Tonight on American Idol each of the contestants will sing not one but two Neil Diamond song. When it comes to Neil Diamond one just isn’t enough. As they needed to get 10 performances into a one hour show, the judges were supposed to withhold their comments until after the idols’ second performance. As it turned out, because they stayed on track Ryan had time to get the judges’ impressions of each of the performances once Round 1 was finished. I know I was pretty underwhelmed by the Round 1 performances.

Jason Castro: Forever in Blue Jeans
Jason first song was Forever in Blue Jeans. No surprise he did a Very folksy version of the song. It was good but that is pretty much Jason Castro’s thing.
Randy: “Just OK.”
Paula: “Loved hearing the lower range.”
Simon: “Forgettable.”

David Cook: I’m Alive
I like David Cook. I like his sound. Of course, I liked his performance. I just wished it sounded a little less like Neil Diamond.
Randy: “Very good In the zone.”
Paula: “Uh, I thought Jason sang twice.”
Simon: “Just above average.”

Brooke White: I’m a Believer
Honestly, I had no idea this was a Neil Diamond song. I know it from the Monkees and Shrek. Brooke did an OK job of singing this song. I think she should have sang a song that wasn’t quite so well known. Its much harder for her to make that song her own. I also wish she had skipped the guitar. I would rather have watched her perform than play.
Randy: “Very Kareoke.”
Paula: “…”
Simon: “A nightmare.”

David Archuleta: Sweet Caroline
His performance didn’t do a whole lot for me. He did fine. I thought the way he ended the song was a little weak.
Randy: “Da Bomb.”
Paula: “…”
Simon: “Amateurish.”

Syesha Mercado: Hello Again
I never thought I would say this about one of Syesha’s performance but, that was my favorite performance so far tonight. She did not sound anything like Neil Diamond. More importantly, she sounded fantastic.
Randy: “In the zone.”
Paula: “…”
Simon: “Old fashioned.”

Round 2

Jason Castro: September Morn
huh… what? Is he finished? That was not a good song for him. Even Paula was not impressed with Jason.
Randy: “It was just OK. That was just another whatever performance for me.”
Paula: “You took the same liberty on both song.”
Simon: “We don’t recognize you at the moment. You struggled through both songs.”

David Cook: All I Really Need is You
I liked that performance much better than the first one. I was wishing David had done a song with a little more energy to it until he got to the bridge then I really liked the performance. Once again Cook is showing himself to be the one to beat.
Randy: “Yo. Check it out. I’m a huge David Cook fan right now. Blazing!”
Paula: “I feel like I’m already looking at the American Idol.”
Simon: “I thought the first song was OK. The second song was brilliant. You made that song feel like it was written this year.”

Brooke White: I Am, I Said
Brooke’s second performance was also much better than her first. It still wasn’t one of her best.
Randy: “Nice Job.”
Paula: “Everyone loves you.”
Simon: “I really really hated the first song. This is the Brooke we like. It wasn’t incredible but it was a million times better than the first one.”

David Archuleta: America
This is a song in which you want a lot of emotion and energy. David Cook just seems like he is doing a performance. This song demonstrates for me the biggest problem with David Archuleta. I didn’t believe it. He always seems like he’s up there acting, just performing. You get the feeling he couldn’t care less what he is singing. Its about the singing and the performance, not the message of the music with him. He doesn’t seem to make an emotional connection with the songs he is singing. Its like he’s programmed.
Randy: “In the zone. Another good performance.”
Paula: “You voice is so on point.”
Simon: “That was a smart choice of song.”

Syesha Mercado: Thank The Lord For The Nighttime
I liked the soul spin Syesha put on the song. Once again, I think Syesha did a really good job. Syesha is coming on strong at the end of the competition.
Randy: “I think your finally realizing who you are. This is where I like you.”
Paula: “I like the texture in your voice. I love her.”
Simon: “You are a very good actress-singer. I think you may be in trouble tonight.”

WBM’s Most Downloadable AI Performance of the Night: All I Really Need is You by David Cook

Runner Up: Thank The Lord For The Nighttime by Syesha Mercado

Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow morning to check out our predictions for which of this season’s American Idol Top 5 will be headed home. Then, make sure you come back after the results show and see if we were right.

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