Thursday, March 31, 2011

American Idol - 2 go home in 1 night

The show began with a video segment that said we will be shocked by who goes home. Sounds like it will be an interesting night!

Scotty & Lauren did a duet of Carrie Underwood's "I told you so". It was really good! Too bad we didn't know it at the time, so we could relish it more but this turned out to be the best performance of the night, established artists included. Afterwards, both were told they were safe.

Naima & Jacob did Ashford & Simpson's "Solid". It was not. Very karaoke. Naima deservedly in the bottom 3 after last night's mess.

Fantasia sang. That's all I will say about that! :x

Haley, Pia & Thia did Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream". Haley oversang it. It's like Haley doesn't know any better of when to go for it and when to just sing. It's getting rather annoying. Pia easily outclassed her with her pure tone when it came to her part in the song. Thia had no solo part, that probably was a hint. Thia in the bottom 3.

2 for 2 with my predictions about the bottom 3. I'm glad America heard what I heard.

Paul, James, Casey & Stefano did a poorly rehearsed medley. Either that or it was just sloppy as hell. They did sound good when they got to "Band on the run" though.
Afterwards, James was told he was safe and Stefano and Paul were left to sweat. I had mentioned those two would probably be in danger as well. America! You and me are in sync! ;) Paul in bottom 3.

Jamie Foxx & Will.I.am performed a song for the upcoming movie "Rio".

Ryan, who called himself the "buzzkill" (What? Did I hear him use the wrestler nickname I gave him in a previous post?), told us the results and Naima & Thia were sent home. Paul is safe. He better pick better songs for his voice from now on.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

American Idol does Elton John

Last night the Idols tackled Elton John songs so of course the show began with an Elton John retrospective which was very cool to see. Doing Elton John songs when 2 contestants are going home just upped the pressure even more than usual. EJ songs are not easy, especially those early in his career when he was able to sing in a higher range.

Scotty went first. Did a solid job as usual but I agree with the criticism that he is becoming a one trick pony. Gently strumming a guitar didn't change that. He has to change things up a little. Just a little so it's something a little different. BUT he does know his audience and playing up to grandma certainly didn't hurt the votes. ;)

Naima did a reggae version of "I'm still standing". Good idea but it was just too restrained. She's so concscious of not being pitchy that she's being very deliberate with her singing and it's sucking the life out of her voice. She's in a tough spot vocally and I don't think she'll have the time to work it out.

Paul did "Rocket man" which I thought was a real bad choice for him and even more so after he said in his video package that he had done a cover of it with his band before and it was a disaster. It was just ok but he picked a song with a high range and didn't go for the notes.

Pia did "Don't let the sun go down on me". Very good vocals as usual. No need for her to ditch the ballads but I do agree that she should at least try to do a more mid-tempo style of song. I don't agree that she should be up there stomping her foot to emphasize notes ala Celine Dion. That's Celine's thing, let Pia be Pia.

Stefano did "Tiny dancer" which is a real hard song. You don't get points for degree of difficulty on Idol, you either sing well or you don't. He didn't reach the notes of the song. Was kind of drab. Disappointed by the song choice and performance. :/

Lauren did "Candle of the wind". Very nice vocals as usual but I don't see her connecting to the lyrics in an emotional way.

James did "Saturday's night alright for fighting". Really good! That's what I've been wanting to see. Busted out all his rocker moves and was working it. The flaming piano was rather cheesy and inappropiate to the song but it works for Idol.

Thia did "Daniel". Good vocal but very laid back. Rather boring.

Casey did "Your song". This is one of my all-time favorite songs, love the lyrics and melody. He was very good. He seemed very happy with his performance.

Jacob did "Sorry seems to be the hardest word". Great choice. Loved his vocals and the emotion he shows while singing. Lauren and Thia can take some notes.

Haley did "Benny & the Jets". She didn't shy away from the notes and went for it. I was happy to see that. I liked it! Very good vocals and performance.

So, 2 will go home tonight. Who will it be? I think Naima and Thia will go home tonight. Stefano and Paul are also in danger.

Final mixing on my album is done!!

