And we’re off and running on American Idol …
That was an awful big stage the Top 12 guys tried to dominate for the first time. Some did well enough on it, some didn’t even notice, some were swallowed up by it. Coincidence the best contestant of the evening was the last one to take that stage? Nope … not at all …
Clint Jun Gamboa (Song: “Superstition”): I’ll admit — this dude can sing. Tonight, however, he didn’t bring anything to the table we hadn’t seen before. He was strained, flighty and a disappointing start to the entire evening. That, and it was the start of the breakdown of the judges as they all — each and every one — had earplugs shoved in their ears.
Jovany Barreto (“I’ll Be”): Another lifeless, throwaway performance. Both he and Clint before him will do much, much better down the line.
Jordan Dorsey (“OMG”): Finally, something the judges got right: This wasn’t his song, this wasn’t his performance. Turrible … turrible …
Tim Halperin (“Come On Over”): For the life of me, I don’t know what the deal is with the songs the first four guys sang, but all of them felt as if they were holding back. Tim didn’t do any justice to this Rob Thomas tune.
Brett Loewenstern (“Light My Fire”): As much of a hot mess this tune was coming out from underneath the shaggy locks of Loewenstern, at least the kid mixed it up and tried to make it his own. Loungey and rather soft-spoken, I have to give him props for adding character and spunk to it … something none of the prior contestants even tried to do.
Ailments notwithstanding, James Durbin looked completely and totally comfortable on stage. And to a Judas Priest tune, even. “You Got Another Thing Coming” was a perfect opening for him … and he even kept his voice in check and dialed back so he didn’t seem like a Screaming Mimi. “You didn’t overuse the high thing. I know you have it, but you were very tasty with it.” – Randy Jackson
Why is it all I could hear from Robbie Rosen and his rendition of Sarah McLachlan’s “In The Arms Of An Angel” was yodeling? He tried giving it a flavor of his own, but it didn’t work. Lackluster effort.
Scotty McCreery (“Letters From Home”): The dude doned good. He’s got facial expressions, he’s easy, he has tone and character. Super first effort for him. I’m just afraid if he keeps with this signature sound it’s going to get old real quick. For now, however, he’s working it to its full potential and it’s on target. Question: Is it me … or does he sound a bit like Don Williams? See below …
Stefano Langone (“Just the Way You Are”): Kinda nasally, wasn’t he? Too high pitched, to0? Stefano over-reached with his performance. Again, here’s another one who will show what he’s got down the line, but this time it wasn’t there.
Paul McDonald (“Maggie May”): Paul got the right song. Perfect tune for his squeaky, uneven and almost tinny voice … but it worked rather well. As much as I like him, I’m uncertain if he’s going to get as far as I’d like him to get.
Jacob Lusk (“A House Is Not A Home”): I like him … I don’t. He’s got range, but it doesn’t translate well at times. He’s likable, but he can be off-putting. Can you tell I’m on the fence with Jacob? Regardless, he had the most dynamic voice of the night. A few uneven parts to trip him up from being just about perfect for the night, but he did superbly. “I don’t know where you get it, man, but I’ll bathe in it.” – Steven Tyler
Casey Abrams (“I Put A Spell On You”): Get. Out. I’ve stated previously: This kid has music running through his veins. After witnessing yet another spiffy performance from him, is there any doubt? Folks: Here is your 2011 American Idol winner, right here.
Observation of the evening: isn’t it interesting Randy Jackson is the one putting words out there much, much truer than that of either Steven or JLo … combined? At the start of the program, both of them were tripping over each other, gushing all over the contestants. Thing is, what they were offering was falling on deaf ears on the other side of the television screen. I can only hope their current comments are nothing more than first performance jitters. Curious.
Tomorrow night: The girls are up for the first time and I’m looking forward to it. There’s got to be some defining qualities in them I can hang an opinion on because, right now, I don’t have a feel for any of them.
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Mar 02, 2011 @ 05:23 EST5EDT
I’m on the fence about Jacob too. Paul is my favorite! But I agree that he’ll probably get sent home earlier than he should, sorta like Lilly Scott from last year. I hope enough people “get him” that he’ll last.
To me, Casey is like Crystal Bowersox: raw talent and doesn’t feel the need to be fake and smiley and impress everyone. But I still think there will be a female winner this year, because I think there’s more talent with the ladies than the gents. We shall see!