Yeah they all got carried away trying to pick the lesser known tracks, when there were still plenty of better known ones to choose from. Something wasn't right with the sound tonight - don't remember noticing the baying crowd so much before.

Because if he gets a recording contract that's what he'll be doing and that's his genre.

Why are the country singers always allowed to sing country or the pop singers always doing pop?

Quite a few seem to think so. I wasn't sure at first Gilly, none of them stood out. Then last week I changed my mind again. I loved their diversity and thought they were giving previous Idols a good run for their money. Then this week I'm uncertain again. It was really poor.

Yes but the same can be said of X factor - None of them will ever release an Abba type song but they always have to do them.

So it's either correct that they should do a number of different styles or they should only do what they do best, so they should stop the themed weeks and just let them sing whatever they want to that makes them sound good.

Shane Ward had to do Abba and swing night but that is hardly him it?

Why isnt Syesha on this poll?

Yes but the challenge for them and a lot of the interest should come from them taking a song of a different genre and covering it in their own.

Ah you are just not getting the point are you?
I wasn't suggesting anything as an idea or whether it's a good thing to do just asking WHY these singers where allow to do everything in their style when on X factor they are not or if they do they get called one trick ponies.

Have you seen X factor at all?

This show is going on how they did Pop Idol in the UK before X factor came along.

As X factor was a copy of Pop Idol but they had to change it some how as people would just be saying its a rip off Pop Idol. So they changed the way the singing was done and also put groups into it.

Yes, thanks for that.

Now can we make a comparison?

People call always doing the same thing in your own style all the time a one trick pony, yet don't when viewing this show - Why?

I can't believe it has taken 3 posts to explain the simple debate question.

I think I'll give up after this attempt at the same thing.

This was a poor show. Not one person sang a great song really well: the best singing was Carly who wasted vocal sophistry on a totally forgettable song. The best song choices, in fact the only 2 good ones, were Yesterday and The Long and Dreary Road which were both adequately sung but nothing you haven't heard before on a talent show by Gareth Gates.

The alternative show title appears to have been 'The Beatles wrote some of the greatest songs ever, but we've managed to unearth a whole load you've never heard of that are average to poor.'

Do we think the catalogue was not really released to them or that it was too expensive so they forced most of the kids to pick obscure songs? Or are the kids daft?

I do like all the contestants this year and I can't separate most of them, so it does come down to song choice, performance on the night and what they are wearing etc. However, I find the eternal spotless sunshine of the mind of cutesy-wutesy smiley smiley David A in his taped interviews trying, to say the least. Jason Castro is completely bonkers in his. But when both shut up and sing they do well. David A dresses like an old man and makes pained expressions when he sings. Jason is canny in his song choices - his voice is limited and he clearly doesn't have a clue what they are about, but he can still knock them off.

The judges have it in for Michael Johns: every week he has sung really well and the 2 male judges just don't like it. The also have a downer on Chikezie, he is great, a trouper, an entertainer.

Brooke was the biggest disappointment this week - fantastic in the previous weeks, rubbish this time, stupid dress, bad hair, goofy delivery. She reminds me of Mia Farrow. I thought she pulled it back with her reation to the comments, Carly did too with Simon, and Amanda did too at the top of the show - almost forgot she had been there, which is why they put her there probably.

Who will go? Could be Kristy Lee, could be Ramiele, I have no idea actually.

Amanda Overmyer - I like Amanda. She seems down to earth, fun, and like a cool person, and it comes through in her performances. She is entertaining. Unfortunately, she is just not a good singer. She is an okay 'screamer' but not a great one. This week, her performance made me think Steve Tyler from Aerosmith had decided to guest on Idol dressed as a woman, inhaling helium between verses to ease the pain of a severe case of laryngitis. It just didn't work for her this week.

Brooke White - Brooke was, and still is my favorite this season. She is not a strong singer, nor does she have much in the way of range. That is not all there is to being an entertainer, and she has a unique, interesting voice. She knows how to make the most of the delicate, vulnerable , actually quite pretty aspects of her voice, and when she performs, she really connects with her song selections in a way that makes it seem she could have writen the songs herself....usually....unfortunately, not this week....This week, her performance seemed contrived and amateur for the first and hopefully only time. I have not given up on her, though. She has shown the most 'musical intelligence' of the group, and bonus for playing several instruments.