FINAL MIXING ON MY ALBUM IS DONE!! I have put in a lot of long hours over the past year working on Aria Cortes' debut country album and my latin album but the time has come that both albums are done! :)

It was a big undertaking to not only work on my album but on hers as well. As the main songwriter for her album and of course writing all the songs on my album, it was quite a challenge to go from not having written a song in years to writing over 20+ songs especially when the songs for Aria's album were very different (country, pop) from what I was writing for myself (rock, blues, pop). It was a fun challenge though. I don't know if I'd ever take the undertaking of doing 2 albums at once again... ah, who am I kidding? Sure I would! Lol. Honestly, I needed something like that to get out a lot of pent up creative ideas that needed to come out. After all I've gone through personally in recent years that have prevented me from doing what I was meant to do and love, the songwriting process was very therapeutic. As always my songs come from the heart and the songs on my new album are even more so since they are born from mourning, heartbreak, disappointment and trying to remain positive and optimistic despite it all.

Then it was the harder job of recording and producing both albums which has been a LOT of work. It's a long process that Aria and I began last summer and although I've wanted the albums to come out faster, things like this can't and shouldn't be rushed. But now that the mixing is done, the creative process is complete and now it goes to manufacturing and getting the CDs ready for you all!

I can't wait to share it with you! :)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Earth Hour is tonight! Do your part

Those of you who have been following me since my Vogue's Rogues days know that I am very environmentally conscious and that I am very active in environmental and wildlife issues, both here in the US and globally. With that said...

Earth Hour is tonight at 8:30 pm! Lights will be turning off around the world at
that time in a global show of support. Join me along with the world in showing your support by turning off your lights for one hour.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Final mixing has begun!

I began final mixing on Aria Cortes' debut country album yesterday (I also wrote most of the songs on it and produced it!) and will finish it today. For those of you who have signed up to the World Conquest Records mailing list, you know all about Aria and my ties to her ;)

You can also know all about my album news and more so make sure you hit the link and sign up! Oh, did I mention you get a free download of one of my songs for signing up? ;)

After I am done doing the final mixing on her album, then I will be doing final mixing on my album!! Then that's it, the creative and production work on my album will be through!! I'm almost there!! :)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

American Idol - the Top 10 are set

Tonight was the night that we would find out who would be in the American Idol Top 10 which is a big deal to the contestants since it means they'll be doing the summer tour and increasing their exposure. Lots of money at stake for them!

As the show opened we got to see footage of Marc Anthony mentoring the Idols both before yesterday's performances and after. He helped them with monitor issues, live performing tips and just gave them a lot of great advice. He was a very good mentor.

The Idols did an excellent rendition of The Supremes' "Ain't no mountain high enough". Then the doors parted and I was expecting Smokey Robinson when out came Stevie Wonder! Awesomeness! Even Steve Tyler was in awe.

Then afterward they all sang Happy Birthday to Steven! Now that's how you open a show!

Ryan came to ruin the mood (lol) by getting to the business they were there for. He mentioned that tonight's bottom 3 would be shocking and to stay tuned to the end of the show. Interesting...

Pia, Scotty, Lauren were called up as the first group - they were all safe

We were shown a wrestling segment from the house which was cool since I'm a huge wrestling fan. WrestleMania 27 is next week!! Cena, Rock, Miz! Stone Cold! HHH, Undertaker! Ahem... ok, let me get back to topic. Lol.

James & Paul were called up next - then the doors opened and out stepped Hulk Hogan! As big wrestling fan James went crazy, Hogan announced they were both safe & then he laid the smackdown on Ryan! That's what Ryan "the buzzkill" Seacrest gets for being the mood killer! Lol.

Jacob, Thia, Stefano were called up - this time though only Jacob was safe. Thia and Stefano were in the bottom 3.

Naima, Haley, Casey up were the final 3 to be called up - I expected Haley in there but it was Casey in the bottom 3!?! My only guess as to why he was in the bottom 3 is that people assumed he was safe and didn't vote. Was Casey going to be another victim of the assumption non-vote? Or would he be safe?

Jennifer Hudson came out looking and sounding great and did a song of her new album.

