Idol Top 10 Performances

With the judges repeatedly insisting that this batch of contestants is the best in any seasons of American Idol, this week definitely backed up those claims. In the entire history of the show, there has never been such a strong performance week this early in the competition. To make up for last week’s dismal song choices and performances, almost every contestant tonight selected great songs (theme: from their birth year), and they all showed improvement. Hallelujah!

*(Above: David Cook has clearly become the frontrunner with one of tonight's strongest performances. Michael Johns redeemed himself with the evening's best and most memorable performance.)

Last week, Amanda Overmeyer was voted off—which, not to be rude, probably contributed to making tonight such a memorable evening for the Idols’ performances.

Recap
· Ramiele Maluby- 1987 ”Alone”
The song choice was good and shows that she’s trying to change things up. Some parts had pitch-problems, but it was a decent performance overall.
· Jason Castro- 1987 ”Fragile”
The song choice was good for his voice, but it was also completely safe. He improved over last week’s train wreck, but if he stays, Jason needs to try something different.
· Syesha Mercado- 1987 ”If I Were Your Woman”
Syesha gave another strong, solid performance. Her range and voice are so lovely; these last two weeks have been good for her.
· Chikezie- 1985 ”If Only For One Night”
I like that he tried a slow song, but in comparison to the rest of the gang, it was just an okay performance.
· Brooke White- 1983 ”Every Breath You Take”
Brooke redeemed herself a bit from last week, picking a song that fit her style and voice. It was good, but unfortunately for her, it was followed by some more memorable performances.
· Michael Johns– 1978 ”We Will Rock You” & “We Are The Champions” Medley
Michael gave into the judges’ constant nagging and finally belted out a big, rock song(s)—which definitely was a good move. He needs to continue down this route of rocking the stage with his strong voice and stage presence.
· Carly Smithson- 1983 ”Total Eclipse of The Heart”
Carly also followed suit with the other contestants by improving from last week. Though, she was tense and stiff throughout her performance, which kept it from really soaring.
· David Archuleta- 1990 ”You’re The Voice”
David picked the strangest and cheesiest song of the evening, but he gave the performance his all, and his voice sounded great. Though, Simon wasn’t completely off when saying it reminded him of a theme park performance.
· Kristy Lee Cook- 1984 ”God Bless The USA”
This was also a cheesy song selection; however, Kristy belted it out and showed that she can actually sing. Good for her! The question is, is it too late?
· David Cook- 1982 ”Billie Jean”
David stayed true to his rock roots and also did much better than last week. He’s quickly become the frontrunner and is probably the reason why Carly has gotten so tense when performing. As the judges said, he’s the most original and bold contestant, and he’s also willing to stretch boundaries.

Who Stays & Who Goes
· The Best: Syesha Mercado, Michael Johns, David Archuleta, and David Cook gave song really strong and truly memorable performances. Tonight, they were the ones that proved just how great this group of singers is. They all deserve a spot in the Top 9.

· Middle Ground: Brooke White and Carly Smithson also gave good performances, but they paled somewhat in comparison to the astoundingly bold performances given by Michael Johns and David Cook.

· In Danger: Ramiele Maluby, Jason Castro, and Chikezie were all decent, but either their stage presence or vocals lacked and didn’t quite make the grade.

· Wild Card: Kristy Lee Cook upped her game this week. But is it too late? Fans of the show have mostly agreed that she should’ve gone weeks ago. But perhaps this performance was enough to validate her talent?

Tune in tomorrow, Wednesday night at 8:58pm for the results on FOX.

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*Note: Images from previous performances. Photos of tonight not available yet.