Major Shake-Up on Idol!

Tonight turned American Idol on its head. I knew when they announced Latin music as the theme that it was ill-suited to most of the contestants, so I was quite interested to see what would happen.

I expected Melinda and Lakisha to fall to the middle of the pack tonight, and I was right. Otherwise, I had no idea how it would shake out. I also had no idea that nearly everyone on the show would totally drop the ball this week.

Melinda and Lakisha were up first.

Melinda performed a Latin-Jazz song (don't remember the title) with a muted rhythm and it was mild and bland. Not bad, but completely forgotten by the time she finished.

Lakisha attempted a song that would have put her on top, had it worked ("Conga" by Miami Sound Machine). Lakisha apparently can't handle quick lyrics and was very heavy-toned, and the song dragged hopelessly. This was like an elephant trying to tap-dance.

Chris tried "Smooth" by Santana, and his vocal range was not appropriate for the song. This is a low, smoky song, and high and whiny vocals don't work on it. The judges liked it, shockingly.

Haley tried "Turn the Beat Around", wearing micro-spandex shorts, and turned it into an aerobic routine. No power to her lyrics whatsoever, and she got out of breath. The judges just shook their heads in shame.

Phil performed "Maria Maria" by Santana, and I thought it was pretty darn solid. No love from the judges, as usual. I think they've got their favorites and just won't give credit where credit is due with Phil, as I thought he was good last week and they universally panned him. If he and Chris had traded songs, both of them would have been better this week.

(A side note - I don't want to hear "Spanish Harlem" in a song ever again. I think the phrase was used 10 times in the first 5 songs tonight.)

Blake came out and sang a Marc Anthony song and it totally clicked. I think he was the only singer tonight to actually feel the beat and use it. I sort of expected this theme would work for him, as he's shown himself to be very flexible and adaptable in the show this season.

Jordin sang "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", and did a passable performance, however, the verses and chorus of this song are repetitive, and if you aren't rocking to the beat and conveying that to the audience, it doesn't work. I think her genuine enjoyment in this performance goes a long way, however - especially tonight when almost no one else enjoyed themselves on stage.

Then there was Sanjaya.

I didn't devote much thought to Latin music + Sanjaya this week. I probably should have. He's not got a lot of range in his voice. Latin is good for that. He likes to sing low. Latin is good for that. He likes to sell his performance with his personality. Latin is good for that. He likes to mug the camera while he sings. Latin is great for that. He likes to dress up. Latin is totally into that.

Holy crap, the kid totally outperformed everyone this week! This marks 3 weeks in a row where Sanjaya didn't suck. This week, he may have cracked the top two. He was the only one to sing a song that actually had Spanish words, and I'll give him bonus points for that.

(Another side note. Sanjaya is half Italian. You can tell because he grew a goatee in 6 days.)

So what does this do to my rankings for tonight?

1. Blake
2. Sanjaya (I can't believe it.)
3. Jordin
4. Melinda
5. Lakisha
6. Phil
7. Chris
8. Haley

America can vote however it wants, but I truly think my bottom three will be accurate, and either Phil or Haley are going home this week. Sanjaya might actually be the top vote-getter this week.