The Dark Horse Wins!!

The Dark Horse Wins!!
Kris Allen, Tender Puppy / Underdog, is MY Season 8 Idol

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Music To My Ears: 6+1 Idols Dance The Night Away

Lil Rounds - "I'm Every Woman" - Chaka Khan
As disjointed and desperate a performance as we've seen from her, from the vocal delivery to the choreography. Not unexpectedly so given the trajectory she's been on and the steady decline in support from the judges and now, clearly, the producers. Everyone's out of love with Lil -- as demonstrated by the "death spot" order she was given, through to Simon driving the final nail into her coffin. This week, though, I can't even really feel sorry for her. She continued her stubborn ways, being unwilling or unable to help herself, choosing Chaka Khan (covered by Whitney et al.). It will be funny to see if her voting bloc keeps her in this, against every direct and indirect effort to oust her. Funny, but also sad--for her, and for us. MTME Rating: 2 / 5

Kris Allen - "She Works Hard For The Money" - Donna Summer
Yet another completely original, interesting arrangement from Kris. He stamps his artistry on each song. Kris was one of the contestants that I thought would struggle most with this theme, but he took a big risk and it paid off. The sub-text that Ryan seemed to be suggesting during the intro was that Kris didn't know the song is about a prostitute (at least, I think that's the sub-text. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!). Yet, he definitely chose the song understanding that it "told a story." What, he thought she was a waitress in a 24/7 diner?? LOL Could sweet kissy-face Kris possibly be that innocent? No matter...regardless of WHY he connected to the lyric, connect he did. I will say, though, that his connection didn't result in a particularly strong emotional response from the audience. This song just can't get to that place that is Kris's special niche: the deeply felt, authentic emotion that he pulls out of listeners with his interpretation and his arrangement. Tonight, I didn't think the vocal was particularly compelling--it was solid, but not exceptional, and we've heard him stronger. Nonetheless, I loved the jazzy, contemporary feel he gave this song and he has now definitely shown himself to be among the best song arrangers this show has ever seen. MTME Rating: 4.25 / 5

Danny Gokey - "September" - Earth Wind & Fire
The extra little whoo's and bop-bop-bops didn't work for me, but other than that, I really enjoyed Danny's performance! This was a great song choice, with excellent upbeat energy to it. He showed some personality, picked up the tempo, put a little flair in some of the phrasing here and there and got back to that place of strength where he can really connect with the audience in a genuine way. AND I loved the sampling of I Can See Clearly Now which is the song I chose for him last week. HAH!!! Brownie points for that, Danny (also MUCH better with your trademark glasses. Please keep them on!) MTME Rating: 4 / 5

Allison Iraheta - "Hot Stuff" - Donna Summer
Miss Allison shows she TOO can bring something unique in the way of an arrangement that shows off her particular strengths and style. I'm going to go along with (most) of the judges (heaven forbid, even Randy), saying that while the arrangement suited her, the vocal wasn't her best. Not that it was particularly bad, but the combination of so-so song, adequate performance and average vocal adds up to nothing much to grab hold of or be impressed by. I loved the rocker-chick meets disco-diva outfit though -- it worked! MTME Rating: 3.75 / 5

Adam Lambert - "If I Can't Have You" - Bee Gees
I have mixed emotions about this, as usual. I admire the completely new treatment that Adam gave this song. I just don't know if it was entirely successful -- not only did he slur his words on a couple of lyrics, but in points I could hear his voice starting to show some strain. (I hope he is taking care of his voice. The amount of singing these kids are doing -- you will have heard Paula's comment about Lil being on complete vocal rest yesterday -- is at this point in the competition probably really starting to separate the trained from the untrained. No one is pushing himself harder than Adam, so he better be careful or he could find himself unable to perform when it really matters.)


Aside the unusual, only semi-successful arrangement, I thought he overacted it and as a result his attempt to create an emotional moment felt ... yet again ... staged. Adam's unpredictability is now becoming a little bit predictable. His repertoire seems to ping-pong between over-the-top performances filled with energy and that distinctive vocal range to slowed-down, all-falsetto treatments acted out to give the impression of drama, but not the reality of emotional connection.


There are six weeks left, and no doubt he'll be here for all of them (barring a shocker). I need to see something else from him. How is it possible that such an exciting and entertaining performer is starting to bore me? Has he set my expectations so high that he is now failing to live up to them? Perhaps. For all of those reasons, this didn't quite work for me. MTME Rating: 3.85 / 5

Matt Giraud - “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees
Okay, you know Robin Williams? He wears a full beard in his dramatic movies, and is clean-shaven in his comedies. I've decided that Matt with and without his fedora is a similar kind of thing: with, he gives us a strong performance within his comfort zone. Without, we're in trouble. Tonight, fedora on -- and he delivered a go-for-broke performance of "Stayin' Alive": the ground-zero disco song. The mother of all disco hits. The ... oh, you get it. The performance was infused with Matt's knowledge that he evaded his fate last week and got a second chance. He had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. There were a few problems with the falsetto screech somewhere there in the first third, and a lot of breathlessness ... and by and large, he didn't transport this beyond its kitschy disco (and dated) origins. But it barely mattered because of the energy and conviction he brought to it. If it does turn out to be his last performance, then he'll be leaving on a high. MTME Rating: 3.75 / 5

Anoop Desai - “Dim All the Lights” by Donna Summer
The song is unfamiliar to me. As for Anoop, I like the scruffy look ... it's a shame he's finally gone fashion-forward just when he's taken a step back musically. The abrupt ending to this song capped off an overall awkward arrangement. The vocal sounded pretty clean, and almost excruciatingly boring. Whatever Paula was blathering on about Kris shopping in the ladies department (for this we traded intro clips of the Idols?!?), Anoop has in the past been able to take a song performed by a female and turn it into something quite special. Not so this time. MTME Rating: 2.75 / 5

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MTME Ranks:

Kris: 4.25
Danny: 4

Adam: 3.85
Allison: 3.75
Matt: 3.75


Anoop: 2.75
Lil: 2


A final note: Overall, the performance order seems to be completely random this year. Ending the show with Anoop left us on a bit of a downer. Not only are they pacing the show differently now that there are 4 judges but, in a demonstration of monumental poor planning for a reality show that has been on the air 8 years and pulls the kind of ratings it does, they appear to be managing each show on the fly. Tonight, with the abrupt start (all of a sudden Lil was singing! no intro, no nuttin'!) and the disappointing ending, I have to wonder whether Nigel Lythgoe's steady hand at the helm--as autocratic as he no doubt was--isn't sorely missed.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Music To My Ears: Top 7 Emote, err, Sing (or something)

Tuesday night, we heard more over-arranging and overall unevenness as our fading former frontrunners and judges' faves (Danny, Lil) tried to up their game and missed; and our challengers (Matt, Allison) weren't at their best. Anoop, Kris and Adam hit their sweet spots: but while the first one surprised me and the second mesmerized me, the last left me, funnily enough, a bit cold.

Here's how I heard it:


Allison Iraheta - “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith, Armageddon

This song won a Raspberry award, did you know that? Allison bottomed out on some of the low notes at the beginning but when she hit her stride and started belting it, she was powerful. The editing of the song was a little odd, and I think made it sound more off-pitch than it was. Even Simon, grudgingly, had to acknowledge her as a likely frontrunner, and certainly the best hope of the two gals. Solid effort, but not nearly as good as last week. MTME Rating: 3.5 / 5

Anoop Desai - “Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams - Robin Hood
Anoop! Dawg!! You KILLED it!! What a gorgeous arrangement--an arrangement that actually worked (hear that Matt? see below). Anoop brought out all of the emotion of the song, through holding on to those key words and notes, and by projecting it to the audience (oh yeah, he MUST have been singing to someone special!). I usually find this song slightly cloying, as I do much of Bryan Adams' music, but, as he did with True Colors (a song I do like), Anoop really sold it to me! He climbs out of the bottom 2 with this performance, easily. I hope the voters see it that way. MTME Rating: 4 / 5

Adam Lambert - “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf - Born to be Wild
A wild ride, for sure. Everything from the sneers to the pelvic thrusts to the interplay with the band and the final, on-his-knees spent posture were contrived and delivered with specific intent. It was just way over the top in a clichéd, I-wanna-be-a-rock-star kind of way. As a result, there was no emotional connection for me--I didn't feel the power of the song, which is a classic rebel yell. His performance, by being so calculated, ran counter to this anthem to rebellion, and to being uninhibited, wild and free.

