Saturday's PhotoHunting: Music

Every 3rd Saturday of the month in Hermosa Beach participants join volunteers of the Free to Be Me Drum Circle to create the spirit and rhythm made by drums.   

Beach goers joining the Drum Circle choose from a selection of Congas, Djembe, Djun Djuns . . .

  

 

I tried a Dejembe but one day I would love to take a class from them so I can get my Sheila E groove on with these very cool Timbales! :) 

And there are some artists who can create vocal magic .  .  . Here's a really funny and cute video of Adam Lambert and Nikka Costa who I last saw perform with you know who :).  She'll be performing at a free upcoming Hermosa Beach Summer Concert. :)    

I'm having a pretty cool music filled summer so far.  :) Have a rocking weekend everyone!

To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Gattina's Kehole Pictures website HERE!  

ABC WEDNESDAY: D is for . . . .

~ Dance ~

Dance (Wikipedia) is an art form, it is a wonderful way that our bodies move to the rhythm of music.  We use dance as a way to express ourselves and we do it for many different reasons.

And here is a fun photo collection of some of my favorite reasons to dance!


EXERCISE:  Runners dancing the Cha Cha Slide . . .



 Photo was taken at Pt. Fermin Park in San Pedro, California.



FUN:  A man dances to music being played by street musicians.

Photo was taken in Old Town Square in Prague. 

NAUGHTY FUN:  A co-worker doing a bit of pole dancing . . .

Photo taken at a Las Vegas night club.

ENTERTAINMENT:  Tribute Band for "The Time" and their audience dancing to the song "The Bird". 



 Photo taken at the House of Blues in Las Vegas.

AND COOLNESS:  Dancing either in the audience or on stage with his Purpleness is Dance at its absolute "Coolness". :)  

 

Photo taken at the Los Angeles Forum Welcome2America Concert Tour with the Cool One himself, Prince.

To see more posts that start with the letter "D", dance on over to Denise Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY website HERE. 

ABC WEDNESDAY: A is for Acoustic . . .

Thanks so much to my blogging friend, Annie (Churches in Venice), for introducing me to a wonderful and fun meme called ABC Wednesday. 

Starting this week, participants create a post (photo or words or both) of a subject or an idea that starts with the letter "A".  I think this is a really fun and creative meme and I am so happy to join Mrs. Nesbitt, the ABC Wednesday Team and my fellow ABC Wednesday participants for Round 10.

An acoustic (Wikipedia) guitar can really sing . . .

This is a close-up photo of my very special Spanish Guitar which I purchased in Granada, Spain.  It really beats the guitar App on my iTouch, which I carry with me when I travel. :)

To see more cool posts, please visit Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY website HERE. 



Rome: Laura, Lara and his Purpleness . . .

I had a dream . . .

After a 4 year absence, I find myself in Rome. 

I secure my 5th return trip to Italy,
throwing my traditional coin into the Trevi Fountain 

I then weave my way to the Spanish Steps.   

They are beautiful
radiating in a deep purple glow. 

Down walks Laura Pausini.

Lara Fabian follows shortly behind.

Their voices fill the night

with a beautiful performance of La Salitudine.  

A guitar solo begins

A figure appears at the top of the steps.
Down walks his Purpleness (Prince).

The Cool One continues to play 

as the two popular artists 

conclude their performance.

The crowd erupts. 

It would be

an Italian Purple filled night in Rome 

to remember! 

It's wishful dreaming I know, but I read on Prince.org that Prince is apparently still in Europe recording. 

So I can Dream . . .  :)



PhotoHunt: One

Question:  What is the "one" thing that all these travel destinations have in common? 

Montreal (Canada), Paris (France), Gdynia (Poland), Paddock Wood (UK), Ghent (Belgium), Rotterdam/Amsterdam (Netherlands), Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg), Perugia (Italy), Helsinki (Finland), Cologne (Germany), Dublin (Ireland), Oslo (Norway), Copenhagen (Denmark), Budapest (Hungary), Guthenburg (Sweden), Zurich (Switzerland), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Answer:  Prince!

