This is the thread to talk about the Top 10 shows this week. USA Pace.

The Top 10 are:
Brooke White
Carly Smithson
Chikezie Eze
David Archuleta
David Cook
Jason Castro
Kristy Lee Cook
Michael Johns
Ramiele Malubay
Syesha Mercado

Theme
Songs from the year they were born

USA Air Times on Fox:
Tue 25th March: 20.00-21.30 eastern time: Performances
Wed 26th March : 21.00-22.00 eastern time: Results

Songs they are singing- from TMZ


Syesha Mercado -- 1987's "If I Were Your Woman" by Stephanie Mills
David Cook -- 1983's "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson
Carly Smithson -- 1983's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
Chikezie -- 1985's "If Only For One Night" by Luther Vandross
Brooke White -- 1983's "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
Jason Castro -- 1987's "Fragile" by Sting
Ramiele Malubay -- 1987's "Alone" by Heart
Michael Johns -- 1978's "We Are the Champions" by Queen
Kristy Lee Cook -- 1984's "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood
David Archuleta -- 1990's "You're the Voice" by David Foster with Jeff Pescetto

"Alone" is becoming an AI tradition ever since Carrie sang it. Hopefully Ramiele does a good version.

Really making use of the Heart catalogue this year aren't they

Thanks for that

I've just been looking up some of the songs that I haven't heard of.. and I can't seem to find the one David Archuleta's singing, does anyone know it?

Seems a sensible choice for Michael Johns considering the success he had with Bohemian Rhapsody, but Simon might call it a 'safe' choice...

You're The Voice is actually a classic John Farnham song (David Foster covered it), chances are you'll recognise it when you hear it, even if you're not old enough to remember the original, it's a song that lives on through covers and commercial radio! (...and radio 2... )

Oh dear, most of these songs will catch them out!

For example,Carly's song is tricky. She might yell in some parts. Jason Casgtro I am not so sure how it will pan out. Ramiele's 'Alone' by Heart may be a problem. As for Kristy I think a man should have sang this. David A's may or may not work. Its a bit too much for him. Micheal Johns are they trying to get rid of him?I cannot see how this will work in his favour. Remember he sang the other queen song during Hollywood.

Brooke White should do fine with this. I imagine she will have the guiter out. David Cooke should do well or may not.
Syesha should suit this. If she sings the Alicia Keys version as they have similar voice range she should be fine. But it should work for her. Chekezie, it may be slightly cheesy. But he has the voice to carry this great song. He is Mr.smooth.

Well, I do not hold my breath guys. It may be a bumpy ride.

Regards

Babeth

Not a whole lot of stands out this week...

Award for Smartest Song Choice is a tie b/w Michael Johns and Kristy.
MJ found a way to bring back some Queen. The crowd loved it (imo the loudest fan reaction of the night) and so did the judges.
Kristy is playing to her fan base with her choice. Loved by the country set...
I love David A....but didn't like his song choice. Did love Simon's subtle dig at David A's father: "I'm sure you didn't choose that song yourself"
David Cook was ok...but its not like he created the version he sang.
Ramiele is becoming forgettable.
Carly was ok...but still come off as average
I think they give Chikezie a hard time...was ok
Jason is also starting to show his limits. Not impressed.
Syeisha - Not a fan of the song or her really...but very good performance
Brooke - Back at the piano and I liked it. One of my favorite contestants...
I'm starting to think the top 3 could be Brooke and the two Davids....but Michael Johns certainly stood out tonight.

Bottom 3? My guess: Ramiele, Chikezie and not sure about the 3rd. Maybe Carly if her fans don't help her with a bounce back vote...or maybe Kristy. No clue who'll go home....leaning towards Ramiele.

Kimberly Locke performs on the results show tomorrow night...