Thia was the first to be told she was safe. Stefano looked so sad but was saved. Casey was the one to be eliminated!! Casey began to sing to see if the judges would use the save. The judges looked downright angry that he was up there as he's clearly a judge's favorite (I think he's a fan favorite as well, so much so that people thought he was safe). The judges stopped Casey mid-song and told him that it was crazy that he was up there singing for the save. They immediately told him that they were going to use the save on him. The place erupted! Casey was overcome with emotion. This guy has been in the hospital for transfusions twice while being on the show and hasn't missed a show. That says how much he wants this so that emotion was real and raw. GREAT Idol moment. Ryan then told him that it was a pre-determined rule that should something like the save being used at this point happen that the summer tour would now be the American Idol top 11 and that he was going to be on the tour! But "Buzzkill" Ryan had to bring us all back to reality as he stated before the show went off the air that next week would mean 2 contestants would be going home!

Except for the end of the season final shows, this was by far Idol's best show ever. I'm happy Casey got saved.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The American Idol 11 do Motown

Tonight's show is Motown tunes so should be a good show and challenging for some. The show opened with a very nice Motown history segment. I've always admired Motown's philosophy of being like one big family and this segment spotlighted that and its great music.

Tonight decides the Top 10. Only the top 10 get to go on the summer tour so they all have to bring their A game since the summer tour = $$$$ for the singers.

Casey went first with Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine". Nice interpretation of the song. Really good.

Thia did Martha & the Vandelas' "Heatwave". Her lower register was great in the beginning of the song but she staggered a bit as she went higher. Seemed to have trouble with the words? Seemed to not connect with the words, lacked a little bit of the conviction needed. Started with lots of promise but turned out just ok.

Jacob did Marvin Gaye's "You're all I need to get by". Sounded great. Met my expectations of how good he would sound.

Lauren did The Supremes' "You keep me hanging on". Sounded good but the vocals never really took off. Seemed to stay in a safe zone of the song and didn't seem to really connect with the song either.

Stefano did Lionel Richie's "Hello". Not his best vocal. Too many dark notes in the verses. I liked where he went with the parts but vocally he didn't get there. Jen is funny. Did she really say "fine... check" to him? JLo the Cougar! Lol! I think Marc and the twins need to talk to her. Lol.

Haley did Smokey Robinson's "You really got a hold on me". I'll keep this short. It was oversinging overkill.

Scotty did Stevie Wonder's "For once in my life". The beginning was really great but lost a bit when he went into the higher register. The arrangement was decent. I'm sure Nashville songwriters already have country songs in mind for him. He's going to have himself a nice country music career.

Pia did Stevie Wonder's "All in love is fair". Stunning look & vocals. Just great.

Paul did one of my favorite ever Motown songs by one of my favorite Motown singers. He did a pop version of Smokey Robinson's "The tracks of my tears" while playing guitar. Very cool arrangement & vocals. I really loved it.

Naima did Martha & the Vandelas' "Dancing in the streets". She did surprisingly well and showed that she listened to the judges critiques. She was much more deliberate with her vocals to keep a consistent tone. She sounded good. She even threw in some african dancing to the song and smartly kept the vocals to a bare minimum after her very energetic dance segment. Very cool.

James ended the show with Stevie Wonder's "Living in the city". Man, I like him but it was just another OK performance from him IMO. I like him a lot but with his range, I keep expecting more. I also didn't like how much he played up to the camera, made the performance cheesy. I would've preferred Naima's performance as the show ender.

So, who loses out on the tour and money - everyone was very good except for one so filling the bottom 3 will be interesting. My bottom 3 would be Haley, Thia and Stefano. After being in the bottom 3 every week so far, Haley will be sent home.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Solemn day for my family and I today

Today is the 2 year anniversary of my mom's passing. She is greatly missed. It is still tough on my family and me but we are thankful for having had the love and caring of such a wonderful mother and grandmother.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

American Idol - the Top 12 sing for our votes

The show began with the judges and Ryan letting us know that tonight's performances will be available on iTunes after the show and all proceeds from sales will go to Japan aid and relief efforts. Tomorrow they will let us know how we can text to donate through them. Nice. Would be nicer if JLo made the same offer with her top 10 iTunes download, even if it was for a limited time.

Anyway, the show got underway and the contestants will be singing songs from the year of their birth so I was happy since that meant we should get lots of 80s stuff. As you all know, I love my 80s music! :)

Naima started off the show and did Tina Turner's "What's love got to do with it". I hated the contemporary vibe made for the song. She was too loose with the song vocally and it wasn't very good at all. I don't know what's happened to Naima. I like her but she seems to be going backwards here. JLo said she is too pitchy & Randy didn't like it. Agreed.