This is a repost photo, but I just couldn't help myself.  This past spring I was able to attend 8 of the cool one's Welcome to America 21 Stand concerts at the Forum in Los Angeles and it was so awesome.  I even wrote several posts to commemorate my Purple Funky Town experiences which you can find HERE.

In one of my posts I jokingly said that I wish I could win the Lotto here in California so I could follow his Welcome to Europe 2011 Tour.  Truth be told, if I had the time off and the money, I would've (in a quick heartbeat) taken a leave of absence from work to travel around to each and every town, city and country that Prince performed at this summer.   

But with limited play funds and no chance of taking such a long leave of absence from work, the next best thing for this passionate and enthusiastic fan to do is to follow along on the Cool One's Welcome to Europe 2011 Tour using the internet where concert goers have been posting reviews (including setlists), photo and videos of his concerts.  *sigh*

You can find a complete list of the Cool One's Welcome to Europe 2011 Tour schedule on Prince.org.

To see more PhotoHunters, you can visit Tnchick's website HERE!

Music: Journey, where are they now?

You see things and say, 'Why?",
but I dream things and say, 'Why not?
~ George Bernard Shaw

I once wrote that Arnel Pineda was a bona fide "Diamond in the rough".  Arnel was discovered by members of the band Journey from a YouTube Video posted of him singing a Journey song with his then band members, the Zoo.  The discovery lead to an interview, a signing and the rest is storybook history.

I am so glad to hear that he continues to record and tour with the band Journey.

I hope to continue with making my own 2011 dreams come true too! Well, as soon as I can find a decent airfare that is.



PRINCE: My Purple Funky Town Experience . . .

For a short while in 2011, I was very lucky to visit that Purple Funky Town Place . . . where time stood still, where everyone danced, sang and was moved by the music of peace, love, funk and soul! It was a very beautiful place to be (if only for a little while).

 

I was very fortunate to be able to attend 8 Welcome 2 America 2011 Tour concerts at the Forum in Los Angeles and as promised by his Purpleness (a really cool nick name borrowed from AnnieNC), each was slightly different than the other. Prince is without a doubt a Genius and I am so glad I was able to experience it as many times as I did.

There were so many highlights from his Finale show, but for me having him sing Adore was very special.  I will always remember that! And as for the other highlights, definitely Stevie Wonder singing Superstition while playing the keyboards and with Prince accompanying him on bass, Chaka Khan singing I'm Every Woman and Sweet Thing with Prince, Mary J. Blige singing a mesmerizing No More Drama and Nothing Compares to U with Prince, Shiela E on percussion and singing Glamorous Life, Maceo Parker on sax during Purple Rain and being introduced to such artists as Nikka Costa and Esperanza Spalding, his guitar playing, his booty shaking dancing (including that famous shirt ripping 5/27/11 show) . . . and his awesome band, back-up singers and the twins.

 

He sang many of his old school hits, often in a refreshing new arrangement which made them brand new all over again.  Some of my memorable favorites, DMSR, KISS, 1999, House Quake, Cream, When Doves Cry, Future Soul Song, Take Me With U, Black Sweat, Scandalous, Insatiable, The Beautiful Ones and on and on! As Prince said, so many hits . . . . :)

Much love and thanks for taking us on this memorable journey to a place where music is the bond! At one moment during last night's performance, the group in our section joined hands and raised them up in the air united by the Cool One's greatness and sharing that wonderful Purple Funky Town place!  I thought the wave was really cool too.

Now if only I could win the Lotto so I can fly to Europe to follow his tour there! I'll be in Italy this year, but unfortunately not while he's there!

American Idol Finale! Lauren vs Scotty in the battle of the Country teens . . . .

Tonight is the Finale show and it all comes down to two young teenagers, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery. Both Country, both young and both very talented. 

I must admit that I was hoping for a Haley vs Scotty finale but in the grand scheme of things I think that it was a virtual 3-way tie between Lauren, Scotty and Haley and I'm happy with any match-up combination.  Maybe AI should really think about turning the final two showdown into a final three showdown.  Now that would be a neat little twist for next season. :)

First, I really want to say a huge thank you to all of my fellow AI fans, AnnieNC, Menehune and Barb for all of your recap comments, thoughts, and opinions throughout the season.  It was totally cool sharing recaps with you all and it made it so much more fun for me watching Idol this season. 

