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Top 4 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes

Published by mj May 11th, 2008 in American Idol and S7 iTunes. 49 Comments

I know! I usually post the studio recording recap much earlier…but I got so caught up with Hometown! Visits! Papagate! that I kinda forgot!

You can purchase by clicking the the banner here –>. You help support the site too if you click, so thanks in advance!

David Cook - “Hungry Like the Wolf” - I was hoping for a recording of “Baba O’Riley” in order to get that payoff I felt I was denied when David performed the truncated version Tuesday night. Oh well. “Hungry Like the Wolf” is about SEX. David’s live performance lacked zip, and I’m not getting a sense of urgency from the recorded version either. ETA: It’s such a dumb song to begin with, it’s hard to take seriously. I hope David’s hometown visit re-energized him. He seemed way off track this past week.
Syesha Mercado - “Proud Mary” - Zzzzz. Did I nod off? Sorry. I said this in my recap–if I never ever ever EVER hear this song again in my entire lifetime, it won’t be too soon. Tina Turner Syesha ain’t. She’s not even a Trenyce.
Jason Castro - “Mr. Tambourine Man” - This was a perfect song choice for Jason. The arrangement is wisely kept to acoustic guitar, with a little bit of electric guitar and bass. Jason’s sweet, incomparable vocals bring the poetry in the song alive. My favorite of the four. Oh, how it could have been.
David Archuleta - “Love Me Tender” - Hm. No. All the little twinkly Disney embellishments in the arrangement annoy me. And, it’s off to Never Never Land! Gah, I just hate what ~~David’s dad~~ David has done with the melody. Give me Elvis’s tender, sexy version please. The recorded version is even more syrupy and denuded than the live version.

David Cook Takes the Lead! Top 10 Performance Recordings Now Available on iTunes

Top 6 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes

Idol Top 11 - Beatles Dos

Top 7 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes!

Top 5 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes

Published by mj May 2nd, 2008 in American Idol, S7 Top 12 and S7 iTunes. 61 Comments

The iTunes studio recordings are up. You can purchase by clicking the the banner here –>. You help support the site too if you click, so thanks in advance!

The Idols sang two Neil Diamond songs this week, but only recorded one. Here’s my take on this week’s recordings.

I’m listing the tunes in order of popularity, according to Rickey’s iTunes chart.

David Cook - “I’m Alive” - I hear that the DC fans would love a recorded version of “All I Ever Really Need is You”. So would I. I wish it would have been recorded instead of “I’m Alive”. But such as it is, this version rocks as much as it can, driven by Cookie’s passionate delivery.
Brooke White - “I Am…I Said” - Brooke’s live version of this song was moving and beautifully rendered. The recorded version isn’t as intimate as the live version, but it doesn’t disappoint.
Jason Castro - “Forever in Blue Jeans” - I’d love a truly acoustic version of this song. The strings are a bit much, but Jason’s quirky, laid back vocals are perfect for the breezy material.
David Archuleta - “Sweet Caroline” - I’m a little surprised that the rousing “America” wasn’t chosen as the studio recording. At this point, the overplayed original sounds karaoke. It’s tough to listen to knock-offs. Nevertheless, Archie does a nice job with the tired material.
Syesha Mercado - “Hello Again” - The scrappy Syesha delivers a sweet and understated performance here. As long as she backs off the high notes, which she does for the most part here, she sounds great. The arrangement is heavy on the syrupy strings. I wish the arrangers would knock that off.

Top 6 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes

Top 4 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes

Idol Top 11 - Beatles Dos

Top 7 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes!

Top 6 Studio Recordings are Now Available at iTunes

Published by mj April 24th, 2008 in American Idol, Season 7, S7 Top 12 and S7 iTunes. 70 Comments

Hey, I posted my recap of last night’s show–with pictures here

The iTunes studio recordings are up. You can purchase by clicking the the banner here –>. You help support the site too if you click, so thanks in advance! My take on this week’s recordings:

Syesha Mercado — “One Rock & Roll Too Many” - Not as fun without the visuals, but good. Does anyone notice there’s a line about smoking pot in this song? There is a giant glory note at the end that she didn’t perform live. I can hear Syesha on a Broadway cast recording right now.
Jason Castro — “Memory” - Choo choo indeed. While I didn’t think Jason’s performance Tuesday night was a “trainwreck” it definitely had its problems. I don’t think the song choice was all that weird, either. In this studio version, Jason handles the melody deftly and is able to convey the sense of nostalgia and loss. There is a real nice use of his falsetto in spots. Ew. Hate the strings. I’m glad I downloaded this one.
Brooke White — “You Must Love Me” - The recording gives a hint of what Brooke could have done during her live performance if she hadn’t freaked out. When Brooke is on, she’s sublime. While not one of her best performances, her vocals evoke a sweet vulnerability here. Nice.
David Archuleta — “Think of Me” - A nice young boy sings a nice song. But somewhere within the syrupy harp and string accompaniment, the meaning of the song–goodbye and please remember me–gets lost.
Carly Smithson — “Jesus Christ Superstar” - This recording sounds much better than it looked on TV without all the smiling and the shimmying. Somebody in comments thought she may have performed it the way she did in order not to piss off devout Christians. If so, Carly’s recording is certainly braver. It’s got some of the angry, urgent edge the live version lacked. Carly wails away, and it’s good.
David Cook — “Music of the Night” - Oh wow. It’s the theatre boi in full bloom! The live version had a few rough edges. This studio version is so smooth– it’s David Cook goes pop classical. He does it very well, but it’s not my thing. However, like the performance, this recording has the potential to appeal to an audience of non-rock music lovers. A smart move at this stage of the game. Still, probably won’t have this recording in heavy rotation on my iPod.