There were three outstanding performances on "American Idol" tonight. Which just means there were 7 so-so performances by the remaining boys.
The first hour dragged on with one boring performance after another. That all changed once David Hernandez took the stage.
Tonight was '70s night, which means most of the song choices were so well-known that they beg comparison to the original. It's tough to go up against the memory of Freddie Mercury or Luther Vandross.
Hernandez gave an amazing performance of the Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." He didn't overdo it, and he was the first singer to actually tell a story with his song. Fabulous.
Paula said, "your personality really came out this week and you told the story from beginning to end."
"In my opinion, that was the best vocal of the night so far," said Simon. "I like that fact that whenever your given some criticism, rather than sulking you treat it as a challenge. I wasn't a big fan when you got through, but I'm quite happy to hold my hand up now and say I am a fan."
It seemed like Hernandez would be a hard act to follow, but Chikezie pulled it out with a fat and greasy, bluesy version of Ray Charles' "I Believe To My Soul." Ryan and Chikezie both referred to it as Donny Hathaway's, but it was Ray who wrote it and Donny re-recorded it as did The Animals, among others. Contestant Elliot Yamin also performed it, on Season 5 of the show. Simon said Chikezie was "a million times better than last week," and he got raves from Paula and Randy, too.
David Archuleta, 17, wrapped up the night with John Lennon's "Imagine," which was a risky choice, but his vocal interpretation was beautiful, especially for someone so young. Randy said he sang "with such maturity way beyond your years" and Paula said it was "one of the most moving performance I've ever heard. You're destined for superstardom." The kid even impressed Simon, "I've got to tell you, right now, you're the one to beat."
Posted by: Luis Moreno | Feb 28, 2008 at 06:04 PM