Paul did Sir Elton's "I guess that's why they call it the blues". He was sick and you could hear it in his voice, struggling throughout the song. Not very good.

Thia did Vanessa Williams' "Colors of the wind". Kind of a safe choice but also a good choice for her. Her voice has a very pure, mature tone. She looked great and showed a lot of confidence. Very good but she has to kill the vibrato in her voice, it was getting overwhelming and too noticeable at times towards the end.

James did Bon Jovi's "I'll be there for you". Now you all know that I'm a huge Bon Jovi fan so this had better be good. Didn't like the way the band did the music, very cheesy sound. Even the guitar solo annoyed me with its cheesiness. Also, James chose a very weird spot to start the song. His vocals were ok & the hi note was surprisingly not as good as Jon's, then he had to throw in a Adam Lambert finishing note which was off. Was very disappointed with this performance. Also, did I notice a hint of over-confidence? I hope not.

Haley did Whitney Houston's "I'm your baby tonight". She took on too big a song and started off a little rough but got it working from the middle on. Felt bad for her with her microphone/lipstick issues. Randy is right when he said that she needs to figure out who she is.

Stefano did Simply Red's "If you don't know me by now". Good song choice. Sounded really good. Best overall performance of the night - vocally & musically. JLo is definitely a fan. Watch out Marc! Lol.

Pia did Whitney Houston's "Where do broken hearts go?". Horrible cheerleader band version. I'm not liking how they are raving about these producers' ideas when they are just butchering song arrangements left and right. Pia rose above the horrible arrangement. Sounded great as usual.

Scotty did Travis Tritt's "Can I trust you with my heart?". Sounded really good but his performance style has to grow a bit. He always strikes the same pose and just stays stuck there throughout the song. That'll get better with time I'm sure.

Karen did Taylor Dayne's "Love will lead you back". I was a huge fan of Taylor Dayne and her music back in the day. She was an under-rated vocalist. Loved this song of hers. Karen sounded good but doesn't have the thickness to her voice that this song needed. Kind of like the problem Ashthon had with her song choices. I also don't get how they show us Karen telling Iovine that she doesn't want to become the bilingual singer yet when she sang the song, there she was doing it bilingually again. If you do something, do it and be proud of it. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Being bilingual sets her apart, she should embrace it.

Casey did Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit". The whole thing was kind of on the weird side, the performance & a horn in the song from the band was all just... strange. Good vocals but it was one of those performances that was better to be heard and not seen. I don't think that's what Casey was going for. Lol.

Lauren did Melissa Etheridge's "I'm the only one". Nice song choice. She also was sick. Good vocals though.

Jacob did Heart's "Alone". A very risky song choice. He didn't start off on the right spot but once he got into the heart of the song, it rocked. Not his best but still good compared to a lot of the singers tonight.

Lots of choices tonight for the bottom 3 unfortunately. I don't know how many iTunes sales will be made form last night's show so hopefully the producers can come up with something better tomorrow night. Japan needs all the help and donations it can get. Just for the record, it's easy to make $10 donation. Just text REDCROSS to 90999. I did it and it literally takes seconds. Please take a moment and give.

Back to the bottom 3 - I think making the bottom 3 this week will be Naima, Karen and Haley. I think Naima goes home.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

American Idol - The 1st contestant to go home is...

The show began with Ryan informing us with the news that Casey is in the hospital again. I hope he's ok and I hope they can get control of his situation. Considering that he needed another blood transfusion I'm amazed how he was able to perform last night. What a trooper! The show must go on indeed!

Holy crap! We were shown the mansion the contestants are staying at. Those that know me know that I don't impress easily but wow, what a house!

Next up, we got the 1st group performance and it was a Michael Jackson medley! The singers sounded great doing MJ's songs.

Time for the drama!

Jacob, Stefano and Karen were brought up first. Ryan said you are all safe so they start celebrating & then he goes, except for Karen who was in the bottom 3. That's just lame. Not the fact that Karen was in the bottom but to play with someone's emotions like that just for the shock value of it is wrong.

Lauren, Ashthon and Haley were brought up next. Lauren was really down on herself for her performance yesterday. She was holding back tears and showing not only her age but the intense pressure these contestants are dealing with in the shadow of their dreams and hopes. Ryan redeemed himself and gave her a break. After seeing her reaction, he told her he wouldn't drag it out for her and told her she was safe and could go back to the couch.

