Beatles B-sides

I realized last week that I want my Idol posts to be less reprises of the show and more analysis. To that end, I present this week's thoughts.

Just like last season, Idol's producers have shown that they know nothing about music performance. Putting the band overhead and behind the stage looks great on TV, but it has disconnected the band from the singers and there's no rapport between them. The singers have monitor earphones - if they want them. Most of them didn't use them, which is just idiotic. If you can't hear yourself, you cant sing in tune unless you have perfect pitch - which is a rare talent. If you can't hear the band, how can you stay on-tempo? With the band spread apart like they are, you could be in-tempo with one instrument but off with one that's all the way across the stage. The sound levels are still terrible, just like last season.

Furthermore, the arranging is terrible this season. Just abysmal. The only good arrangements we've seen have come from those couple of singers who are capable of doing it themselves (cough-David Cook-cough). Kristy Lee's god-awful hoe-down last week and Ramiele's disjointed arrangement tonight were just unfair. This isn't supposed to be an arranging contest. Simon's been very critical of arrangements lately, and tonight he actually criticized the band a couple of times. I don't know who is responsible for arranging, but if it's Ricky Minor, he's doing a crappy job. I think they're giving the Idols vocal coaching but very little musical advice.

The decision to go with the Beatles catalog again as the theme was just moronic. I actually found a list of the songs in the catalog online and started scratching off the ones performed last week, the two from the group number last week, the ones sung by Ringo Starr, the novelty humor songs, the songs with lyrics like "I'm a Loser" that will get you eliminated, and the songs where the vocals are all harmony and no individual performances. There wasn't much left.

Finally, we're starting to get some separation between the contestants. I think we're seeing a couple of dark horses hitting their stride and a couple of contenders faltering. Between them, there are the ones who haven't found their groove yet but could still be a factor.

Best performances of the night:
1. David Cook (again). Another inspired rock arrangement of an old song ("Day Tripper"). This guy knows the keys he's capable of singing in, and pays great attention to detail. He's doing what Blake did last season: He's outthinking the competition and using his musical knowledge as a secret weapon. He's the only Idol that's fully in control of what he does on stage.

2. David Archuleta. Look, this is the winner of the competition. Last week he can't remember any of the words, and he's still the #1 vote-getter according to DialIdol.com. It's a popularity contest, and he wins. Game over. Tonight, he went back to the sappy ballad and did fine. He'll win, and have a nice Hannah Montana-like career until he grows up and gets into drugs and booze.

3. Syesha. I think this is the first time she's done a ballad ("Yesterday"). I liked the arrangement and the key she sung it in. This was a shift of gears and I think she pulled herself out of the bottom three vote-getters with it.

Personality rather than performance:
4. Brooke White. Went back to the same well as last week and it was dry this time. She's got to work on building up energy in a song and letting it peak at the end note. All we've seen from her is flat-line acoustical stuff, and it is becoming too predictable. She did her song well, but it didn't give her any momentum. Her shushing of the judges afterwards and self-admonishment won her some sympathy points, however.

5. Carly. Not a memorable song, but her commentary afterwards was excellent, slapping down Simon in a sweet but effective way.

6. Ramiele. Good song, good vocals, lousy arrangement. Her video and her reaction to the judgement were positives. She's got to get some momentum going or she'll be gone soon, as we haven't seen anything noteworthy for a few weeks in a row now.

7. Jason Castro. He's essentially singing the same song every week, and it's got to stop. He started the season as a "less is more" guy, and there's been less and less each week. He needs to support his notes, get some upbeat songs in his repertoire, and show us he can do more than coffee-shop vocals and make eyes at the audience.

Static:
8. Amanda. She is what she is and it ain't changing. I give her a couple more weeks, but she's essentially on her own show, she's so disconnected from the rest of the contestants.

Bottom three:
9. Chikeze. Tried to clone his performance from last week, but it didn't work nearly as well. I like his voice, but there's something essential missing from his act, and he hasn't found it yet.

10. Michael Johns. Wow. He had such promise (-according to the judges, that is- I haven't been able to stand him from day one). He missed a big note in a big way early in his song and never recovered. The arrangement stank, anyway. There's a commercial out there that does this song in a much better tempo and style.

11. Kristy Lee Cook. I'm afraid this is the end. She never stepped up her game or tried to go outside her tiny comfort zone. She also has consistently picked keys too low for her voice and failed to put any excitement or personality into her performances. When you demonstrate that you can't tell good from bad on this show, you're gone.

Prediction:
Kristy Lee is gone.

Consulting the Oracle:
David Archuleta is the next American Idol. David Cook wins the "Chris Daughtry" award and a real career. Brooke White makes it on the country charts.