Country Week--Thumbs Down from Simon

I had my doubts about a week devoted to Dolly Parton. I'm not a fan, and quiet honestly couldn't name more than a few songs she recorded. I had no idea she wrote so many songs. This week may be alright.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Just the theme alone is enough to predict a stormy mood from the Brit. He never "gets" country music, and I don't believe for one second that he "loves" country music. Paula was a bit happy tonight, although not as happy as weeks past. Is Randy trying to tone down the criticism so people will like him again? Last week he was a mad dawg. This week he's a moderately sedated one. I feel badly for the second half of the contestants in the week they go from 90 minutes to one hour. They get half-hearted critique and a lightning speed Ryan running the numbers. And then Paula uses the last contestant as a chance to praise all of the contestants that night with a minimal attempt to address the final singer. Let AI run over. "Hell's Kitchen" can wait a few. Or better yet, shorten the local news. Heaven knows it's mostly fluff anyway.

BROOKE WHITE: First slot is always a challenge because it gets easy to forget them. I thought she was good, not great, but showed why she has a good following. She was actually trying to listen to Simon when the crowd started booing and Paula started cutting him off. I guess at this point they figure, "Why mess with the formula?"

DAVID COOK: Now what in the world was he going to do with Parton week. I guess pick a song I don't know and show his creativity. The Daughtry interview where they give him the chance to explain past weeks' arrangements was nice to get out of the way early. Another great performance.

RAMIELE MALUBAY: Boring. Predictable. Bleh. She's got a lot of vocal talent, but she is just not keeping up at this point. Randy's 6.5 out of 10 was a decent assessment, and at this point it's just not good enough.

JASON CASTRO: I really liked his performance. I think his voice is a bit weak for such a big stage, but at the same time, he is a great performer that knows his niche. The postcard was right: his voice is smooth and relaxing. He can stick around.

CARLY SMITHSON: Great performance from her this time. Too bad Simon had to go to appearances on her. I'm sure he feels they could both make a bit more money with a different look. But isn't this a singing competition, not a popularity contest?

DAVID ARCHULETA: Ballads are his thing. It seems that's where he is his best. This week was really good and should keep him going through. Let's be honest, though. He could walk on stage, eat a bunch of cheese, and then sit down and his fans would still vote him through.

KRISTY LEE COOK: Country, so you knew she'd seem at home. I'm not sure why she picks the songs she does, but oh well. She is definitely not strong enough to make it much further, but at least this week was a nice follow-up from last week.

SYESHA MERCADO: It's sad when I forget to review a contestant until I'm putting together My Bottom Three and I notice someone is missing. She was good. She has a good voice, but I was not surprised she picked a song better equated with Whitney Houston than Dolly Parton, even if she did the latter's arrangement for the most part. And I knew the judges would have some problems with diva comparisons. Syesha just needs to stay away from comparison songs because it is rare to nail them. Song selection was the problem here.

MICHAEL JOHNS: Awesome! This is his style and it was a great performance. I'm surprised the judges didn't pick up more on his vocal stylings, but then again, time for crazy chefs wielding knives. His falsetto was great, the mini-band was perfect, and he's looking more and more like a Top 3'er like I originally predicted.

MY TOP THREE: Michael Johns, David Cook, and then one of a few others
MY BOTTOM THREE: Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Kristy Lee Cook (someone's gotta be there)
JUST TRAVELIN' THROUGH: Ramiele Malubay