Now, you may say--what on earth was Adam doing if he wasn't wild and free in this performance? But wait: he was not. Every move, every look, every vocal inflection was staged and planned to give the impression of being so, but it was an act. This is the Adam show with which we are now very familiar. It's high energy and vocally proficient, yes. But when he picks these uptempo songs, it gives him even less room to actually bring nuanced emotion to the stage. He just becomes very, very ... theatrical. There's no other word for it. And because I was so aware of it being an act, I didn't end up feeling what he wanted me to feel. It was, as Simon is fond of saying, self-indulgent. Yes, I stood and watched, in awe, of his vocal acrobatics and tremendous energy. But that fourth wall--it is still there. MTME Rating: 3.75 / 5

Matt Giraud - “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams - Don Juan deMarco
Oyyyyy ... this was a bit of a mess, and I really, really like Matt. I do. But this has just got to stop. He is overarranging and trying too hard. This was actually a pretty good song pick (too much Bryan Adams tonight, but still...). It started nice and simple, with a lovely piano accompaniment, but by the line "see every dream", it started a steep decline. He wrestled it back when he returned to the melody, but every time he tried to change it up, he just went off. It was painful. I bet it will be better in the studio. The other thing is that falsetto: I think I understand now what he is doing with it. He is overusing it to make up for a lack of range, I believe. The analogy that is coming to mind is of a plain woman who wears far too much make-up. From a distance, it looks pretty, but get too close-up and it just highlights the real flaws. All of the vocal flourishes (or some of them, anyway) serve only to disguise what is, at the core, a pretty average range and tone. I liked the bit at the end when he went into his growly voice, and then that last falsetto note, but by then it was too late. MTME Rating: 3.25 / 5

Danny Gokey - “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie - Endless Love
Arrrrrrrrrrggggggggggh. No, no no no no no. A harp? A HARP! Someone please just shoot me now. Perhaps he would like to come out in a white flowing gown wearing angel wings, hmmm?
And Simon pandered right back at him, because ... oh who cares why. We all know why.
Danny is, when I'm feeling generous, a B-range singer. He has a nice raspy tone to his voice, which would be served better if he would veer away from the cheap sentiment--which is, at best, sincere but misguided, and at worst, deliberately manipulative. He is choosing songs that pander to his audience's emotions in as crass a way as it is possible, whether intentionally or not. And tonight, he was off-pitch more than he was on, from the beginning through to at least the middle. He then picked it up for a big sentimental ending. I'm surprised they didn't lift him (and the harpist) up on guywires to the rafters in a crescendo of tearjerkery glory. I am filing this performance under "Céline" cross-referenced with "overwrought angst." Paula, Simon ... you totally missed the boat not calling this guy on that stuff, and your failure to do so--especially you, Simon--is evidence of your own crass manipulation (and underestimation) of your audience. MTME Rating: 2.5 / 5

Kris Allen - “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once
Quentin said: Kris "lived up to the spirit of the competition most." Amen, brother, and nowhere was that more apparent than in tonight's line-up. Thank you, Kris, for being the anti-Adam and the anti-Danny of this competition. This is not only appreciated (at least, by me) but also smart. What we get from Kris--quiet, consistent, confident Kris--are simple, nuanced performances of depth and quality (leaving aside the misstep of All She Wants To Do Is Dance last week, of course). We get subtlety and genuine emotion. Was it a perfect vocal, or a technically outstanding one? No, but it was a very strong vocal, a controlled one, and one that touched us with its authenticity.

What I like about what Kris did here (and this takes extreme control and confidence), is that he picked an original, unusual, very hip song, and then he let it BE. There is no need to over-arrange a song that almost no one has heard anyway, and he resisted the urge to do anything big and blowsy with it. Good choice not to have the guitar (or other instrument)--very similar to what he did with To Make You Feel My Love. Without the guitar, we got to focus on the emotion of the song, and his delivery of it. Kris, again, hit that sweet spot that is uniquely his (and, increasingly, although in some way less compellingly, Anoop's): the sincere, heartfelt performance. Where the others are trying to throw every vocal trick in the book at us to impress the judges and cow their competitors, and also overarrange these overdone songs to try to make them interesting, Kris instead picks an interesting song and sings it well. I mean, it's so simple really!! With subtlety and I would even say strategy, he is sneaking up the middle, letting Adam do his Adam thing and polarize the masses; and watching Danny and Lil self-immolate. Now that Matt has had another off night (and may even be on his way home because of it), I'm thinking Kris' real competition is Allison, hehe.

"Take that sinking boat and point it home / we've still got time" -- listen to the nuance, the subtlety, the emotion in that. Oh. My. Just perfectly gorgeous. It was a bit rough starting, but when he got to the chorus, he totally had his hooks in me. Heartwrenching and wonderful. MTME Rating: 4.5 / 5

Lil Rounds - “The Rose” by Bette Midler - The Rose
I did not hate this. I thought it was a pretty good song choice--she did pick something "big" but compared to what we were all worried she was going to do, it wasn't THAT big. I also hear where she was trying to take it, and I thought she was partially successful--I like some of the trills and runs she brought to it, but -- similar to Matt -- it was too much fluff on top of what is really a very classic melody that just sounds, well, odd with all those vocal curlicues. Thing is: Bette Midler is about as white as you can get, as is this song, and it just really doesn't take well to an R&B patina, y'know? I really felt bad for Lil tonight, because I see what she was trying to do. And I applaud her attempt to justify her decision to Simon; I hope that doesn't backfire against her. By the end, she was in tears, and even Ryan seemed to desert her as he rushed to get the final clips up. It made me sad. MTME Rating: 3.75 / 5

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So, weirdly enough, here are the MTME Rankings (out of 5) for the evening:

Kris 4.5
Anoop 4

Lil 3.75
Adam 3.75
Allison: 3.5
Matt: 3.25

Danny 2.5

Monday, April 13, 2009

Confirmed: Jason Castro Signed to Atlantic

Fans of the laid-back dreadhead have been abuzz for weeks, ever since Jason Castro cancelled a much-anticipated release of an independent CD. Today, Atlantic Records confirms they have signed the Season Seven third runner-up:
Atlantic Records has announced the signing of singer/songwriter Jason Castro. The Texas-based tunesmith, best known as the third runner-up on the 2008 season of Fox's American Idol, is currently hard at work on his debut album, set for release later this year. A multi-talented singer and guitarist, Jason Castro was among the most popular and talented artists in American Idol history, entering the record books as the first contestant ever to play an instrument on the show.
Atlantic lists a number of high-profile creative collaborators on the project, including Grammy Award-winning producer John Fields (Lifehouse, Switchfoot, Soul Asylum) and a number of acclaimed songwriters, including Kara DioGuardi (Kelly Clarkson, Jewel, Santana), Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall), Sacha Skarbek (James Blunt, Jason Mraz), Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams), and Jason Reeves (Colbie Caillat).

Atlantic Records

Who's Hot, Who's Not: The EW Power Poll Top 7

Entertainment Weekly does a great job tracking public opinion from week to week ... here's their latest poll results.


EW.com

Music From The Movies: American Idol Top 7

In anticipation of this week's "Music From The Movies" theme, here are some Idol Moments from the three divas of Season Three (the last time this theme was done).

Fantasia: Summertime, George Gershwin (Porgy & Bess):


Jennifer Hudson: I Have Nothing, Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard):


LaToya London: Somewhere, Bernstein & Sondheim, (West Side Story):

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Music To My Ears: CC Reviews The Top 8

From my recap at americanidol.com

Aside from Adam, I honestly don't know why anyone else needs to bother showing up again next week. BUT ... the show must go on. Adam is driving the rest of these contestants to compete at a level that is beyond their capabilities. That's why we saw the kind of overblown arrangements from the three other contestants fighting for that precious finale spot: Danny, Kris and Matt.

These guys are becoming increasingly desperate, and pushing themselves beyond where their talents can comfortably take them. Meanwhile, Adam merely has to pick a great song (which he has a knack for); find a good arrangement of it (or make one up), and phone it in. He barely has to try, and he still manages to deliver a performance that makes the rest of them look like it's amateur night at the Airport Holiday Inn.

Only Allison appears not to be succumbing to the pressure that Adam is creating: probably because she is youthfully oblivious to this silly show's importance to her career, or perhaps because not even she expected to last this long.

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Danny Gokey- “Stand By Me” Ben E. King

So, obviously: Danny was feeling the heat and knew he needed to do something musically innovative to get back in the game. This was an interesting arrangement. Not entirely successful, but I'll give him points for originality, and at least he didn't oversing it. There was some subtlety here, and the glimmer of a competitor who's still in it to win it.

