Top 4: Performance Results

TIMBER! So...the Idol set wasn't the only thing that crumbled to pieces last night. Along with it, we saw some of our more seasoned finalists show their vulnerable side on less than stellar performances. I predicted that this would be one of the best final 4 episodes that we've seen in the history of this show, but the pressure must have built up because the contestants, for the most part, looked as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. It could have been due to an improper dress rehearsal as a result from the stage malfunction, but most of the contestants seemed extremely nervous up there. We saw the first batch of duets in the history of Idol and Slash introduced the most unique setting in which to give criticism to the contestants (though nothing he said mattered much- it was all pretty much worthless). With less contestants, the show is getting tougher and tougher to judge. With that being said, let's see how they sang. Below is a video with the audio from all four solo performances last night. It's always good to LISTEN to the performances again to see how they sounded. Sometimes the performance can make a vocal sound better than it actually was.



Adam Lambert - Led Zepplin "Whole Lotta Love"

When I found out that Adam was doing Led Zepplin, I said to myself "This makes sense." Robert Plant's wailing is part of Adam's vocal vocabulary, so it didn't surprise me. He was the only performer tonight who did not look nervous to be up there on that stage. He provided yet another very solid performance. I liked how he paid homage to the original artist by keeping it very close to the original recording. What was good about it, though, is that it did not come across as karaoke or copycat. You still felt like you were watching Adam sing a song off of his album. It was vocally very sound and well sung, but for some reason, this was not my one of my favorite performances from him. Perhaps it was his look/stage presence. For weeks, people have been saying that he looks "evil" sometimes when he performs. I got that vibe tonight, though I don't REALLY think he is. Something about the clothes, the over-abundance of guyliner, the haircut, the looks he was giving the camera, I don't know, it was sort of strange for me. Granted, bands DID style themselves like this back in the day, so it could have been due to that, but I don't see any of the other contestants being able to pull off that look. It was a very "questionable" outfit to say the least, but at this point in the competition, everyone knows that Adam is gay. He might as well not try and hide it (which I'm pretty sure he hasn't tried to do haha).

Allison Iraheta - Janis Joplin "Crybaby"

Allison is the only female contestant left, so it stands to reason that she would choose a Joplin song, given her style and voice. Vocally, it was average. She was somewhat pitchy and chose a song that was probably too big for her. She also was the first of the contestants to look nervous on that stage. This was something that we have not seen from her before. She usually has so much poise and professionalism when she's singing that it's hard to believe that she is as young as she is. But tonight, she let her youth outshine her talent. She also showed a little bit of immaturity in her back-talking to Simon. He's absolutely right that her personality does not always convey with the audience. And he was also right that she seemed to be desperately begging in her verbal joust with him. Luckily for Allison, she was not the worst of the evening, but she is far from being safe tonight.

Kris Allen - Beatles/Aerosmith "Come Together"

From the very beginning of the episode, you could tell something was off with Kris. He was not his usually happy-go-lucky self, grinning from ear to ear. I'm not sure if the lack of a proper dress rehearsal affected him more than the others, but you could tell that he was agitated. I would be too, so I can't fault him for that. But wearing his emotion on his sleeve is something that he needs to work on controlling. For his solo, he delivered another Jason Mraz-esque version of a rock classic. Like Allison, vocally, this was an average performance. Kris did not show us anything that proved that he deserves to be in the position he is in. Something just felt like it was missing in this song, and I'm not quite sure what it was. Having the thin voice that he does, he was completely overpowered by the band. I would have liked to see him slow it down and pull out a mellow version of it, but mellow was not in the vocabulary for tonight's performances. All rock, all the way. Also, the judges were far more harsh with Kris tonight than they were on any of the other contestants, even though others deserved their criticism more than he did. It was a good performance, but not great, and definitely forgettable. He may see himself in the bottom 2 this week.

Danny Gokey - Aerosmith "Dream On"

When I first heard that Danny was going to be singing this song, I immediately wanted to scream obscenities at the television. Adam would have killed this song, but instead, we are going to have to sit through a veritable train wreck. My suspicions were correct. Flat from the first note, we saw Danny in a light that we have never seen him before. Scared to death. Hands firmly grasping the mic, shifting his weight back and forth, and looking like a deer in the headlights were all signs that Danny was going to have a rough time this week. Slash's mention of the extreme importance of the final note of the song was obviously weighing on him the entire performance. And when it came time to sing said note, Danny botched it in a way that I haven't heard anyone sound all season. Lloyd Christmas is furious right now because Danny has now surpassed him as owner of the world's most annoying sound. I'm shocked that Danny thought that he could do this song justice. He is usually much smarter than that. And the fact that he thought it sounded good shows how pompous he can be. Luckily, they showed a better version of the note on the recap, but dogs everywhere were still beating their heads into walls. It just wasn't good in the least bit. He definitely is deserving of a bottom two showing this week, if not elimination all together. P.S. Purple shirt and pin striped vests are NOT rock and roll. Neither are random "doo-doo-doo's" thrown in the middle of a tag.

Duets:

Kris and Danny - Styx "Renegade"

The first time I heard them perform this, I thought that Danny wiped the floor with Kris, and the judges did too. After watching it a second time, I'm taking that back slightly. Yes Danny sang better than Kris, but it wasn't THAT much better. He got the high notes and Kris let him take (or Danny just took from him) the glory notes at the end, that they could have split. The both looked equally nervous at the beginning and I think it was because of what Paula said. They didn't look like they could hear themselves up there at all. The harmonies were tight and they sounded good together, but Kris just sort of sunk back to background singer role as the song wore on, which does not bode well for him.

Allison and Adam - Foghat "Slow Ride"

This was a stupid song to pick as a duet. Hopefully it was all the producers choice and not the Idol's themselves. They sang the song well, and were ten times more entertaining than Kris and Danny were in their duet. You could tell that they really like performing together, and I expect to see something like that on the tour. Their voices complement each other fairly nicely. I would have still much rather seen "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" though. Simon might be right about Allison. I think Adam helped her stay in the competition a little longer with that performance. She sounded good on it.

Power Rankings:

1. (1) Adam Lambert
2. (2) Danny Gokey
3. (4) Allison Iraheta
4. (3) Kris Allen

After sub-par performances from Kris this week, I think he's looking to be in trouble. Danny stays at number 2 based on his popularity, but I would love to see him exit the show. Votefortheworst.com has embraced him as their new pick since he is annoying and would make another Taylor Hicks if he won. I'm hoping that they do not get their wish, but at this point, America could send anyone home. I think that these are your bottom 2 and I think (and hope and pray) that Danny will be getting a surprising boot tonight. Anyone feel me on that?

There you have it folks. How did you all like the performances? Was I the only one who thought that everyone failed to live up to their potential? Let me know.

Your American Idol Junkie,

Billy