If in the uk,Don't look at the 'don't look here' thread if you dont wanna watch top ten perform
Ramiel-singing-'Alone' by Heart....this is one of the few Heart songs that is not very difficult to sing , yet she passed on the 'glory note'. The judges were kind. The truth is, she was very pitchy and breathy. Randy called it on the off-pitch sound. They used voice problems as an excuse. That is not an excuse on such a non-challenging arangement. Ramiel did what Carly usually does and tried to sing notes she cannot in ways she cannot. In all fairness, if Carly had chosen this song instead of Crazy on You, she likely would have nailed it .
I like Ramiel, but this was the wrong song for her.

Jason C-reminded me of a busker, I agree with Simon ...this was a good song choice for him, and I bet he melted a few young hearts. The vocal was okay, not great. I enjoyed listening to him more than I usually do.

Syesha- WOOOHOOO! She lived up to the potential i saw in her with this performance. She looked lovely and sang beautifully. I agree with Simon that the song stretched her vocal ability, but it did not overstretch it. In my oppinion, this was as close to perfect as it can get live, and I loved everything about this performance vocally and otherwise. 'If I was your woman' was for Syesha what 'summertime' was for Leona Lewis in XFactor in that this is the performance that people will notice.

Chikezie- It looks to me like the judges were told to criticise. The producers must be worried, because he proved once again that, vocally, no one else in this competition can touch him. I know this song well,it is difficult to really do it justice, and he nailed it, put a lot into it, and even if the performance was understated, the vocal was undeniable. His phrasing, range, tone, pitch, use of bending notes to convey emotion, the various shades of tone and the power of his vocals, the smooth falsetto...it was one of the few times I have ever been truly blown away by a vocal from someone on one of these shows.

Brooke - I enjoyed her choice to perform the Tori Amos version of the song 'Every Breath You Take'.I had said I was hoping to see a darker side , and she chose this classic song , often mistaken for a love song, but actually about the obsession of a stalker...Her love for music and natural feel for the songs she chooses comes through, and that is what makes her so enjoyable to listen to. I heard some unique and very interesting nuances in her vocal this week.

Michael- this song was too big for him. He sounded forced and strained in places, and he missed some of the money-notes. He was nowhere near as good as the judges made him out to be this week. I have heard bar band and karaoke singers who did as well as Michael singing this medley. He just doesn't have the range and tone to nail the notes and nuances that would have made it a great vocal instead of just a passable one. Non-singers will probably be impressed because he sang a song by a great vocalist (Freddie Mercury), and because they will focus on the loudness of his shouting the notes rather than noticing how he couldn't even hold on to the notes at the end of the phrases...This was good, but not great.

Carly- Like Michael, she chose a song that will probably impress non-singers. Total eclipse is another bar band/karaoke standard that I have heard a lot of singers do well. Not a tough song for a competant singer to sing well.
All the same, she sounded better this week. I did not like the note she added at the end, once again trying too hard. Having said that, she sang the rest of it in tune, and didn't force her voice the way she has in the past. Many people sing this well, but most need to shout, and she didnt need to because this song was in the range she can belt it out in.Simon finally told her what she needed to hear-he said she needs to lighten up. I liked this better than last week, but still think she has the potential to do much better. This song was in her comfortable range...now, if she just stays there,and calms down and trusts her voice to sound great even if she doesn't force it, she will be wonderful.Come on, Carly, I know you can do it!

Ramiel - Ok opener. I like that song anyway and she really does have a big voice. A bit pitchy in places but not bad.

Jason - so 'meh' my fingers are bored even typing this... I forgot his performance as he was singing. Next.

Syesha - pretty good actually, but I'm still not completely feeling her. Good song choice and at the time of her performance, the best so far -- which is not a ringing endorsement considering what came before.

Chikeze - should have gone the whole nine yards and worn brown flares, platforms, a wide collared camel patterned shirt (with ruffles) and a velvet blazer with an afro a la The Drifters.

Brooke - I like her personality and her vibe, but singing wise, she isn't really there compared with Syesha for example. Now if the two of them could go swapsies with voice and personality (preferably with one of them getting both and the other doing without - not enough talent for division in my opinion) I'd be a little happier with the females this season.

Michael - Much better than the hot mess that was his 'performance' last week. He brought some energy and rocked it out.