MTME Rating: 3.25 / 5


Kris Allen - “All She Wants To do is Dance” by Don Henley

This was a bit of a mess, but not as much of a mess as the judges claimed. First, it is a strange song choice--if he wanted to go uptempo there were many other options, at least one other on that Henley album alone (Boys of Summer would've been great). There is a cynicism to this lyric that he missed--either because he skimmed over some of the lyrics, or because he made it a little too boppy and dance-y (too literal, in other words). All she wants to do is dance, despite the fact that the world around her is ruled by drug lords and gun runners. This is a CYNICAL song. The horns added a jazz element that seemed out of place--there was a little too much going on here musically, and the staging didn't help either. I'm not keen on putting these guys in the middle of the mosh pit--i can't imagine they are comfortable there, and it shows in a slightly awkward performance. We couldn't hear his guitar -- again.
MTME Rating: 3.25 / 5


Lil Rounds - “What’s Love Got to Do with It” by Tina Turner
Lil--much better outfit. Your performance was as cliched as your song choice. And, you can't keep telling the judges that "you'll do better next week." You've had your three strikes, time to go home (but she won't, just watch).

MTME Rating: 2 / 5


Anoop Desai - “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper
I liked this. I'm not over the moon in love with it and I don't think it allowed Anoop to make up any lost ground, but it was a sweet vocal, and a nice (albeit very straightforward) treatment of this song. An unusual, but I think successful, song choice and he made it work for him. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, because at this point it barely matters.

MTME Rating: 3.5 / 5


Scott MacIntyre - “The Search is Over” by Survivor
This was a disaster. Why oh why did he try to play power chords on an electric guitar ... on this song?!? It was jarring, and he's not even 1/10th as good a guitar player as he is a piano man. Leaving aside the extremely poor choice in instrumentation, the vocal itself was painful to listen to, the staging was awkward. This whole performance was just plain amateurish.

MTME Rating: 1.75 / 5


Allison Iraheta - “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt
I was completely unable to pick any songs out for these contestants this week, but I did suspect that Allison was going to do this one. Bonnie Raitt is such an obvious choice. Too obvious, and that is the problem. Yes, she sang it well ... really well, in fact. As she always does. I liked that she went for a softer ballad, but it was kind of boring. She did nothing to the arrangement to make it particularly unique or uniquely hers. She is competing with Matt, Kris and Danny for a spot in the finale against Adam ... she needs to step up the musicianship a notch. Earlier in the competition, this would have received an even higher mark. From here on out, she needs to be better.

MTME Rating: 4 / 5


Matt Giraud - “Part Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder
"Incredible on every level"? "Unbelievable"? (said Kara) A standing ovation from Paula? "A million times better than last week" (Simon) ... well, that last one's true, but the rest -- ??? I don't think so. This was one overdecorated cake, with no nutritional value whatsoever. A mess of runs, growls, headvoice and falsetto phrases. It was all over the place. It was a good song choice, but he was trying too hard to make it into something much bigger, without actually making it interesting.

MTME Rating: 3.25 / 5


Adam Lambert - “Mad World” by Tears for Fears
Well, how could we be anything but impressed by this after all that came before? The staging was very compelling -- it looked like he was floating in a pool of blue light. Almost as creative as the treatment used in the video for Gary Jules' version of this song (go look it up, it's wonderful); that is, the arrangement that Adam copied virtually note-for-note. If it was the arrangement (or the lack of time), rather than Adam's typically virtuoso vocal performance that led Simon to give him a standing "O", well -- that's unfortunate. I would have liked to have heard some judging commentary around it, to be sure of what, exactly, was leading Simon to that first-in-eight-years moment. Still, it was the best of the night, and the quality of Adam's vocal cannot be denied (despite -- or because? -- he missed the last note, recovered and made it sound like it was intentional). Very clever, very compelling performer.

MTME Rating: 4.5 / 5

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Overall Rankings (out of 5):

Adam 4.5
Allison 4

Anoop 3.5
Kris 3.25
Danny 3.25
Matt 3.25


Lil 2

Scott 1.75

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Maybe I'm just grumpy, so I'll go away and sleep on this......... do let me know what you think. Am I being unduly harsh? Should I just give up and drink the Glambert Koolaid? And the most interesting question: who has the balls to come back next week with something new, fresh, and unique to upstage Adam (and will Adam continue to push himself to the next level?)

Music To My Ears: Kris Allen's "Moment"

Top of the Ninth, Bases are Loaded and Kris Allen Steals The Show

Image

Kris Allen is currently in a fierce battle with Matt Giraud for the title of 'dark horse' of Season Eight. This past week, in a self-admitted (and successful) attempt to create a "moment", Kris pulled into the lead by making Ain't No Sunshine (When She's Gone), a 38-year-old song that has been covered approximately 236,794 times*, sound original and current, while Matt did a current song by The Fray. Badly.

* ok, I exaggerate. But, a lot.

Kris earned an understated but emphatic approval from Simon ("good job")--capping off a string of subdued approvals and constructive critiques by Simon over the past several weeks. The previous week, when Kris did a perfectly acceptable and squeaky clean version of Marvin Gaye's How Sweet It Is, Simon told him he wasn't "conceited" enough.

Simon looks for killer instinct, and knows that without it one is unlikely to have the star power to ever make it in the music biz. In Simon's world, arrogance is a virtue and egocentricity is not just an important quality, it is an essential one. Kris--the "tender puppy"--is a bit of an enigma to Simon, because aside from being cute as a button, Kris is nice. Nice confuses Simon, almost as much as country music does. Nice guys finish last, certainly in Simon's world. Or, do they?

He may be nice, but what Kris showed us last Tuesday is that he is also a fierce, and very smart, competitor. This tender puppy has TEETH. Kris knows what Matt seems not to know (and Danny is struggling to show): that to advance in this competition, it is not enough to be talented. You must also be relevant; clear-sighted in your artistic vision and solid in your execution; capable of listening, learning and growing from the feedback you receive each week; and able to choose and arrange songs--no matter what the theme--that show off your particular musical skills.

The only thing I can possibly fault Kris on is his wardrobe, which leaves a lot to be desired. :-P (Kris--bold choice to go with the grey T-shirt. Much better than the khaki shirt of last week). LOL

But even in this, I sense a (perhaps unconscious) strategy. Kris is happy to be underestimated, and is using the fact that people's attention is elsewhere to pace himself carefully and slide into the Top 3, having gained tons of friends (fans) and no enemies.

It's a smart play, because it's the ONLY position one can take against the current frontrunner. There is no way to beat Adam at his own game, and it would be insanity to even try. Gokey is going to burn himself out trying to steal the limelight from Adam, instead of creating his own niche. You can almost hear him doing it in his vocals week to week.

The smart money is on whoever (and right now, I believe it will be Kris) can provide a viable alternative: something equally compelling, but different. This week was the week that Danny or Matt could have done it; instead, Kris actually did. (Adam and Kris are roommates--can you think of a better "odd couple"? I wonder how much Kris is learning about Adam's game, and storing up quietly to use against him. hehehe).

I've said it before, I'll say it again: this Idol year is a terrific competition.


Great Song Choice
Kris seems to have a knack for picking great songs--songs that have not been done to death on Idol, and which have great "bones". For the most part, he's chosen songs with great hook-y melodies, in his range and with lyrics that he can sink his musical chops into. Ain't No Sunshine is a fantastic song for him: it's very economical lyric-wise, but also very moody, and it offers a perfect canvas for interpretation. This is the reason, I suppose, that so many have covered it.

It is, at its very heart, a blues song. That rhythmic blues chord progression (Am-Em-G) is simple and classic. Find the cover by Freddy King or the one by Buddy Guy with Tracey Chapman, and you'll hear the song's blues roots brought to the forefront. As a blues song, it also oozes sex appeal; it is very primal. Kris is almost a little too boyish to be sexy (to wit: his self-mocking attempt to put on the sexy face for the camera that we saw last week), but he's smart enough to know that there's a good portion of girlies out there in the voting audience who want to see that from him.

And beyond that, Kris has shown how well he can make a connection to the heart and soul of a song and project that out to the audience. Go back and have a listen to his To Make You Feel My Love to hear another example of this. He's drawing from that same well of emotion, and it's no accident that they intersperse cuts of Kris's homecoming-queen wife during his performances, Simon's earlier cynicism about that notwithstanding.


Strong Vocals
What is surprising about Kris, now that I've gone back and listened about a dozen times to both the live and the studio version of this song, plus his earlier performances, is how good a singer Kris is. I mean, he rarely misses a note! He also uses runs and growls appropriately (Matt: listen up, buddy!), and in ANS, this let him transfer the emotion of the song to the audience with a well-modulated and spine-chilling intensity. Again, go back to To Make You Feel My Love, and you will hear a similar level of control.

He doesn't have the range of an Adam, of course, but he does know his own voice very well, and he can manage things on the fly: he is able to use a number of vocal tricks to get himself out of a jam, as he did during the live performance on at least two occasions, including the very last note. To my ears, that last note--while it wavered a bit--was more or less on pitch, if a bit breathless, and didn't mar the rest of the performance. In fact, it was hearing that roughness that brought home the emotion of the song, and I thought actually strengthened the overall performance. But I am weird like that, as I like to hear vocal imperfections: they bring the interpretation and emotion into relief, and make the performance feel even more real. There is nothing worse to me than a perfect, clean vocal--with no hint of any authentic emotional connection.

