American Idol Goes Country
The Top 7 of American Idol hit the stage this week crooning some Country tunes. This highly stylized theme, as we've seen in previous Idol seasons, was kind to certain contestants and not so kind to others.

The It's Destiny! guest panelist this week is Sheila from Las Vegas (who just happens to be Destiny's mother!).

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI6 Top 7: Country.

Phil Stacey "Where The Blacktop Ends"
Sheila: Finally, the judges came to their senses and agreed with me. Phil is my man, and he had fun singing that song!
Score: 9.0 The best guy of the night.
Liza: Oh ... oh Sheila! (Sorry, couldn't resist that Ready for the World shoutout) I agree. I was glad to see Phil give a complete performance and show personality. It was enjoyable. And if he survives this week, maybe now he'll be able to soar in this competition.
Score: 8.5
Tammy: This is undoubtedly the best performance from Phil this season. For once, he looked relaxed, seemed to be having fun, and chose a song that he could sing well. Huh. Who knew he had it in him (except for Sheila...welcome, by the way)?
Score: 8.7
Destiny: I knew (oh, and hi, Mom!)! I've loved Phil from the start, and I'm glad to see him get some recognition from the judges. That being said, this song choice wouldn't be my pick for Phil, but he did it well.
Score: 8.9

Jordin Sparks "A Broken Wing"
Sheila: WOW, that girl can sang. She really "told the story" to quote Martina, and Simon finally jumped on the "Jordin" bandwagon. Bout time!
Score: 9.0
Liza: First of all, Jordin looked stunning. And she sounded stunning as well. She let that song build to that impressive climax and just nailed the vocals at the end. It could have been an almost perfect performance if she didn't hit that off note as she transitioned from the first verse to the chorus. But overall, that was just terrific. I can't imagine how it must have been in the studio ... you could totally hear the audience going nuts in the middle of her song. It was a Kelly Clarkson "Without You"-esque reaction. And we all know where that got her!
Score: 9.4
Tammy: Jordin was emoting like her life depended on it! Despite a few wonky notes, she delivered the performance of the night and brought the 'wow' factor after a lackluster showing last week. Now. The outfit? I don't even know where to begin. The 70's-Cleopatra look? Just no.
Score: 9.2
Destiny: I loved the outfit! I'm with Liza in that I think Jordin looked stunning. Loved the dress! Oh, and love the girl! She is amazing and so endearing and entertaining. She is up there with the greats of American Idol, and I don't give that ranking lightly. She always sounds fabulous, and this week was no exception. She knows how to craft a song and a performance.
Score: 9.5

Sanjaya Malakar "Something To Talk About"
Sheila: Not only didn't he "give us something to talk about", I was completely speechless following that performance.
Score: 5.0
Liza: If only Ryan Seacrest had the same reaction. I think he played right into Sanjaya's machinations by giving the audience something to distract from Sanjaya's poor performance. And Ryan really shouldn't try to go toe-to-toe with Simon Cowell. Simon's the master! Sanjaya took two steps back from last week's performance. He established some credibility with "Besame Mucho" and then threw it right back. (BTW - I have to say that Sanjaya's "Besame Mucho" is a million times better than the one I heard on Dancing With The Stars this week. Gah! Those singers ...)
Score: 5.0
Tammy: This was a fairly dreadful performance. He was consistently flat throughout. And also bafflingly confident. You can't help but cheer for him. Still, he is the worst of the night.
Score: 5.5
Destiny: I agree with all of you. This was the least talk-about-it-worthy of Sanjaya's performances. There were no bold antics, his vocals were really sour, and while he looked at ease on the stage, there was no emotion driving the performance.
Score: 5.0

LaKisha Jones "Jesus Take The Wheel"
Sheila: LaKisha is my girl from day one so it's hard for me to admit it, but this wasn't her best performance. This judging thing is hard!
Score: 8.0
Liza: LaKisha is either really confident/brave or really stupid to be singing a Grammy Award-winning song by the country Idol queen Carrie Underwood. Carrie sounds angelic on this song. LaKisha, on the other hand, sounds like she wants Lucifer to take the wheel instead. I think she really suffered in comparison to Carrie, especially in the chorus and in that big glory note towards the end that she couldn't hold nearly as long as Carrie. And I'm not exactly a big Carrie Underwood fan, as anyone who read our Season 4 reviews can attest to! The other thing I wasn't really feeling is how LaKisha didn't sound country on this song. As I've said before, I'm a stickler to the themes.
Score: 7.0
Tammy: LaKisha needs to learn that whole 'less is more' theory. She could have had a lovely performance had she not tried to push the song into a direction that it was never meant to go.
Score: 8.0
Destiny: I disagree with all of you and the judges. I'm pretty boggled at all the tepid reactions. I thought LaKisha sounded great on the song and better than the original. I didn't hear any pitch problems, and I thought the performance was full of emotion. Liza thinks it wasn't Country, and Randy thought it was too Country.
Score: 8.9

