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So everybody knows by now what yesterday was, right?  April 1st.  April Fool’s Day.  The Grand Poobah of all prank days.  On PTI, the guys started the show off with a bit about how Kansas and Davidson (two teams that played in the NCAA basketball tournament Regional Finals last weekend) would have to replay the last 16 seconds of their game on Sunday because of an official oversight on the part of the referees.  Of course, it was a joke.

And American Idol couldn’t help itself it seems…with Ryan starting the show off with saying American Idol has been taken off the air due to the American Songwriters Union (or some malarkey like that) and in it’s place, a new episode of “The Moment of Truth” with Idol’s own Simon Cowell.

April Fools!

I was fooled, weren’t you fooled?

Enough of the April Fools’ness…onto the review!  It’s Dolly Parton week on Idol, and while I think Ms. Parton has had more plastic surgery than Joan Rivers, it was refreshing to see someone of her stature working with the Idol contestants.  As they threw up her record industry statistics, I was blown away.  A true legend in the music industry, and a self-made woman to boot.  Ya gotta love Dolly!  So how would the contestants do with her style of music?

BTW…I knew this week was going to be tight…9 songs in one hour is a LOT to get in.  The judges were doing their best to get it all in, but thanks to the DVR, after the last performance, I did not get to hear what the judges had to say about Michael Johns.  Alas…FOX should’ve known it couldn’t do 9 songs in one hour.

Brooke White - “Jolene”
So Brooke kicks us off this week, and I think she picked a great song for her voice.  I think I say this every week about Brooke, but it continues to shine through..she’s so authentic!  Her voice and demeanor on stage is just so natural, and I love her style.  She definitely fits into the singer-songwriter genre.  Here’s the thing…when was the last time a singer-songwriter won Idol?  Here’s your answer…it hasn’t happened.  Regardless, I think she did pretty well tonight.
Rating - 7.5 out of 10 Matties

David Cook - “Little Sparrow”
David’s got a new ‘do, and it’s looking sharp.  Let me tell you something folks…David Cook has been, by far, the most consistent performer week in and week out.  I still think David A. is a serious contender, but David Cook is going to get his record deal, and don’t be surprised if he doesn’t take off like Chris Daughtry did.  Awesome performance tonight, very dramatic and I loved his “false” (short for falsetto for those that don’t know what the judges were referencing there) as well.
Rating - 9.0 out of 10 Matties

Ramiele Malubay - “Cross Your Mind”
Oh Ramiele…if you look back on this performance, what you’re going to see is one performance was just below the standards of the others.  That was this performance.  She’s just in the same class as most of the contestants left this season.  She’s cute, she’s talented, she’s just not quite there yet.  Where is ‘there’ exactly?  I don’t know specifically, but is she as good as David Cook?  David Archuleta?  Carly?  Brooke?  Michael Johns?  No…
Rating - 7.0 out of 10 Matties

Jason Castro - “Travelin’ Through”
Wow was Simon off his game tonight…are you kidding me here?!?  Simon said he couldn’t see Jason actually singing songs like he has the last two weeks.  What a friggin’ joke, Simon…he is a singer-songwriter like Brooke, only he’s got a bit more chick appeal because of the dreds and the pretty eyes and smile.  He did a pretty good job tonight, and I enjoyed seeing him stay true to his style of music.
Rating - 8.0 out of 10 Matties

Carly Smithson - “Here You Come Again”
Again, Simon is WAY off base here.  First off, his comment about her and the way she’s looking lately…I thought when she started in this show, she was very rough around the edges, and as the weeks have gone on, she’s showed a softer, prettier side which I like very much.  And her voice is amazing.  She really has a tone to her voice that reminds me of the band Heart from the 80’s.  She’s powerful, she’s pure, I love her voice.  And she did a pretty good job with this song as well…the contestants as a whole are really doing well to this point.
Rating - 8.5 out of 10 Matties

Kristy Lee Cook - “Coat of Many Colors”
So who didn’t know she’d do well tonight?!?  C’mon…it’s a country music week…of course her and her twang are going to do well.  Surprisingly, I thought it was a fairly predictable performance, and it wasn’t that memorable.  But I think it wasn’t done poorly.  I just think she’s not very versatile as a singer, and that (hopefully) will catch up to her soon.  But she didn’t do poorly at all.
Rating - 7.5 out of 10 Matties

David Archuleta - “Smoky Mountain Memories”
What do we have here…another dramatic song by Mr. Archuleta.  Well, I’m not surprised.  But even though I wasn’t surprised, I was still amazed at this kid’s poise and talent.  He really is a wonderfully talented singer and performer.  He has a presence that so many other contestants that have come before him don’t have.  He has “it”, and I think that should keep him around a very long time.  Very, very, very good performance tonight.
Rating - 9.5 out of 10 Matties

Syesha Mercado - “I Will Always Love You”
I thought that Syesha was someone who could take a chance with this song.  As I’ve pointed out many, many times…it’s nearly impossible to do anything Whitney Houston has done on Idol because those three judges are HUGE Whitney fans, and anything that’s done by Whitney can never be done again (apparently).  Here’s the thing…I thought Syesha’s performance was pretty good.  She has a nice voice, a strong voice, and I enjoyed this performance.
Rating - 8.0 out of 10 Matties

Michael Johns - “Its Alright”
Damn dirty DVR…cut off the judges take on Mr. Johns.  So what you’re getting here is completely unfiltered reaction.  I thought Michael did excellent tonight.  His take on this song was bluesy and ballsy.  He has a very cool, Jim Morrison-esque quality to his voice and stage style, and it plays well.  And I guess it doesn’t hurt that the ladies love Michael as well.  But his talent is far above his looks.  Excellent performance tonight.
Rating - 9.0 out of 10 Matties

Wow…look at all those scores. I must’ve been in a good mood!  Or maybe the performances were just that good.  I feel like if we can get rid of Kristy Lee and Ramiele, we might see the best American Idol yet for Idol Gives Back Week.  We’ll see…and now the rankings!

9 - Ramiele Malubay (She’s just not in the same league as most everybody else left on the show)
8 - Kristy Lee Cook (Ditto)
7 - Brooke White (Sorry Christy…I can’t do it…I can’t put her above Castro this week)
6 - Jason Castro (Very authentic performance tonight…becoming a bigger Castro fan as the weeks go on)
5 - Syesha Mercado (A nice take on a classic Dolly/Whitney song…no matter what the judges say)
4 - Carly Smithson (The Irish Girl from Southern CA is a force to be reckoned with!)
3 - David Cook (In it to win it I think…but there is stiff competition)
2 - Michael Johns (Just slightly better than David Cook this week…and I mean it’s close…)
1 - David Archuleta (Same story as with Michael…just slightly better.)

So there you have it…IMHO, the two David’s and Michael Johns are the creme of the crop this week.  Who do you have in your Top 3?  Who’s going home??  What do YOU think America?!?

Tags: americanidol, simon cowell, ryan seacrest, april fools, paula abdul, randy jackson, fox, top 9 review, latest american idol results, latest american idol review