Top 11 Tackle The Beatles Again on American Idol Season 7

It's The Beatles Again!

01 Amanda Overmyer sang "Back in the U.S.S.R." from The White Album (1968). Amanda is great, and I love her stage presence, but I have to agree with Simon. It was very predictable, and if she does not change things up every once and a while she is going to become quite boring. Amanda isn't a one trick pony, so she shouldn't sell herself that way as a musician.
Score: 3.2

02 Kristy Lee Cook sang "You Got to Hide Your Love Away" from Help! (1965). I found the arrangement of the song to be really odd. Kristy's vocals were better than last week, but this was a safe, good performance, not a great one by any means. She does not have that stage presence that you see with someone like Amanda.
Score: 2.8

03 David Archuleta (pictured below) sang "The Long and Winding Road" from Let it Be (1970). Wow, when you've got it, you've got it, and David Archuleta has something very special. The arrangement was beautiful, and he showed great poise coming back after last weeks tough (lyric forgetting) performance. Simon called it brilliant and a "masterclass" in selling the song and singing it.
Score: 5

04 Michael Johns sang "A Day in the Life" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). Although I do like this song, I do not think it was the right one for Michael to sing. He is an amazing performer, and unfortunately this was a disappointing performance. I have to agree with Simon; it was a mess. The song along with the arrangement was all over the place, and he was trying to do way too much in a minute and a half performance.
Score: 3

05 Brooke White sang "Here Comes the Sun" from Abbey Road (1969). Brooke has this great likeability quaility about her; you just cannot help but smile when she performs. I have to admit, I did not like the idea of her choosing this song. As Brooke said, this dip felt almost inevitable after last weeks "Let it Be". I am confident though that Brooke will rebound next week.
Score: 3.9

06 David Cook sang "Day Tripper" from sessions recorded during Rubber Soul (1965). David sounds like he could be playing rock concerts right now. I disagree wholeheartedly with Simon's comments about him being too smug; I don't think that is true. It was not one of his best performances, but David is one of the most consistant contestants on the show this season.
Score: 4.4

07 Carly Smithson sang "Blackbird" from The White Album (1968). I thought the song was a safe choice for her, maybe too safe. I enjoyed her singing in the lower register of her voice; the tone was well controlled.
Score: 4.5

08 Jason Castro sang "Michelle" from Rubber Soul (1965). I just smile every time Jason comes onstage. I disagreed with the judges totally in that I thought it was a solid performance. Simon is right, Jason is charming and not obnoxious and that is part of his appeal. He continues to impress me.
Score: 4.5

09 Syesha Mercado (pictured on the right) sang "Yesterday" from Help! (1965). I think I was looking for a little more since this is such a special song. However, as Paula said, Syesha displayed a certain vulnerability that was important. It was a personal best for her, and an overall strong performance for the night.
Score: 4.75

10 Chikezie Eze sang "I've Just Seen a Face" from Help! (1965). I like Chikezie's spirit in this song, and I like the bluegrass feel that Randy mentioned. There was a lot of emotion behind those vocals; Chikezie continues to have an impressive energy onstage.
Score: 4

11 Ramiele Malubay sang "I Shoulda Known Better" from A Hard Day's Night (1964). Simon is right, Ramiele does have a great personality and she is so fun, but I feel like her magic has been absent from this competition for a few weeks now. She needs to regain that and use her vocal abilities more so that her performances aren't just chalked up to lackluster.
Score: 4

Photos are from http://www.americanidol.com/