When They Was Fab

Man, Idol just won’t leave the Beatles alone! After a week showcasing the Lennon/McCartney songbook, the show imaginatively returned last night with an episode showcasing … the Fab Four!

Where’s the love for other British Invasion groups? Why not give Syesha Mercado the opportunity to over-emote Ferry Cross The Mercy or give Michael Johns enough rope to strangle King Midas In Reverse?

Still, Idol producers probably paid a pretty penny for the Beatles catalogue and, by gum, they’re going to get their money’s worth. Too bad the law of diminishing returns affected the contestants’ performances last night.

To recap …

• Amanda Overmyer - “Back In The USSR” Paul McCartney’s stomping Beach Boys parody seems tailor-made for the bar-band growler, but Overmyer shouts rather than sings her way through the song and seemingly loses her breath before the performance ends. Although she later scoffs at the prospects of singing slower numbers (”ballads suck” would make a great slogan for a bumper sticker), Overmyer might have fared better tackling Joe Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Didn’t she ever watch The Wonder Years?

• Kristy Lee Cook - “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” Emmylou Harris once sang a beautiful version of “Here, There And Everywhere” that is perfect for Cook’s country twang. Sadly, the contestant probably never heard of Harris or the song as she admits to picking John Lennon’s Dylan-esque ballad solely because of its title. Rearranged to sound a bit like a James Bond theme, her performance isn’t as bad as the week before. Still, the arrangement forces Cook to hit low notes that her range simply doesn’t cover. Will this be the week our current Idol crush is sent home?

• David Archuleta - “The Long And Winding Road” This is easily the schmaltziest song in the Beatles’ repertoire, although The Keeper is one of the few mortals alive who believe Phil Spector’s string-heavy arrangement strengthened, rather than ruined, the number. The tune’s square-jawed sincerity is squarely within Archuleta’s wheel-house, and he confidently re-establishes his role as The One To Beat™. The teeny-bopper screams at the end of Archuleta’s performance conveniently provide one of the show’s few genuine moments. ArchulettaMania anyone?

• Michael Johns - “A Day In The Life” We heard his performance today, oh boy. Johns takes the psychedelic classic and presents modern audience with a Tivoed version that skips right past the orchestral interludes and leaves the song nothing more than a collection of unrelated fragments. (Which is how it was originally written, by the way.) His voice wasn’t too hot either, but Johns plays a sympathy card afterward by dedicating the song to a recently deceased friend. We predict an appearance in the bottom three, but Johns’ good looks may carry him through to another day.

• Brooke White - “Here Comes The Sun” Forget Carly Simon! White’s hippie-dippy rendition of George Harrison’s acoustic standard firmly establishes her as the new Melanie! Someone get the girl to record a cover of “Brand New Key,” stat!! Unlike Randy Jackson, we appreciated White’s spontaneous whoop at the middle of the song. It’s nice to see that at least some of the contestants enjoy the songs. That said, her performance was no great shakes and the Keeper could have done without White’s self-flagellation afterward.

• David Cook - “Day Tripper” We would have rather seen someone tackle Anne Murray’s soulful version of the song than Whitesnake’s (ick, though at least it’s the pre-Tawny Kitaen Whitesnake), but Cook gets points for admitting he nicked the arrangement from somebody else. The Keeper is also gratified to learn that Peter Frampton’s voice box can still find work in this day and age. Otherwise, it’s another solid performance by Cook who - despite his surprising success - should do everything he can to tone down that smug attitude.

• Carly Smithson - “Blackbird” Last week we praised Carly for refusing to kowtow to her former label’s demand for a new Celine Dion. This week, Smithson takes Paul McCartney’s beautiful, plaintive ballad and … sings it like she’s Celine Dion. The performance is fine, technically, but Carly’s face contorts when she hits high notes, making those camera close-ups a bit difficult to watch. Unlike Simon, we enjoyed Smithson’s mini-rant against the record industry after the song. It’s clear the second chance provided by Idol means a great deal to her. However, we can’t help but wonder why so many contestants are mouthing off to the judges this week.

• Jason Castro - “Michelle” The Keeper doesn’t have much to say about this guy. It’s clear Castro has no emotional connection to the song, and he can’t even seem to get over the fact that some of the lyrics are in French. Still, his appeal lies in areas the men don’t know but the little girls understand. Although the audience doesn’t squeal for Castro as loudly as they do for Archuleta, it’s clear the former drummer has enough fans to stick around the show for awhile.

• Syesha Mercado - “Yesterday” Every bit the actress, Mercado wrings every last bit of possible drama out of “Scrambled Eggs.” The restrained arrangement, controlled vocal and pained expression on her face are quite effective. However, to echo Paula’s comment(!), Mercado seemed too wrapped in herself to truly connect with the audience. Still, unless Idol’s audience truly dislikes the diva, this week’s performance should be enough to keep Mercado out of the bottom three tonight.

• Chikezie - “I’ve Just Seen A Face” Lightning does not strike twice. Mr. Eze tries once again to bedazzle the audience with an arrangement of the Beatles’ folk-rocker that veers from Quiet Storm soul (which was boring) to sped-up bluegrass (which was surprisingly good). He probably would have been better off sticking to just one genre, especially since Chikezie is proving to be a surprisingly good country singer. Unlike the judges, however, we did like the Dylan-esque harmonica “solo” that truly brought the song back home. After all, The Beatles were listening to Mr. Zimmerman a lot back then …

• Ramiele Malubay - “I Should Have Known Better” Ms. Malubay didn’t do any favors for herself in the filmed promo, where seemed a bit emotionally needy. Still, all would have been forgotten if she knocked the song out of the park. Sadly, that didn’t happen. In fact, her performance and wardrobe sounded and looked like they came from a variety show on the Radio Philippines Network. Ramiele was great singing Dusty Springfield a few weeks back, but it seems as though she is unable - due to homesickness, perhaps - to break through to the next level. It’s a shame, as her voice is one of the strongest in the competition.

And … that was last night’s show. As for the bottom three, we predict Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer will find themselves sweating out the final results.

We’ll find out in a few hours if the Keeper’s predictions are correct!