Overall, last night was better than I thought it'd be. Some folks were definitely out of their comfort zone (Lil' and Adam!) but others boosted their stock (Kris Allen, Anoop and Matt Giraud). Some were over the top cheese (Danny Gokey, really?!?! but he sang it well at least). Here are my reviews/critiques of each performance.
1. Michael Sarver - Garth Brooks “Ain’t Goin’ Down Till the Sun Comes Up”
Worst performance of the night. I am now to the point where I am getting angry that he is still on that stage and others (Ann Marie Boskovich and Felicia Barton) were sent home so early. Sure, he is a likable guy. Sure, he's got a relatively decent voice. But tonight was fodder, no getting around it. I thought that he was trying to do a ventriloquist act the whole time- he hardly ever opens his mouth when he sings! Pronunciation, Michael...especially with an overly-wordy song like that. I thought he was uncomfortable and showed how average he is compared to the other contestants.
2. Allison Iraheta - Patty Loveless “Blame It On Your Heart”
Allison did well tonight, but she is starting to sound the same every week to me. That is sad, because I think she has a great voice. I did like the rock edge she put on Patty Loveless though. I think Paula is right in that she needs to show a little vulnerability. I would like to see her sing a ballad, take out some of the grit in her voice and really show the audience that she can sing, no matter what kind of song it is. She's safe this week, but she has to do something again next week to keep her buzz strong like it was after she did "Alone."
3. Kris Allen - Garth Brooks “To Make You Feel My Love”
While Kris might not have taken my advice on what actual song to sing, he definitely took my advice to play it up for the ladies. No woman can resist a soft ballad, right? (personal note: learn this song to sing to the ladies). This was one of my favorite performances of the night. It's hard for an American Idol contestant to resist the urge to throw out the big glory notes on every song, but Kris showed that he can. His laid back and genuine rendition of this song shows that he knows how to play the game better than we thought he did. And, I liked that he did it without his guitar (granted, it would have been baller if it was solely acoustic, but still). It showed that he's not dependant on his guitar like Scott and Matt are for their piano.
4. Lil' Rounds - Martina McBride "Independence Day"
I like Lil', don't get me wrong. I think she can sing. But I think this song showed that she is not as good as we all would like to think she is. She is the token Gospel singer for this season, but she's not as good as others on past seasons. Syesha, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia all had better voices, IMO. I respect her choice to not do the overly cliched "I Will Always Love You," because I don't think she would have done it justice. I just think it's funny how the judges told her she should have sang it, even though they rip every girl who does attempt it a new one. Lil' was extremely out of her element this week, so I'm not going to hold it against her too much. But, just because you have the biggest voice (of the girls) in the competition, don't think that it's necessarily big enough for Martina McBride. Girl can SAAANG!
5. Adam Lambert - Johnny Cash "Ring of Fire"Ahhh, the part that you all have been no doubt waiting for. You all know that I like Adam the most of any of the contestants. I think in terms of vocal ability and performance, he can blow any of the contestants this year out of the water. However, this song choice and arrangement was a little on the strange side, I'll give you that. There are tons of mixed emotions on this performance, and I know most of you reading this are on the "I hated that" train. I, however, am on the "I'm loving it" train. It took me three times listening to it to figure that out though. Vocally, his rendition is brilliant. Some of the liberties he took DID give it a very Led Zepplin-ish feel, and I DUG that. Most people would have liked the song more had the musical arrangement been different, I think. But again, I thought it was great. I'm also partial to crazy covers of classic songs, so that might also be why. The one thing that did bug me was the whole starting in a minor chord, then going to a major chord for the chorus, then back into the minor. I would have liked if it was all minor and eerie sounding. The major chords made it sound too bright for the mood that was trying to be set. The drums dropping in halfway through was also baller. It's an iconic song that most people shouldn't touch, and that rubbed people the wrong way, but I challenge you all to go back and watch/listen to it again now that the initial shock has worn off. I think you'll like it more than you think you did. But I'll agree with you, it probably wasn't made for American Idol.
