'IDOL' HANDS: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week
This is a big week for the "American Idol" finalists, not just because it’s usually a week of surprises (when LaKisha Jones, Chris Daughtry, LaToya London, and Tamyra Gray have gone home in the past) but because it’s also the last of the theme weeks. This week, The Davids, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado tackle songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
So what should the Final Four sing tomorrow night?
Billy Joel, "Just the Way You Are" (what David Cook should be singing)
David Archuleta: In many ways, Young David can’t really gain more votes at this point. He can only lose them. He’s got his voting bloc of tweens and grandmas, and they’re going to carry him all the way to the finale, so he’s gonna go ultra-conservative this week, picking songs that he already knows, maybe Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” or Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” He would probably be better served to stretch a little, though, taking on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” or even Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
Jason Castro: Dude needs to apply himself a little while still maintaining his dudeness, so he’ll probably go reggae, mon, with The Wailers’ “Get Up, Stand Up” or Toots & The Maytals’ “Pressure Drop.” But he’d be better off with Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross” and something earnest and vulnerable that he can bat his eyes to like The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” He’s on the bubble this week, after last week’s dismal showing, but if he turns on the charm, Syesha will have a tough time.
David Cook: Oh, the temptation for Other David to do Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” may prove too much, though he should also stay away from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Maybe he should take U2's “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” instead and then rework another classic like Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” or James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and slow it down and make it snarly in the same Cookian style that has practically guaranteed him a spot in the finals.
Syesha Mercado: Please don’t go for Aretha’s “Chain of Fools” or “Respect,” dear. It only proves the point of you biting off more than you can chew. Instead, she should take a lesser-known big soul song like Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and pair it with something bluesy and musical-theaterish like Ruth Brown’s “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean.” She has the edge on Jason by being the only woman left and the fact that she’s peaking at just the right time, but she still needs to work it to survive the week.
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