He then told Haley & Ashthon they were in the bottom 3 with Karen. He then told the rest on the couch they were safe & they didn't know what to make of it since that is so different from what they usually do. Weird how it was done but definitely unpredictable. This eliminates the contestants feeling too comfortable by the order they are picked to come down to her the verdict on America's vote.

After good performances by Diddy and Adam Lambert, we got to the main event. Who would stay and who would go home. Karen was safe. So the final 2 was Ashthon & Haley. Ashthon was the unlucky first contestant to recive the least votes.

She then got a chance to sing for the "save" but realistically we know that the judges reserve that save for 2 or 3 of the top singers should they ever find themselves in the elimination zone. Well, Ashthon sang her Diana Ross song again and she sounded great but no surprise, was not saved. JLo was very upset when giving her the news.

I think Ashthon has a lot going for her - a good image and voice and lots of confidence (which you can't teach) and once she finds the right songs for her voice, she'll do big things. I wish her well. I'm a fan.

American Idol - we get the show underway with the Top 13

Last night, we finally got the AI machine rolling as the top 13 sang for their future careers. The singers were going to sing songs of their favorite singers. With that we got some interesting insight into some of the singers tonight. There was no messing around as we got right to the contestants singing!

Lauren went first which made me happy that I didn't have to wait for a favorite.She did Shania Twain's "Any man of mine" and while it was solid, it was just too safe. She didn't really challenge herself. She seemed confused and hurt by the judges critique which wasn't harsh at all. This is the problem with the young singers, they lack the experience to know exactly where to go with a song and they aren't used to rejection & criticism. I hope Lauren gets it together soon.

Casey went next and did Joe Cocker's "I get by with a little help from my friends". Great song choice for him since I get that Joe Cokcer vibe from him when he performs. He employed a smart use of the choir for the song. Performing experience counts for a lot at this point in the show.

Ashthon did Diana Ross' "When you tell me that you love me". She looked great, she looked the part of Diana Ross. She sounded good but her voice is on the thin side and it showed in some points, a bit of a safe song choice. I agree with Jen that she should've picked a better known Diana Ross song.

Paul did Ryan Adams' "Come pick me up". I really enjoy his 70s performing style, he has a cool, having fun on stage and having fun with the music vibe. Again, the performing experience shows. He started slow but his vocals were good.

Pia took on Celine Dion's "All by myself" which was impressive in and of itself. She looked great and sang great. She was the standout of the night once again. She has a great career ahead of her.

James did Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm amazed". Surprising influence. He was good but for some reason I expected more from him with the song, he was very solid nonetheless.

Haley surprised me as well, she did Leann Rimes' "Blue". It was a solid vocal performance but not comparable to the original.

Jacob did R. Kelly's "I believe I can fly". I was very excited by the great song choice. While he hit some amazing notes, he had a real pitchy moment in the transition from the verse to the chorus. That was a product of the song being shortened due to the show format but the band could've come up with something better than that transition that he obviously wasn't feeling.

Thia surprised me with her influence as well. She did Michael Jackson's "Smile". I'm still not used to the idea that Michael is no longer with us but am thankful that he left such wonderful music behind. She also had a bad transition and I also had a problem with the song arrangement of this song. The judges also felt the same, the jazzed up version of the song was just not necessary at all. The beginning was good till the jazz music started, turned her performance from good to just ok. I hope the youngsters on the show are more vocal with what they want to do and are comfortable with than being pushed to do things that may not work. They have to learn to trust their instincts.

Stefano did Stevie Wonder's "Lately". He showed very good vocals. He showed why he deserved to be there.

Karen did Selena's "I could fall in love". This shouldn't be a very hard song for Karen to do but she stumbled all over it. It was not very good, she didn't do much with the song.

Scotty did Garth Brooks' "The River". Great song and good song choice by Scotty. He was solid but some of the notes seemed too big for his range.

Naima ended the show with Rihanna's "Umbrella". I was surprised by Naima's influence since Rihanna hasn't been around that long and considering everything else that Naima has sung on the show. Her performance was very different for Idol, she gave us a performance complete with dance moves and rap. Had a real nice transition from the rap section to the singing part. I don't know how much that performance or song choice tells us about Naima the artist though. She's given us a lot of different looks and sounds and hasn't painted a clear enough picture to let us know who she wants to be as an artist. I hope she figures this out soon because she has a great image but has to get everything else to catch up to it.

