Not your typical country music fare
Most of the time, American Idol is not something that I write about on the site, since it's mainly a pop music show. But every year, they have one week where they will perform country music, and during that week, I like to chime in on what I thought about the performances.First, let me say that I do enjoy watching American Idol on a weekly basis, and have been watching it since the Top 12 were chosen. I do have my favorites, but will judge each performance based on how well it did as a country music performance.
Summing it up
Having seen several previous years of Idol performances during Country week, this has to be the least country of any of them. But, I will say that there were no obvious train wreck performances. But, nothing really blew me away, either.
Brooke White - "Jolene"
Brooke picked "Jolene," which I think fit her vocal style very well. She played the guitar, as opposed to the piano this week, and I felt she did a credible version of the song. I wouldn't call it totally country, but it was much moreso than many of the performances.
This song was from Dolly's album of the same name. The single peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Country Charts in 1974.
Download/Purchase Dolly Parton's version of "Jolene"
David Cook - "Little Sparrow"
This song is from Dolly's 2001 bluegrass album, and I'm not really familiar with it, so I don't know how different it is with his version, but I did enjoy the arrangement. Considering it's not his genre, I thought he sort of took it and made it his own. It didn't sound country, but then, not many performances did.
This song is from Dolly's album of the same name. It was the second bluegrass album she recorded on Sugarhill Records.
Download/Purchase Dolly Parton's version of "Little Sparrow"
Ramiele Malubay - "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"
Again, she picked a song that I'm not familiar with. It was a peppy little tune, and she did interact well with the audience. I thought she started well, and parts of the song sounded really good, but other parts, like towards the end, really didn't do it for me.
This song is from Dolly's Heartbreak Express album, and the song was a No. 1 song for Dolly in 1982.
Jason Castro - "Travelin' Through"
Jason seems like a kind of an easy going type of guy, and this song fit his personality well. I thought his performance was much better than the previous week. But, again, not country. Still, not familiar with this song, which was featured in the motion picture, Transamerica.
This is from the Transamerica Soundtrack. It was nominated for a Grammy in 2006, however didn't win. Dolly did perform the song on the 2006 Grammy show.
Carly Smithson - "Here You Come Again"
I have to admit Carly is one of my favorites, and her voice is adaptable to any type of music. Unfortunately, again, this isn't a country performance, but a darn good one. I love the arrangement.
This song is from the album of the same name. The song peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Country Songs chart in 1978.
Download/Purchase Dolly's version of "Here You Come Again"
David Archuleta - "Smokey Mountain Memories"
David has a very nice smooth voice, and he definitely put his emotions into the lyrics of this song. This isn't a Dolly song that I'm super familiar with, but I think he did a great job singing it. Once again, his performance wasn't country in any stretch of the imagination.
This song is from the 1994 album Heartsongs, and it was also included on Dolly's Live and Well album.
Download/Purchase Dolly Parton's version of "Smokey Mountain Memories"
Kristy Lee Cook - "Coat of Many Colors"
Kristy has always been the country girl of the season, so I knew that she would do a great job this week, and she did naturally, the most country version of the night. I really enjoyed her version of "Coat of Many Colors."
This song is from the album of the same name. The song peaked at No. 10 in 1972.
Syesha Mercado - "I Will Always Love You"
Syesha has a beautiful voice, and I think this was a great song choice for her. She started it out with a very introspective arrangement, but then chose to end it ala-Whitney Houston, with the soaring power chorus. While Syesha has a great voice, she's not Whitney Houston, and naturally would be compared to her for trying to do a version in her style. I think it would have been much nicer if she would have kept the softer, understated version all the way through.
This song is from the album Jolene. It was a No. 1 song for her in 1982, and a Top 15 song, when she released it in 1996, paired with Vince Gill.
Download/Purchase Dolly Parton's solo version of "I Will Always Love You"
Michael Johns - "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right"
Michael Johns is another contestant with a very powerful voice, and he has the ability to craft songs and make them his own. This bluesy version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" was a pleasure to listen to, but as I said for nearly all the other songs, it isn't a bit country.
This song is from Dolly's Here You Come Again album, and the song was a No. 4 hit for her in 1978 on Billboard's Country Songs chart.
Download/Purchase for Dolly Parton's version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right"
The Results Show
Dolly will appear on the results show on April 2, 2008, and perform her latest single, "Jesus and Gravity," from her album, Backwoods Barbie.Also appearing on the show will be former Country Music American Idol alum's Bucky Covington, and Phil Stacey. Plus, Bo Bice.
For more on American Idol, visit AboutRealityTV
