Idol Chat-Top 6 Perform Andrew Lloyd Webber

Hello fellow AI fans! Tonight was Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber week, which was interesting on many levels. First off, I couldn’t wait to see what the judges made of the contestants’ stab at musical theatre, since this style of music has been used to separate stars from Broadway people in almost every season. Second, these are some technically challenging pieces of music that are all about story. This could be a week that removes a less technical but more contemporary performer. I am a mega theatre geek. I have season tickets to the Fox, to the Rep, and will watch the occasional PBS special. I have very high expectations. We are down to six, and half will be in the bottom. Sir Andrew was impressive in his advice to the Idol hopefuls, and told them to remember, "words, words, words". He also humbled himself, saying that he was there to serve them and help them have the best performance that they could. For a composer of this caliber, I was so touched by the way that he worked with the contestants. His advice about words would become very relevant as the evening wore on, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Simon said that the singers needed to make themselves sound memorable and contemporary. Having seen every one of these musicals, some of them several times, I was ready to be wowed. Ricky Minor and the orchestra were placed on stage and after Ryan had a quick shot at conducting, we were ready to go. First up:

SYESHA MERCADO-"One Rock and Roll Too Many" Starlight Express
Syesha impresses Webber with her theatre skills and her performance of the song in rehearsal. He felt she could bring the house down. She began with her back to the audience on top of the piano. It was a total bummer that she started ahead of her music, but Ricky Minor directs the band quickly up to her tempo, and the awkward moment is ended quickly as she turns toward the audience. She is sexy, the performance is believable, but most importantly she has a pretty good vocal. There were a couple of notes that fell flat, but she looked great in that little red number and I enjoyed they way she worked the band. Randy said that it might surprise Syesha how awesome she did and that he thinks this is definitely her style of music. Paula said it wasn’t surprising to her at all; that everyone knows Syesha's heart is in musical theatre. Somehow Randy missed this. Simon said that she was very sexy and that it was her strongest performance to date. She showed great personality.

JASON CASTRO-"Memory" Cats
Andrew Lloyd Webber said it was a brave choice, but that he didn’t think Jason had a clue what the song was about. Even after explaining it, I still don’t think he had a clue. I am sorry, but I have seen Betty Buckley and Bernadette Peters belt the heck out of this ballad and I am still struggling over the why of the song choice after it is over. I am a huge Jason Castro fan, and I don’t think he had a bad vocal. I didn’t feel the song was believable when taken down a folk path, and it just didn’t work for me. He looked nervous and awkward throughout, and the only times he seemed able to emote was in his upper register. Randy thought it was a vocal train wreck. He thought it was too much melody for Jason. Paula said everyone is used to hearing a strong woman sing the song, but she thought Jason was smart to put a pop ballad influence into it and likened it to Joe Cocker’s "You are so Beautiful". (What?) Simon said it was the longest two minutes of both of their lives and that it was like a guy singing a song at a wedding that his mum and dad made him sing. I think that about sums it up. I still believe in him, and if he survives this week, hopefully he will get a chance to remind America what he is about.

BROOKE WHITE-"You Must Love Me" Evita
Andrew Lloyd Webber made her sing the song over to him after explaining the story. He felt that this could be a great performance for Brooke. I confess that I had high hopes after seeing her tender moment with Webber holding hands at the keyboard. The whole thing was blown for me the second she said, "I’m sorry" and had the orchestra start over. She did throw herself into her performance after she began again, but I was so worried that she was going to stop singing that I could hardly watch. For all of Brooke’s special talents and sweet delivery of songs, this restarting isn’t professional. Despite her claim that this is the first time she has lost a lyric on the show, she is the only contestant from 7 seasons of Idol who have restarted a song once, let alone twice ("Every Breath You Take". Remember?) Syesha got off on her music from the first beat, but you never saw it in her face or her performance, and she sure didn’t punish her audience by dramatically starting over. Randy thought it was not great, it was vocally tough. Paula liked that she didn’t overact, but called her out, saying "you can’t stop and start again". Simon thought it was so tense that it became uncomfortable, but said that is the drama of live television. I really like Brooke, but she should go home for that performance.

DAVID ARCHULETA-"Think of Me" Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber applauded David’s unique take on the song and I have to say the same. Who would have thought you could take that operatic little song written for a first soprano and incorporate an r & b vibe? His vocal was great; he followed Sir Andrew’s advice and kept his eyes open (which was pretty hard for him by the looks of it), and it actually sounded current. There was a moment in the second verse that he dropped a couple of the lyrics, but unlike Brooke he faked his way back to it and it wasn’t hugely noticeable. I have to stay real, I wouldn’t buy this single, (I didn’t like it that much) but it was a great performance. Randy said for the 20th time this season "if you can sing, you can sing anything" and told David it was the bomb. Paula thought it was perfect, that his risk with the pop ballad paid off. Simon thought it was pleasant, but that it was one of his weaker performances. He thought it was enough to move on to the next round, but that it was forgettable.

CARLY SMITHSON-"Jesus Christ Superstar" Jesus Christ Superstar
Carly starts singing "All I ask of you" from the Phantom of the Opera in rehearsal and Sir Andrew stops her and asks her to try her second choice. Immediately you can see there is a better connection. She actually looks happy on stage, and she has a strong performance, with only one tiny goof with the lyrics that she covers well and performs right through. I found her to be the most entertaining she has been this entire season, and her smile was contagious. I loved that she danced and played off of her background singers and thought she looked great. Randy thought it was not her best, but definitely good. Paula loved it because it was unexpected and she loved what she did with the chorus. Simon thought she got a little shouty, but it was one of his favorites of the night. Carly then whips out a "Simon loves me (this week)" t-shirt, and has a rare laugh with her audience that I think will earn some phone calls for her this week.

DAVID COOK-"Music of the Night" Phantom of the Opera
Immediately I am worried when David says this is choice, it is such a huge departure from his style. He actually has a really strong vocal, but for me this song is nothing without the dungeon, the mask, and the evil/tragic overtones. That being said David took a risk with this, and I am impressed that he sings it so well. Maybe if he at least would have dressed up some, I could have pretended it was a PBS special. At any rate, David surprised us by relying strictly on his voice, and given the other performances, I am sure that he will be fine. Randy repeated "if you can sing, you can sing anything" and said it was molten hot. Paula said that David was so well rounded and had a beautiful instrument. Simon said that he made the most of the song, but that he enjoys David’s grittier performances more.

It was certainly a star-studded audience with David Duchovny, Alison Chaney, and some really familiar long haired older rock guy that I can’t for the life of me remember, just to name a few. My top three performances for the evening were the David’s and Carly, but only because she sang such a familiar song. It could be her or Syesha in that spot. In the bottom should be Brooke and Jason for sure, and probably Syesha given the dreaded number one spot and a less well-known song. I think that Brooke will go home this week. She has been given a lot of chances, but she doesn’t seem to be getting any better at dealing with the stress, and since "Let it Be" in week one, she hasn’t seem to grow. It will be hard from here on out, as the best singers (minus my Aussie) are left and it will come down to each genre and how well each person copes.
On a side note, it has been reported this week that the arm waving (by extras) is choreographed, which cracks me up because I think that they look idiotic and completely off rhythm at all times. The standing O’s are apparently by cue card as well? Tune in tomorrow….