So how will they perform under the intense spotlight, who will deliver the best performance of the night to earn our votes . . . . well, here's how the night went:

Round 1:  Songs that are chosen by Scotty and Lauren.

Scotty McCreery start the finale night with Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone”.  A wonderful performance and great song choice.  Scotty is such a natural on stage and it seems so effortless when he sings.  Great energy and I loved it!

Lauren Alaina starts her first round with Carrie Underwood’s “Flat on the Floor”.  I was curious how she would perform since they announced at the beginning that she had strained her vocal cord.  I thought she did a great performance.    

Round 2:  Songs selected by their Idols. 

Scotty McCreery sings George Strait’s “Check Yes or No” and I thought he did a wonderful job.

Carrie Underwood picks "Maybe It Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis for Lauren to sing and she did a fabulous job.  I liked it better than her first song. Wow, this is going to be a tough competition to call. They are both doing really well so far.  

Commercial Break:  The new coco cola song is debuted.  I like it. Very catch and I found the lyrics to be very "positive". :) 

Round 3:  Songs selected by Jimmy Iovine

Scotty McCreery sings “I Love You This Big”and he did a fantastic job.  I loved it!

Lauren Alaina sings “Like My Mother Does” and she did a fabulous job.   And I have to admit that the flood gates opened up as I listened to the lyrics and while watching Lauren perform this song with such emotions.  It was very moving seeing her walk down and give her mom a big hug. 

I have to agree with JLO that both Lauren and Scotty did an outstanding job in all three of their performances tonight.  They are both very deserving to win and no matter who receives the most votes tonight, I believe that they will both have very successful music careers. 

And so tomorrow night we will hear Ryan Secrest say "dim the lights" one last time to find out who will be crowned the New American Idol!    Good luck to both Lauren & Scotty . . .

And that's my Final Recap!  Keep on Rocking American Idol . . . until next season!

American Idol Finale Tonight . . .

Tonight it's the American Idol Season 10 Finale Show, so get your Country/Pop engines running. It's going to be a smackdown competition between probably the youngest final two contestants in AI history.  Lauren Alaina and Scotty Mcreery will compete in tonight's Finale show and it will be fun to watch. I think they are very equally matched with a slight edge to Scotty.

Who knows, maybe someday they will become a living legend like his "Purpleness" (A great title I borrowed from AnnieNC) himself  . . .

Good luck Lauren and Scotty!

American Idol: Final three sing three songs . . .

Tonight, the Idols perform three songs in order to earn a spot in next week's Finale show and here's how the night went.  

Round 1:  Idol's choice

Scotty McCreery sings "Amazed” by Lonestar - Loved seeing his higher range.

Lauren Alaina sings “Wild One” by Faith Hill - Great energy on stage.

Haley Reinhart sings “What Is and What Should Never Be” by Led Zepplin - Off the charts and I loved seeing her dad "rip it" on guitar. And Kudos to her for getting up after a fall without skipping a beat.

Round 2:  Jimmy Iovine's choice

Scotty McCreery sings “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” by Thompson Square - Perfect song choice.

Lauren Alaina sings “If I Die Young”by the Band Perry - Great song choice and vocals.

Haley Reinhart sings “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac - She has such a range and great stage presence.

Round 3:  Judges choice

Scotty McCreery sings Kenny Rogers’ “She Believes in Me” - Very nice and his dad singing "Baby lock them doors and turn the lights down low . . . so cute!

Lauren Alaina sings Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” - Nailed it . . .

Haley Reinhart sings Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” - I love how Haley gets into all the songs that she sings.

This is probably one of the best group of contestants in this show's history and America has a very difficult choice to make tonight.  Good luck Idols! 

 

I can't wait to see which of these three very talented Idols will compete in the finale show.  And btw, I'm also looking forward to seeing all the Homecoming Celebrations on tomorrow's results show.  AnnieNC (Thanks so much) was kind enough to give me a preview of Scotty's journey back home to the great State of North Carolina and it was very cool to learn that Scotty made good on his word and kissed the ground upon his arrival.  

 
And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .



