Vocal Masterclass Discussion Thread For American Idol Season 7 Top 8 Guys
Posted by masterclasslady on March 4, 2008
Well, this is it. The Top 8 guys will perform this evening, but by Thursday, two of these talented young men will no longer be a part of American Idol.
It really is a tough call and, although, a couple or more male singers will be sailing through to the final Top 12 performers of American Idol Season 7, it’s still not set in stone. Anything can happen. It’s American Idol, right? Expect the unexpected.
So, as we prepare to enjoy the Top 8 male performers this evening, please share your thoughts prior to and after the show.
Post-show comments from Masterclass Lady:I thought that David Cook and Michael Johns were outstanding tonight. They bring musical depth and maturity to this season’s top 12 line-up and deserve to stay in this competition.
David Archuleta and Jason Castro’s youthful enthusiasm and artistic gifts are also a very important component for this season’s Top 12.
That leaves us with Chikezie, Luke Menard, David Hernandez and Danny Noriega. Based on vocals skills, I would have to vote in Chikezie and David, as I felt that Luke and Danny did not hit a home run with their performances this week. This is coming from a huge Luke Menard fan. Luke’s downfall was his song choice this week. Too bad.
March 5, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Last night was just okay for me. I agree that Michael and David C. were great. I absolutely love the song Jason sang, but his performance of it was not very strong. David A. wasn’t a “wow” factor last night either.
It will be interesting to see what the girls bring tonight
MCL, do you know what the story behind David H. is? Did he get into some sort of trouble off screen?
March 6, 2008 at 12:54 am
Trouble off screen? I’ve had a busy day today. Did something happen?
If you are speaking about Simon’s faux pas statment about David H’s previous career, then I believe that Simon thought his microphone was off.
I didn’t really hear anything while watching the show; however, many viewers taped the show and managed to catch Simon’s statement while rewinding their DVRs.
March 6, 2008 at 2:48 am
Yes, I know all to well about busy days.
I just happened to have the TV on tonight while making dinner and overhead a blurb about a story Entertainment Tonight was going to be doing about a controversy surrounding David H. Indeed, it was about his past…was just curious as I didn’t know anything about his past before….Thanks!!!!
March 6, 2008 at 3:20 am
I loved Jason Castro. I have loved his performances each week. He’s running out of breath and not supporting his notes well, but I can’t figure out if it’s because he doesn’t know how or because he is having trouble calming the nerves.
Regardless, it’s refreshing for me to see him on that stage. I love vocal performances that hit every note with good technique and a wonderful sound - but I also love vocal performances that are a little bit raw and imperfect. And that’s what I am loving about Jason.
March 6, 2008 at 3:35 am
What Simon said: “Say, ‘I like the way you strip to that.’” to Paula. He’s jokingly said that that should be Paula’s comments to David H. The Idol sound people are really going to feel Simon’s wrath for letting that joke heard on TV
Anyway, I thought this is one of the best semifinals episode we ever had. No one had any “moment” but no one was completely awful either.
My rankings for the night:
) and I thought he nailed it. Yes, he broke some of the notes at the end of the song, but IMO that even add to the vulnerability of his performance.
1. Jason - great song choice, fits him like a glove. I heard this song many times on the series called “The OC” (one of my guilty pleasures
2. David C - another great song choice, ‘making it his own’ (TM Paula). Although the Incubus also had done a version of this song, I checked Youtube and it’s still different. It’s not a carbon copy like Daughtry’s “I Walk the Like” which was apparently Live’s version. So good for him. His appearance is also improved too.
3. David A - is like he’s saving the world, one song at a time, no? Just kidding. But Simon’s right, he’s 17. Have fun while you’re still young. And I’m a sucker for people who can play the piano and sing at the same time, so I thought he was good, especially for someone his age.
4. David H - okay, so he’s had a career he couldn’t be proud of. But he still have one of the best voices in this competition and apart from a few off key notes, he was good. I still like his Top 20 performances though, I thought that was brilliant!
5. Michael - I don’t know why, but I feel like he’s losing his mojo week after week. There’s something missing in his performances, it feels like he was just going through the motion. In Hollywood, he was awesome. Now, he’s just so so. Maybe it’s me. Good song choice though
6. Luke - Yes, the song choice was horrible, but I think he deserved to be in the Top 12. I thought his performance was good. I didn’t hear any off key notes or pitch problems. But, I was still puzzled with that song choice! He had a good chance of making it to the Top 12 if he had a great performance, but now I didn’t think he’s going to attract new fans with this song. He’s certainly the underdog of this season. Hopefully his loyal fans can prove to Simon he is wrong.
7. Chikezie - Another poor song choice. He sang it in his audition, which is great, but when you try to impress the judges and the voters with your position as the underdog, I don’t think it’s smart to sing the same song again. Plus, the arrangement was weird and rushed.
8. Danny - Do we have a new Sanjaya on our hands? That performance was really weird. Good song choice for his personality, but just weird to me. But I love his sense of humor and sassiness, especially at the end with Ryan not noticing his purple streaks and he said “Mmm-hmmm.” I cracked up at that. Technically, he’s not the best singer, but he’s certainly entertaining.
Should go: Chikezie and Danny
Will go: Chikezie and Luke *sigh*
March 6, 2008 at 3:47 am
John - great summary and very entertaining. I was having quite the chuckle while reading it.
I love the David A. comments. Now, that’s funny -”saving the world, one song at a time”. Are you a writer? if not, you should be.
And Danny’s “mmm -hmmm” really made me laugh. Oh my, he is a bad boy. Reminds me of one of my vocal students. A laugh a minute.
Kelsey - I loved the vulnerability of Jason’s performance as well. I think it was a combination of nerves and lack of technical experience that made him falter at the end. Hopefully, he can continue to hone his technical skills and, in doing so, a higher level of vocal confidence will prevail.