It’s time, America!  The auditions are over, and the time for America to take it’s place as Judge and Jury has arrived!  I, and my wife, are nursing a bit of bad weather this week, so as we settled in with our Kleenex tissues and cough drops, we were ready for some fresh American Idol and fresh television.  I’ve got 12 performances to get to, rankings to dole out, and people to send home (in my humble opinion), so let’s get to it!

David Hernandez - “Midnight Hour”
First performance of the night…it’s interesting that it’s David.  I remember him from Hollywood week because he was the first performance of the show.  Nice job here as well, apparently they feel as if he has a knack for leading things off the right way.  I think David is a bit…what’s the word…usual or boring.  I’m not sure what I think of David, but I’m with Randy when he says the guy can sing.
Rating - 7 out of 10 Matties

Chikezie - “I Love You More…”
Let me say for the record that I don’t think you do these contestants any favors by doing a 60’s Night.  I think the music is of an era where many things sounded alike, and those that don’t sound like other artists back then stood out so much that they are incredibly hard to duplicate.  I think Chikezie’s performance was good, but not great.  I liked the ending much better than the beginning.  I’m not sure he’s in the clear, but he should survive.
Rating - 6 out of 10 Matties

David Cook - “Happy Together”
Now we’re rockin’! (notice the intentionally left-off “G” there)  David’s an interesting personality, but I feel like at some point his lack of charisma off the stage will mean he won’t be able to connect with enough people in the audience to move on.  He’s not incredibly likable (at this point) and that could hurt him later.  Apart from that, I thought the performance was great, a modern take on a very corny song.
Rating - 7.5 out of 10 Matties

Jason Yeager - “Moon River”
Okay, so they’ve really tapped into the “awww” vibe with Jason and his kid in the audience.  But is it just me, or did that kid have an unusually large head?  Anyway, the performance…it was okay.  That’s about as far as I’ll go.  I mean, the song is an oldie and not very goodie to me, and well, it could’ve been spiced up a bit.  I think the time for pulling out the ballad is later on in the competition when you can sing something modern.  Those that sang slow songs all got bad reviews tonight…coincidence?  I think not.
Rating - 5.5 out of 10 Matties

Robbie Carrico - “One Is The Loneliest Number”
Robbie’s got a nice vibe, but I think I’ve seen this movie already.  It’s the rocker, cool dude, bandanna wearing guy who sings way too hard for me to truly criticize.  Well, I am…it was an okay performance, and he did rock it a good bit from the standpoint of “making it his own” (I hate that overused phrase).  I think Robbie will stick around…for how long remains to be seeen.
Rating - 6.5 out of 10 Matties

David Archuleta - “Shop Around”
Alright…time for Little David Archuleta (or Archipelago as Christy says).  I was impressed but not blown away by his other performances, but this one showcased his ‘it’ factor.  David’s got it, and he was using it tonight.  I like his tone, his ‘aww shucks’ manner, and he seems very genuine.  Remind you of anyone (Jordin???)…and they’re from the same part of Arizona.  David’s a frontrunner…I’m saying it here and now.
Rating - 8.5 out of 10 Matties

Danny Noriega - “Jailhouse Rock”
Very bold song choice for Danny here…you either rock this song or you stink.  Well, that’s not necessarily true, because I think Danny actually did so-so with this song.  Vocally, it was fine…and the performance itself was pretty entertaining.  This guy has a HUGE voice…we have just scratched the surface.  I would be concerned that his song choices in the future might need to be more tailored to the size of his voice.
Rating - 7 out of 10 Matties

Luke Menard - “????”
I have no idea what song he sang tonight…I mean, I’ve heard it before, but I don’t know the name.  I’m too lazy to scour American Idol’s forums to find it (the play-by-play thread of tonight’s broadcast has over 890 replies and counting), so let me just say that this was a very weak performance.  I think there might be a reason we haven’t heard much about Luke in the weeks leading up to this show…
Rating - 5 out of 10 Matties

Colton Berry - “Suspicious Minds”
Oooooohhhh…no…no, no, no, no, no.  Another Elvis song…another drop.  This guy needs to team up with Jason Yeager and hit Carnival Cruises as a tandem group.  They’d do pretty well.  This is American Idol though, and I don’t think this grinning, superficial style is going to play out long-term for him.  He’s got a decent voice, but the package and presentation…not so much…
Rating - 6.5 out of 10 Matties

Garrett Haley - “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”
Wow…back to back crap.  And another guy we didn’t see much of until this week.  Again, there’s a reason.  No real ‘it’ factor here…but I think we might have found this year’s Sanjaya.  This guy is a teeny-bopper heartthrob waiting to happen, and mark my words…he’ll get through this week’s vote even though he should be the first to go.
Rating - 5.5 out of 10 Matties

Jason Castro - “Lost in a Daydream”
Jason’s got a nice style…I was a little surprised they let him on stage with that guitar.  I remember Simon telling David Cook that when he got on stage sans guitar, he’d be all alone and couldn’t handle it.  I thought that’s what this stage of the competition was all about…just the singer and a mic, and let the band back him/her up.  I guess not.  I liked his vibe a little though…sort of Jack Johnson’esque.  Not bad.
Rating - 7 out of 10 Matties

Michael Johns - “Light my Fire”
Okay…time now to wrap it up with the one my wife calls “the Australian Hunk”…in fact, I think Simon was spot-on in his assessment tonight…the most consistent performer of the entire competition for the guys so far.  Michael is a professional singer, and the guy can rock it or mellow it out.  Michael Hutchence…I like that comparison.  Michael Johns did it right here and ended the show the right way.
Rating - 8.5 out of 10 Matties

So here are my rankings…from worst to first…

12 - Garrett Haley (Sorry buddy, it’s time to go)
11 - Luke Menard (No idea what you sang, but I know it wasn’t good)
10 - Jason Yeager (Too much like Carnival Cruises)
9 - Chikezie (Decent performance…sticks around another week)
8 - Colton Berry (Creepy vibe, but good enough for now)
7 - Jason Castro (Played unfair with the guitar, but I like the vibe…I think…)
6 - Robbie Carrico (Rocker dude brings it…lose the bandanna)
5 - Danny Noriega (Huge voice, not a great song choice, but he makes it on through)
4 - David Hernandez (One of the best pure singers in the group…but does he have the charisma?)
3 - David Cook (Great take on a corny song…I liked it dude!)
2 - David Archuleta (Wow…3 David’s in the group…what are the chances?  I like this guy…potential finalist here)
1 - Michael Johns (Just consistent…good…likable…what more do you need at this point?)

So in my humble opinion…it’s Garrett and Luke that need to go.  But as Ryan likes to say, it’s up to you, America!  Who did you vote for?  Who stays?  Who goes?  We’ll know in a couple days.  In the meantime, it’ll be the girls turn with 60’s Night tomorrow night.  How will they do?  Who’ll come out on top Thursday night, and who goes home with tears?

And what do you think of the review?!  Post your thoughts here to the blog, or send them to me in an email.  Either way, I promise not to ridicule you…a lot.