My American Idol Quick Wrap for 3/20/13~ Just Let it Be!

Why oh why can’t some of this season’s American Idol contestants pick the right song? Even when given the amazing songbook of Lennon/McCartney (i.e.: the Beatles), a few of them faltered or just picked obvious choices. At least many of them (ahem, the ladies) did them justice while only one really faltered. So, just how did they all stack up for the night? Take a look at my performance rankings and predictions below:

American Idol Rankings~ 3/20/13
1. Candice: in a very tight race for the top, Candice does it again with her fierce version of “Come Together” that rivaled the fantastic take Carly Smithson did back in season 7… Candice remains my front-runner and with this rocking showcase proved she can take on any genre of music. Just great.
2. Kree: with another assured and lovely performance, Kree almost took the top spot with her version of “With a Little Help from My Friends”. Her vocals were perfect of course, but Candice just out performed her by the smallest margin. How awesome would a finale with those two be?
3. Amber: originally I had Amber in fourth, but after re-watching her performance, I’ve moved her up a notch. Vocally Amber has incredibly potential with a huge range and glorious voice which was in fine form tonight. I also loved the random song choice of “She’s Leaving Home”. Well done. I really hope the audience ignores the stupid judges and she stays out of the bottom three due to their nitpicking.
4. Angie: while I didn’t love her take on “Yesterday” (shockingly I still am partial to Syesha’s subtle and beautiful take from season 7), I did love the Evanescence vibe she gave to it. I would actually really like to hear her on that kind of rock song and while her vocals were totally on point, I didn’t completely buy the connection. Something seemed a little calculated, but now I think I’m nitpicking because it was quite solid.
5. Burnell: while I’m totally starting to get annoyed with his hand gestures, Burnell sho can sang! And he gave another good performance on “Let It Be” while totally making it his own. His John Legend-ish version of the classic actually totally worked.
6. Janelle: doing a Beatles song I’m not too familiar with “I Wish”, Janelle gave a very pretty and restrained performance. I enjoyed it, but it was just a little too blah in the end. That said, I think it was one of her strongest to date. She also had the final “pimp” slot of the night which will help her in the voting.
7. Paul: I really wish the judges had been a little nicer to him. I mean, consistently they harp on him while they tell other people they’re “inspirational” when they were actually bad. Anywho, yes, Paul had some trouble on the lower parts of the song, but his mid and upper register were glorious on “Eleanor Rigby”. And I give him props for going out of his comfort zone.
8. Devin: now many of you may wonder why the best male vocal of the night is this far down the list. Well here’s why~ it was BORING. I think Devin has mad vocal skills (yes, that was me channeling Randy). However, he is a little too adult contemporary telethon in his performances. But the judges loved it, so what do I know?
9. Lazaro: um, I really don’t want to be mean, but his take on “In My Life” was atrocious. Sorry. I like this kid and he has a good voice, but it was not evident tonight.

Predictions~
Bottom 3: Paul, Lazarro, and Devin or Amber
Bottom 2: Paul, Lazarro (but the damn crying will probably save him)
Going home: Paul (and that makes me really really really sad)

So, how did you like Beatles night? I think it was a good effort, but still far from the best Idol night features these iconic songs. (That would be season 7′s cycle with amazing takes on these classics by the aforementioned Syesha and Carly, plus Brooke White and the Davids~ Cook and Archuleta)… And just who do you think will go home? Will there be a crazy bottom 3? Will Janelle and Burnell make surprise appearances? And will Kree, Candice and Angie be the top three again (um, yes)…. Find out tomorrow night on American Idol on Fox.

Carrie Underwood sings for the Presidents!

Grammy winning country music superstar Carrie Underwood had been busy recording her upcoming 4th studio album (tentatively due in late fall), but that didn’t stop the singer from taking some time out to salute our current and former Presidents. This past Monday, she appeared on the NBC special A Salute to Service which honored our living U.S. leaders for their work for our country. Carrie honored them with a fantastic performance of John Lennon’s “Instant Karma”. Take a look at her rocking performance below. And catch Carrie in her big screen debut next week in the film Soul Surfer.

Carrie Underwood “Instant Karma” live

Songs for Japan

As I’m sure you’ve heard, the crisis in Japan is nowhere near an end. The damage, destruction and death toll is enormous and heartbreaking, but there is a way you can help. Along with donating to groups like the Red Cross, you can also help by purchasing the Songs for Japan compilation sold exclusively on iTunes. It features 38 songs by huge names like Madonna, Pink, John Lennon, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Rihanna and many more. The album only costs $9.99 and all proceeds go directly to the disaster relief fund. For more on the album, info on Japan relief and to buy the album, head to iTunes here. And check out the full track list below. It’s a pretty amazing album and a great way to help out those in need.

Songs for Japan:
1. John Lennon “Imagine” (Remastered)
2. U2 “Walk On” (Radio Edit)
3. Bob Dylan “Shelter From The Storm”
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Around The World” (Live)
5. Lady Gaga “Born This Way” (Starsmith Remix)
6. Beyonce “Irreplaceable”
7. Bruno Mars “Talking To The Moon” (Acoustic piano version)
8. Katy Perry “Firework” (Remix)
9. Rihanna “Only Girl (In The World)”
10. Justin Timberlake “Like I Love You”
11. Madonna “Miles Away” (Live)
12. David Guetta “When Love Takes Over”
13. Eminem “Love The Way You Lie”
14. Bruce Springsteen “Human Touch”
15. Josh Groban “Awake” (Live)
16. Keith Urban “Better Life”
17. Black Eyed Peas “One Tribe”
18. Pink “Sober”
19. Cee Lo Green “It’s Ok”
20. Lady Antebellum “I Run To You”
21. Bon Jovi “What Do You Got”
22. Foo Fighters “My Hero”
23. REM “Man On The Moon” (Live)
24. Nicki Minaj “Save Me” (Clean version)
25. Sade “By Your Side”
26. Michael Buble “Hold On”
27. Justin Bieber “Pray” (Acoustic)
28. Adele “Make You Feel My Love”
29. Enya “If I Could Be Where You Are”
30. Elton John “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
31. John Mayer “Waiting On The World To Change”
32. Queen “Teo Torriate (Let Us Cling Together)” (Remastered)
33. Kings Of Leon “Use Somebody”
34. Sting “Fragile” (Live in Berlin)
35. Leona Lewis “Better In Time”
36. Ne-Yo “One In A Million”

And here’s John Lennon’s classic “Imagine”