Carly Smithson - Carly has one of the better voices in this competition. Unfortunately, she is not one of the better singers because she misuses and abuses her voice. She began this week sounding terrific, showing her rich and beautiful lower register. She then did what she seems to typically do and tried to make it a range-displaying power ballad. The trouble is, she does not posess a large range and she is not capeable of powerful vocals in her upper register. She was forcing and shouting and it was unpleasant to listen to.That does not equate to a large range and will wreck what she has if she keeps doing it. It was all the worse because this song not only had no place for that, but no excuse for it even. What makes listening to her so frustrating is that she actually does have a beautiful voice....but she is not content to sing with that and keeps trying to sing notes she cannot sing in ways she cannot sing them. She is more Alison Moyet or Karen Carpenter than Anne Wilson. I can understand why she failed as a popstar if these last performances are any indication of how she sang then. If she calms down, she could be one of this season's best.

Chikezie Eze - This was not his best performance. The harmonica was not the best idea. Points for trying something different, though. Vocally, he is easily the strongest singer, has the largest range and the most consistent tone. The judges may praise the more 'marketable' contestants, and likely didn't expect him to be as good as he is proving to be, but he is technically the best vocalist in the competition. I don't think he will win, because, although likeable, his stage presence is different from the kind that is usually best recieved on shows like this one. If he is allowed to perform the kind of showstopping vocals he is capeable of, or manages to outwit the producers and sneak such a performance in (wich it looked to me like he did last week) I think he may make the final. He is my favorite of the guys.

David Archuleta - He was the only one who sang without going off pitch this week, but considering the safe and easy song he performed, that is not saying much. He has a smooth vocal and a nice tone, and he is allowed to Michael Buble his way through this competition by performing arangements that are designed to make the most of a good but not outstanding voice and range. He is marketable to a young audience, and is one of the producers obvious favorites, so he will be around for a while, likely the finals.There is no doubt that he can sing....but a lot of people can do as well in that genre. He is a male Katharine McPhee.

David Cook - He was okay. Energetic but sloppy performance.

Jason Castro - looks and sounds like he stepped out of an episode of 'the Brady Bunch', travelled around to raves for half a decade, then decided to audition for Idol, but isn't sure if he is wholesome pop ballad boy or wannabe alternative-band guy.

Kristy Lee Cook - She was better than last week . Unfortunately, the only thing that will save her is all the rednecks in America power-voting.

Michael Johns Steve Brookstein version 2.0, but with less talent.

Ramiele Malubay - She is adorable. She has a sweet voice.Not great, but pleasant and inoffensive. This week, she made a poor song choice.

Syesha Mercado - This week, she finally performed a song that showcased the best of her vocals. Her tone was beautiful. She could have stuck to the melody a bit more, because with such sparse acompaniement the runs she added made the end of some phrases sound pitchy. Other than that, she was the best of the girls this week in my opinion. She gets better every week, and I still think she will give an outstanding performance at some point .

Have to disagree with Randy and Simon - I loved Chikezie - even the harmonica and the speeded up bit - at least it woke me up and was deffo my performance of the night!

so far DS fav is 'Beatles week again' !
whats that all about??

Singy Thingy - thank you for your comments - I am enjoying them!

I know what I like, but it's nice to see the views of someone knowledgable in their subject

I agree - thought Michael sang the song well this week, trouble is that 'A Day in the Life' could never work in such a truncated version (and what' more I think he knew it even before he started) and Chikezie was the most entertaining of the night - I think Simon is beginning to panic a bit that someone who was picked to be cannon fodder might hang around beating some of the favourites.

Personally I wasn't totally sorry to hear some more obscure songs - I'm beginning to feel that if I ever hear 'Yesterday' or 'Long and Winding Drone' on a talent show again I will lose the will to live!

Well that was an extremely poor night everyone was just so blah, I was dissapointed with Brooke who is my favourite but had her worst performance. Carly was another one I was surprised with, her voice just sounded laboured and she overdid it in a song that didn't suit it, the little speech at the end probably won't help her either.

