Andrew Garcia Decimates "Hound Dog" on American Idol

It was Elvis night on American Idol. Contestants got to pick a song from more than 800 Elvis songs, and Andrew Garcia picked "Hound Dog." American Idol chose last year's runner-up, Adam Lambert, to mentor the contestants for Elvis night. This is the first time that a former contestant has been asked to be a mentor.

Adam Lambert's Advice to Andrew Garcia

Adam Lambert's goal as a mentor to the American Idol contestants was to be honest but constructive. He said that he just didn't want to tell them they were good or bad. He wanted to let them know how they could improve. Overall, he told all the contestants they need to "wake up" and get some energy.

Adam said that Andrew's rendition of "Hound Dog" left him wanting more. Adam Lambert was bored with the song and encouraged Andrew to change it up. Adam said that Andrew needs to step his game up and change it because the audience and fans know the song.

Andrew Garcia's "Hound Dog" performance

Everyone knows Elvis' songs, and it is a daunting task to make them new and current without changing the song too much. Andrew Garcia's "Hound Dog" performance was absolutely awful. "Hound Dog" is a fun and energetic song, but Andrew sang the song with no energy and no smiles.

Andrew was also pitchy during the refrain, and I swore I heard a few nasal notes that just didn't come out clear. He may have moved around the stage some, but he was limited since he carried the microphone stand with him.

As for changing the song up, Andrew did change the beat. He actually made "Hound Dog" slower with bongo drums. Ellen DeGeneres said that he needed more swagger, but you can't get swagger when an upbeat song gets slowed down and sung with little emotion or energy.

Will Andrew Garcia be in the Bottom Three?

It was no surprise that Andrew Garcia ended up in the bottom three after last week's performance of "Can't Buy Me Love." This week Andrew sang "Hound Dog," and it was worse than last week.

Andrew needed to stop trying to rewrite the songs. He should stick with the basic melody and change the song with his vocals and maybe a few extra instruments, but he insists or reworking the beat and melody. This is his downfall because you can only add so much to song before it becomes intolerable.

Unfortunately for Andrew Garcia I think he will be leaving American Idol this week. The judges used their one and only save of the season last week, so there is no hope for the bottom two contestants.