American Idol Top 5

Neil Diamond night (or morning, in my case, as I didn't get home 'til past midnight last night).

Let's get to it.

Jason Castro

"Forever in Blue Jeans"--great song choice, and very good performance. Interesting that his guitar was ENTIRELY out of the mix. Well done.

"September Morn"--Didn't like it that much. It felt a little too forced for him to me--especially the staging, key change and all.

David Cook

"I'm Alive"--Interesting that his guitar was also entirely out of the TV mix (but he did a great job making it look like he was playing the actual lead riff--ha!). I didn't like it that much, really. It was OK.

"All I Really Need is You"--Better than the first song, for sure. Not amazing, but much better than the first, and solid. Good job. The drum fill into the chorus, and big chorus feel made the song.

(FYI, the AC stands for Adam Cook--his brother, battling brain cancer)

Brook White

"I'm a Believer"--Didn't like it all that much. It's a little to happy-go-lucky-ish and shallow for her. (and all these songs are feeling way too rushed right now--they should have just stuck with one song, and done it right, instead of flying through stuff)

"I Am I Said"--I'm surprised that she's back on the piano, honestly. Good for her, though. She seems to be back in her groove. Much better than the first song. I liked it (although it still felt rushed, because there's not time to really complete the songs). Good job, Brooke.

David Archuleta

"Sweet Caroline"--I really like the switched up feel on this song a lot this week. It felt very good to me. Well done, David.

"America"--I loved the guitar riff at the beginning. Great song choice for him, for sure. Good performance (exactly what I expected).

Syesha Mercado
"Hello Again"--Really safe choice for her. She did it just fine. Not bad. Not amazing.

"Thank the Lord for the Night Time"--Well, she's back in her musical theater groove, which works for her (although it's not what I would choose to listen to frequently). Great vocal. Good job. Broadway superstar to be, maybe.

I'm with Simon--Syesha may be in trouble, HOWEVER, this is anyone's game at this point. Strange things often happen at this stage of the game. My guess is that Brook and Jason will join Syesha in the bottom 3.

Angels Watchin' Over Me

It's pretty interesting that one of my favorite paintings is by ?? painted in ??--I'm sure none of you know who actually painted this (feel free to correct me here). It's one of my favorites because it was on the wall of one of my sibling's bedrooms growing up. I can remember staring at that thing for long periods of time, thinking...are there really angels? Do they really protect me like that? Of course, in my case, angels were there to protect me from my younger brother, Tyler, who manageed to shoot me through the thumb, knock me down with the claw of a hammer to the eye-socket, something about a throwing knife that I can't seem to remember completely, etc. (we played with interesting items, it appears).
So what is your favorite painting? Favorite artist? Anyone?



Check out other Watercooler Wednesday posts by clicking the link.

American Idol Top 6

Andrew Lloyd Webber night--WOW!! The musical theater guru himself. He's written a lot of WEIRD stuff, but a lot of amazing stuff as well, of course. I was actually listening to a bit of his Requiem yesterday (not realizing that this was coming tonight). I'm really interested to see what on Earth most of these contestants are going to do with this....

Syesha Mercado--"One Rock and Roll Too Many"--She certainly was at an advantage, knowing Andrew Lloyd Webber music well. Great song choice, and again I'll say--she's really a good vocalist. She could be a Broadway superstar, for sure. She seemed really comfortable singing tonight, and did a great job.

Jason Castro--"Memories"--The interview thing was awesome...now for the song. Probably a good choice for him. He could have pitched it at least a whole step higher, I think, and it would have been better. Still pretty good, and he managed to (mostly) stay true to himself (except for the orchestral arrangement). And yes--this song was originally written to be sung by a cat. (told you he wrote some weird stuff).

Brooke White--"You Must Love Me"--Ugggh. She dropped lyrics and asked to start the song over...wow. I like that she was sitting down most of the song--makes for less awkward movements from her. Well, it could have been worse, but certainly not her best. I feel bad for her (not the first time).

David Archuleta--"Think of Me"--Well, it seemed a bit changed up, just for the sake of changing it up, to be honest. It didn't seem better--almost worse to me, honestly. I still admire his bravery in changing up such a popular song. It wasn't bad, really, but not that good, I think. He's still a great singer, and is safe as can be (of course).

Carly Smithson--"Jesus Christ, Superstar"--Good for ALW to make her change songs from "All I Ask of You". That could have been less good. First--I dislike the song and the musical, as it seems all a bit sacrilegious. That being said, she did a great job singing, as usual. Well done.