Happy Mother's Day

 

Love and strength

humor and wisdom

warmth and generosity
comfort and joy
rock and roll

Not a day goes by that I don't think of my mom and all that she did and sacraficed to help me to be the person that I am today.

I just got home from my third Prince Concert.  It was an awesome Purple Funk Fest weekend!  During tonight's party (I mean concert) there were moments during all that dancing, whoo hooing and screaming that thoughts of my mom surfaced.  Let me share a little something with you all . . . Mom loved to sing, dance and she loved music.  She was really cool that way and I know she woud have loved seeing the Purple One peform live. 

Mom you gave me so much in life and one of the things that I truly treasure is how you gave me your love for music.  Many thanks and much love to you on Mother's Day. . .

And a very Happy Mother's Day to all the very special Moms out there!

American Idol: Now and Then . . .

Tonight, the remaining Idols sing songs that are current and from the past.  And here's how the night went: 

James Durbin sings Closer to the Edge which I have not heard of before but it's a high octane rock song and he did great.  Working the stage and audience with ease, James looks like he's ready for stardom.

Jacob Lusk sings No Air and I thought he brought a lot of passion and energy to his performance, but I'm not sure it was his best vocal performance or the greatest song choice for him. 

Lauren Alaina sings a Carrie Underwood song, Flat on the Floor.  This was probably the most energetic and powerful performance that she has done in the entire competition.  Sheryl Crow gives Lauren some great mentoring advice.

Scotty McCreery sings another song that I have never heard of before called Gone.  All I can say is Wow!  I have to agree with Steven Tyler we really did see another side to Scotty tonight and I loved it.  Great stage presence, excellent vocals and a bit of playfulness.

Haley Reinhart sings an unreleased song by Lady Gaga called You and I.  Now I'm not a big fan of Lady Gaga but I'm a big fan of Haley and I thought she did a fantastic job.  I completely disagree with JLO and Randy and I agree for once with Jimmy Lovine.  America please vote on performance and talent and not on what the judges said about Haley's performance.

And now, here's how it went for the Idols singing songs from the past:

James Durbin sings Without You and although it wasn't his best vocal performance it was very touching to see what he was feeling emotionally.  

Jacob Lusk sings a rock song from Nazareth called Love Hurts and I actually liked this performance better than his first song choice.  And by the way, Cheryl rocks!

Lauren Alaina sings Unchained Melody and although I liked her first performance better, I thought she did a wonderful job. 

Scotty McCreery sings Always on My Mind and in typical Scotty fashion he nails it.  Great song choice and as expected great vocal performance.  I still can't believe that he's only 17 years old. And  I love that his grandma got some airtime. So sweet.

Haley Reinhart sings House of the Rising Sun and she gets the first and only standing O from the judges and Randy calls it the best performance" of the night.  And I would have to agree with Randy.  She is so diverse as an artist.

I won't be doing my usual ranking of the Idol performances tonight, because as far as I'm concerned the top five Idols are all winners and I just want to wish all of them the best of luck.  Plus I don't want to jinx my favorites. :)

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: Songs by Carole King

Tonight, the Idols sing songs by singer/songwriter legend, Carole King.  And here's how the night went . . .

Jacob Lusk starts things off with Oh No, Not My Baby. I was sort of expecting him to choose a slower type of song which I think is more of his strength.  But I loved his energy on stage and thought he did a great job. 

Lauren Alaina sings Where You Lead (I Will Follow).  I loved it! I thought it was a great song choice for her and it was (I think) one of her strongest performances of the competition.

Scotty McCreery sings You've Got a Friend which is my favorite Carole King Song. I thought he had great mentoring advice.  I loved his song choice and performance.   

James Durbin sings Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.  He starts a capella and it was so amazing, I wished he had sang it a capella the whole way. I loved it.

Casey Abrams sings a jazzy and bluesy Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll).  I really like Casey and thought this was a great song choice and performance. But I have to agree with JLO in that I kind of feel a bit tense watching him perform because he performs so intensely.    

Haley Reinhart sings Beautiful and although I'm not familiar with this song, I thought her vocals were excellent and I enjoyed her performance. 