6. Scott MacIntyre - Martina McBride "Wild Angels"Scotty boy, Scotty boy...what can I say. He's consistently average. His piano playing is great. The little arpeggio thing he did at the end was awesome (even though the camera didn't show it!). His voice is just too bland for me. There is no color. There are no dynamics. Pitch struggles mightily. But he has passion, I'll give him that. And he's sorta funny. But that is not what American Idol is about. It's a singing competition. This week wasn't great, and it wasn't terrible. It was just average, middle-of-the-road Scott. He needs to do an up tempo Billy Joel or Elton John song next week to prove to me that he should be where he is.
7. Alexis Grace - Dolly Parton “Jolene”
Ok, Alexis gave a decent performance. Sounded a little too much like the original for me. I like her though. I think she can sing for a lil' white girl (maybe we can call her "Lil' Thin" to complement Lil' Rounds? no? oh well, moving on). I am really disappointed that she didn't do "Before He Cheats," as were the judges!! She would have absolutely killed that. She is fine for this week, but it was nothing to write home about.
8. Danny Gokey - Carrie Underwood "Jesus Take the Wheel"
Vocally, this performance was very, very good. I enjoyed how he sounded on this song. The soul he brought to the climax of the song added a great deal to it. Realistically, why in the world is he pouring Velvetta cheese all over my TV right now?! I just picture Ryan Seacrest laughing hysterically in the back when he found out Gokey was singing this song. But aside from the worship pastor singing about Jesus (very novel), I think he did a great job with the song. I am still routing against him, but I got to give him what props he deserves, even if I did laugh at it. Also, Simon was spot on about the freaking Tundra jacket he was wearing in 70+ degree weather. Really dude??
9. Anoop Desai - Willie Nelson "Always on My Mind"
'Noop-dawg! Ok, so I am overly critical of Anoop, let me go ahead and put that out there. I don't find the fact that we both attended the same University grounds enough for me to judge him any less harsh than I judge any of the other contestants. I do, however, expect more from him than he gives me on a week in-week out basis. I think he's better than he's showing. That being said...on to the review. I think Anoop redeemed himself last night. I think he did what I said he should (croon a soulful ballad) but what really made it stand out to me was how he changed an iconic song to something completely different and very good. I have issues with his pitch when he is doing the softer parts of songs. If he had a little more breath support, those notes would come out more full, but not lose any of their tenderness. Once he goes into his "money range" as I call it, he has the most pleasing voice of any of them. So I hope he goes far, but I think the Chapel Hill girls should not throw their panties at the TV quite yet. He still has a lot to prove before that is acceptable.
10. Megan Corkery - Patsy Cline "Walking After Midnight"
So, not one of the songs I predicted, but same artist! And it's an artist who sounds similar on every song, so I say I got this one right :). Flu or no flu, Megan looked hot tonight! You'll rarely hear me compliment her vocals on this blog because I'm not a huge fan of her kind of voice, but for being sick, she did ok. Her "WHOOP WHOOP!" at the end was vintage Megan quirkiness, and I loved that. She won't be going home I don't think, and if she does, she will get saved hands down. I don't think that she can last too much longer in this competition because she just doesn't have an American Idol type of voice. Very monotone singer, to me. If she had some range to go with her tone, I'd probably love her.
11. Matt Giraud - Carrie Underwood "So Small"
So what is up with all the guys singing girls songs?! Got me, but I'm liking it! I think Matt did an awesome job with this song. Rightfully so, it was the Pimp Spot! There were a few pitchy notes, but it didn't take away from his performance. This is one of my favorite country songs (one I also like to play and sing also) and I thought the musical arrangement was awesome. The staccato that they used with the strings was very nice. I don't like how he chopped up the lyrics so much though. I feel like if he just sang the chorus all the way through, it would have sounded much better to me. He cut out some of the parts that would have been awesome, but maybe too high for him. He still should have hit them though.
Well, that's it! I think that the bottom 3 will be Michael, Megan, and Scott. Michael Sarver is a goner. If he is, then America got it right. If it's either of the other two, you might see a save! Do you agree with my reviews?! I expect most not to for some (Adam), but I hope you all enjoyed the read. Post your comments!
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
P.S. I'm going to paraphrase my roommate, Brenton Clark Woodcox. "You should be on the show helping them, because the show would have been better if they sang the songs you picked for them rather than the ones they did." Hear that, Seacrest? Hook a brotha up!