(Sniff - when am I going to get over Mr Bice?)

Carly - I actually thought this was a good song choice for her but I wanted to like it more than I did. Weird, but she just didn't channel Bonnie as much as she should/could have.

David A - Despite myself I have to say that this kid has got talent. Not loving him eyefu**ing the audience and doing the Constantine smoulder thing into the camera. Creepy in a 'Jack Nicholson sleeping with a 13 year old school girl' way.

Kristy - LOL! She's sooo booked her place in the next round with that song choice. Heh. Hmmm, Superbowl 2009 maybe...

David C - ! LOVED IT! Totally 100% the best performance of the night. Knocked it outta the park baby. Hottttt!

I predict Jason and Chikeze in the bottom 2 tomorrow and with any luck Jason will get the boot so he can go and get high and chill out in his own time and not on mine.

David A- in theory, this song should have worked for him. It did, kind of. This song required more power and agility than he actually has. Not bad, not great, and Simon said it like it was. I doubt that the producers will let their chosen one make that mistake again. Next week, I bet it will be back to simple , not-too-demanding M.O.R.ballads that make the most of his smooth vocal delivery .Babeth , you were right, I think-this was a bit too much for him.
Kristy - This was her best vocal yet...pitchy when she went for the glory note in the middle, though. If I look past how sick I got of hearing people playing or singing this song when I lived in the states ,she sang it reasonable well...This song will get America's country fans and rednecks to vote and keep her in the competition. Smart song choice for her.
David C- He heald some notes well, but in a range where it is very common to be able to do so. Good song choice for him, but just not enough to it as far as difficulty or uniqueness . On Idol, this kind of performance is not typical, but if he was in a good cover band, this would be considered very good but not amazing. I liked it, but didn't love it and was not blown away. A lot of people will probably think it was amazing. A lot of bar band singers will add it to their setlist and sing it just as well as David did within a month.Quite a few probably already have. If he chooses more songs like this, and puts that much into the choices,he will probably make the finals.

For me,out of the guys, Chikezie had the best vocal by a mile, and on the most difficult song to sing.
Syesha was the best of the girls. Gorgeous performance!She was my overall favorite this week, and second favorite vocally.
David C chose an easy song to sing, but it suited him and he sang it well,putting all he had into his performance, so he is 3rd best for me this week.
Brooke and Carly share 4th place, Brooke for overall performance, and Carly because she sang a song that showed off some of her strong points this week.

Ramiel or Kristy deserve to leave this week based on their vocals. I think it will be Ramiel.

Cook-Michael-Brooke-Carly were superb, Jason enjoyable, Syesha good, Kristy better than usual.
Brilliant show.

havent seen any of the performances but just basing it on reviews i predict the bottom 3: Ramielle, Jason, Chikezie, with Chikezie out

Ramiele – Started off OK but was flat from the moment the bigger notes started. Put together with being first on, I think she will be out this week or at least in the bottom 3.

David C – I have heard a guy in a south London pub performing this version of Billie Jean far better than this. I would have liked to see Jason do this one.

Kristy Lee – Clever choice of song, if a bit vomit inducing, and for once well sung, May just save her.

David A – You could count the right notes on the fingers of one hand. Hideous but no doubt he will get through and probably go on to win this.

Michael – Interesting that he started doing one song and moved onto another after one chorus. Some breathing problems early on after the track swap but I have to totally agree with the judges on this one. I thought Simon said he looked like a frump, then I realised he'd said frontperson.

Carly – Not her best performance but still one of the best. By the way, didn’t she look like her mum when she was little?

Brooke – How can anyone say this girl is not a good singer? She is a good singer in the true sense. She has a beautiful voice that conveys the emotion of a song with no need for stupid “runs”. I pray for the day “runs” are considered dated because they ruin some great melodies and make people with rather unpleasant tinny voices fool many into thinking they can sing. I have to agree with Randy and Simon, the performance would have been better with her and the piano without the need for the band at the end.

Jason – I loved this. The first time he has got the performance and the singing together.

