Top 10: Performance Results

The songs have been sung. The votes have been cast. Last nights performances (for the most part) made me a believer in this group of contestants for the first time. Prior to this, I did not feel that they measured up to the standards that the previous Idol seasons had set (forgetting the Taylor Hicks season, of course). I've known that they could sing, but something had been missing. Maybe it's me just getting used to them. Or maybe it's the fact that they have gotten comfortable on the stage and are not letting nerves get the better of them. I'm thinking it's a little of both, but with this newfound confidence that some of the contestants are finding, this show has now moved from a two man battle to one where anyone can take it all. Well...most anyone.

Last night was Motown night. Smokey Robinson was in the house. I like that cat. He seems pretty cool. I was interested to see what songs the contestants were going to pick. I'm going to say I got 2/10 correct from my predictions, taking into account the whole "what you should have sang" thing. I was so close to having the 3rd had I just stuck to my gut, but I'll discuss that later. On to the critiques!

Matt Giraud, “Let’s Get It On”

So, I didn't think that anyone was going to attempt this song because of it's iconic nature, as well as sexually suggestive lyrics (wait, are they suggestive or just plain sexual?). However, I thought he pulled it off pretty nicely. I liked how he used the piano to show of his talents a bit, but not let it be a crutch to him like they told Scott last week. His vocals were also much more improved from last week. I'm not QUITE as excited about his riffing as Paula and Kara are. He can sing runs, there's no doubt about it, but they are not disciplined at all. Sometimes it sounds like he's shaking the notes out rather than singing them out. That was my only issue with this performance. The switches from chest voice to falsetto were very nice. This was another solid performance from Matt.

Kris Allen, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”

The pros of doing this song: everyone knows it and loves it, plus it's easy enough to put your own spin on it (which Kris did). The cons: EVERYONE has done this song and no matter how you do it, it's ALWAYS just a tad on the "good but not great" side. I think Kris did a good job on this song. Like the judges said, he's in his zone and performing well on every song. For me though, the song just didn't have that much emotion in it. It was a very safe performance that didn't show me anything new from him. I sorta wish he would have just kept it him and the acoustic, because again, the band drowned out the pretty sweet chords he was playing. And I still can't get over the llama face, man. I like Kris a lot, but someone has got to tell this dude that he looks absolutely ridiculous when he juts his chin 3 inches to the right everytime he hits a high note! What was impressive, however, was Paula's ability to hear the correct note that Kris sang at the end. It was actually an A! Again, solid, but not great, performance from Kris.

Scott MacIntyre, “You Can’t Hurry Love”

WHAT!? My first correct pick of the season that the performer actually sang! What's funny is this was the one I was least sure of. Kudos to Scott for upping the tempo a little this week and having a little bit of fun up there. The singers around the piano was a nice touch. The performance itself was ok, bordering on not good, to me though. I disagree with Simon, I thought the piano playing was great, but I have just come to the conclusion that I don't think he can sing that well. I can pick 10 of my friends who can sing better than him. I think the well is running up sorta dry on Scott and I think he may be in trouble this week.

Megan Joy, “For Once In My Life"

Megan, Megan, Megan...I don't know what that was, doll, but it sho' won't good. You all know how I feel about her voice (don't like it), but she has never had a train-wreck as bad as this one. She didn't hit any of her high notes, her virbrato was crazy annoying, and it come off too forced. Kara and I must be on the same page, because she told Megan that she should have sang "My Guy," the song I picked for her (I count that as a correct pick. I shouldn't be penalized for the contestants stupidity!) I agree with the judges that she is simply picking the wrong songs for her style of voice. It's like she's never heard herself sing before and doesn't know what she can handle. This is something that most singers KNOW! Maybe it's nerves though, b/c I always seem to liker her singing in the videos better than I do live. Hmmmm...I do not know, but I think she is in trouble.