David Cook--"The Music of the Night"--Not what I expected. It sounded like Michael Crawford's original to me. Surprise. It was very well performed, in a very musical theater-ish way. Weird. All he needed was a "Phantom of the Opera" mask. The last note was the only thing that was different, really. Good job, David.

OK--Simon hates musical theater. AND...Brooke's gone. I like her (I actually like everyone who is left at this point), but 2 not good performances in a row--I don't think she'll be able to hold on. Joining her in the bottom will be Syesha (although she gave the best performance of the night, in my opinion) and Jason Castro.

Good Times

One word: Facebook (or is that 2 words?). I had a couple of friends ask me recently if I was a facebooker (I'm sure that's not a word at all). Well, I took the plunge, and IS IT CRAZY! It instantly came up with over 100 people who I knew, from high school, college, California, Ohio, etc. When you join facebook, you get to view profiles, with photos, etc., just to get reacquainted with people from your past (or learn more about people from present--sometimes quite scary). Another thing I learned quickly, is that it can also be a colossal waste (or expense might be a better word here) of time, if unchecked.

Everything in moderation....

American Idol Top 7

OK--sorry this is late, y'all. Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday, though!


Today is Mariah Carey day. I'll admit, that I once liked her, in the late 80s/early 90s as a singer. She's not really my style any longer (not sure she was then, but girls liked Mariah, and I like girls...domino effect thing, maybe--uggh....I'm such a sell out....)
David Archuletta--"When You Believe"--I really like that song a lot--loved it the first time I heard it. I think he should have stayed with the melody more on the chorus, instead of doing licks over everything. There will be time for that later for him--not yet though, when he only has one shot at the chorus. Of course, he sounded great, and I think he picked the right song. Good job over all.
Carly Smithson--"I Can't Live"--I would have like a little more reverb on her vocal, actually. Not her fault. It probably wasn't her best, but very very good. She's a great, VERY consistent singer.
Syesha Mercado--"Vanishing"--I'm expecting some great things from her tonight, with Mariah tunes. A little out of tune from the onset, but locked right in after that. Again, I think she could be absolutely stellar after a few more years of vocal maturation. At this point, she's just extremely good. She did a great job tonight. Really. She might be the best vocalist on the show this year, in regards to what she CAN do, but needs some refinement and more time in front of big crowds.
Brooke White--"Hero"--OK--If Brooke's not nervous, I am for her. This will be a big stretch for her, if she in ANY way tries to copy the original. Should have chosen some different chords from the piano. It sounded WEAK at the beginning. And a little throughout, actually. Yikes. She fell apart a bit at the piano in the middle. Probably should have gone with the FULL ORCHESTRA THAT WAS JUST SITTING THERE ON THAT TUNE!! Not very good, however brave it might have been. Paula was right. SO often, when people get a little bit nervous, or something gets wrong, the beat gets faster. She followed suit. Worst so far (although I like her).
Kristy Lee Cook--"Forever"--I'm expecting nothing much. It can only exceed my expectations here. Never having heard that song, It probably fit her as much as any possible Mariah song could have. The steel guitar thing worked for her. She exceeded my expectations. Not bad, really. IF there is any hope of her going anywhere in this competition, she made it a little better tonight. Good for her (but she still doesn't have a hope in the world).
David Cook--"Always Be My Baby"--OK--I'm more eager to hear him than any others tonight...just to see what he's going to do. Good choice for him to have someone else play the guitar tonight, so he can concentrate on vocals, etc. I liked the big toms/strings entrance on the pre-chorus a lot. It got big, and good. I liked the monotone power bgv's--it produces a lot of power in the sound. They should have lived there a little longer, and not gone into parts. Great arrangement. Best of the night, as far as I'm concerned. GREAT JOB DAVID! REALLY well done.
Jason Castro--"I Don't Want to Cray"--IF he doesn't take her advice on the melodic changes, he's an idiot. He needs to keep it simple tonight. Let's see here...great string entrance! I liked the song, over-all. I think he probably SHOULD have kept the guitar, actually (he seems more comfortable with it). Pretty good job, though. Well done, Jason.

Bottom 3--Syesha, Brooke and Kristy Lee Cook. My prediction: there will be an upset as we all watch Brooke leave us tonight. Sad times ahead.

Idol Gives Back

OK...getting in my Watercooler Wednesday post.
(for those tuning in from the Watercooler, if you want my to check out my detailed take on yesterday's Idol show, check out my post from yesterday by clicking HERE)
Let me just throw out there that the opener to tonight's show was AMAZING--great music, great dancing, great lighting, etc. Wow. Those people can DANCE!!
I'm just going to watch the show now, and take it in. Again, thank you American Idol for caring about people other than yourselves. Well done!



Oh--and I want a mic like Snoop Dogg's.