Musical Versatility

Now here's where Kris's strategy really paid off, and how with clear intention he vaulted this performance into a "Moment." Out of all the covers I've heard, they are almost exclusively guitar-based. (Trivia tidbit: The original had Stephen Stills on guitar; Stills is ranked #28 on Rolling Stone's List of the Top 100 Guitarists of all time). So doing this on guitar would have been the easy choice for Kris.

Instead, he chose to switch over to keyboards. Very clever move. First, we got to see Kris on a second instrument--a subtle but powerful demonstration of musicianship that automatically racheted up the competition. Since they have allowed instruments on AI, we have seen the artistry on this show go up. Vocal skills are still all-important, but if you can also play an instrument, you can offer the audience another layer of richness in your performance. (Allison, take note: if you're going to play with the big dawgs, you need to play with the big dawgs, y'hear?).

If one is good, two is even better: if you can play both of them well, you are now exhibiting true mastery over your medium. Furthermore, whether Kris did this intentionally or not, he chose instrumentation to set a mood, highlight his skills, and position himself against Matt. Matt had been getting the accolades for instrumental skills; but Kris is no less--and perhaps more--of a musician. He showed exactly how much more this week.

Second, the arrangement itself sounds to me to be completely original. I've now listened to every single cover I can find (all 457,298 of them), and the only one that seems close might be Aaron Neville's. Someone correct me if you've found a similar version out there...but to me, that sounded like Kris's own arrangement. And, what a great interpretation it was: it captured the longing, the sadness, the pent-up frustration of separation. The blues of it. As Adam does with more flamboyance, Kris did here with subtle confidence: he created a perfect storm of staging, arrangement, interpretation, vocal skill and song choice.

One Last Thing: Live versus studio version
I prefer the live version. The studio version is slightly faster, and too string-y for my taste. It's lost the gutsy, bluesy quality. Kris's vocal is beautiful, but the overall arrangement is over-embellished and not as raw. I hate the fade-out at the end, it loses the sadness and poignancy Kris offered with that final falsetto/head voice finish. I am still getting chills re-listening to the live version; not so with the iTunes one.

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Next week: Will Kris keep up the pressure, or has he blown his cover as the dark horse? Will Adam grow complacent and slip? Will Matt get back in the groove and make a final challenge for Top 3? Does Anoop have a hope in heck of catching up? Can Danny regain momentum? Who will be the final gal standing: gritty young rocker Allison or wannabe-diva Lil?


All predictions welcome! As for song choice for birth years, I haven't got a clue, but am looking forward to being surprised...again.

Music To My Ears: CC Reviews The Top 9

From the Archives at americanidol.com

This week ... it's a COMPETITION again!! Without further ado, my assessment:

Anoop Desai - "Caught Up" by Usher
I don't know this song so I have nothing to compare it to...but what I saw was Anoop trying to act the hip, streetwise R&B singer, and not quite pulling it off. He doesn't have a style to call his own -- he has a great voice, but it's not gelling with any of the music he's choosing (with the exception of his You Are Always On My Mind during Country Week). I was bored again. He seemed downright angry with the judges, barely able to bite his tongue. That attitude won't help him with the voters, but those Troopers are a steadfast lot.

MTME Rating: 3 / 5

Megan Corkrey - "Turn Your Lights Down Low" by Bob Marley
I'm going to try to find enough synonyms for quirky so that I don't have to overuse that word in this, what I expect to be the last or second-last Megan review. I like her--or at least, I want to like her. There were parts of this, a couple of 5-second snippets when she was doing a run of whooooaaas, that I actually liked. She has such a unique (quirky), interesting voice. It's a (brace yourself) Dylanesque voice. By that I mean, it sounds almost intentionally off key. On the "right" song, when she combines that weird (quirky), jarringly atonal, clipped delivery with a song that is equally as unusual (quirky) and a similar arrangement, it can work. Problem is, that can't happen week after week on this show. It's fun once. Was fun once ... on Black Horse & Cherry Tree. I think Simon said something like "everything we liked about you is now becoming annoying." That about sums it up for me, too. It's starting to be kind of heartbreaking watching the judges criticize her week after week, and Megan just standing there all pretty and smiley. I hope the voters (despite valiant attempts by the bratwursters to thwart the process) put her out of her misery soon. It's getting hard to watch.

MTME Rating: 2.5/5

Danny Gokey - "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts
A-ha!! Did Danny read my advice to him? No, you don't think?? Coz he did EXACTLY what I wanted him to do: find a great song, sing it well, make me FEEL what he is feeling. I was transfixed by the performance, even though he was just standing there basically (!), and was still a bit too yell-y for my tastes. Didn't matter this time, because he was sooooo connected to that song. Genuinely connected to a genuine lyric, not disingenuously using a lyric to take a short-cut between his own emotion and the emotion he wants to make the audience feel. (yes, I could psychanalyze that. I'll resist.) He said as much afterwards himself. This was one of the tops of the night for me, and a welcome surprise--I was starting to think I was overlooking something since so many others find him so great, and until tonight, I haven't.

MTME Rating: 4.25/5

Allison Iraheta - "Don’t Speak" by No Doubt
Allison is not much of a guitar player. She looked like she was very uncomfortable playing it, even in the rehearsal when she had to look at her fingers before each chord. Why'd she bother, other than to don the trappings of a "rock star"? She doesn't need to do that...we know she's a rock star as soon as she opens her mouth. And No Doubt? Really? Her voice sounded quite good, almost great, but the overall performance was as cluttered and messy as her outfit. Sorry Allison...this one didn't work for me, and as I said in my "Advice To The Contestants" post last night, this could end up really hurting you. Your support is too soft to withstand an less-than-stellar performance.

MTME Rating: 3.5/5

Scott MacIntyre - “Just The Way You Are” by Billy Joel
Ok, yes: Billy Joel is perfect for him. But, heck ... why couldn't he have done one of Billy Joel's COOL songs?!? (uhh, which one's that, CC? LOL) Instead, Scott took a 30+ year old song which was sappy and old-fashioned even in 1977, and made it sound even more old-fashioned with a truly horrific arrangement. Also, while he's a very good piano player (not quite Billy Joel, but GEFI, or "good enough for Idol"), soloing with the piano makes the imperfections in his voice even more evident. That big note at the end? That was truly dated and cheesy. It sounded like something you'd hear off-season at a hotel lounge in the Catskills.

MTME Rating: 2.75/5

Matt Giraud - “You Found Me” by the Fray
Really rough beginning ... bottoming out and off pitch on low notes, and sounded wavery throughout, perhaps nerves, perhaps exacerbated by standing in the middle of the audience. He really was quite off -- BUT, I felt the emotion in his voice and you could see it in his face. He is such a natural musician, truly sympatico with his instrument. And, I confess, I LOVE this song--I love the ambiguity and angst in the lyrics. I, for one, think we need more angst on this show, not less. Real angst, real emotions: the whole gamut of them, messy, spontaneous and authentic. Not trite sentiment or vacuous pop or contrived drama, which is what we typically get from the show, and from the songs allowed by the format. Matt kind of choked this week trying, again, to show off his 'current' side. It went awry as his Coldplay fiasco did, and for similar reasons. I refuse to believe, though, that he can't sound current and also hit that sweet soulful spot of his. We'll see what the voters think.

MTME Rating: 3.25/5

Lil Rounds - “I Surrender" by Céline Dion
Someone on the PBP said that she tore a page out of Jhud's book with her hairstyle, and as soon as I heard that I put my finger on what was wrong between this song and Lil. First, it SHOULD have been good--I mean, Lil has been pimped as though she has the chops to pull off Celine. But she didn't do it. Her voice sounded thin. And when it didn't sound thin, it sounded like she was trying too hard to make it sound ... not thin. And she was fighting the pitch all the way through. She took a backwards step on the fashion, too: not quite all the way back to her mother-of-the-bride days, but definitely in bridesmaid territory.

MTME Rating: 2.75/5

Adam Lambert - “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry
Oh, good! It was NOT the best performance of the night .... no, not by a longshot. I'm going to make this short and sweet, because I'm tired of writing about Adam. He reverted to his screamy schtick. A screamschtickle. I wanted another layer, another veil, another Adam. I didn't get it. MTME Rating: 3.5/5

Kris Allen - “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers

WOW. WOW. WOW. I would NEVER have guessed that Kris would be the horsie who would pull out front this week. A great, great song which he Krisified. He showed his versatility and another side to his musical personality on the electric piano. The vocal was almost impeccable. He missed a line, though, anyone catch it? It SO didn't matter. Best performance of his so far this year, and definitely the best performance of the night ... well-deserving of the last spot. I did find the strange caterpillar thing on his upper lip a little distracting. It looked itchy. Oh, and our cutie-patootie sweet little Kris--that boy brought some HEAT to this song!! I know (I know, I know, I know) exactly what he's gonna be up to "when she comes home." hehehe This will be the first iTune I download this year. WOW, i am relistening now and it is beyond a phenomenal vocal and arrangement. Chills, I tell you.

