (Paula! how can you not like this song?!). Simon was back w/Randy though & said something about it didn't quite work.

David A: "You're the Voice" - meh. The lyrics were very simple & there were a lot of "Oh"s, and it was the nice kind of message ballad David seems to favor. I missed Randy & Paula's comments, but Simon didn't like it and compared it to a theme park performance.

(... oh. my, I just realized David C is getting the Pimp Spot with his, according to spoilers, Michael Jackson song... can't. wait!)

Kristy: "God Bless the USA" - well, gotta give her credit for smart song choice (to connect w/her fan base), anyway! Ooh, Simon said almost the same thing; in fact he called it one of the most clever song choices on the show in years! Her performance was also pretty good. All judges agreed it was a good choice; Randy & Paula said parts were pitchy but Simon called it her best "by a mile." Did anyone else notice that she seemed to be wearing an engagement ring??

Lastly David C with "Billie Jean" ("Chris Cornell's version," Ryan tells us) - Awesome! I know a couple of gals who were most certainly a puddle of goo after this performance. ;-) Randy said he's maybe their most original & most bold contestant ever, could actually win, and was "blazing, molten hot!" Paula called him smart, brave, and the performance brilliant; Simon said amazing.

And that's a wrap. Difficult bottom 3 to predict tonight, other than Ramiele. I'll go with Brooke and Carly (with Chikieze close behind; even though I thought he was really good, he was middle-of-the-pack and forgettable, where others improved). Ramiele goes home.