I see the bottom 2 as a battle of the wildcards with Ashthon and Naima. I see Naima going home tonight. :(

Monday, March 7, 2011

Come visit my YouTube channel!

Hello my dreamers!

Guess what? Now you can see me on my official Youtube channel! I'll be posting videos on there with me talking about my new album, my likes and much more! I'll also be posting concert clips, events, news and announcements! Come visit my channel and get to know me better. See you there!

http://www.youtube.com/mariomelrockero

Thursday, March 3, 2011

American Idol eliminations, the Top 13 is set!

It was craziness tonight! We got the top 13 tonight in one wild, intense round! No dragging it out for ratings over a few weeks. It was all or nothing yesterday for some and all or nothing for the lucky few that were picked as wild-card options. We got our top 5 guys and top 5 gals and then the remaining 14 had to hope to be picked for a wildcard sing-off for the wildcard spots! Yikes! Serious nerves and pressure for the contestants, judges and us fans!

They were brought up in duos or groups by Ryan and told whether they were in or not:

Scotty in the top 10
Robbie not in which was very surprising
Clint not in (looked ill while awaiting the verdict and looked worse afterward!)
Jordan not in (not a surprise after his diva antics in Hollywood week and his performance yesterday)
Jovany not in
Lauren, Pia both in (no surprise there - they are 2 of the best on the show)
Ta-tynisa, Julie both not in
Karen in (no surprise there)
Ashthon, Kendra not (I was surprised that neither Ashton nor Kendra made it in, they were good!)
Jacob, Casey in (no surprise there, 2 of the most talented singers on the show)
Tim not (no surprise there, we weren't shown him much nor did he have a good performance)
Thia in (no surpise there)
Naima, Lauren not (I like Naima but her performance yesterday was shaky; I was surprised that Lauren didn't make it, she has strong vocals)
Brett not in, Paul in (I really like Brett but he wasn't the strongest vocalist so I was happy to see that America didn't go for the sentimental vote and went for the stronger vocalist in Paul)
Haley in, Rachel not (No surprise with Rachel but slightly surprised with Haley getting in after her performance over Lauren, Ashthon or Kendra)
James in, Stefano not (James was a no-brainer but I wasn't happy to see that the numbers game caught up to Stefano. It was messed up that the best buds had to go up against each other for the last spot)

So, with the top 10 announced, we were told that there would be 6 wild card picks.
Ashthon was picked first which I was happy about, she definitely has something. She did "And I am telling you" - her voice is not the thickest for this song but she attacked it & gave it all she had. Not much more you can ask from a singer.
Stefano was picked next! He sang "I need you now" - great vocals and runs, couldn't have done it better. Jennifer looked very happy that he nailed it, she seems to be a fan and supporter of his.
Kendra was picked next! She did "Georgia on my mind" - started slow but did great at the end
Jovany was picked next which was surprising. He did "Angel" - really nice. JLo's quote that he did all u could do didn't bode well for his moving forward. Not exactly a vote of confidence.
Naima was picked next. She did "For all we know" - really nice but too safe a choice
Robbie got the last wild card spot! He did "Sorry seems to be the hardest word" - great choice for him and his vocals were spot on

After some deliberation and a JLo video we got the judges decision on the final 3 Wild card picks- Ashthon, Stefano and in a surprising pick Naima was chosen over Robbie.

All in all, I am very happy with the top 13 that will be going forward. I just wish they had made it a top 14 and included Robbie. It's a shame he (and Kendra) couldn't be included but I expect we'll hear much more from them now that they've gotten great exposure on the show.

Message to my fans / Mensaje para mi fans

There is a song on my new album that represents what I feel & believe in and in the song I call myself a dreamer. You believe in me, so from now on I will call all my fans my "dreamers". Hi my dreamers!! :)

Hay una cancion en mi nuevo album que representa lo yo siento y creo y en la cancion yo me llamo un sonador. Tu crees en mi, pues de este momento adelante yo voy a llamar todo mi fans mi "sonadores". Hola mi sonadores!! :)

American Idol's top 12 girls sing!

Last night we got to hear the Top 12 females and as I expected, the girls on this season of AI are very strong!

