Put the ego away, please

They keep saying that this season has the best talent ever. I'll admit that this group seems to be a bit more polished than past seasons, but it's so early in the game, it seems premature to be saying that this season's cast is better than all the rest. After all, past winners have gone on to major success - we don't know what will become of this year's winner yet.

But anyway, let's get started with our Top 12 guys. Tonight's theme is the 1960s and first up is David Hernandez. I thought he was great during Hollywood week and have been looking forward to his performance tonight. However, in his interview, he talks about how when he sings, it comes from the soul and there's nothing cheesier than people who overly romanticize their love of music. I mean, I can understand that he has a passion for it, but by mentioning his soul, he somehow turns something sincere into something cliche and lame. He also talks about how he comes from a single parent home and how he lived in low-income housing, so singing is an escape for him.

He sings "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett and it starts out really good, although I'm not crazy abouut his facial expressions. He looks kind of pained. But the beginning is slow and totally highlights his voice, but probably knowing how boring ballads can be, he speeds it up after a little bit and really does a great job with the song. It's definitely a great start to the competition.

Randy tells him he likes how he started with the whole gospel vibe but that he lost it just a little toward the end, but that is was really good. Paula tells him he has a really good voice and that he colors up his vocals or something like that. I'm not really sure what she means or where she's going with her commentary, but she liked him, I got that much out of it. Simon tells him it was better than he thought it was going to be, but that he seemed stiff and that he needed to loosen up a bit.


Next up is Chikezie Eze, who made it all the way to the end of Hollywood week last season before being cut. He says he went home and worked hard to improve. And after being complimented during Hollywood week this season, he says, "Finally, someone recognizes my... the work I put in." I feel like he wanted to say that finally someone recognized his talent. A bit of an ego - and way too early, I think.

Wow - he comes out in a bright orange suit - seriously. Orange pants, orange blazer and a white shirt. I mean, it's not horrendous, but it's not stylish or cute - at least not in my opinion. Anyway, he sings Spiral Starecase's "More Today Than Yesterday" and it's just OK. I remember liking him more during his audition. I think I so loved his name that I didn't pay much attention to his voice, because I think he sings this song a little too low for his range and while he recovers a bit during the chorus, the verses are rough and I don't know - it didn't blow me away.

Randy says it was pretty good, but that he didn't make the song new and fresh and that he was kind of an old-fashioned singer. Paula tells him he's come a long way and that he looks great (apparently he's lost a lot of weight) and that he's a throwback to great R&B. Simon starts off by calling him Chikoozie and tells him he hated the whole performance. He says the suit is hideous and Chikezie interrupts him and says, "White, gray and black... c'mon dude... who's your stylist? Charlie Chaplin?" And in that moment, I go from liking Chikezie to thinking that he's kind of an idiot.

Let me explain...It's the first week of competition and he's already showing that he can't handle criticism. And the viewing public doesn't know him well enough for him to be trading barbs with Simon - not yet anyway. I think it's a bad move on his part to start talking back the first night. And Simon continues to tell him that his wink was hideous, his 'woo' was hideous, that he was old-fashioned, corny, cheesy and that his performance could have been something they filmed 40 years ago.

Chikezie makes it worse by trying to explain that since it was 60s night, he was trying to take a song of one genre and sing it in another genre of the same era. I don't know what he means, really. I think he's just being kind of a show-off, trying to show America that he doesn't take crap from anyone and truthfully, it just rubbed me the wrong way. On the first night out, these guys should be humble and accept the criticism - especially a guy that didn't even make it last season - just listen and learn.

It's a shame, really - I was hoping he would do well, but instead, I'm left hoping he leaves Thursday.