I’m just putting this out there: I thought last night’s Top Thirteen on American Idol was one of the strongest “opening nights” the show has ever had. All in all, there were no colossal failures. Some people may not have been super strong, but even the weak ones sounded decent. For once, I could actually appreciate the new selection process as it did seem to weed out all the nervous nellies, leaving us with a pool of contestants who more or less commanded the stage very well. I honestly don’t know who’s going home tonight because those who floundered (Anoop, Jorge, Scott) seem to have a strong fan base. Plus, Ryan teased new rules for us (which we’ll learn about tonight); so who the hell knows what’s going on.
Nevertheless, last night we got to see the brand new set, which retained last season’s multi-tiered look with a few much-needed tweaks (the backdrop no longer curves down to the floor like a giant eye  a design that had the effect of making the stage seem very small, IMHO as they say). Plus, a bellowing voice of God introduced the judges AND Seacrest in what was one of the more ostentatious and unnecessary additions of the season. Aside from that, everything was pretty much the same: Randy still delivered in his unique language (I believe he said “Well job done man” at one point), Simon was still excessively harsh, and Paula maintained her streak for curious fashion choices (it looked as though a seagull had taken a nose dive into her right shoulder). Plus, we had our usual smattering of celebs in the audience: Gordon Ramsey, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Ace Young, Justin Guarini, etc. etc.. Yes, the Idol we know and love was back.
As for the singers themselves, I’d be hard pressed to find anyone who was truly, truly awful. Lil Rounds kicked off the show with a very strong take on “The Way She Makes Me Feel.” When I heard she’d be singing the song, I was slightly disappointed as I thought the peppy tune might lend itself to corniness  a sentiment I usually feel when I sing it alone in my car. Plus, its limited range had me wondering how good Lil could make it. Well, she did a great job. For the first time ever, actually, I truly drank the Lil Rounds Kool-Aid. Color me impressed.
Speaking of impressed, I gotta give Danny Gokey “mad props,” as Randy might say, for his rendition of “PYT.” Like many others, I’d been experiencing a Danny Gokey backlash over the past few weeks, but he was so damn good, I really couldn’t deny it. He hit every note and seemed like he was totally into the performance. I’m not saying I’m back on board the Gokey Train 100%, but if he turns it out like this every week, I’d be hard pressed to remain a hater.
One person I can happily hate, however, is Scott McIntyre, who admittedly sounded much better tonight than he did during the semifinals, but even now, he’s not so great. In fact, hearing him in the context of the recap at the end of the show, you can really hear that his voice is just not up to par. On the plus side, we did get to hear him with “his instrument,” as Paula likes to say, but piano or no piano, he seemed pretty much the same to me: OFF. I didn’t particularly like the song that much either. I was with Simon on this one  why sing that song of all the Michael Jackson tunes? Sometimes these singers don’t realize this is a chance to connect with the audience, and the best way to do that is with a song that the audience actually knows. Time to vote him off, people.
Of course, maybe Scott didn’t have a choice of songs. After Jorge Núñez delivered a middling version of “Never Can Say Goodbye,” he revealed to American that he had no choice in picking the song. Then he sort of backtracked and claimed his other option was “Bad” by Michael Jackson (I would have picked that). There’ve been rumors for some time now that the contestants really don’t get too much freedom with the songs they choose (which sucks when the judges attack their song choice), and this was the closest the producers have been to being outed for their restrictive ways. Nevertheless, unlike Scott, at least Jorge’s voice sounded good. I mean, there was some strain in there, but it was nothing compared to the bleating that passes for Scott’s voice. I still don’t like Jorge very much though â€â€Ã‚ his personality annoys me  and I wasn’t particularly shocked to see that his arrangement was totally Lite FM.
Also faltering, sadly, was Anoop. I had the exact same impression as all of the judges: karaoke. I think we all love Anoop (I mean, Anoooooop), but he’s sort of been not living up to his hype. I don’t want to see him go just yet because I know he has it in him, but “Beat It,” was not the way to express it. Like Paula said, it’s kind of untouchable, and anything that’s not Michael Jackson will just sound subpar. His best bet would have been to drastically overhaul the song instead. Or to sing a different song (now HE could have done “Bad.” Or what about “Billy Jean?” Why didn’t anyone sing it? It’s probably been reserved for the stupid group sing).
