That being said, I felt like tonight's episode was a bit of a disappointment (with the exception of Randy Travis...I love that guy). It seemed to move too slowly and to drag on forever. I felt like the judges' bickering was never going to end...and the contestants were much too talky tonight as they were being critiqued. Apparently the Idol people needed some filler because they didn't have enough show. I'll be glad in two weeks when Tuesday episodes go down to just an hour.
The big surprise of the evening was that the Golden Children (Danny, Adam, Lil) were the ones who really faltered, and the contestants who have been in the shadows (Matt, Kris, Anoop) had standout performances. I'll be interested to see what impact this has over the next few weeks.
Michael Sarver - Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up. Poor Michael. He is the least memorable contestant on the show right now, and he got the dreaded duty of singing first. I'm afraid this spells doom for Michael. He made a great song choice. America needed to hear him perform something upbeat and fun after last week's "You Are Not Alone" debacle. I thought Michael's performance was decent...it's probably my favorite performance of his. But there's something about him that still bothers me a little: he pronounces his words so strangely when he sings. I think it boils down to his mouth. He keeps his mouth muscles so tense and tightened that it inhibits his enunciation and he sounds very weird when he sings. I'm always distracted by it...maybe I'm the only one. I think Michael's voice seemed a little weak, but he managed to cover it up for the most part with this fun song. Rating: 7 Bonus Question: What was Michael's "perfect" retort to Simon's criticism that he sounded like he was singing karaoke and had some pitch problems?
Allison Iraheta - Blame it on your Heart. I liked Allison's softer look tonight; it was very becoming on her and she looked pretty. Maybe if she makes it to the Top 10. someone will do something with that cherry Kool-Aid hair of hers. I really liked Allison's performance. She's so authentic. A lot of people on Idol are good singers, but Allison is such a well-rounded performer. I hope she will sing a ballad next week, so that we can see other facets of her vocals. Rating: 8
By the way, for anyone who missed it, Kara's comment to Allison was, "I think you could sing the Alphabet and it would sound good." Umm...Kara, there's already a song for that...I think she meant to say Allison could sing the phonebook.
Kris Allen- Make You Feel My Love. Before I talk about Kris's performance, I have to say this: is anyone else annoyed by his side-mouth singing? I've gotten to the point where I tend to look away while Kris is singing. It's so distracting...he looks like he sucked on a lemon before he started singing.--sorry, I just had to get that out. Now, man, I LOVE that song (British soul singer Adele has a heart-wrenching rendition of it available for purchase on iTunes)! It is probably one of my favorite love songs of all time. Kris sang it well. He had a tenderness and a vulnerability (I wrote those words before the judges used them, thank you very much) that captured the emotion behind the song. I was unsure about Kris going into this week, but he won me over with this performance. Hopefully he's starting to make a name for himself in this competition...I think he's been a little lost in the shuffle up until now. Rating: 8
Lil Rounds - Independence Day. I can sort of understand Lil's reasoning behind making this song choice....sort of. Everyone was expecting Lil to choose something like Dolly's "I Will Always Love You" or Trisha Yearwood's "How do I Live"...songs that are big, well-known ballads. And if she would have picked those, she would have killed it with them. But she would have disappointed by making such predictable choices. So I think Lil decided to do something a little more off-beat. But I think she should have chosen some really fun, up-tempo country song (like Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" or Reba's "Fancy")....if she wanted to truly "honor country music" as she said in her Seacrest interview, she should have chosen a country song with an attitude and really performed it. But instead, she chose something bland and sort of did a half-butt job...(that phrase doesn't sound right unless you curse). I just think Lil didn't really connect with the song tonight...she was boring I daresay a little pitchy in some parts. Rating: 6 Bonus Question: What name did Simon keep "mistakenly" calling Lil when he was speaking to her after her performance?
By the way, I can normally tolerate (even appreciate) Simon, but he was really snarky tonight with the way he treated Lil. It seems like every season he manages to "forget" at least one person's name (last season he forgot Carly Smithson's name a number of times). I don't believe he forgot her name for a second...as a producer of the show, he is invested in the contestants...I'm sure he's in meetings and interviews and other happenings throughout the season that make it impossible to forget these people's names. What a self-important prat. That's all I have to say.
Adam Lambert - Ring of Fire. I remember a couple weeks ago writing that I was "on team Adam"....I am sadly here to inform you that I have hereby turned in my jersey. What the crap was that?!? I felt like Adam's performance was cocky, self-worthy, desperate, and needy. What a joke! I really enjoy when contestants on the show take a song and conform it to their own style (David Cook and Jason Castro were masters at this), but the difference with Adam is that he was purely and simply going for shock value. The rendition of "Ring of Fire" he chose to sing tonight was nothing like his own personal style. I feel like Adam scoured the Internet for the strangest arrangement he could find, and then decided to go with that. I would have preferred for Adam to choose a true country arrangement of a country song, and then to put his own spin on it by throwing in a few high-pitched banshee calls and runs. Instead, Adam brought out the hookahs and the sitars and the magic carpets and ruined Johnny Cash's legendary hit. And it was horrible. He was trying too hard. Rating: 5
By the way, what's with all the Taylor Hicks bashing this season? This is at least the third time I've heard them use Hicks as a derogatory remark in the last 3 weeks! I'm no Taylor Hicks fan, but come on! They should support him...he won on their show, for crying out loud.
