American Idol Power Outage

The energy was extremely low on American Idol last night but the tunes were hot. Guest mentor Gwen Stefani brought the heat with her unique musical selections. The theme was No Doubt, Stefani’s solo music and her other inspirations, which included The Cure, The Police and Donna Summers. The songs were a vibrant selection from a modern songbook. Unfortunately, the young performers didn’t bring much energy or youth to the songs. The Idols need to start listening to the mentors as they talk about oversinging and the economy of runs and excessive beat boxing.

The AI stylists must enjoy playing little tricks on the contestants because they looked like ahot mess. Sanjaya caught the brunt of the most vicious joke with his ridiculous faux-hawk. Boots were made for walking as most of the girls sported a pair. Poor Jordin wore a circle skirt that made her look 10 pounds heavier through the hips and Melinda looked like a cast member of The Brady Bunch: A Musical.

Here’s a low down on the night’s performances:

LaKisha-Last Dance

The girl has a voice but was lackluster with the Donna Summers disco ditty. She didn’t bring anything new to the vocals but her strong voice and consistent performances should keep her in the running another week.

Chris S.-Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Not my favorite Police song but still a classic. He was proficient but where is the spunky alternative popster with quirky song choices. I think the stress is working him over. He may actually be the first AI finalist to gain weight. Homey was ahead of the music. Is he the rare singer without rythmn?

Gina-I’ll stand By You

I thought she gave the vocal of the night. If she could bring that emotion and intensity every week, she’d be a strong contender. I love the fragility of her voice. Exceptional. She needed this performance.

Sanjaya-Bath Water

Between the ridiculous hair, weak vocals and blank stare, I was underwhelmed. He’s just given up and stopped trying. I know I gave up three weeks ago.

Haley-True Colors

Poor girl. After baring her body last week, she did a 180 and went back to her pageant form. Her vocals were uninspired and her hairpiece looked like it belonged to a Connecticut soccer mom.

Phil-Every Breath You Take

Why did the creepiest guy in the competition perform the creepiest stalker song? I’m just glad he covered his shiny head. The performance was softer than usual therefore making it pleasant and less forced.

Melinda-Heaven Knows

This is one of my favorite Donna Summers tunes. I wish she had picked a No Doubt song to flex her rock muscle but she played it save. What is there to say about this girl? Even on a ho hum song, she’s articulate, emotional and fun to watch.

Blake-Love Song

I adore this Cure song. I appreciated Gwen’s honesty in stating that he needs to be careful with the beat boxing. He took it out and it was much better but highlights the fact that his vocals are weak. He needs to prove that he can really sing. He just feels like a random person trying to get into showbiz and not a dedicated singer. I think he’d much rather be an actor. I don’t feel his passion for music.

Jordin-Hey Baby

This was a tough song but she tried to work it out. She didn’t quite nail it but at least the words were coherent, which is tough on a song like this. Her spunk and gumption will keep her in there another week. She should have picked I’m Just a Girl. I’m surprised none of the girls selected it.

Chris R-Don’t Speak

I liked his R&B tinged version. He just looks so unsure and awkward. If he had a boost of confidence, he would miss the bottom three. Unfortunately, he may not get the opportunity to achieve that growth.

I think the bottom three will be Sanjaya, Chris R. and Haley.

What do you think?