Chris Richardson "Mayberry"
Sheila: I wasn't a big Chris fan until a few weeks ago, but each week I find myself watching his performances over and over throughout the week. Thank goodness for my DVR.
Score: 7.5
Liza: Chris has been losing me the last few weeks. This week pretty much signaled the death knoll. His voice is weaker than almost everyone left in the competition, and he was off throughout most of the song. What really killed it for me, though, was when he said he doesn't sing nasally every week (?!?!?!!!!!!!!!) and that "nasally is a form of singing". Oh good gravy. And I'm not sure what to make of his Va. Tech shout out. In one respect, I understand that he's somewhat close to the situation, and he did appear to be a little choked up even mentioning it, but on the other hand, it seemed a bit opportunistic.
Score: 6.2
Tammy: I take issue with the song choice. If he wanted to sing a Rascal Flatts song, there are far better choices to be had. "Mayberry" really didn't go anywhere, and Chris really didn't know what to do with himself onstage, as he seemed to be meandering about aimlessly in his faux Justin Timberlake-ian way.
Score: 7.8
Destiny: I agree that it was a poor song choice. I would have liked him to have done a Country ballad with that beautiful voice of his. This song's style and lyrics didn't suit him at all. As for his comments about being nasally, I got what he was saying, I just don't think it came out right. He was saying that at least one of the judges calls him nasally every week, and that if he's been nasally every week, it's just how he sings, not a thing he's turning off and on. I don't find him "nasally", but I find his voice to have a cry/whine in it that is very appealing. As for the post-performance banter, I think his shout out to Va. Tech was sincere and not opportunistic at all. I would have thought it inappropriate if he didn't say anything about it, being the Virginia boy that he is. I was disgusted by Simon's rolling of the eyes reaction to Chris' comment to his fellow Virginians. Then when Simon commented on the tragedy later in the show, it made him come off as even more of a pig.
Score: 8.0

Melinda Doolittle "Trouble Is A Woman"
Sheila: There is NO trouble with this woman! She can sing any song, any style and she proves it week after week after week. She thrills my heart to pieces.
Score: 9.5 The best of the night.
Liza: Melinda looks cute and trendy! Melinda sings a newer song! Melinda loses the "Who me?" look! FINALLY! And she proved that she really can sing anything and make anything believable. Tina Turner-esque? I can totally see that.
Score: 9.4
Tammy: This is probably my least favorite performance from Melinda.
The song seemed an ill fit for her, almost like her voice was too 'big' for the song. Of all the Country songs available, is this really the best she could do? Meh. I don't see this song being all that memorable.
Score: 8.3
Destiny: Are you crazy, Tammy?! Sheila and Liza hit it on the head- everything seemed to come together for Melinda with this performance (which I think was by far her best ever). I loved the hair, makeup and the outfit on her. It all made her seem young and fresh, a change she has desperately needed. Finally the stylists came through for her. Her vocals and sass complemented the new look. And I am SO glad she didn't give us her shocked and amazed face this week after receiving the judges' high praise. That look and awe were getting old and seemed feigned after the first two times we saw it. This was just a huge step up for Melinda in my book.
Score: 9.5

Blake Lewis "When The Stars Go Blue"
Sheila: Simon says "It wasn't a jump out of my seat performance." I agree it was a jump under my seat performance. I love Blake but that was not good.
Score: 7.0
Liza: While I'm sure most people who don't like country music will love that he turned it into an British alt-rock song, and while it's good that he maintained his personal artistic style, I personally don't like the de-countrification of it, from the British accent to the argyle sweater. It cheapens the purpose of the theme. And he sounded a bit off vocally.
Score: 7.4
Tammy: Blake's voice sounded good this week, but it seemed somewhat strange to see him planted in the middle of the stage like that. He appeared sort of restless, like he wanted to move about, but couldn't. Not his best performance, but an average performance from Blake still means that he'll be safe this week.
Score: 8.5
Destiny: I love Blake, too, but this performance was his worst showing to date. The song choice was dull, and the band obviously was throwing him off (I'd love to know the reason for his repeated frantic glares back at the band leader). Liza, I'm torn on whether contestants should totally make a song their own or if they should totally embrace the theme. Season One contestants were the best at embracing the theme, vocally and in wardrobe and performance style, and that is part of the reason why that is the best season of the show by far. On the other hand, last year we all were witness to the Chris Daughtry school of Idol in which he sounded and looked exactly the same on every single performance, which, while boring and totally not playing the Idol game as it was meant to be played, earned him high praise from the judges and audience. I think the best artists can make a song totally their own whilst totally embracing the theme. See Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia Barrino. Back to Blake, this was just OK, but as Tammy said, even Blake's average performances are way above par.
Score: 8.0

Who Should Be Eliminated:
Sheila: Sanjaya
Liza: Sanjaya
Tammy: The show won't be worth watching without him, but...Sanjaya.
Destiny: Sanjaya

Who Will Be Eliminated:
Sheila: Chris
Liza: LaKisha
Tammy: Sanjaya
Destiny: LaKisha (or Chris)

Calling All Fans
Want to be like our guest panelist, Sheila? We want to hear from you this season. Each week we will feature a different reader as a guest panelist to give us their take on American Idol. If you're interested in being a guest panelist, please use the "Contact Us" form to write in and give us your information. Be sure to include your name, age, and where you're from. If chosen, we will contact you with further details.

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We asked you, "Who Puts Out The Best Performances On AI6?"
34% Blake, 18% Melinda, 17% Jordin, 10% Chris,
8% Sanjaya, 5% Phil, 4% LaKisha, 4% Haley

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