American Idol Top 8

OK...just got back from the first round (played 9) of golf for the season, at Buck Ridge Golf Course (not counting the round in Virginia back in January). I hopped in the "Saints and Sinners" golf league as a sub for when people can't make it (I'm not ready to commit for the entire season). Very fun, and a great group of guys.... Now, for the main event. Top 8!!

Genre: Inspirational week...what does that mean, exactly? Maybe we'll find out.

Michael Johns--"Dream On"--what was the scarf thing? That was weird. Great vocal tonight, up 'til the "up the octave", falsetto part (for some reason, people think that's difficult to do...it's not), which I didn't actually like from him, although the actual notes were spot on. Good song choice, as well. Very inspirational (ha!). (bad chord came from the band toward the end--get it together, band!). Good performance.

Syesha Mercado--"I Believe"--I like her voice a lot (I've said that before, I think). Great song choice, I think. I like her more and more, the more I see her. Her vocal licks were really clean tonight, and although it was a really big song, she handled it great. Her best yet, as far as I'm concerned (and Randy's nuts). This girl nailed it tonight.

Jason Castro--"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"--It seemed like he jacked up the words a bunch (maybe not...just seemed like it). I actually didn't really like the song choice, although I like the original recording of that arrangement a lot. He did a good job for sure, but not great, as far as I'm concerned.

Kristy Lee Cook--"Anyway"--I think she paid the audio engineers to bury her vocals in the mix a little more than usual. Smart. Definite pitch problems. She just doesn't quite have the power needed on a song like that. Not bad, but I've seen her mess songs up way worse than that.

David Cook--"Innocent"--Didn't like his voice at the beginning at all, 'til he jumped up the octave. What a drummer!! I don't know that song, but it's really cool sounding. ("we are all innocent"--what does that mean? we're all guilty) I didn't like the performance that much, really. And the "give back" thing on his hand seemed really gimmicky (although we'll all remember that, I'm sure). Just sing a good song, man.

Carly Smithson--"Show Must Go On"--Great song choice. She is so intense...not as clean a performance as she's done in past weeks. Quite a few "pitchy" spots. She's done a lot better, but she's still an amazing singer, for sure. Not great.

David Archuleta--"Angels"--Great licks at the end. That was the part of the song that I liked. I don't know...I didn't really love the rest of it all that much. I'm not sure if he's confident enough on the piano, really, to focus on great vocals. It was clearly not as good a vocal as it normally is, but very good.

Brooke White--"You've Got a Friend"--What a great song, and certainly "inspirational". She definitely sang from the heart, and did a great job. I really wish it had more originality to it in the arrangement, though. It felt pretty old school to me. That said, I really like her more and more, because she seems so real to me.

Ugggh. It gets tough at this point to guess who's leaving us.... The worst performer there is definitely Kristy Lee Cook. She'll be in the bottom with Michael Johns and Syesha Mercado (although I thought she had one of her best nights tonight). Hopefully KLC will leave, and at that point, we'll have 7 potentially really good performers remaining, to make it interesting for the weeks to come.

I'm looking forward to "Idol Gives Back" tomorrow night. Last year was really cool, and I'm glad they're doing something like that. They really don't have to, but they are. Good for them.

Noah's Song

So, I brought my old home theater speakers (Monitor Audio Silver 5i) upstairs to test out the amp I just bought for Journey--a nice QSC to drive monitors for this weekend's band. I bought it used, so just wanted to be sure it all worked OK. It didn't. It worked AMAZINGLY. I'd forgotten how awesome those speakers are, and with that amp...wow. As you can see, our kids were glued there for a bit, listening as the speakers thumped music into their souls.
I'd come across an old (2002) Watermark (Nathan and Christy Nockels) CD in my iPod called Constant--there's a song called "Seek Me" that I used to love for testing out systems. As the cd continued, though, it got to a song that I'd all but forgotten about. It was a sweet, happy song about their well named son, "Noah". I didn't listen to that song much when the cd first came out. We were struggling a bit at the time with our newborn, called by the same name. I guess it was difficult listening to that kind of song about someone else's journey down a different path than mine.
This time, I listened to the song intently. Suppressing tears, I was reminded of much, and recognized again how much God has given us.
Most specifically, I thought of this past Wednesday, when I took Noah with me to a few stores. The first place, a lawn and garden store, Noah saw some construction guys on the roof. Cool! "Hello friend!", he called to the first guy. Then louder. The man stopped what he was doing, and his countenance quickly changed. With a smile on his face, he called back, "Hey, buddy!" We talked for a bit (and again, as we left the store later). Then off to Home Depot, where the same thing went down with the Home depot guy who works on the contractor purchase side--a big burly man, who was quick to soften when Noah called him "friend". Off to Target next, where Noah talked for a while with one of the employees, who commented on his manners, and seemed to be glowing when she finally pulled away from Noah (who might have kept her there for a few hours). Noah has taught us much. This song by the Nockels' sums it up pretty well. Thanks for the song, Nathan and Christy.