MTME Rating: 4.85 / 5

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MTME Rankings:

Kris 4.85
Danny 4.25

Adam 3.5
Allison 3.5
Matt 3.25
Anoop 3

Scott 2.75
Lil 2.75

Megan 2.5


So, what do YOU think?? Are your faves holding steady? Who surprised you, changed your mind, or made you sad, mad or glad?

Music To My Ears: The Adam Lambert Show


Welcome To The Adam Lambert Show, formerly known as American Idol Season Eight

First, to those of you PMing me (or feeling inclined to post here) about whether I've got a hate-on or a love-on for any particular contestant, please rest assured: I don't. Each of the Top 9 has the potential to give a performance that is as nuanced and interesting as any other. Yes, including Megan. And maybe (but I don't think so), Scott. I don't not like Scott. He's a lovely man who plays a mean piano. I just think he's now way over his head on this show.


Just as soon as someone other than Adam gives me something to grab hold of, chew away at and think about in terms of performance, you can bet they will get my attention and my time. In fact, let's hope someone does, because when this show becomes a foregone conclusion this early in the season, it gets a bit boring, doncha think?

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Adam pulled off a feat of fairly monumental proportions this week: he actually brought an entire audience segment onside with that one performance of ToMT. You've probably all seen what I've seen--there is no end to the commentary on these here boards that starts kind of like this: "well, I'm not an Adam fan, but..." and ends something like "this week, I really enjoyed his performance."


Adam The Actor

Adam made a very shrewd, very calculated, very smart set of performance choices this week. His musical theatre background lets him approach every performance as an actor would. Every song is a planned series of choices, not only vocally, but also with respect to gesture, expression, staging, costume, arrangement, etc. Then, he delivers. Live.


I'd like to know how much control a contestant has over those aspects of their performance (or even of song choice for that matter). Did Adam, for example, ask for (and receive) the three musicians accompanying him on stage? Or, do the producers see where a contestant is taking a song, and then stage/choreograph it? I suspect it's probably a combination: the stronger and more confident a contestant is musically, the more likely it is that their vision gets expressed. I assume the producers have final control over staging based on its viability for TV and the reality show format. There has been no end of speculation as to why Chris Daughtry always got the dry ice and light show, for example. But still ... I don't think it's as cut-and-dried as producers picking a fave and stacking the deck for them. Someone with experience and chutzpah (who clearly knows his or her value to the show) can likely make more demands than can a less confident contestant.


Toning It Down

Apart from staging, the second choice Adam made was about how to take this week's performance in a different musical direction. I imagine that he knew how polarizing Ring of Fire was, and figured he needed to go somewhere else this week.

He could have chosen a song that maintained his ability to show off his range--one of his key strengths--but scaled back his tendency to scream. Or, he could have chosen to do a song "straight"--i.e., forgo a unique arrangement, and focus instead on his vocal skills and the emotional interpretation.

Instead, he decided to do about five different things at once: take an emotional song, a song with tremendous nuance; arrange it so that he could sing it entirely in head voice and falsetto (thks for clarification on that, FTA); stage it so that the emotional element comes to the forefront (and his tendency to over-dramatize is minimized); costume and make-up himself so that it is a complete about-face to the Adam character that we have seen; and then deliver it with nary a false note (ok, one or two wobbles, which he masterfully finessed his way around). Plus, that long, head-voice, a capella note at the end? That's like a figure skater deciding to put a triple axel at the end of a long routine. The breath control was amazing. And he was SITTING.

So, he is literally saying: not only am I going to show you I don't have to scream all the time, but I'm going to show you an entirely different type of vocal style of which I'm capable. All you naysayers: I am going to blow your mind by being understated and classy in the same way I have been blowing others' (minds) by being dramatic and flamboyant. You wanna see another side to me, here's another side.

That's a pretty remarkable accomplishment.


Song Choice

Another thing: the song itself. Ok, so the edit they chose of Smokey telling Adam what the song was about? Watch Adam's reaction to Smokey's explanation. He remains respectful, even mouths the words "ooohhh" and I think what amounted to a partial "wow." But inside, I think he's sayin': Smokey, my man, I understand this song better than you think I do. This song is about a person in conflict, who feels so much inside but must "masquerade" to the outside world. THAT's what I'm goin' for....

Smokey tells Adam the literal meaning of the song. That's not what Adam asked, or what he wanted to know: Adam asked, "what inspired you to write it?" He was asking for the emotional context of the song, so that he could get into the character's head. That's an actor for ya'! Adam already knew what the song meant, but was seeking info about the emotional wellspring from whence the lyrics came.

What the title means, literally, is the LEAST interesting thing about that song. Much more interesting is the fact that this song is about someone showing a public face that is much different than the swirling chaos and sadness of their internal emotions:

Although I might be laughing loud and hearty, deep inside I'm blue ...

So take a good look at my face, you'll see my smile looks out of place ...

Outside I'm masquerading ... Inside my hope is fading


Incidentally, this song is a companion song to Smokey's other, Tears of a Clown. Same sentiment; in fact, the next lyric from above is "Just a clown oh yeah..." Now, don't tempt me to get into a psychoanalysis of Smokey Robinson...coz you know, I will. :-P

What a song choice! Here we are all critiquing Adam for not showing us "the real him." And he comes out and sings a song about the struggle that a person has when their internal emotional state contradicts the external face they present in public. You don't think that was intentional? That was intentional. And awesome.


Making It Work For TV

Last thing: Adam has clearly figured out how to scale back his stage mannerisms for a TV audience. As I've said elsewhere and at the start here, Adam is an actor first. In musical theatre, an actor (or director) doesn't have control - via editing, camera angles/shots, etc. - of the audience's attention. The actor must actively demand the audience's attention with every move he makes. As a result, gestures, expressions and vocals need to be BIG, over-dramatized to get the audience to focus in on them, when there is so much else to divert their attention. On TV, that can look very artifical, very staged. What Adam was being criticized for--smouldering looks and sneers into the camera, the hand gestures, even the over-the-top screaming--was, I think, an artefact of his musical theatre background. He has learned, as he confessed he needed to do way back in the Top 36, I believe it was, how to scale back his stage mannerisms to create a more intimate moment for the TV camera.


Next week, look for another layer, both in terms of vocals and performance, to be revealed. I'm no longer really concerned about seeing the real Adam. I'm more interested, now, in seeing the next Adam.

Music To My Ears: CC Reviews The Top 10

From my recap at americanidol.com


Matt Giraud - “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye
Kara, get a grip ... he most certainly did not need to push the vocal riffing further, and has been criticized for doing just that. Don't confuse these poor kids, please. I loved this -- Matt is really bringing all of his strengths together and improving each week. Started with the piano (was too low in the mix, but never mind that); then didn't use the piano as a crutch, got out from behind it and grooved "Let's Get It On" right out!! Yes, Matt!! Great song choice that really suits his voice. The vocal imperfections didn't distract from the overall performance at all, because he sang it with so much conviction. Very, very smart performance. The sweater / tie combo was an interesting choice, sort of retro chic harkening back to the era well. He says he's trying to "get better every week." And he is. Matt, the dark horse, pulls up in the front of the pack.
MTME Rating: 4.5 / 5

Kris Allen - “How Sweet it Is” by Marvin Gaye
Very nice slow start with a build to the characteristic Kris energy. He is great with the guitar, but seems not to need it--he strikes a very nice balance between vocal, instrumental and performance skills. He is so very comfortable performing and his joy is obvious. Big, but non-cliche ending--very nice! "To be a star, you've got to be conceited" - says Simon. I think he may be kind of right, in that, while Kris is very, very good and has an internal calm about him that can only come from self-confidence ... he is not self-promotional enough. I only hope that he won't end up being overlooked and overshadowed by the more flamboyant performers in the competition.
MTME Rating: 4.25 / 5

Scott MacIntyre - ”You Can’t Hurry Love” by Diana Ross & The Supremes
So, kind of the same treatment as Kris -- a slow intro, then he broke out into the main body of the song. That's where the comparison grinds to a complete halt. I'm hearing elevator music. Musical wallpaper. The risks he took with the arrangement did not work at all, he was simply speeding up and slowing down, and that brought an awkwardness, not an artistry, to the performance. Scott claims to have found a personal meaning in the song, but I'm just not hearing anything that sounds like a real 'interpretation.' At this point, his performances simply pale in comparison to the others. Even with an uptempo song like this, Scott just doesn't bring any energy to it. This performance bordered on the cheesy--or as Randy said: "very average." For the record, I liked the pink pants and pink paisley shirt, with the pinstriped suit jacket--another fashion-forward look that was reminiscent of the era.
MTME Rating: 2.25 / 5