Ta-tynisa Wilson went first and did "Only girl in the world". I had hoped she had stepped it up from earlier showings but this was not very good. Rihanna is not known as a strong singer (although I disagree with that) but she was clearly outsung by Rihanna. The song was way too big for her.

Naima Adedapo went next and did "Summertime". She was very good. Loved her style.

Kendra Chantelle did "Impossible". I must say I love her name, it's just such an artistic name. She was very good. Great image, loved her whole look. She had it all working and sounded really good.

Rachel Zevita just had a weird song choice. She had a decent vocal performance but the song choice was her downfall.

Karen Rodriguez did a bilingual version of "Hero". Very smart song choice and very smart to do it bilingually and set herself apart that way. She looked great. Sounded great.

Lauren Turner did "7 day fool". Very good vocals, she can definitely sing. Very cool song choice.

Ashthon Jones showed good vocals and lots of confidence on stage. Interesting performance, she performed as if she was doing a concert and not a vocal competition. That was different. Not sure if it was different in a bad way though.

Julie Zorrilla did "Breakaway". Why did she pick that song? I love the great arrangement by the band but she didn't work it at all. I found her vocals only ok. She's better than what she showed last night.

Haley Reinhart did "Fallin'". I didn't like it and agreed with Randy that she overperformed & oversang the song. All that she did was un-necessary.

Thia Megia did "On my own". Amazing vocals. So poised for her age.

Lauren Alaina did "Turn on the radio". Great natural performance & vocals. It seemed so effortless for her.

Pia Toscano did "I'll stand by you". Nice understated yet very strong performance throughout the song but she absolutely killed it at the end with some amazing note choices. Great performance. The best of the night.

I think after last night that Ta-Tatynisa and Rachel Zevita are in danger.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

American Idol - the Top 12 males sing for our votes

Last night, we finally had the Top 12 males sing for our votes. I think that the females are much stronger this season so I was looking forward to seeing who would step up and claim their spots. Some definitely took the moment to put their stamp on the show and let the other guys (and girls) know that they were ready to compete!

I like the new set, it helps prepare them for the show with the bigger feel and bigger audience. The band sounded tight too. When we got our first look at the judges as they walked out, their star power really struck me. Definitely had a bigger feel with having Simon, Kara and Ellen replaced by music stars JLo and Steven Tyler.

Clint Jun Gamboa went first and he did "Superstitious". He's not a favorite of mine but he was good, just a bit too over the top.

Jovany Barreto did "I'll be". His voice sounded thin. I agreed with Randy that it was just ok and that the ending had a karaoke feel.

Jordan Dorsey did "OMG". He tried but Usher he is not in voice or performance. I felt he did the worst of the night and when we heard the replay of the performances at the end of the show, it was confirmed.

Tim Halperin did "Streetcorner symphony". I like him and I think the song choice was good but something about his singing of it was way off with the music. Sounded very subpar.

Brett Loewenstern did "Light my fire". I'm a fan of Brett's and he had good vocals but the song choice was weird IMO. I just don't see him doing that type of music as an artist so I found it entertaining but not believeable doing it.

James Durbin did "You got another coming". That was cool to hear a Judas Priest song on AI! The band did it well too. I had lots of complaints about the last band so I was happy to hear the music yesterday. Good stuff! Great song choice & performance for James.

Robbie Rosen did "Angel". Nice version although it sounded somewhat Broadway-ish. Sweet vocals though. Robbie's just got a smooth voice. He reminds me of Barry Manilow in lots of ways.

Scotty McCreery did "Letters from home". Good performance.

Stefano Langone did "Just the way u are". Good performance but a little pitchy, especially when he went into his higher register. Hit a really bad high note too. Should've done something different to avoid that bad high note.

Paul McDonald did "Maggie May". Very good song choice for his voice and image. I really liked it.

Jacob Lusk did "A house is not a home" by the late great Luther Vandross. Jacob amazes me. In all my years following AI (which is from the beginning), Jacob is the first to give me goosebumps every time he sings. He just has the gift to reach into the emotion of a song and let it spill out for us lucky listeners. He is my favorite singer this season. I can't ever see him being in danger on the show and I pick him as the winner right now.

Casey Abrams did "I put a spell on you". Great performance. I love his style and fearlessness on stage.

I see Clint and Jordan in danger.