Aside from Jorge, Anoop, and Scott, everyone else was pretty good. I thought Alison Iraheta was strong, but not as strong as she was in the semifinals. Her biggest problem was choosing a song that I didn’t really know. Was that just me or was it a really obscure selection? She still sang it well, but I would have preferred a tune that I could have recognized. I wouldn’t be surprised if the slightly odd song choice might come back to haunt her.
Jasmine Murray was also very good, but for the life of me, I cannot remember what she sang. I only remember that she sang it well. Hold on: must go to the Internets. Ah, she sang “I’ll Be There.” Yeah, it was good. I tend to think the song is a bit precious, but hey, she did a solid job; so, uh, good for her. She’s definitely much improved since her “Love Song” debacle.
Megan Corkrey, meanwhile, did a peppy little number that the judges seemed none to pleased about, but I didn’t really mind. Would I have liked her to have picked something a bit more current, yeah, but hey, she’s the chosen oddball of the group, why not let her sing oddball songs? I really had no problem with her.
Then there was Michael Sarver. You all know that I am adamantly anti-Sarv. He seems like the nicest guy, but he has no personality. It was no surprise then that he chose one of Michael Jackson’s most prosaic songs: “You Are Not Alone.” Blah. However, to Michael’s credit, he really did put his all into the performance, and even I must admit that he was very good. He was not without fault though. Sometimes he pushed too hard, and his voice made all sorts of weird intonations and sounds. I was shocked that the judges didn’t dock him for that, but then again, they seem to be unabashedly in love with him; so I guess he can do no wrong. Nevertheless, this is the rare positive Michael Sarver response from me; so I’ll just leave it at that.
Who else? Who else? Ah, Kris Allen. First, I was a bit surprised to see that he was married. He looks like he’s fourteen! And Simon was right: he should have kept the wife under wraps a bit longer. Gotta get those votes, Kris! The good news is that he was a total natural up there with his guitar. Unlike Scott, who seemed more or less the same to me behind his piano, Kris seemed to really come alive as a performer. Granted, the strumming sounded a bit strange and discordant with the band on “Do You Remember The Time,” but Kris himself was great and very, very likable. Good for him. I like that he’s sort of snuck right into the mix, despite having no presence on the show until two weeks ago.
Also winning me over again was Alexis Grace, who tackled “Dirty Diana” with spunky aplomb. The judges warned her of over singing, which I back, but still I thought she did a great job. It’s amazing to me that she can deliver so much in such a small package. Plus, she’s taken the judges notes to heart, and her sultry/dirty/sexy image has really worked for her. I don’t particularly find her sultry/dirty/sexy, BUT at least she’s not sweet and precious, which is what she would have been had no one said anything, and I like her current incarnation much more than any sort of cutesy Strawberry Shortcake persona she may have busted out instead.
Finally, we come to Adam Lambert and Matt Giraud: a lovely study in contrasts. Adam absolutely blew the judges away with his Axl-Rose-infused take on “Black or White.” I’m not gonna be a total hater â€â€Ã‚ it was very good. The guy knows how to command a stage, and he hits all his notes. But just because he does a great job doesn’t mean I can’t still find it totally annoying. Not my cup of tea, as they say. Simon praised him for being current, but I still feel a lack of authenticity with his general appearance and musical style. He simply tries too hard. That being said, I can’t deny that he had a super strong performance. I just wasn’t particularly moved by it.
Matt Giraud, meanwhile, sort of won me over in a surprisingly understated way. Sitting at the piano, he crooned a rather soulful version of “Human Nature” that just worked 100% for me, even if the number of notes he hit was more in the 85% range. I didn’t mind some of the hiccups because I felt that he was emotionally connected to the music. It was an outgrowth of him, not an attempt to play the part (see: Adam Lambert). Plus, it helps that I really like “Human Nature.” The judges gave him strong, if truncated reviews, but I thought he deserved a bit more praise. Oh well.
So now we wait for two to go home. Who will it be? I honestly have no idea. Who do you think?