"Noah's Song"
by Nathan and Christy Nockels

Sweet Noah, Your eyes are a window
To all of our childhood dreams
It's almost like we're starting over again
One more trip through this life
With different eyes to see
You're the gift that came to take us back
Cause baby dear, you have the joy we lack
With your tiny hands you touch a different world

Your full of wonder, full of hope
And full of one more chance
For us to see the world again
Like God sees the world

Little lover of God You'd smile at a stranger
You don't think to be careful
How sweet is your love
You'd reach for the most unlovely of creatures
Your love is so unconditional
You're the gift that came to take us back
Cause baby dear, you have the love we lack
With your tiny heart
You'll love a different world
Your full of wonder, full of hope
And full of one more chance
For us to love the world again
Like God loves the world

And a child shall lead them
For such is the kingdom of heaven
Simple faith, simple love
Just because

Little faithful one
You're just like a mirror
Reflecting anything and everything we do
Mirror, mirror oh how you remind us
That we should reflect our Father just the same
You're the gift that came to take us back
Cause baby dear, you have the faith we lack
With your tiny life
You've shown the precious love of God
He's full of mercy, full of grace,
And full of one more chance
For us to daily learn to love Like He first loved us

And a child shall lead them
For such is the kingdom of heaven
Simple faith, simple love
Just because.

There is a Reason

OK...it's getting difficult, keeping up with the song title thing on the blog, but I'm sticking with it. "There is a Reason" is a really cool Alison Krauss song--check it out on iTunes. That being said...
There is a reason these letters are on our island in the kitchen. Jen's working on a project. Anyone want to guess???

American Idol TOP NINE

(I figured if I put her picture up, she might get voted off...let's see if it works)

OK...the "April Fools" edition of American Idol. Bring it....
Tonight's mentor: Dolly Parton--obviously iconic, amazing, high-energy, ageless (literally I think) performer.


Brooke White--"Jolene"--the crooked mouth thing started up for her tonight (someone please tell me if I do that--it's annoying to watch). I didn't like it that much, but it wasn't bad, necessarily. It felt a little sloppy musically (not a tight band or vocal)--just didn't gel. Not bad.
David Cook--"Little Sparrow"--His own arrangement, this time, evidently. Pretty good, but not amazing to me. He's definitely solid. I liked that he played an acoustic guitar this week, and lost the other guitar for a performance.
Ramiele Malubay--"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"--I feel like I just turned on a Gaither Homecoming video. And (not to knock Bill Gaither--great guy) I enjoyed it about as much (not). Not good. Hopefully, she'll leave soon, although tonight's singing wasn't horrid.
Jason Castro--"Travelin' Through"--My favorite song of the night so far, I think. Great song choice. I like the little pre-chorus sections of the song. He looked comfortable on the stage and the band seemed to gel together.
Carly Smithson--"Here You Come Again"--Definitely not a song written by Dolly Parton. Not my favorite song in the world, but SHE CAN SING LIKE CRAZY. I'd pick her over Celine Dion any day of the week. She's so good. Great job at making an average song sound good.
David Archuleta--"Smoky Mountain Memories"--He's a really good singer. For real. And again tonight, he's so passionate about singing and is able to connect with the songs better than most professionals. He did a great job tonight--it seemed like his upper range was easier for him tonight than in past weeks. Good for him.
Kristy Lee Cook--"Coat of Many Colors"--She's just not a good performer. The song was OK. The thing at the end was not necessary--just a little showy, but not good. Not bad. Not good. She just lucky to still be here, and seems to know it at this point.
Syesha Mercado--"I Will Always Love You"--I didn't realize Dolly wrote that one--wow! That song should keep Dollywood afloat for about another century or so. The white down lighting did horrible things to her hair (sorry). Not very good breath control early on, but a great tone to her voice. The long note thing was just for that-- a long note--not really musical. I wish she had kept it simple, and not done the Whitney key change in the middle. It hurt her, I think.... She's not as good as Whitney. Yet (maybe some day).
Michael Johns--"It's All Wrong, But It's Alright"--Great song choice, I think. A great blues/gospel feel to it. I like that he kept it really simple musically, letting his voice shine (which it did). GREAT, musical guitar player/piano player, too. Great job, over-all.



Leaving us tomorrow night Ramiele or Kristy Lee Cook. I hope.