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
~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
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.
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