“American Idol” unveiled a new stage (complete with a mosh pit) as the Top 12 finalists entered another week of competition.
This week – for the first time in the history of the show – featured the “Idol” wannabes singing the Lennon/McCartney songbook.
After a brief introduction outlining the importance of the Beatles’ primary songwriters – John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Syesha Mercado, 21, was the first contestant to take the stage, performing standard “Gotta Get You Into My Life.”
“Yo! Nice arrangement of that Beatles song. Kind of the Earth, Wind & Fire arrangement,” judge Randy Jackson said. “It started a little rough for me, but by the middle… you got into it.”
Chikezie took the stage next, singing a bluesy-turned-rock version of “She’s A Woman.”
“Dog, I was thoroughly entertained. Who knew,” Randy said. “I loved the arrangement. It was dope… Chikezie smashed it.”
And even Simon Cowell, who has so far remained unswayed by the contestant, was impressed.
“What I loved about it, other than you looked like you were completely drunk throughout the performance, [was that] you actually changed within a week,” Simon said. “I thought you were terrific.”
Ramiele Malubay tried out a soft version of “In My Life.”
“Ramiele, I was bored to tears, throughout the entire song, from the awful standing on the stairs, to the walking in the middle. It was a dreary song choice that did absolutely nothing for you,” Simon said. “I expect a lot better from you, because you’re better than that.”
Dreadlocked Jason Castro took on “If I Fell,” and once again brought his acoustic guitar on stage.
“What is so special and unique about you is I feel your heart and I feel the audience feels your heart,” Paula Abdul said. “You have an emotional connection with the songs that you pick, and I think that’s what America connects with.”
Carly Smithson, originally from Ireland, chose a soulful, Janis Joplin inspired take of “Come Together.”
“That felt amazing, didn’t it?” Randy asked her. “You sounded amazing. There wasn’t a note out of tune. Stellar performance. Stellar.”
“This reminds me six years ago, exactly the same week, of Kelly Clarkson,” Simon said as Carly looked back with her mouth agape.
An “Eleanor Rigby” cover was the choice for rocker David Cook.
“I thought it was brilliant,” Simon said. “If this show remains a talent competition instead of a popularity competition, you could actually win this whole show.”
Blonde Brooke White tackled “Let It Be,” the Beatles last single, on a piano.
“I don’t know if it’s your strongest performance,” Randy said. “You gave a heartfelt performance and dog is a fan.”
Simon however called it “one of the best performances of the night.”
“I Saw Her Standing There” was David Hernandez’s choice.
“David, no! No! No!” Simon said of his performance. “I thought it was corny verging on desperate.”
Rock chick Amanda Overmyer tried out, “You Can’t Do That,” which she confessed to not having heard prior to this week.
“You took a Beatles song and you took it to like a Southern club or a Southern bar and you rocked it out. I loved it. Very cool. Very cool,” Randy said.
Aussie Michael Johns sang “Across The Universe.”
“I don’t know if it was your best performance, but I thought it was good,” an under whelmed Randy said. “A little sleepy.”
Kristy Lee Cook then did a country version of “Eight Days A Week.”
“Kristy, I didn’t enjoy it,” Paula said. While Simon called it “horrendous.”
The final contestant of the night was 17-year-old David Archuleta, who has continued to wow the judges week after week. He took on “We Can Work It Out,” and seemed to forget the lyrics throughout the song.
“You know I like your voice and you know I’m a fan of you. This week was not on point for me,” Randy said.
“That was a mess,” Simon said. “You should have not done the Stevie Wonder version, it was just all over the place.”
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.