Syesha - A very shouty, screamy and generally annoying vocal and I can’t put my finger on what Syesha lacks for me.

Chikezie – A brave choice and Chikezie pulled it off with the exception of a few notes. Chikezie sings ballads and uptempo numbers equally well but performs better on the uptempo songs.

Kristy will deffo be safe with that very Patriotic American song that everyone knows in the US.

David A absolutely dreadful - what was he thinking choosing that song. Ok being an Aussie i know that song and John Farnhman far more than i would like to i hated it then and probably had it shoved down my throat and ears far too much - i am sure it was used in a vairety of adds as well - anyway the one thing i can say about John Farnham was he has a big voice - David A doesn't it was also very flat in parts - for me he was the worst of the night by a mile.

Finally Michael Johns got the song choice right really liked this performance but for me the performance of the night goes to David Cook great version sang well and i hope someone like this wins it rather than David A.

Digi spy has to be the hardest critics ever to please.

Just been reading some of the American forums. The consensus is that David Cook's performance was in the top 10 Idol performances ever.

I think David A's father had a hand in that song choice. I agree...it wasn't his best...but I still like him.

I'm an American and certainly don't think that was a Top 10 of all time performance by David Cook...

I'm also mystified by most of their song choices.

Ramiele - absolutely hated it. My worst of the night. Finally proved that she doesn't have the big voice that the judges keep harping on about. Shouted her way through the latter part of the song and most of it was off pitch.

Jason - pleasant enough but certainly not his best. I really like him but I wish he'd take a risk again like he did with Hallelujah.

Syesha - another good performance and her voice sounded great but she still doesn't really float my boat. I'm not really a fan of the 'diva' sound and there are a million and one of them out there. I think you have to be a Mariah, Whitney, Alicia or Celine to really stand out from a very large crowd. Hope she stays another week though, she deserves to.

Chikezie - I really liked this. His voice is like silk and he pulled off a really difficult song really well. I do wonder what the judges are listening to sometimes.

Brooke - loved it. Not as good as Let It Be but still very good. Totally back on form and still my favourite by a mile. I love her style of artist (and like Jason & David C, or like Daughtry before them, I think she's a full package, not just a good singer like some of the others) and I'd buy an album by her tomorrow.

Michael - his best since Hollywood week. Definitely liked it but it was a bit too big for his voice. I think some of the people who sing Queen songs on shows like this forget just how incredible Freddie's voice was - he made these songs HUGE and anyone with a lesser voice will always suffer in comparison. I personally still don't see him as a solo singer. To me, he needs a band to back him up. Glad he's back on form though and hope he keeps it up. He doesn't deserve to go just yet.

Carly - As per Michael, the song was too big for her. She was always going to suffer in comparison to Bonnie Tyler. Really hope she stays in but her voice was definitely straining on a lot of those big notes and surely people must have noticed? She did look nervous as hell though, poor thing.

David A - urgh, this was dreadful! Only Ramiele's screeching stopped it being my worst of the night. Dreadful song anyway, and he just doesn't have the vocal or charisma to carry it off. It showed up all the limits of his good-but-not-outstanding pop voice.

Kristy - Was all a bit too much flag-waving patriotism for me, but agree with the judges - very clever song choice and she pulled it off well. Some bum notes in places and I still find her dull as dishwater.

David C - Not as good as Hello and was a safe song choice for him but I still loved it. It didn't challenge him vocally, but not sure that that matters. The man knows his limits and sticks within them, meaning he always sounds spot on and can hold all the notes he needs to - there are one or two others in this competition who could learn from him on that front! Warbling 4 notes when one would do, or straining to hit that high note just to prove your vocal skills are not always the best thing to do. A great voice alone does not an artist make. Thought it was a great performance and the guy really knows how to work a crowd!!

My fave three this week were Brooke, David C & Chikezie.