Megan Joy Corkrey - “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder
Ok, I was on her side up until this point, even when I couldn't really get a handle on her quirkiness, her singing hurt my ears and her dancing made me a little seasick. But I've just pulled the plug, and unless she all of a sudden a) improves her vocal skills dramatically or b) returns to that sweet spot at the corner of idiosyncratic and interesting, she's lost me. Previously, in everything but Rockin' Robin, I could forgive the missed notes and other random vocal misfires, because her stylings were (are) so unique. But this performance was a disaster from top to bottom, side to side. The song did not lend itself to her treatment of it. She brutalized "For Once In My Life" to within an inch of its life.
MTME Rating: 2 / 5

Anoop Desai - “Ohh Baby Baby” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
Pretty, but boring. He's starting to overplay the smooth, sincere card. Anoop can't seem to settle upon a style that is really him. I also think he is struggling with song choice. While it was vocally above average, this was another performance of musical wallpaper. (And you know what Oscar Wilde said on his deathbed: "either this wallpaper goes, or I do.") I tuned out.
MTME Rating: 2.75 / 5

Michael Sarver - “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations
This is such a great song, but I'm not sure it was so great for Michael. He overperformed it; hence the karaoke-cruise ship-lounge singer commentary. Michael seems content to have made the Top 10, and seems to think he's being "true to who he is" as an artist. But while he tells us he's some kind of artist, he's not showing us what kind he is. Singers like Michael are a dime a dozen in every bar across North America. I don't see any artistry--I just see (and hear) a fairly average singer, in a field of better ones.
MTME Rating: 2.5 / 5

Lil Rounds - “Heatwave” by Martha and the Vandellas
Great dress and hair-do. She finally breaks free from the mother-of-the-bride look. She, Adam and Scott (runner-up, Matt) win the retro-chic fashion awards tonight. I'm pulling a Paula and talking about how she looks, because the rest of her performance was disappointing with a side order of frenzied. She bottomed out on way too many of the low notes and rushed through the rest. Lil, once the judges' darling, has had the biggest fall from grace. And while she made a compelling case for how much the song meant to her, that didn't translate into a performance that the audience could respond to. Since the female contestants struggle so much to gain a rabid enough voting block to keep them in, Lil may be in the biggest trouble tonight (even though Scott or Michael should really go before her).
MTME Rating: 2.75 / 5

Adam Lambert - “Tracks of my Tears” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Mesmerizing. This is the performance everyone was waiting for from Adam--especially those of us not convinced that he could tone down the dramatics and let his vocal skills take centre stage. I'm now convinced that Adam is just playin' with us. He has the confidence and performance skills to bend the audience to his will. He can draw upon what seem to be multiple personalities and moods, become many different characters and deliver a performance that unites song, staging, costuming, make-up and astonishing vocal skills. It feels "complete." But having said all that, it was still a carefully constructed act. Yes, of course, it was head and shoulders above the others, and it takes a remarkable skill to stay in falsetto for an entire song. But, as skilful and technically strong a performance as it was, it's still one step removed from the true emotion of the song. Many said they cried; I did not. The whole thing was a little too carefully contrived and staged to let me feel like Adam was really putting himself out there. I'm still putting him in a tie for the top mark of the night, though.
MTME Rating: 4.75 / 5

Danny Gokey - “Get Ready” by The Temptations
Adam tones it down, and leaves the title of Mr. McScreamy to Danny. Perhaps just a trick of performance order, but this was disappointing in any number of ways: the vocals sounded strained and rushed, and there was little of interest in the staging or costuming (except for the brief dalliance with the BG vocalists--were they excessively prominent tonight, or what?). At least he picked something upbeat and he brought a certain energy to it, but those positive aspects were far overshadowed by what, next to Lil, was the second most frantic performance of the evening. Coming into this competition, Danny's vocal skills were lauded--but over the past several weeks, and certainly tonight, I just hear straining and bellowing, with little modulation or variances in intensity that shows any degree of control. It seems to me that unless he's singing a song that has a cheap sentimentality to it (and even when he does), Danny has trouble bringing it all together to deliver a coherent and compelling overall performance. His star is fading as others' (Matt G's, Kris A's) are rising. Danny could be a surprise elimination, especially given that Adam clearly has a number of aces up his sleeve, and Matt and Allison are coming on strong. The judges were clear tonight that Danny didn't measure up--of course, knowing this show, that could all be a set-up to light a fire under Danny's fanbase (and save them from having to save him too early! hehe).
MTME Rating 3.5 / 5

Allison Iraheta - “Papa was a Rolling Stone” by The Temptations
NOW we're talking ... and Allison is rocking!! As the final performance of the night, Allison threw into stark relief what I felt were the shortcomings in both Adam's and Danny's performances. First, this girl connects to her songs and delivers them with a heartfelt passion that comes from somewhere deep inside of her. There is no artifice in her performance. Adam could learn from that. And compared to Danny, she has a vocal skill and power that is natural and effortless. The vocal flaws--and yes, there were some, including that last note--weren't worth even mentioning, since the performance itself was delivered with utter conviction. If there is any justice, this gal will never again be in the bottom three. I'd like to see her bring some additional nuances to her performances. Her mannerisms on stage are convincing, but she could use some help on wardrobe and staging.
MTME Rating: 4.75 / 5

MTME Rank Order:

Adam: 4.75 / 5
Allison: 4.75 / 5
Matt: 4.5 / 5
Kris: 4.25 / 5

Danny: 3.5 / 5

Lil: 2.75 / 5
Anoop: 2.75 / 5
Michael: 2.5 / 5

Scott: 2.25 / 5

Megan: 2 / 5


Music To My Ears: CC Reviews The Top 11

From The Archives at americanidol.com


Michael Sarver - "Ain't Goin' Down 'Till the Sun Comes Up" by Garth Brooks
More energy than I've seen from him since the auditions, and he picked a pure country song. I agree with judges that I don't know if it was the best choice to show off his vocals: just remembering and getting the words out is not quite enough, is it? Then again, it was definitely playing in to the country purists. There's just not enough 'oomph' with this guy--nothing stands out as being exceptional; he's just a nice, average, likeable guy (as Simon says). I just don't know if has the fanbase to keep him in this thing. MTME Rating: 2.75/5

Allison Iraheta - "Blame It on Your Heart" by Patty Loveless
Big power belting voice, lots of energy (she is a GOOD performer--she really uses the whole stage and dramatic gestures to get her performance across). I would say overall she did the best she could in this genre; she picked a pretty good song and applied her very distinctive style and vocals to it. She's outside of her comfort zone, though, and it showed. I really hope she's not in trouble, but ... she's a rockerrrr chick, and there's only going to be so much flexibility she can show. MTME Rating: 3.75/5

Kris Allen - "To Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan
This was a very unique choice, very non-country (he got away with it because of the Garth Brooks' cover). I'm very impressed with the song choice--very impressed indeed. Also very impressed (now that I've researched the Dylan version, which I didn't know), with Kris's interpretation of the lyric. He captured the poignancy, the desperation, the pain and yearning of it. No one writes a love song like Dylan; no one can wring as many double, triple, quadruple meanings and nuances out of what appear to be the simplest of lyrics. But it usually takes someone with a ton of life experience to truly deliver these lyrics with the passion and heartbreak they deserve. Kris seems to be an old soul, and I think he did a fine job. MTME Rating: 4.25/5

Lil Rounds - "Independence Day" by Martina McBride
The judges nailed it -- the first half was tremendously boring. Here's the problem with Lil: her strike zone is that big, booming R&B diva song. If she stays there, though, she will eventually be called boring. So she needs to try some different things, but when she does, she strikes out. She's in a no-win situation, and I feel for her because she's a very good technical singer when she's in her niche. In past years, that maybe would have been enough to see her through to Top 5 or 6. But this year, we have some truly talented and flexible singers, even some who are NOT technically as skilled as Lil, but who are able to apply their style to lots of different genres. Lil is struggling to do that, and I think she has fallen from being one of the judges' three favoured contestants, to the bottom of the list. Sorry Lil. MTME Rating: 2.75/5

Adam Lambert - "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash and June Carter
Adam is THE most polarizing contestant of this year, or maybe of any year. I've been straddling the fence on him, but I'm not straddling with this song, and I don't think anyone else will be either. The country and Johnny Cash purists will hate it (it was at this point in the show that most on the PBP were starting to wonder just WHAT was going on with tonight's GOO theme. We weren't really hearing much that was traditional country, were we?). Those who like "sound-alike" covers will hate it. Still others -- and I'm in this camp -- who value creativity and artistic interpretation above genre purity or vocal technique, will love it, unless of course they just don't like Adam. Couple of things I must commend Adam for: better modulation! He started soft, stayed soft when he needed to; and really limited the shrieky thing (not 100%, but much better than in prior weeks). I still got the 'stagey' bit from him, but at least he knows how to tell a story, how to project that story to the audience, and tonight he managed to sell it without yelling it, so that's good. Another thing: smart song choice and clever research* to find a version of a country song that he could make work for him. I was so hoping he would do Johnny Cash--the man in black--a perfect choice for Adam. Very cool. And very hot. ;-) MTME Rating: 4.75/5

* One little niggly thing: while I appreciate these contestants being smart researchers, the technique of finding a you tube version of a song that they can use to get them through a tough theme week is starting to get old. Daughtry did it first; and Cook perfected it. If you want to really impress me, Idolers: apply YOUR artistic vision to a song and do a truly original version, not a cover of a cover.

