AI7: Birthyears
The Top 10 contestants performed songs from the year they were born this week on American Idol. With a nice variety of genres represented, the night was interesting. There were a few star performances, however, much of the competition remains good not great.

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI7 Top 10: Birthyears.

Ramiele Malubay "Alone"
Tammy: Paula's outfit? Easily the worst thing she's ever put together! Fingerless Leather (pleather? latex?) gloves covered with gaudy bracelets? Ye-ikes.
Kicking off the show with the Jill Gioa classic, it's Ramiele! It sucks that the girl has lost her voice at such an inopportune time (is there ever an opportune time?), but honestly, I don't think she could have even pulled this song off in full voice. Ramiele lacks the ability to make an emotional connection to any song she sings. Even as she was raspy and sickly, Kelly Clarkson was able to make her rendition of 'I Surrender' memorable, because you could see in her eyes that she meant it (even if it was more than a bit painful to listen to). Ramiele? Not so much.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: I didn't think this was horrible, but it wasn't great either. I don't care for the song itself, so I wasn't expecting much. I do agree with you, Tammy, that Ramiele lacks the ability to make an emotional connection to songs. If she could master that, she could be a pop star. But this wasn't her best week by a long shot.
Score: 7.2
Liza: Very ambitious, but I think she felt like she needed to at least try something like this to save herself. She was pretty hit or miss with this song, though. Her pitch was off a bit. I did like how she changed up the ending, but I don't think it was the right song choice for her.
Score: 6.0

Jason Castro "Fragile"
Tammy: Jason keeps stickin' with the persona he's decided most defines him, and keeps getting dinged for it by the judges. True, what he delivered was probably nothing that will resonate, but his voice sounded strong, and the song had a sort of 'soundtrack' sense to it, something you'd hear during a transitional part of a film (have I given this too much thought?...yes). Anticlimactic as it may be, not all songs have to be big and chorus-y for them to have a place in this world.
Score: 8.1
Destiny: I agree. Jason brings something that I definitely would buy. It wasn't my favorite song he has done, and yes, maybe he does need to step up his game a little bit, but Jason definitely is one of the most interesting contestants of the season in my book.
Score: 8.0
Liza: This is one song that I don't think should be changed up, and I did not enjoy the sped-up arrangement. It's a great song, but it's also not a song that is going to make much of an impact on the audience. He could have done better.
Score: 7.5

Syesha Mercado "If I Were Your Woman"
Tammy: This was very Alicia Keys-ish to me. Their voices sound very similar. Syesha was fantastic, and may hang on for a few more weeks than originally anticipated. I can't help but think of Tamyra Gray's version, and although Syesha probably sang it better, I think I still prefer Tamyra's version. I think I just have a soft spot for the original AI alum.
Score: 8.5
Destiny: I couldn't help but think of Tamyra's version either. However, I don't think Syesha sang it or performed it better. This whole performance summed Syesha up for me: a good voice, but nothing special or memorable behind it. She's a cute girl, but no real star quality.
Score: 7.5
Liza: Technically it was good, but she kind of made the song plod with her overwrought singing as usual. I didn't think it was as good as Randy and Paula thought it was. And as an aside, her personality bugs the crap out of me.
Score: 7.25

Chikezie "If Only For One Night"
Tammy: Oh dear. Methinks Chikezie may be in trouble this week. While his voice is so warm and layered, this was not the best song to showcase his talents. The song was slow, and dated, and won't be remembered tomorrow morning. Save Chikezie!
Score: 7.0
Destiny: I'm with Tammy on this. Chikezie may very well hit the road this week. The song choice was not only terribly boring, but it was totally forgettable. A major step backwards for Chikezie.
Score: 6.5
Liza: It was very old-fashioned, but he sang it well. I was dying when he reached down to the audience because they weren't even reaching out to him until a few seconds after.
Score: 7.25

Brooke White "Every Breath You Take"
Tammy: The bit with just Brooke and the piano was lovely, but as soon as the band kicked in, the song immediately lost its charm and became predictable. I'm not sure how long she can keep doing essentially the same bit with the piano every week and stay entertaining.
Score: 7.7
Destiny: Tammy, you sound just like Randy and Simon! I have to agree, though. She needs to be as emotional and raw and intimate as possible every week if she is going to stay in this competition. The folk singer path she is on is the right one for her, but she must keep drawing us in fully. This was a good performance, but I found myself being nervous for her. I'm just glad everyone seems to like her, because I sure do.
Score: 8.0
Liza: That false start was unfortunate because it kind of marred what was really a lovely performance. I totally disagree with Randy and Simon's criticism about bringing the band in. I think it needed some different dynamics there. I was a little worried she might pump in the sunshine into this stalker song, but she sang it with enough darkness and nary a smile.
Score: 8.25