My bottom 3 were Ramiele, David A & Kristy. Have a feeling the bottom 3 may be Ramiele, Chikezie & either Carly or Syesha though.
REALLY hoping Ramiele goes home but have a nasty feeling it may be Chikezie


ETA: Are those producer-placed screaming, squealing girlies at the front starting to get on anyone elses nerves? I found the whole thing REALLY grating this week, from the wailing when a contestant was announced or when Archuleta's name was mentioned, to the OTT X-factor style pantomime boo-ing!

Syesha Mercado -- 1987's "If I Were Your Woman" by Stephanie Mills- This was a great song choice and she did not disappoint me. Like Randy it was just brilliant and heartfelt. She is my favourite and I really think she is bringing it home now.

David Cook -- 1983's "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson-Did not recognise the song. I thought it was great. Although I would not use the word 'amazing'.

Carly Smithson -- 1983's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler-For me this was just wrong. Sounded angry and shouty. Seem to force her vocals throughout. I just do not get her. There is an air of desparation about her. It was the wrong song choice I said so in my other post.:yawn:

Chikezie -- 1985's "If Only For One Night" by Luther Vandross- Vocals were brilliant. Again as I
said in another post it could either come across as cheesy or great. For me it was cheesy. I do not think there is anything wrong with the vocals. As a woman listening to man singing this to me it did not work. I will run for my life.

Brooke White -- 1983's "Every Breath You Take" by The Police- If she is not behind an intrument she does not quite perform well. Not a great thing for a career. There are times when you have to sing and perform on stage without them. I liked the performance to a certain point. But I cannot quite work out what I did not quite like about it. But just ok for me.

Jason Castro -- 1987's "Fragile" by Sting-Ok I like Jason. But something went wrong with that song as I thought it would. It never really got started. Instead what I got was a sleepy song that was not effective. He is not going anywhere.

Ramiele Malubay -- 1987's "Alone" by Heart-I cannot quite work out Ramiele. The song choice for a start I did not quite get as said in another post. It was too big for her. For me she was shouty and out of tune at times.Not memorable at all.

Michael Johns -- 1978's "We Are the Champions" by Queen- Now i like Micheal very much. But I have to diagreee with the judges. From where I was listening it just sounded out of tune and strained. Music is subjective I know. But I did say it was not the right song choice. I just did not get it. Best performance? No it wasn't and am honest about the people I like and do not like. I said earlier giving him this song they may be trying to get rid of him. But the judges raved-I do not know what they are listening to.

Kristy Lee Cook -- 1984's "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood- Well,saved herself alright. But I still did not get it. Yes, I like Kristy but now what. The song was patriotic which will keep her in. But I think they should do an exchange with Alaina. She had more potential.

David Archuleta -- 1990's "You're the Voice" by David Foster with Jeff Pescetto-As I watched David on stage I could not help thinking why are they trying to turn him into an adult- child? I found the song repetitive and boring and did not show case his voice. He lost some ground with the song. As the chosen one he should be fine.

Overall, a better show than last week's offer. Who will go its a tough call. But I will chose Ramiele, Chikezie, Jason and maybe Carly in the bottom three. My favourites of the night were, Syesha, David C,Chikezie and to some extent Brooke.

Regards

Babeth

Hmm, not quite sure that's true, Babeth. There are plenty of artists out there who always perform with their instruments - in fact the fact that they are always with the instruments is part of their whole persona as artists. Most of them are singer/songwriters, which is what I believe Brooke is. How often do you see Carole King, Carly Simon or Elton John minus a piano, Jack Johnson or John Mayer minus a guitar etc?

I agree about Chikezie by the way, it was a bit cheesy, but I kinda like that. I reckon there's room for one more lounge lizard out there!

Personally speaking i dont think any of the 5 remaining girls left are anywhere near the standard vocally of Kelly C,Carrie,Fantasia,Latoya London,Jennifer Hudson,Diana De Garmo,Kimberly Locke etc.
If i remember back to Carrie's season she gave fantastic performances nearly all throughout the Top 12 stage week in,week out.

Having said that i hope Carly can pull an amazing performance out of the bag one of these weeks,that's if she stays around for a while!!