Kristy was an improvement from last week but I still don't like her and think she will probably leave this week

David A was certainly back on form and he has a good voice but the over praising from the judges just turns me off him

Michael, every week I wait to see if I'll finally start to like him but tonight was just strange, it was a dreadful arrangement which I was wishing to be over and he flubbed the lyrics at the end

David C I like and he definitely has good stage presence but he's in danger of wearing thin, he could've sung the song straight and done a fine job, the voice box wasn't needed

Chikezie's was the only performance I enjoyed last night but he attempted to recapture last week and it didn't work as well though he does have potential

My bottom three of the night were: Kristy, Michael, Ramiele but really many others could end up there and I wouldn't be surprised

I very much hope you're not suggesting Buble hasn't got an outstanding voice because having seen him live I can very much confirm he has an utterly brilliant voice. Live, in Brighton, he sang with no mic and almost no back up and his voice filled the venue.

He also has something David A doesn't - stage presence and charisma.

Thanks Gilly.
Claire, I was only referring to the style of music.
I admit that I do not think Michael Buble is outstanding , but I do think he is good . He is better than most pop vocalists in fact, but because of his choice of genre and songs, he will be compared to really great vocalists with great voices and timing and phrasing, etc. The arangements of his songs are designed to make the most of his voice, wich is why I used the phrase I did to describe David A.'s song choices, and the songs he covers are often far more vocally challenging in their original arrangements, hence the comparison many make to technically superior artists.
As for singing live and without a mic, any really competent and trained singer is able to do that, particularly in venues that are built for it.
I didn't mean to suggest Michael Buble was not talented, though, because he is., and far more talented than David A.

I asked for the poll, with Syesha in it. But for some reason the mods replaced Syesha with "Beatles Week Again." !

I just wanted to add that, when I say Buble will be compared to technically great singers because of the songs/style he chooses, I mean people like Tony Bennett, early Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, even Possible Pavarrotte(sp?) , Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone...
But that by no means makes him talentless, and better than most popular crooners in this era.

RZT, I voted for beatles week again, I figure it is Syesha in disguise

I voted for Carly because her vocals were excellent but there wasn't really a performance that would have made me pick the phone up this week. Not even Michael and that is saying something for me. What was he thinking? Dreadful song.

Brooke also had a song that didn't suit her.

David A made me want to bring up my dinner.

David C jumped the shark this week.

Jason C finally put beyond doubt that he is not a singer.

Syesha was the only one who pleasantly surpised me but that is because I have never rated her and this week I thought she was just more than OK.


Tony Bennett's and Frank Sinatra's voices are/were full of a lot of things such as character and distinctiveness, but technically great? No. Sinatra's voice wasn't even melodic.

Yeh- but I bet most people voted it just for a laugh.

Syesha suprised me this week. I really liked her performance and she seemed like a different person. More vulnerable and introspective. It must have given her a jolt being in the bottom. I could grow to like the new Syesha if she can keep it up

Brooke was dire and she's my favourite. I think she'll probably pull it back next week as she is really talented and seemed to realise that she'd made a mistake stepping out her comfort zone

David Archeluta was back on form. He has a great voice but he just leaves me cold.

Carly is hyped in my opinion. Her voice is reasonably good (although it has some very harsh and unpleasant tones to it at times) and she is old fashioned and unappealing IMO. It doesn't help that she seems to have a hang up about the music business - its just offputting

Michael Johns is a bitter disappointment to me. Such a beautiful voice but he never does anything to show it off???

David Cook was really good again. One of my favourite performances. What was it with Simon's riduculous criticism of him being smug

Chikezee was fun again as was Jason Castro. These two keep me entertained


the others were all just blah to me this week

Syesha Mercado, David Archuleta and David Cook were the best performances this week in my opinion. Syesha sang Yesterday beautifully, it wasn't as understated as I would have liked though, if you know what I mean.

My bottom three this week would be Kristy Lee Cook, Jason Castro and Ramiele Malubay. Hated all three performances, and I wouldn't mind if any of them went - however, it is time for Kristy to go.