Tuesday’s Idol featured the top 10 contestants performing songs from the year they were born. And not a single contestant — maybe because they are too young? — sang anything by the Beatles.
David Cook, born in 1982, finished out the night with a stunning performance of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Cook slowed it down, rocked it out and created an entirely new vibe for a very familiar song.
Randy Jackson called it “original,” “bold” and “molten hot.” Paula Abdul was “blown away” and Simon Cowell, acknowledging the risk of changing the song so much, remarked on Cook’s bravery and called the performance “amazing.”
Earlier, Kristy Lee Cook finally had a good night. Born in 1984, the other Cook sang “God Bless the U.S.A.,” adding her familiar country twang. The judges liked it and praised her for picking a “poignant” and “respectful” song. Cowell called it the “most clever” song choice he’d heard in years.
The judges also seemed to like David Archuleta but only Cowell seemed to recognize his song (He sang “You’re the Voice” by John Farnham). They didn’t quite get Carly Smithson even though she mastered “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” but they loved Michael Johns, who combined two Queen songs, opening with “We Will Rock You” and finishing up with “We Are the Champions.”
But David Cook definitely owned the night. Randy called him “the most original, the most bold contestant we’ve ever had” and suggested he “might be the one to win the whole lot.”
Could he be right?
Tell us: Did you love David Cook’s rock ‘n’ roll version of “Billie Jean?”
Frank Micelotta/FOX
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