Michael Johns "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions"
Tammy: Judging from the fancy schmancy lighting and camera angles the song was given before he'd uttered even a single note, I figured this might just be the comeback song for Michael (everybody loves a comeback!). Surprisingly eschewing the reggae-tinged version made famous by J.D. Fortune, he delivered the song with a confidence and vocal strength we hadn't seen yet from Michael on the AI stage. I guess he wasn't willing to hand the title of 'Resident AI Rawker' to Mr. David Cook just yet. Huzzah! This could get interesting.
Score: 8.9
Destiny: I enjoyed this. He sounded great, and he commanded the stage. And how cute was he talking about the childhood traditions he had with his sister? Charming!
Score: 9.0
Liza: I'm nervous for Michael here, remembering the whole JD Fortune debacle on Rock Star: INXS. "We Are The Champions" really is a tough song to sing, but he nailed it! WOW. I have never heard the crowd so loud before. Even for Archuleta.
Score: 9.25

Carly Smithson "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Tammy: I just wasn't feelin' this. Those last desperate, terribly sharp notes were not the way to the end the song and as our final impression of her performance. I think she is terribly freaked out by how she barely squeaked into the top ten, and this mess was the result. Not all of it was bad, there were a few good moments, but it was just uncomfortable to watch/listen to. And she really needs to interact with the audience more. Loosen up!
Score: 7.9
Destiny: I didn't find this performance to be any different than anything Carly has done thus far. She has almost zero color/variation to her voice, resulting in her "singing" being mostly shouting. She seems like a nice girl, but she does absolutely nothing for me as a singer or performer.
Score: 6.5
Liza: Such a predictable song choice for her. And a predictable way of singing - just powering everything so hard. She's the singing equivalent of Sabrina Bryan. I felt like she rushed through the whole song. HATED the ending. SO. MUCH.
Score: 6.5

David Archuleta "You're The Voice"
Tammy: If I had my way, this boy would be hitting the bottom 3. I have no idea who this song was supposed to appeal to. How long can he coast on his OMG!DREAMY!-ness? Too long! Agh!
Score: 6.0
Destiny: The song was kind of bizarre and unknown, but I did think it fell in line with songs he's done previously. He seems to like songs with a "message." That being said, this was a boring performance of an insignificant (at least to American audiences) song. David needs to show a little more personality and relevance to keep himself interesting.
Score: 7.5
Liza: Wow. Cheesearama. Up With People-esque. And I'm quite tired of him singing these "message" songs week after week. Save it for Idol Gives Back! America, please don't let the kid miss his prom! Heh.
Score: 7.0

Kristy Lee Cook "God Bless The U.S.A."
Tammy: I do not get the appeal of this song, but it is a psychotically clever choice, somewhere along the lines of 'A vote for any other contestant is a vote against America!'. But she actually sang well (for the most part) this week, so a (very small) part of me hopes she squeaks by this week.
Score: 7.7
Destiny: This was indeed a very interesting song choice. At first I thought it was a terribly wrong choice, but once it started, I quickly realized that it may be sheer brilliance. Despite all that, I'm still a little puzzled where the cool and frontrunner-ish Kristy Lee from the early part of this competition went. Maybe with the boost this song choice will most likely give her, she'll come back stronger than ever in the coming weeks. Regardless, this was an entertaining bit of Idol.
Score: 8.2
Liza: Seriously, did we skip to Idol Gives Back week here? Gotta say, though, this might be the best she's sounded ever on this show. The key change was a little rough, but otherwise, good for her.
Score: 7.75

David Cook "Billie Jean"
Tammy: LOVE! Somewhere backstage, Michael Johns was shaking his fist at the gods as David waaaailed on his Rawker!Glory!Note! Having been familiar with the Chris Cornell version of the song beforehand, I gotta say, I actually like David's version better. His gleeful reaction to Simon's positive comment was pretty cute, too.
Score: 9.5
Destiny: While doing other artists' arrangements of songs is becoming a somewhat unsettling trend with Mr. Cook, it is really buffered by the fact that he makes sure it is known that he is covering those versions (something the pompous Chris Daughtry failed to do). That being said, David rocked the house this week. He is definitely the most interesting contestant at this point in the competition. I am still amazed at how he has seriously transformed himself in the past four weeks.
Score: 9.0
Liza: I was spoiled on this song choice and was eagerly anticipating it. That was just nuts. In a good way. What I love about him is that not only does he do rock versions of songs that have no business being rock songs ... but he does them on nights when he doesn't have to! He could have just picked a rock song from 1983 and sung it rock, but he takes chances on non-rock songs and turns them into something totally different, whether it was his arrangement or not (and I'm really glad that Ryan got the Chris Cornell version thing out of the way ahead of time).
Score: 9.5

Who Should Be Eliminated:
Tammy: Ramiele
Destiny: Carly
Liza: Ramiele

Who Will Be Eliminated:
Tammy: Chikezie
Destiny: Chikezie
Liza: Chikezie

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Last week we asked, "Who Is Your Favorite Idol Contestant?"
31% Jason, 23% David C., 15% Michael, 8% David A.,
7% Brooke, 6% Chikezie, 6% Amanda, 2% Kristy Lee,
1% Syesha, 0.5% Carly, 0.5% Ramiele

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