Here's how I rated tonight's performances:
James Durbin
Lauren Aliana
Scotty McCreery
Haley Reinhart
Casey Abrams
Jacob Lusk

And here's how I rated the pairings:
James Durbin & Jacob Lusk, I'm Into Something Good
Haley Rienhart & Casey Abrams, I Feel Earth Move
Lauren Aliana & Scotty McCreery, Up on the Roof

Good Luck Idols!

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

PRINCE: A night to remember . . .

Wow, what a purple filled, funked out, heart thumping, guitar soaring, raise the roof night!  As I mentioned on my twitter feed, Prince delivered a Musical Masterpiece last night at the Welcome to America Concert at the Los Angeles Forum!

Everyone stands and the building begins to roar as we hear Prince announce his opening act. To our delight we see the great Chaka Kahn step up from beneath the stage and she treats us to two of her greatest hits, Tell Me Something Good and her signature song, I'm Every Woman.  She gets the crowd up off their feet and warmed up for the cool one.

A few minutes later, the lights dim . . . two girls with long trumphets march out, at center stage a figure emerges from beneath the stage . . . it's the Purple one himself and the house erupts in applause and screams and we are lifted off our seats where we remain for most of the night. 

Prince opens up with a tasty performance of D.M.S.R. and later Musicology and pop life.  Next, Prince invites long time friend and one of the best female percussionists of all time, Shiela E to sing Mountains.  The crowd goes nuts!    

 

And with Shiela E still on stage, Prince then introduces Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham for a performance of Everyday People.  The audience erupts into another Funk frenzy . . .

Larry Graham then leaves the stage and Prince invites Chaka Kahn back on stage for a sweet performance of Sweet Thing. 

Then, Shiela E takes center stage for her signature hit, Glamorous Life and does this amazing performance on the drums ending in her slamming part of her set down on the stage....the audience goes into a frenzy!  We love you Shiela! 

After energizing the crowd even more, Shiela E disappears below the stage and Prince emerges with a costume change...wearing gold and black and looking very cool, Prince goes into a melody of his greatest hits singing Raspberry Beret, Let’s Go Crazy, Delirious, 1999 and Little Red Corvette. 

 

He then ends this tantalizing greatest hits funk fest with my all time favorite Prince song of all time, Purple Rain.  The audience sings along as purple confetti rains down from the ceiling.  I am beside myself!

Prince returns for another greatest hits melody which includes When Doves Cry, Nasty Girl, Sign ‘O The Time, The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Darling Nikki, Single Ladies, Hot Thing and I Would Die For You.  When his band return, they also bring the funk with If I Was Your Girlfriend and Scandalous.  Prince performs another fav of mine, Kiss!  And here he proves that he just gets better and better with age.  He stands center stage and does an amazing dance performance.  This was one of my favorite parts of his concert.  He was very Hot! And he was very Sexy!

 

As I said, Prince delivered a masterful show.  He is a genius and I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to witness his brilliance.  And it was truly brilliant!  I once wrote that watching Prince perform is like watching a great artist paint a great masterpiece.  It is pure perfection!  Thank you Prince . . .

I can say this for sure...with 17 more shows in LA promised, I am keeping my eyes and ears out for the announcement of his next series of shows.  And having had a chance to scope out the layout of the Forum, I have a better idea of which tickets to snag .... I think Loge 30, 31, 32, 8, 7, 6 and 32 through 5 are all excellent seat locations! (Row B, seats 1 & 2 would be prime) 


And that's my Prince Welcome to America Tour concert review!  Let the Purple Funk Fest continue . . .



PRINCE: Welcome to America Tour 2011

I am sooooo excited to be going to one of Prince's Welcome to America Tour concerts. Whoo Hoo!

Now, if you have never had the pleasure of seeing the cool one perform live in concert, well all I can say is you need to add it to your life's Bucket List! 

Make no mistake . . . the cool one will tantalize, energize, hypnotize, mesmerize and completely gratify your musical appetite.  From the second the lights go down and Prince comes on stage to the last guitar cord he plays, you will be taken to musical heights that you have never ever been taken to before.  :)

I'm going to try to tweet live and will definitely write a review after the concert! Tonight, it's time to GET CRAZY with the Purple One and hopefully Shiela E!  Whoooooo Hoo!

