It’s time for Top 12 night on American Idol. We’ll be getting started soon as the 12 guys and gals plow their way through the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Hi, this is Randy Salas, tonight’s guest blogger on Remote Island. This is my fifth season covering the Top 12 for the Star Tribune, and I’m looking forward to tonight’s show. I’ll post my thoughts as each singer performs, so hit the refresh button often to see the latest updates in this space, or stop by after the show to read it as a recap.

Ooh, new title sequence. It’s like a time tunnel. And a new set. Maybe they could have replaced Paula Abdul as part of the makeover. The Top 12 come out, and Amanda looks like an extra from The Addams Family.

The Lennon-McCartney songbook means a lot of material that precedes the age of the singers by many years. The secret for the singers who aren’t as familiar with some of the material is to find a cover version by a band they know or like and do that version. It worked for Chris Daughtry with “I Walk the Line” a few years ago.

Syesha does “Got to Get You Into My Life”: She goes for an R&B approach. It’s just awight, as they say. Every time she comes in on the verse, she’s below pitch and shaky. Overall, not too bad, but it kind of just lays there. The band is the best part. Nothing changes my previous comments about her; she won’t go too far. Thankfully, Paula’s always there to tell the female singers that they look great, instead of focusing on their singing.

Chikezie does “She’s a Woman”: He’s going for the Blake Lewis look.  What a great idea: Do a song that’s not too familiar to mainstream fans, and let ‘er rip! Oh, Chikezie, this was a great move. A surprisingly strong performance, and he “made it his own.” It’s mountain music, man. He’ll be moving up in many fans’ eyes after this.

Ramiele does “In My Life”: Not unexpectedly, she does a ballad. As if she’s not short enough, they put a camera above her, making her look like a hobbit. It’s a beautiful song, but it’s not really going anywhere. She’s going to have show more chops and better stylistic range to make an impression beyond this week. The judges agree, but at least Paula reminds us that Ramiele looks great.

Jason Castro does “If I Fell”: I really like this guy. But the missed notes don’t give a strong start. But, you know, he really does his own thing. I don’t like some of the altered melodies, but he has the uniqueness to do well in recording no matter what happens here. Not the greatest performance, but heartfelt.

Carly Smithson does “Come Together”: This just in: Carly’s been signed and dropped by another record label during the commercial break. I kid. I kid! Her voice is a wee bit warbly for power vocals. This was a strong performance but not earth-shaking. I don’t think a song like this is her strong suit, but the judges don’t agree.

David Cook does “Eleanor Rigby”: Great song choice. Let’s see what he does with it. Shaky start in hitting the notes of a very melodic song. This is not good enough, but things pick up with the chorus and a hellacious light show. At least he has great stage presence. Ultimately, a lot of shouting. Just OK. He won’t go this week, but that wasn’t good enough. But, wow, the judges were listening to something different than me. Maybe I shouldn’t write anything until the judges comment.

Brooke White does “Let It Be”: She has an infectious smile. The grand piano, a la Paul McCartney, is a fantastic idea. It would have been better without any band accompaniment at all, but she really has that Carole King vibe going. A fine performance, but I wanted her vocals to be better. But how can anyone not like her? She seems truly humbled by the whole AI experience.

David Hernandez does “I Saw Her Standing There”: It’s Beatles 101. Oh, this is not good — way too Vegas show-lounge-y. The vocal missteps and melody changes don’t help. This is not the world’s greatest song, but I think he massacred it. American Karaoke Idol.

Amanda does  –  wait for it  –  “You Can’t Do That”: She admits she never heard the song before — brave, or completely dumb to do. The song’s style is right up her blues alley. But, man, she just doesn’t support the notes as she sings. Still, this is the best performance she’s had in weeks. She’ll stick around this week, but I just don’t see her going far.

Michael does “Across the Universe”:  Great song. His voice has such a wonderful tone to it–aching, husky, cool. Right off, this is one of the top performances tonight. But I don’t care for his phrasing. Talent trumps the technical stuff, though. I really dug this. I don’t get all of the criticism from the judges. He went restrained instead of over the top, and I thought it worked.

Kristy does “Eight Days a Week”: A country take, but it doesn’t work, especially when she’s behind the beat. It’s way too fast, too. And she seems to be running out of breath and energy. Good-bye, Kristy. She’s in danger after that.

David Archuleta does “We Can Work It Out”: All he has to do is show up and do a decent job. But forgetting the lyrics and missing notes isn’t good. He’s been the favorite so far, but what a horrid showing. He won’t go anywhere, but, wow, that was bad. Anyone else and they’d be gone.

After tonight’s show, David Hernandez and Kristy Lee Cook had the worst performances and are in the most danger. But will the voters agree? What do you think?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 6:51 pm and is filed under American Idol. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.