Ruben_Dominguez's Blog

The final four American Idol contestants took to the stage on Tuesday night to try their hand at some rock and roll.  By this point in the competition it's a dog fight and the slightest mistake means sudden death.  You have to be great this late in the season to survive.  Period!

David Cook didn't really make a mistake on his first song, he just didn't pick a good one.  Of all the songs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he picked Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran that is as un-rock as you can get.  He toughened it up some but it was still just an average performance for him.  He chose Baba O'riely for his second piece and I was hoping that he would knock it out of the park.  Cook changed the arrangement and I thought took the spark out of the song.  He should have come out at the top of the verse and sang it as is until the end of the chorus.  I had a wierd feeling that if David would have sung What You Need by INXS for his final song, he would have been the clear winner last night.

Tina Turner is an icon in rock and if you are gonna do one of her songs you better be sure you can own it.  Syesha decided to give Proud Mary a go but unfortunately her performance wasn't great.  Randy and Paula liked it but Simon blasted her.  Luckily she rebounded on her next turn with A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke.  She sounded great, she looked amazing and the crowd went nuts when she hit the last note. I thought it was her best performance so far.  Randy didn't like it at all but Paula just stood up and clapped for her and told her that she loved it.  Simon agreed and the Syesha cried.  It was a cool moment in the show that made the hour worth watching for me.

Jason Castro made not one but two huge mistakes last night.  First he chose one of the most beloved Bob Marley songs of all time, I Shot the Sheriff.  Marley sang this song with utter conviction and authority.  Jason's version just didn't sell it all.  And why was the he holding a guitar at his hip and not playing it?.  Bob Marley was known for hanging his electric at his side while he danced with his hands outstretched belting out his tunes but it didn't work for Castro.  The judges trashed it and he deserved it.  And then in an aparent Idol suicide attempt he selected Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan.  While the melody is pretty straight forward, Dylan's vocals are incredibly hard to nail.  So ten seconds into the first first, Jason forgot the words.  Simon told him to pack his suitcase.

David A. lucked out and was able to follow Jason last night in the rotation which made him come out smelling like a rose.  He did Stand by Me for his first song and did a pretty good job of it.  He followed that with Love Me Tender by Elvis.  I hated this song choice but being the talented little son of a gun that he is, he sold it big time.  He took a classic rock ballad and updated it just enough to really win the judges over.  I've said all along that he has the best voice this season and I will stick to that.  But I still haven't hear the giagantic song that I know he can do that will make it seem like there was never anybody else in this competition.  If he does it, I guarantee that you will not be able to remember anyone else's name on the stage for ten minutes after.

Wednesday night should be Jason Castro's last on the this stage.  If Syesha, or either of the Davids gets voted off they should just end it there and call the whole thing off.