* American Idol S06E38

Full Metal Blogging. Plus Erik’s American Idol Stock Picks.

As we enter the home stretch of season 6 of American Idol, I ramp up my blogging to “full metal blogging” and expand on my traditional stock picks. In other words, here’s some AI commentary to go with my AI stock picks (explained here) for tonight’s episode. For these multi-song episodes, I’ve been giving +1 for a “buy,” zero for a hold, and -1 for a “sell.”

First Song

1. Jordin Sparks – buy. Jordin sang “Wishing On A Star,” and it was flawless, smooth, and contemporary. A good song choice by Simon and a solid buy.
2. Blake Lewis – hold. Blake sang “Roxanne.” There was too much echo in this song. And is it impossible to sing a Police song without being compared to Sting. This is not a singing song, and Blake’s version didn’t add or subtract anything. It was Paula’s choice, and it was a bad choice.
3. Melinda Doolittle – hold. Melinda sang “I Believe In You And Me.” OK, a third of the way through this song, I’m asking, “Are you loving this?” Because I am not. The song seemed to start only after the modulation. It didn’t do anything for me. The judges always say not to sing Whitney Houston (or the other divas), but I guess it’s OK if Randy picks the song. Another bad song choice, another hold.

Second Song

1. Jordin Sparks – hold. Jordin sang “She Works Hard For The Money.” You can’t do a lot with this song. There are not a lot of sustained notes. Another odd song choice, but Jordin does the best she can with it.
2. Blake Lewis – buy. Blake sang “This Love.” He could front Maroon Five with this version of the song. He added just enough beat-boxing to give a nice accent to the song.
3. Melinda Doolittle – hold. Melinda sang “Nutbush City Limits.” I have 6000 songs in my iTunes library, I play in a band, I listen to the radio nearly all day every day, and I’d never heard this song. I guarantee you that I am not alone. With my apologies to Tina Turner, this was a good song but not an exciting or memorable performance.

Third Song

1. Jordin Sparks – buy. Jordin reprises “I Who Have Nothing” from earlier in the season. How great is this?! Her performance sounds like a movie soundtrack. Or a Moody Blues concert. An Idol moment for anyone with a pulse (which apparently excludes Simon).
2. Blake Lewis – hold. Blake sang “When I Get You Alone.” Huh? And odd tuneless forgettable choice to close out the show.
3. Melinda Doolittle – buy. Melinda reprised “I Am A Woman” from earlier in the season and seemed to really muff the opening. All I can remember about this song is that she sang it much better the first time. But it was still good, as were all of her performances. The judges loved it. A reluctant buy.

Weighted Scores

1. Jordin Sparks = +2
2. Blake Lewis = +1
3. Melinda Doolittle = +1

I have the same weighted scores as last week. I have to give Blake the edge over Melinda on the strength of his memorable Maroon Five song. Quick, try to remember any of the nine songs. Can you sing any of Jordin’s? Any of Blake’s? Any of Melinda’s? I’m predicting that Melinda will be going home in a non-shocker.