Scott MacIntyre - "Wild Angels" by Martina McBride
Oh, sigh. I feel bad for what I am about to write. Scott, it's all coming across as overly sentimental and trite. Again, it's not that you're not good: it's just that so many others are better. You fade away into obscurity about 10 mins after your performance ... kind of like Chinese food. You are picking boring, safe, "old" songs. You are singing and performing them in very conventional ways. There is no edge; there is nothing unique, and there is nothing much else to say. He's in trouble this week, I think. MTME Rating: 2.5/5

Alexis Grace - "Jolene" by Dolly Parton
Geez, this gal confounds me. Last week, the judges' loved her Dirty Diana; I didn't. This week, the judges' didn't love her Jolene, and I kinda did! Here's what I liked: I thought Alexis hit exactly the right emotional tone for the lyrics. She connected with the song brilliantly. This song is all about a woman, maybe a plain woman, maybe a woman who lacks self-confidence, who is desperately trying to hold on to her man in the face of another sexier, more attractive woman coming along. Man, that Dolly can write a lyric!! "You could have your choice of men / But I could never love again / He's the only one for me, jolene." The pathos, the resignation, the plea in this lyric is so .... so .... so heartbreakingly sad. (been there, done that). Alexis masterfully conveyed the sentiment and meaning of the song in a very understated but highly effective delivery. Dang those judges anyway, telling her to go back to "dirty it up" (don't listen to them, Alexis! Be the artist you are and want to be!) She achieved what she wanted: she showed another side of her vocals, a softer, more vulnerable side. It was GOOD! Enough with the dirty girl; you have many more facets than that ... and I want to see all of them. MTME Rating: 4/5


Danny Gokey - "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood
I, too, was distracted by the glare of the bright spotlight off of Danny's blazing white straight jacket, errr, jacket. (credit to rosemilagain for nailing that fashion description!) LOL Well, I'll give him this: he hooked me. He pulled me into the lyric through his delivery, and when he hit that chorus, I was sold--despite myself. But you know what, it then kind of went downhill for me. Too many yeah, yeah's, whoahh ohh ohhs and too much straining for the big note and the big emotional crescendo. The song is annoying because it is emotionally exploitative. I'm just going to highlight that and let that resonate as it will.


As soon as Danny stopped singing lyrics, I lost the connection with the song and with him. And when he was singing the lyrics, I found myself feeling exploited by the cheap lyrical trick inherent in the song. So it was on the good side of ok, because his performance was strong, but this song is a classic example of why so much country music irks me: too much bludgeoning me over the head with an overt, cliched, sentimental message, and not enough subtlety, ambiguity and poetic nuance. MTME Rating: 3.5/5


Anoop Desai - "You Were Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson (among others)
Ok, I'll rave about this one!! First, it's a GORGEOUS song. I mean, no one does it like Willie, but Anoop covered it very, very well. AND -- he showed his true self. No acting a part, no silly pretense or costume, just heartfelt emotion, connection with the lyric and a very strong performance. I loved that he wasn't jumping around all over the place. He nailed it using his vocals and projecting his passion through the cameras to the audience. Anoop shows true competitive spirit and pulls it out of the bag this week after the debacle of last. MTME Rating: 4.25/5


Megan Corkrey - "Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline
Am I lovin' watching this gal, or WHAT?!?. She is neck-and-neck with Adam for splitting the audience in two: you're either for her, or you're against her! I can't help but want to root her on, just coz she inspires such a strong response in people! (I'm a little bit evil that way.) Ok, no, she's not a great singer. It simply must be said, she overreaches for that idiosyncratic delivery and she goes sharp and flat and all over the place. And you know what, so what?!? She is carving out a niche for herself unlike any other performer in this year's line up. She's a Jason Castro to me (and almost as pretty LOL) -- one of those truly original contestants, completely untrained, but who bring an artistic vision that you either buy into or you don't. Every week, she walks a tightrope, and the viewers stand below, gasping with every wobble. That is exciting to watch. Song choice: phenomenal!! I SOOOO wanted to hear Patsy from her, and I even thought of this specific song (I'm remembering Kellie Pickler's version). Like Adam and Johnny Cash, Megan and Patsy made a great couple -- a hip choice, with an original interpretation. I'm pro-Megan on this performance--America, please keep her around, she adds lots of spice to the competition with her unique artistic sensibility. (just one word to the wise, Megan: underwire) MTME Rating: 3/5

Matt Giraud - "So Small" by Carrie Underwood
He deserved the pimp spot. A great song for him. A beautiful performance. Vocals, not 100% (even I could hear him missing the lows and some of the highs). Again, though, it was a performance that was fully integrated: his piano playing, his singing, his song choice and his connection with the song and the audience. It came across as a coherent whole, and reflected who he is as an artist. I don't think he is the best interpreter of songs, but I do think that he presents himself as a 'total package' in a way that, among the rest of the contestants this year, maybe only Adam can match. Keep it up, Matt ... you're the sleeper contestant (you, and maybe Kris) of this year's competition. MTME Rating: 4.5/5


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


I'll be listening to the performances again tomorrow, and will put my MTME ratings on after I do. For now (subject to change), I'm going to say:


Top: Kris, Adam, Alexis, Anoop, Matt

Middle: Megan, Allison, Danny

Bottom: Michael, Lil, Scott


Music To My Ears: CC Reviews the Top 13

From the Archives at americanidol.com:

Lil Rounds: The Way You Make Me Feel
"The day you let go of your dreams, is the day you let go of your life." Lil is spunky, and I like her vocal inflections and her style. This was a professional performance, but it left me feeling a bit cold.
Song Choice: She brought something almost innocent and playful to it. But it's not an innocent and playful song.
Performance: Highly competent. She is clearly comfortable on the stage, but in this performance, I didn't feel she was tremendously dynamic.
Vocal Quality, Conviction in Delivery or Both? Very convincing and lots of tricks and treats in the vocals--maybe a little too many vocal curlicues for my tastes.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Both, but not enough of either unfortunately. She seemed to go through it by rote. Something lacking in her passion.
Music To My Ears? 3.5/5

Scott MacIntyre: Keep The Faith
He's a deeply genuine contestant who is truly sharing a part of himself with the audience. Scott felt he was being artistic. "It's fine being artistic, just not on this show" says Simon. Well, that's a sad, sad comment.
Song Choice: It's a far-too-literal song designed to be inspirational, but it's filled with non-sequiturs. Still, it's got a catchy melody, and I disagreed with Simon choosing to slam Scott for the song choice when it was really the song, not Scott's performance, that Simon didn't like.
Performance: Sitting at the piano inhibited Scott's ability to connect with the audience, at least on TV. He is certainly an awesome piano player, though.
Vocal Quality, Conviction in Delivery or Both? Both, I thought he delivered a bad song well.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? I'm not sure he was totally connected to the song, seeing as he had just learned it a few days before. Still, he must have picked it for a reason, and like I said, he did deliver it well. I do think there was something missing in his connection to the audience, both because the song is less well-known, and also we saw only his shoulders above the piano.
Music To My Ears: 3.5/5

Danny Gokey: Pretty Young Things
Yes, Simon, he is a goofy dancer. I can recall another goofy dancer who went pretty far, ok, all the way, in the competition. What you see in Danny is that same inherent, deeply-felt sense of musicality, and a self-confidence that lets him engage with the audience and share his joy. This was an awesome performance.
Song Choice: hated the song, loved his interpretation of it. He brought just the right energy and joy to it.
Performance: deeply felt, nothing contrived and he absolutely commanded the stage. And looked great doing it (loved the red glasses and shirt combo!!)
Vocal Quality, Conviction in Delivery or Both? Yes, both in spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? BOTH. Unbelievable connection to the audience, offering the judges and the audience the mic was not the least bit staged, but a natural expression of his connection to the music and desire to share it with others.
Music To My Ears: 4.75/5

