Reality Roll Call

by Deb Porter-Jones

Tonight’s show features the song stylings of the musical singer-songwriting legend, Neil Diamond. He’s also written such iconic hits as “I’m a Believer” sung by the Monkees, “Solitary Man” and Sweet Caroline”. Diamond is probably most well known for penning the music performed in the film in which he also starred, “The Jazz Singer”. This man is truly a legend and our young contestants are truly blessed to have the opportunity to be in the presence of and learn from this superstar.

Our contestants are to sing two of Neil Diamond’s songs and then face a bit of nerve-wracking critique from the judges.

Jason Castro is up first and he performs “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “September Morn”. In the former, he plays guitar and sings rather well. Jason’s a really laid-back fellow so obviously you believe that he’d rather be “Forever in Blue Jeans”. That’s a no-brainer and he did a great job. I give him a B.

David Cook is up next. He sings, “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Need is You”. Neil says he got goose bumps listening to David sing; he’s got the right material, the right attitude, the right voice and he’ll do great, no doubt. He first sings “I’m Alive” and, of course, he does a great job. This song is not as well-known as some of Neil’s other music so there’s probably not much comparing to factor into his performance. Regardless, he does a great job, as David is expected to do. I give him an A+.

Brooke White sings “I’m a Believer” and chooses to sing while accompanying himself on the guitar. This song was originally sung by The Monkees, the group who had a sitcom playing boy-band members in a group similar to the Beatles. Brooke did a really good job on this song, although I can always detect a bit of trembling and decided nervousness whenever she performs. Simon appeared rather bored while she performed. In my opinion, she didn’t really seem to get into the song until the end. But definitely a B+ performance.

David Archuleta decides to do “Sweet Caroline” and “America”. Neil feels like he’s “kind of a prodigy”, which is a heck of a compliment coming from the great Neil Diamond. David’s performance of “Sweet Caroline” is okay, but I have to admit, nothing earth-shattering there. I give him a B.

Syesha Mercado sings “Hello, Again” and “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime”. He seems to be really impressed with her renditions of these great songs. The first songs she performs is “Hello, Again” and she did a pretty good job with this song. Again, nothing earth-shattering but she did a good job. I give her a B.

Ryan Seacrest decides to weigh in on the judge’s perceptions of the contestants’ first songs. Paula’s confused and thinks they’ve sung two songs so she’s giving her impression of Jason’s two songs when in actuality he’s only sung one. We finally realize she’s confused Jason’s second song, that he hasn’t sung yet, with David Cook’s first song, which was the bomb, and that’s who her praises need to go to. Whew!

And of course Simon is his usual vitriolic self and runs through a quick assessment of his perceptions. Jason and David Archuleta are described as “amateurish”, Syesha is “old fashioned”, David Cook is “above average” and Brooke White’s performance is described as “a nightmare”. I could tell he was definitely not enjoying her performance, but that’s just downright mean. The girl’s already a trembling, nervous wreck whenever she comes onstage. She’s probably popping Valium and vomiting before the show starts every night. Anyway, this makes for a nerve-wracking first half. Simon tells them all to step it up a bit; it’s a competition!

The next half begins with Jason Castro singing “September Morn”. Jason seems so incredibly bored with this song, almost as bored as I was watching him perform it. Randy agreed that this was “another okay performance”. Paula thinks he needs to step it up a bit and of course Simon’s just not impressed. I give him a C (just for remembering the words).

David Cook plays guitar and sings “All I Really Need Is You”. I’ve never heard this song before but David Cook did a great job, put the rocker spin on this song and totally
rocked it. All the judges loved the second song better than the first. Simon loved that he changed the arrangement (who would know, I don’t think anyone knows this song) and he made it his own. Paula thought she is “already looking at the American Idol”. Randy is really impressed with what he’s done with this second song. I give him a well-deserved A+.

Brooke White sings “I Am, I Said” and plays piano. She actually does a great job with this song. She seems much more comfortable when she plays piano and sings. The performance was very heartfelt and real; definitely NOT a nightmare. I give her an A+. Randy thought it was a difficult song but it showed her vulnerability behind the piano and all, excellent song choice. Paula agreed but Simon thought “this is the Brooke we like”, wasn’t incredible but a million times better than the first song. I have to agree. Something about that piano.

Next up is David Archuleta singing “America”. He actually does a great job with this song. The judges loved it, too. Great song choice, great performance, they all agree. I don’t know, I just don’t think I’m as “in love” with Archuleta as everyone else. I mean, he’s good, but he’s not fabulous, in my opinion, regardless of his age. I give him a B.

Syesha Mercado finally sings “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime” and she does a phenomenal job with this song. If she ends up in the Bottom Two after this, go figure. The judges all agree as well, although Simon doesn’t think she had as memorable a second song as the others, which may be a problem for Syesha. I swear, this girl consistently ends up in the Bottom Two despite excellent performances. I give her a well-deserved A+.