Corey Hart, "Never Surrender" (the song Chikezie should sing tomorrow)
It’s “Songs from their birth years” week on “American Idol,” an odd placement considering how close it is to ‘80s week. (And seeing how badly the second Beatles week went over, wouldn’t it have been better to move a more current week up in the schedule?) Oh well, now that we’re heading into the homestretch, it feels like the right time to dispense some free advice to the Top 10:
David Archuleta (1990): Lil David – or should I say Lil David’s folks? – seem to know his strengths and weaknesses pretty well, aside from that whole “We Can Work It Out” debacle. And there’s plenty of songs in his wheelhouse from ‘90. I’m thinking Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” or Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” are on his shortlist and maybe “Love Will Lead You Back” from Long Island’s own Taylor Dayne. But he’d be better off stretching a bit with Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” or maybe Mariah’s “Love Takes Time.” Just please no Phil Collins.
Jason Castro, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado (1987): Jason needs to recapture the kinda-edgy, kinda-sweet success of “Hallelujah” and there are some good possibilities for him, though they’ll probably be eliminated by rights issues. U2, Springsteen and R.E.M. would be great for him. (“With or Without You” would drive the nation’s teenage girls into a frenzy.) Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” could work or one of the Bon Jovi hits.
Ramiele needs a big week if she’s going to hang around. There are plenty of cute songs from 1987 that would work for her – from The Jets’ “You Got It All” or Lisa Lisa’s “Head to Toe” to all the Expose hits. But I think she should come out of left field and do Billy Vera’s “At This Moment,” which is due for a comeback, don’t you think?
Syesha needs to stay away from the Whitney this week, but still needs a big ballad. How about Heart’s “Alone” or Kenny Loggins’ “Meet Me Halfway”? But I can’t resist suggesting Michael Jackson’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” his duet with Siedah Garrett. Siedah, Syesha. Syesha, Siedah.
Chikezie (1985): I expect big things from Chikezie this week because he has a strong slate of songs to work his countryfied-soul magic on. Anything from Wham!’s “Careless Whisper” to Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” to Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration” should be great. But a good left-field choice – Corey Hart’s “Never Surrender”? Jack Wagner’s “All I Need”? – could boost Chikezie to a whole new level.
Kristy Lee Cook (1984): Oh dear Kristy, so confused, so maligned. She just can’t keep up with the rest of this group. That would make Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” the perfect song to assault us with this week or maybe Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” But wouldn’t it be great to hear her take on Sheila E’s “The Glamorous Life” or Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer”? Yeah, I guess not.
Carly Smithson, Brooke White (1983): Carly got a nice little scare last week, landing in the bottom three. What’s her ticket out? Well, I would put money down on Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” since Tyler’s rough, but powerful voice is so close to her, or maybe Laura Branigan’s “Solitaire” or Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing At All.” But she needs to break out of her rut, so how about Prince’s “Little Red Corvette”?
Brooke’s laid-back, earth-mama act can turn any number of songs into a sweet little bit of sunshine without actually, you know, pretending to be the sun. Bryan Adams’ “Straight from the Heart” and Journey’s “Faithfully” are right up her acoustic-folkie alley. Of course, I’ve always been partial to Spandau Ballet’s “True.”
David Cook (1982): Will he go for a true rocker like Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” or Asia’s “Heat of the Moment”? Or will he try the surprise rock route again with Sheena Easton’s “You Could Have Been With Me” or Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”? Either way, it could be amazing.
Michael Johns (1978): Michael was lucky enough to be born in a year that was big for Aussies and he should take advantage of it. He could show some humor and rework Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing” or the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever.” Or he could make the most of that Michael Hutchence smolder and do Exile’s “Kiss You All Over.”