Scott MacIntyre - Wild Angels. Well, Scott is an incredible piano player...I just wish they'd turn his mic off. Scott's voice just isn't there. He's singing more and more through his nose, and tonight's song was too low for him in parts. It did sound better when the band came in and joined him, but I just don't think Scott is good enough for American Idol. On the other hand, there are a lot of performers who make a career of singing with a nasally sounding voice (Mark Schultz is one in the Christian arena). The singer/songwriter thing really works for a lot of markets. I'd be shocked if there wasn't a Scott MacIntyre album on the shelf at your local Christian bookstore within the next year. Rating: 6
And then we have to watch a 10 minute sparring match between Paula and Simon about whether or not Scott should sit behind a piano while he sings. And I begin to pull my hair out.
Alexis - Jolene. I didn't like this arrangement of the song. I couldn't tell if it was just a weird arrangement, or if Alexis was falling behind in some parts, but it seemed like the song just stalled at certain points. It just wasn't happening for me tonight. Alexis sang it pretty, like she always does. But frankly, I'm getting a little bored with her trying to "Aretha-tize" every song she does. Can't she just sing something soft and pretty with emotion? Also, I wish she would get over the whole "dirty" thing. It seems like she's trying too hard (I'm fully aware that I sound like a broken record, but so does Alexis). Rating: 7
Does anyone else think these new Old Navy commercials with the talking mannequins are really annoying? I may never shop at Old Navy again...
Danny Gokey - Jesus Take the Wheel. I know a lot of you really like Danny, but I'm still getting a pretentious vibe from him....and especially after his opening segment. Don't you think that if you were going in to sing for Randy Travis, that you would practice a little and have your song prepared beforehand?!? I managed to get over that so I could watch Danny's performance of the song. Then I became angry again when he started using his Mariah Carey "diva" hand. Why do people do that? I think Danny would have done better to choose something with a little more soul. Pop ballads don't suit his voice and his musical style. Speaking of Taylor Hicks, I think Danny is sort of a Taylor Hicks 2.0 - minus the gray hair and harmonica. The chorus of the song definitely sounded better than the verses, but this performance was the worst I've seen of him. Rating: 6
Anoop Desai - You Were Always on my Mind. I have to eat my words a little from last week. I said that Anoop lacked the vocal ability and relied on shock value and charisma to get him through the competition. Anoop proved me wrong. He picked the best song he could have chosen. He did retain some of that shock value, though...who knew Anoop could sing a serious, tender and heartfelt song? I was blown away by his vocals tonight. He definitely out sang the front runners of the competition, and I'm really happy for him. And then, as if his emotional performance was not enough, he threw in a little falsetto as the cherry on the top! Since I returned my Adam Lambert jersey, I'd like to join team Noop Dogg...consider me a fan. Rating: 9
Megan Joy -Walkin' After Midnight. I knew Megan would sing Pasty Cline tonight, but I thought she'd go with "Crazy". I think she made the right choice, though. "Crazy" would have brought the mood down a little too much. I think Megan did a good job tonight. Maybe America is finally starting to figure her out...I hope? Megan is a bluesy jazz singer who does contemporary music with a vintage feel. She's comparable to Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Adele, or even someone like a Norah Jones. True, she isn't as seasoned and polished as those ladies are (with the exception of Amy Winehouse, of course), but that will develop over time. In addition to Noop Dogg, I'm also on Team Megan....along with everyone at Vote For the Worst. All I know is that Megan's rendition of this song was a million times better than Kellie ("nawdy whut?") Pickler's version two years ago. And Megan's dress was really pretty tonight...no matter what Simon had to say about it. Rating: 8
Matt Giruad - So Small. I was very surprised by Matt's decision to sing this song...but as it turns out, he knows himself better than I know him...who knew? And he gave a terrific performance tonight. The piano was exquisite (by the way, why didn't the judges chastise him for using the piano two weeks in a row?). And Matt's vocals were good....especially with the chorus of the song. Matt's voice clearly is not the strongest, "beltiest", most powerful voice on the show, but his genuine musicianship shines through more and more each week. For some people, the slight imperfections in their voice only give them more character and originality (Jason Castro, again, is a prime example...along with someone like Bob Dylan). If it's possible to do this, I'm also joining Team Matt. Rating: 9
So, in summary: I never liked Danny, I'm over Adam, My affections are wavering for Alexis, I've always loved Megan, I love Matt even more than I did before, Anoop has my vote, and Kris Allen is getting there.
Season 8 is strange for me...usually by this point in the season, I've chosen my favorite and made my mind up as to a general ranking of the contestants. I'm just not getting that this time. Anyone else feel this way?
Currently Listening To: Fancy by Reba McIntire
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