American Idol: Music From the 21st Century . . .

This week the Idols pick songs from the 21st Century and tonight's show starts off with a performance not by the top 7 Idols but by recently eliminated contestants:  Ashthon Jones, Karen Rodriguez, Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, Naima Adedapo and Paul McDonald.  That was very cool seeing them again.

Scotty McCreery starts things off with Swingin by LeAnn Rimes and I just think Scotty can do no wrong.  I disagree with JLO and Randy.  I thought it was a great song choice and he is just so much fun to watch perform on stage.  Scotty is representing his home state of North Carolina so well! My thoughts go out to the families who lost their lived ones and homes from the recent tornado this past weekend.

James Durbin sings Uprising by Muse and rocked it out.   I thought his vocals and stage presence was excellent.  The drummers were cool too. 

Haley Reinhart sings Adele's Rolling the Deep.  I thought she looked and sounded great.  I have to really give it up to Haley, she really has such diversity and range. 

Jacob Lusk sings Dance with my Father by Luther Vandross and it was a very touching and emotional performance.  I loved it.

Casey Abrams sings a Maroon 5 song called Harder to Breathe and I loved it.  And what a sweet kiss at the end! :) 

Stefano Langone sings Closer by Ne-Yo and I thought he did great. I think Stefano is a real cutie and worked the stage pretty good.

Lauren Aliana sings Born to Fly by Sara Evans and I loved it.  She did a fantastic job.  Please keep her in the competition America.

And here's how I rated tonight's performances:

James Durbin
Lauren Aliana
Casy Abrams
Scotty McCreery
Haley Reinhart
Jacob Lusk
Stefano Langone

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: Idols sing songs from the movies . . . .

Tonight, the 8 Idols choose songs from the movies and with the shocking elimination of Pia Toscano last week I'm crossing my fingers for the girls tonight . . . .

So, here's how the night went: 

Paul McDonald sings Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger (Risky Business).  I loved his Old time Rock n Roll performance.  I agree with Steven, the sax player was very cool!

Lauren Alaina sings The Climb by Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) and I thought she did great.  Please let her be safe.

Stefano Langone sings Boyz II Men's End of the Road (Boomerang).  I thought he did a good job.  Will it be enough to escape bottom three and elimination? 

Scotty McCreery sings I Cross My Heart by George Strait (Pure Country).  I thought he made the right song choice . . . .pure country all the way.  Fabulous!  

Casey Abrams sings Nature Boy by Nat King Cole (Moulin Rouge). At the beginning I wasn't really into it, but then I found myself becoming totally captivated by his performance.  As Randy said, brilliant!

Haley Reinhart sings Call Me by Blondie (American Gigolo). Okay, I'm a big fan of Haley and I really don't want a girl to leave this week, but I have to agree with Randy. I didn't think she chose the right song to showcase her vocals.

Jacob Lusk sings Bridge Over Troubled Water (Pursuit of Happyness).  One of my favorite songs and I loved his performance!

James Durbin sings Heavy Metal by Sammy Hagar (Heavy Metal). I'm not a fan of Heavy Metal, but I actually enjoyed his performance a lot. 

And here's how I rated tonight's performances:

Casey Abrams
Jacob Lusk
Scotty  McCreery
Lauren Alaina
James Durbin
Paul McDonald
Stefano Langone
Haely Reinhart  (I really want both girls to move on, but I had to keep it real, sorry)

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Week

It's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame week and all the Idols did an awesome job tonight.   I thought that will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas provided the Idols with great advice.

Jacob Lusk sings Man in the Mirror and was fantastic. I think it was the right song choice for him.

Haley Reinhart sings Janis Joplin's Piece of My Heart and I thought she did great. I'm not a huge fan of Janis Joplin, but I did enjoy Haley's edgy performance.

Casey Abrams sings Have You Ever Seen the Rain and I totally loved it!   

Lauren Alaina sings Natural Woman by the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.  I thought she did a great job.

James Durbin slows his hard rock momentum with While My Guitar Gently Weeps by the Beatles.   The judges loved it, but I thought it wasn't one of his best vocal performance.  I did, however, appreciate the passion and emotions he put into his performance. 

