"No Air" marks the second single release from American Idol Season 6 winner, Jordin Sparks' 2007 self-titled debut. The Underdogs produced track teams Sparks with R&B phenom, Chris Brown. Sparks and Brown shine brightly on the beautiful rhythmic ballad. Brown displays some of his best vocals to date, while Sparks shows listeners unfamiliar with the Idol winner, that she has the chops to stand along the current batch of female pop contemporaries. With its passionate duet performance, thought-inspiring lyrics, and remarkable instrumental backdrop, "No Air" is a refreshing blast of originality to music airways.
The music video for "No Air" is ordinary, yet involving. The video does a solid job of directing out the premise of the actual song. Sparks and Brown look vibrant, and do a great job of relating; particularly in the video's final scenes.
Tuesday night, American Idol kicked off the semifinal rounds (that feature the Top 24 contestants) with the Top 12 males singing songs from the 60's. Overall, this year's males are absolutely stronger than last season's selections. While some guys managed to separate themselves from the pack, all the guys showed (or have proven in earlier auditions) that they are talented.
Best overall performance:David Archuleta
David Archuleta gave a rousing performance of The Miracles classic "Shop Around." While he is only 17 year olds, his voice is amazingly seasoned. Looking natural on stage while displaying his wonderful vocal tone, Archuleta's performance was a highlight of the night. While his vocals may have been off in a few places, there's no denying his vocal talent and overall "X" factor. Look for Archuleta to go quite far in this competition.
Honorable Mention(s):Michael Johns, Jason Castro, Robbie Carrico
Michael Johns closed out the show cruising through The Doors' rock anthem, "Light My Fire." The Australian born rocker certainly has a great voice, and an undeniable "it" factor. Johns' performance was dazzling, and managed to come off as the most contemporary singer of the night.
Robbie Carrico performed the hit Three Dog Night version of "One." The former member of Boyz-N-Girlz United, (the band toured with Britney Spears in 2000) sounded superb, providing some of the finest vocals of the night. While his rocker authenticity may be in question, there's no doubting his talent.
Jason Castro was the only male singer who took advantage of Idol's newly implanted "instruments allowed" during his performance. Castro took on the 1966 number two Billboard hit, "Daydream," originally performed by The Lovin' Spoonful. The Texas native sounded quite appealing on this nearly acoustic take of the song. Competitively, Castro's vocals aren't in the upper echelons, but they are optimistically sufficient. Castro also posses an unique aura that may potentially end up making Castro embrace the persona of a "wild card" in the competition.
This week, the immensely popular television show American Idol is down to its final twenty-four contestants vying for the instant ticket (s) to stardom.The reality is that there will only be one "official" winner, and the other twenty-three contestants will face seeing their dreaded memoir of 'Idol' memories set to an infamous farewell song. For the past two seasons, the featured send-off songs have not only brought Idol teardrops, but have also taken over various Billboard charts. Season five's swan song featured David Powter's unforgettably poignant "Bad Day" and last season's eliminated contestants were treated to Daughtry's heartening ballad, "Home."
"Hollywood's Not America" is the song that has been chosen for this season's exits. Performed by singer/songwriter Ferras, (Ferras Alquasi) "Hollywood's Not America" follows in the pop/rock footsteps of the previous Idol farewell staples, but adds a refreshing folk twist. The song is beautifully composed, and the lyrical content is upstanding. Ferras does just enough in his assured vocals to separate himself from the Ryan Cabrera's and Gavin DeGraw's of the Pop/Rock spectrum.
Undeniably captivating, "Hollywood's Not America" is poised to become another Idol exit song ace. While it may not posses the instant hit potential of “Bad Day” or "Home," the song should be able to carve out its own satisfactory niche in today's popular music.Ferra will be an artist to keep an eye on as his debut album, Aliens & Rainbows, is scheduled for an April 1st release.
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