Pic courtesy of Rickey.org
There was so much potential for greatness on last night’s American Idol, but alas, the singers kind of stumbled with their wide-open theme of “Top Downloadable Songs” (a.k.a. sing whatever you damn well want). Whereas last week the kids struggled to make Motown sounds contemporary, this time around, they seemed unable to make contemporary songs sound fresh. It wasn’t all bad news though. We did get some mighty fine performances, starting (perhaps regrettably) with Danny Gokey who belted out a very emotional take on Rascall Flatts. My feelings on Danny are fairly well documented: I generally don’t like him, but he is capable of impressing me from time to time. Last night was one of those times. I liked that his arrangement wasn’t overly country-ish nor was it cheesy dance techno (like the version that plays at my gym). But most of all, he really connected with the music (cough, dead wife, cough), and that really elevated his performance, which admittedly was not perfect. There were several bad notes and plenty of strain, but it didn’t really matter too much because the overall performance was so strong. Major, major deduction, however, for the awful t-shirt. What in the hell was he thinking?
Danny was really pretty awesome, but honestly, my favorite of the night was Kris Allen, who was out and out excellent. The kid is not only coming into his own each week, but he really seems like he could be on the radio. (I could see Danny on the radio too â€â€Ã‚ on Lite FM though.) Kris is really doing a bang-up job and should be considered a major contender. He has yet to falter and is only getting stronger.
The same could have been said about Matt Giraud last week, but this time around, he took a major step back. I like that he chose a very current song, but The Fray was not the right choice. Matt sounded bad. Like baaaad. He was off-key practically the whole song, and while he was giving it all on his keyboard in the crowd, the whole thing sounded forced and awful. I hope he doesn’t go home though. He’s one of my favorites.
And at least Matt didn’t sound as unnatural as Anoop, who reverted to frat-party ways, as Kara so accurately described it. (Anoop refuted the charge, but then the camera zoomed in on his friends: all frat boys). Anyway, Anoop sang “Caught Up” by Usher, which was a bad move inherently because I think few, if any, would say that’s one of Usher’s greatest songs. It wasn’t even that big of a hit. Anoop seemed overwhelmed by the song, and it was clear that he’s not as smooth or adept on the stage as the R&B star whose shoes he tried to fill. Thus, we must use the dreaded K word: karaoke. Sorry, Anoop dawg.
Bad song choice, but not as bad as Megan Joy’s. The oddball singer attempted a Bob Marley/Lauryn Hill ditty, but there were two major problems: the song was boring, and she sounded terrble. To say her voice was off would be an understatement. I don’t think she hit a note the entire song. I like her different sound, but this was indefensible. She’ll probably go home tonight; although, if I had my druthers, you-know-who would be marching off the show instead.
By now you should know who I’m talking about: Scott McIntyre. Kudos for the new Hayden Christensen look. Anti-kudos for not being able to sing. Admittedly, this was the best performance he’s had, but that’s like saying “That was Hitler’s most merciful killing.” He’s still terrible! First of all, with Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are,” could he have chosen a more classically lame song to sing? I mean, I like the song as easy listening, but not on American Idol. Why sing a tune that’s practically synonymous with dental office waiting rooms? The good news was that the stripped down arrangement was very nice. The bad news is that Scott still can’t hit any notes. He’s naturally nasal and flat, and it sounds awful.
Alas, the judges loved Scott’s atonal bleating  as did all the local sheep and livestock, I’m sure. They praised him up and down, with Paula saying that she loved Scott not because of his “challenge” but because of the way he makes her forget about his challenge. So… it is because of the challenge then. Because if there were no challenge, there’d be nothing to forget. Either way, he must sound great live or something because on TV, he suuuucked.
Not faring as badly was Lil Rounds (no relation to the film 12 Rounds) who announced she’d be doing Celine Dion. This prompted shaking heads from not just me, but the judges too. Why the HELL isn’t she doing a contemporary singer? Celine Dion? Really? As expected, the song started off strange and old fashioned. Lil definitely did not seem like she was in her element. But then halfway through, she started going nuts with the vocals, and even though I did not like the song choice (something called “I Surrender”), Lil kind of won me over. And the judges too; albeit reluctantly. They all agreed it was the wrong choice (they begged for Mary J Blige), but they admitted that Lil sung the hell out of the Celine tune anyway. Still, the frustration of picking the wrong songs is clearly getting to Ms. Rounds (who was looking very rounded in the derriere) as she began to tear up on stage. Luckily, Ryan diverted attention from her by attempting to communicate with children. It was awkward. He was only saved by Randy who wound up hugging a little kid sweetly. Awww… Tender Puppy.
As for the other female powerhouse, Alison Iraheta sang “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt, and it was just okay. Granted, even when she’s just okay, she sounds better than half the competition, but I didn’t think it was a great song to do, and the whole guitar thing seemed silly since she only played a few notes. I didn’t mind her appearance, but I agreed with what the judges said  it could be distracting, and it definitely felt wannabe. That being said, I don’t know why they harp on Alison when it comes off as equally inauthentic on someone like… hmmmmmmm… Adam Lambert?
To be fair, Adam wasn’t looking quite as ridiculous as usual this week. He retained his pompadour from last week; although, this time around, it seemed to have more volume â€â€Ã‚ looking less like it belonged to Elvis and more to an old lady in Florida named Bernice. All that was missing were some cataract glasses and a shirt with an anchor. It would have been Boca fab!
Anyway, Adam was just okay for me this week. I didn’t think he was awful; although, his caterwauling still drives me nuts (in a bad way). Luckily, he kept that mostly in check (there were some “did he just get kicked in the balls?” moments though), and his stage presence certainly blew everyone else away (with the exception of Kris). However, Adam’s song choice was so dumb I was kind of shocked he picked it: “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry. Really? He tried to make it sound funky and fresh with a new arrangement, but I’m sorry  it still felt like a drunken wedding song to me. Cheeseball.
What did you think about the show? Any standouts for you? Likes? Dislikes? Who should go home?