Scotty McCreery sings That's Alright Mama, a song made famous by his childhood idol, Elvis Presley.  Steven is right, Scotty is not "All Hat and no Cattle"!  Probably the most entertaining performance by him in the competition.  I thought having the girls rush the stage at the end was very cute.   :)

Pia Toscano sings River Deep, Mountain High and wow!  Who knew that she could sing a Tina Turner song with such rock and roll vigor.  :)  I thought she nailed it! 

Stefano Langone sings When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge and I thought he did so much better this week than last.  

Paul McDonald sings Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash.  Now I've been a big fan of Paul during the competition but for some reason as compared to the other contestants, I honestly didn't like it as much as the judges did.

All the Idols did an awesome job tonight and here's how I rated the performances:  Good luck Idols.

Pia Toscano
Casey Abrams
Scotty McCreery
Lauren Alaina
Stefano Langone
Jacob Lusk
Haely Reinhart
Paul McDonald
James Durbin

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol: Sir Elton John night . . .

Tonight, the Idols take on the songs by the great, Sir Elton John.  And with two contestants being eliminated tomorrow night due to the judge's one and only save being used on Casey last week, the idols will have to be perfect with their song choices and in their performances. 

And here's how the performances went:

Scotty McCreery sings Country Comfort and it is a perfect song choice for him.  I liked his performance tonight so much better than last week.  And what a sweet shout out to his Grandmother, I think it's safe to say that he'll be back next week.

Naime Adedapo gives I'm Still Standing a cool reggae interpretation and although it wasn't vocally perfect, I  loved it.  I just really enjoy Naime's positive vibe and she is always so entertaining to watch. 

Paul McDonald sings Rocket Man and I thought he did a great job with his song choice and with his performance.  

Pia Toscano sings Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.  Yes, it's another ballad again, but I love her song choice and I loved her performance yet again.  :) 

Stefano Longone sings Tiny Dancer and I thought he did much better than last week.  He was a little shakey at the very start but he picked  it up and did a great job the rest of the way.

Lauren Alaina sings one of my favorite Elton John song, Candle in the Wind.  I always seem to think of Princess Diana every time I hear this song because Elton sang it at Diana's memorial services and it was such an unforgettable moment.  I have to agree with Randy. I think it was her best performance in the competition. 

James Durbin turns on the heat with Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.  It was a great song choice for him and a high energy performance.  Oops on the pepsi moment. :)

Thia Megia sings Daniel and I thought she did a great job.  I think Thia is one of the best vocally, but I feel that because she doesn't have a really unique or big personality on stage she doesn't stand out from the other contestants enough which can hurt her in the votes.  I still really like her a lot.    

Casey Abrams sings Your Song.  Taking the advice from the judges, Casey has a near complete make over, took it down 10 notches and left out those crazy growls for tonight's performance.  Wow, what a difference a week makes.   This is the Casey I really enjoy.  I'm so glad, he's back. And I love his new trimmed and toned down look.

Jacob Lusk sings Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word  and in true Jacob fashion he delivers a very emotional and fabulous performance. 

Haley Reinhart sings another favorite of mine, Bennie and the Jets, and she rocked it out tonight!  Totally agree with Randy.  Haley was the best of the night!  I loved it!

I thought all of the contestants did a really great job and it is almost impossible to rate them.  But since I want to continue what I started, here's how I rated tonight's performances:

Haely Reinhart
Casey Abrams
Lauren Alaina
Scotty McCreery
Jacob Lusk
James Durbin
Pia Toscano
Paul McDonald
Naime Adedapo
Thia Megia
Stefano Longano

Good luck Idols!

And that's my Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idols:

Wow, Awesome Results show!  Jennifer Hudson looked and sounded great, Stevie Wonder singing one of his classics and a special Happy Birthday serenade to Steven Tyler, the big Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt and tossing Ryan Secrest into the audience, the Judges one and only Save was used on the very deserving Casey Abrams so no one got eliminated last night and we have the first American Idol Top 11 Summer Tour!  I loved it!

And that's my quick Results show Recap. Keep on Rocking AI . . .