Anoop Desai, “Oooh, Baby Baby”

So, as you have read in previous blogs, I've often commented on how Chapel Hill girls are just short of throwing their panties at the TV after every Anoop performance. This time it literally happened! Girls brought their panties and threw them at my TV last night...and it was hilarious. Anyway, Anoop is hitting his stride right now. He sounded very good last night, aside from some off-pitch falsetto's. It was INCREDIBLY safe though. I don't know if he couldn't do "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" because he lost in the hat draw, but I would have rather heard him sing that song than the guy who actually did (more on that in a sec). Now that Anoop has found his vocals again, I want to hear/see him PERFORM like a superstar. If he finds a fast song that he can shred, he has a legit shot of becoming a front-runner. He's slowly climbing, but he still needs to show people that he is a total package.

Michael Sarver, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”

I'm glad Michael is not too proud to beg (wait...how IRONIC...he IS begging to stay on the show right now!). You will hear it here every week until it happens. I want Michael off the show. He is terrible. He is fodder. He thinks he can sing much better than he actually can and it's starting to annoy me. His version of "Ain't Too Proud" was karaoke hell. Again, he doesn't open up his mouth when he sings, his runs are God awful (that's being nice), and he is awkward as mess on the stage. I'm sorry if any of you love Michael, but it's high time he went home.

Lil Rounds, “Heatwave”

The first thought that came to my mind when I saw Lil' was Beyonce's song "Pat yo' Weave." That was insane, but hey, whatever works for you, Lil'. As for the song, I stand by my pick. She would have sounded much better doing "Stop! In the Name of Love." Something that I have noticed from Lil', that didn't strike me until last night, is that she is capable of two settings: not singing at all and loud as all get out. I have not heard her back down off the pipes and every song lately has felt forced and screamed. It's like she thinks she has to out-power everyone else to showcase her voice. I don't know, but this song didn't do anything for me. She needs to learn that singing is about more than just belting every note you sing. You need dynamics. You need expression. You need emotion. I'm not seeing any of these things from Lil' right now.

Adam Lambert, “Tracks of My Tears”

Amazing. This is exactly what Adam needed to do after he scared some people last week. I thought his arrangement of this song was perfect for his voice and he really showed a side that no one has seen from him this season. We know he can hit the big notes and entertain us with his stage presence. But what was crazy is that I thought he did a better job of capturing everyone's attention with this song than he did with any of his up-tempo numbers. It was somewhat captivating listening to him sing the words of that song and it felt like he was actually connecting to what he was singing. Kara hit it dead on. That is artistry.

Danny Gokey, “Get Ready”

As I'll say most weeks, Danny sang well this week. His voice sounded pretty good on the song (though this might have been his weakest performance yet). He does need to watch it with all of the cheese he's bringing every week. I'm not sure if people are really digging that. It might be just me, but ever since they stopped talking about his wife (RIP), interest in Danny is starting to slip. One website had him at number 4 in terms of popularity at the moment. I'm not sure if he is letting the proclamation of him being in the finals go to his head, but I think he needs to pick better songs and take this a little more seriously than he has. He's obviously safe, but if he doesn't do something to make people start talking about him again, he might be looking for the save card here in a few weeks.

Allison Iraheta, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone"

Ok, so if I had stuck to my gut, I would have gotten this pick right. I had it up there for her, and then erased it last minute...STUPID! What else can I say, Allison killed it tonight. She got the buzz going again with a great performance that showcased how extremely seasoned she is at 16. The last note was great and I don't think she'll need to worry about being in the bottom 3 this week. I DO still want to hear a ballad from her one of these days. But I'll settle for this for now.

Overall, it was a pretty good show tonight. I think Michael, Megan, and Scott will be in the bottom 3. They were just simply not up to par with everyone else. However, Idol wouldn't be Idol without it's "shock of the week," so expect the potential for Scott to be replaced with either Lil' or Kris (even though they don't deserve to be there).

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Michael should go home. End of discussion. Debate me if you must, but I will win.

Again, I apologize for the late post, but work was insane today! As always, leave your comments and let me know where I was right or wrong. The first week was GREAT! Now let's keep it going!

Your American Idol Junkie,

Billy