Michael Sarver: You Are Not Alone
Song Choice: Big song, and it could have been too big for him. There's an epic feeling to it, and he delivered up to the promise and potential of it.
Performance: There was something "loungey" about this performance -- something a little over the top in both mannerisms and vocal delivery. But he really felt it, and I'm always a little surprised that he ends up being as good as he is.
Vocal Quality, Conviction in Delivery or Both: He was totally committed to the song. I thought he was bellowing it out a bit -- good thing he knows how to pull that mic back!
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? He was connected, but he also seemed really nervous. He didn't move into the audience at all, or use the stage much--he kept his distance from the audience, both in vocal delivery as well as staging.
Music To My Ears: 3.25/5

Jasmine Murray: I'll Be There
I'm surprised to say that I got a couple of chills during this performance -- she was good!! Her voice has a depth to it that sneaks up on you. She was a little flat here and there, but the richness of the vocal overcame that.
Song Choice: there's not a lot to hang your hat on lyrically with this song, but it has a great melody and it worked well for Jasmine's voice.
Performance: here's where Jasmine falls down a bit, since she's still a little young and green to really deliver a knock-out performance of a song. Gorgeous dress -- I liked the retro vibe to go with the song, but it looked age-appropriate too (she has struggled with that, at least in terms of song choice)..
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: Both
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Stronger than I would have thought in terms of song connection based primarily on the strength of the song itself and her vocal skill; but while a technically good performance, it wasn't a huge stand-out in terms of audience connection.
Music To My Ears: 4/5

Kris Allen: Remember The Time
I'm really not sure why he bothered to bring the guitar, since we barely heard it over the band and from the looks of it, he can really play!! I'd like to hear him more with it. That green-checkered shirt -- it looked like he wasn't really trying on the fashion front. That said, Kris is very talented, very comfortable performing and has a cuteness to him that is endearing. Awwww, and he's five-month newlywed!
Song Choice: Great choice for him, and he put a nice contemporary twist on it. It felt a little jazzy--someone on the PBP said it sounded Fray-like; Randy said Jason Mraz ... I'm thinking John Mayer.
Performance: good, nice energy and lots of comfort on the stage. Bad green shirt though--not sure what the heck he was going for in the way of a fashion statement. LOL
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: huge conviction, and he sounded good to me even despite the few off notes.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Oh yeah, really nice eye contact and an engaging performance. I really like his bouncy delivery, which may have impacted the vocals a bit but really enhanced the performance and connection with the audience.
Music To My Ears: 4.25/5

Allison Iraheta: Give In To Me
She totally blew me away, second week in a row! This show finally may have found a true rocker chick! (sorry Gina Glocksen and Amanda Overmyer fans ... but they weren't it). Too many of the contestants this year are already so "packaged" -- they are contrived and practiced, and everything they do, say, wear is pre-planned. Did you hear Allison counter Simon's comment about the song being not very happy with: "well, it's a dark song ... it's not like I'm cutting or anything..." That slipped out, and good for her. She is unfiltered. It might end up backfiring on her, but for now, what you see is what you get. Just when we thought this show had lost its way in terms of finding raw, untapped talent and bringing it to light ... Allison might be it.
Song Choice: GREAT song choice to bring out her raw, rocker edge.
Performance: Riveting, raw and real.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: she nailed this on both counts. And why? Because she got the darkness of the song, and she matched her performance to it.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Totally both.
Music To My Ears: 4.75/5

Anoop Desai: Beat It
Oh, Anoop. Anoop, Anoop, Anoop. I think I've got you pegged: you are an actor. You figure out who you need to be based on the lyrics and context of the song, and you know how to act the part, but it's not really coming from YOU. It backfired on you tonight because you picked the wrong song: again, like last week, a song that is just fundamentally inconsistent with your personality. The stylists did a good job on you, but you were playing a role and it showed. And so ... you got the "k" word from the judges, and from so many who watched you.
Song Choice: the only thing that might have been worse would have been Billie Jean.
Performance: the clothes don't make the man. I didn't even believe MJ when he tried to act tough with this.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: He was having trouble with the mic, and there was a little too much movement to let him retain control over his vocals. Everything about this looked staged.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Ummm...not so much.
Music To My Ears: 2.75/5

Jorge Nunez: Never Can Say Good-Bye
Song Choice: I disagreed with the judges. I LIKED this song choice -- yes, it's a bit old-fashioned, but that suits Jorge. He's got a retro, Latin-lover, romantic crooner persona, and this song fit that perfectly.
Performance: Solid.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: Nice on both counts...he still has challenges with enunciation, but he overcomes it with vocal technique, quality and control.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Bit of both
Music To My Ears: 3.25/5

Megan Joy Corkrey: Rockin' Robin
WHAT?!? Megan picked a strange, gimmicky song and then corkscrewed through it, adding a crow's caw right at the end to just cap off what was a truly bizarre set of performance choices.
Song Choice: abysmal.
Performance: uncomfortable to watch from start to finish.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: she "cawed" at the end of it. Like a CROW. Need I say more?
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? More like, made the audience recoil.
Music To My Ears: 2/5

Adam Lambert: Black & White
I'm up and down with this guy. There is no denying his incredible mastery of the stage; he OWNS it. But ... he's a screamer. Even when he's not screaming; he's projecting a little too much.
Song Choice: this was a great song choice. First, it was a little unexpected, but also felt right. It has a great message in it and it's a message that has resonance when a personality like Adam -- who is decidedly uncloseted and probably knows a little about prejudice and inequality -- sings it.
Performance: what's to say -- he DELIVERS. I love to watch him, even when I know it's a very staged performance, it's FUN. I'm always entertained, but I'm not always moved.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: Both. A lot of both, with the caveat that he needs to find a way to modulate -- he made some choices to go over-the-top with certain phrases, where he could have pulled back and put some subtlety into it.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Another one, like Danny Gokey, who has the self-confidence to put himself right among the audience and really connect with them. When you watch an artist like this, you feel comfortable, because they feel comfortable. As an audience member, you can lose yourself in the performance, just sit back and let yourself be entertained.
Music To My Ears: 4.5/5

Matt Giraud: Human Nature
I. LOVED. THIS. Again, Matt won me over with a song and style to which I'm not naturally inclined. He has a lovely, smooth tone; a whispery, sexy quality to his voice that worked really well with this song.
Song Choice: it's a great song, great lyrics and has a poignancy, yearning and "urban" quality to it that let Matt's expressive intonation and phrasing fly....
Performance: gorgeous. Loved him on the piano. He can really play. In comparison with Scott, we saw more energy from Matt's performance, even though he was seated, than we did from Scott. It's probably not a fair comparison...but there it is.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: Both. Matt's piano playing and vocals are perfectly integrated; one complements the other -- together, they make a unified whole. I think this is NOT a song that he just learned this week--he has likely performed this before. As a result, he had a looseness and comfort level that allowed him to take liberties with the melody and timing, both vocally and on the piano.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Both. His comfort level and superior performance skills, with his vocals playing off his piano and vice versa, let him open up and connect better with the audience, and us with him.
Music To My Ears: 4.75/5


Alexis Grace: Dirty Diana
I don't know this song. I also confess, when someone's in the pimp spot, my expectations go up. So maybe she was great, but I'm only going to judge her as good. I think I'm definitely going to be in the minority on this one.
Song Choice: great song, really raw with terrific edge, and I admire her for picking it. But ...
Performance: ... but, she didn't really sell it to me. She dressed the part, but I don't think she's got that grit in her. She also took the lyrics and acted them out in first person, instead of how they were written, in third person. She should be singing ABOUT Dirty Diana, not acting as Dirty Diana. That didn't work for me. Plus, her shoes were too high and she looked like she was going to fall off of them. It made for an awkward performance.
Vocal Quality, Conviction In Delivery or Both: Here's where it gets really dicey. Her voice was thin, again, not gritty and growly enough for this song. Plus, something REALLY strange in her diction and phrasing. She was rushing or something; she seemed out of breath and as though she was struggling to get one phrase out and keep up to the music. Someone with a more musical or professional ear can likely explain this. I'm just trying to describe what I heard, and I started to fixate on it as I was listening. That's never good.
Connection to the Song, Connection to the Audience or Both? Yes, she was definitely connected. , but I wasn't.
Music To My Ears: 3.5/5

MTME Ratings:

Allison Iraheta: 4.75
Danny Gokey: 4.75
Matt Giraud: 4.75
Adam Lambert: 4.5
Kris Allen: 4.25
Jasmine Murray: 4
Alexis Grace: 3.5
Lil Rounds: 3.5
Scott McIntyre: 3.5
Jorge Nunez: 3.25
Michael Sarver: 3.25
Anoop Desai: 2.75
Megan Joy Corkrey: 2