The American Idol producers have set their second straight booby-trap. As hard as it was for the Idol singers to handle Mariah Carey last week, Tuesday's (April 22) challenge is The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a theme whose difficulty is matched only by its irrelevance in terms of finding a contemporary popular artist.

Singer: SYESHA MERCADO
Song: "One Rock & Roll Too Many"
My Take: Syesha's excited about this week's theme because she thinks this will give her the opportunity to finally show some personality. Wait. Have the producers been prohibiting Syesha from showing personality for all of these weeks? That explains so much. Since she's just standing (and eventually sitting) on the stage in her flats, Syesha has eliminated a key piece of the challenge from this Starlight Express tune (roller skating probably would have produced an insurance nightmare). She pitches it as a torch song and the performance is suited for a nightclub-style environment, which is to say that it's big, but not quite as big as it could be and she doesn't have quite the voice required for the song (none of this week's performers will). It's here that we remember that Syesha is, indeed, a working actress, so this ought to be getting close to her niche. This is certainly the warmest and most open Syesha has been all season, which leads me to a pretty major "but." Yes, Syesha was lively and entertaining, but where has her personality been for the past three months? And why has it rarely made its way onto the Idol stage?
First Face of Eve, Second Face of Eve and Simon Say: Randy thinks Syesha could be a huge Broadway star (he doesn't go to many musicals) and this is her night. Paula thinks Syesha brought the house down. Simon thinks it was very sexy and that Randy's right that this is her arena.

Singer: JASON CASTRO
Song: "Memory"
My Take: Why didn't the already cartoonish Clifford the Muppet dress up as a cat? That would have guaranteed a positive critique from me. This is a poppier and less lite-operatic take on "Memory," which is to say that nearly all of the notes have been removed from the song. In no way can I fathom this as a song choice. Webber's songs are tough, but he wrote some lilting ballads for men. Why, then, would Jason choose this massive, heart-wrenching iconic lament that was written for a powerfully voiced woman? There at least two abrupt key change that rescue Jason from having to be even vaguely musical. He keeps making his faces as if he's singing the notes, but he isn't. If you were casting a high school production of a Webber musical and a guy did this performance as an audition, you wouldn't even put him in the chorus. He sounds ridiculous, but at least some whiskers and tights could have made this high camp.
First Face of Eve, Second Face of Eve and Simon Say:For Randy, this was a little bit of a train wreck. Paula disagrees, saying it was a wise choice adding, "It further identifies your unique being as an artist." I have no idea what she means and she doesn't really clarify. Then she compares Jason to Joe Cocker, which is beyond offensive to Joe Cocker. Simon describes it as the longest two minutes of his life, saying Jason looked miserable and he [Simon] felt miserable.

Singer: BROOKE WHITE
Song: "You Must Love Me"
My Take: On the surface, this is a brilliant song choice for Brooke, because rather than going after an Evita track associated with Patti LuPone or Elaine Paige, she's taking on one that's only been sung by Madonna, who also wasn't vocally qualified for the role. For the second time this season, Brooke has to stop and restart her performance. The opening blunder makes it hard to read Brooke's expression and her tremulous vocal uncertainty. Is she really praying that we'll love her, despite the restart, relating incredibly deeply to the song? Or is she just wanting to get this performance finished so she can run off stage and cry? The song's sentiment is natural for America's Nanny, but her voice is thin and her discomfort is palpable. This is the second straight week that I've felt that I could see Brooke cracking under the Idol lights and I wonder how long she skates on the good will of viewers who'd love to have her tuck them in at night and feed them milk and cookies after school.
First Face of Eve, Second Face of Eve and Simon Say: This wasn't good for Randy, but he believes whatever Brooke's singing. Paula's at a loss for words. "You must never start and stop." Yes, Paula raved the last time she did it. "This is why I love live TV," Simon says, before calling her on the signs of stress. Brooke claims she forgot the words (for the first time, trying to differentiate between her problems with the key on her first restart) and Simon calls her brave. How many times in seven season have we seen singers restart songs? How many times has Brooke done it this season? What do we make of that, kids?

And how about the rest of the performers?

Well, as always, the full recap is over at Zap2it's It Happened Last Night blog.