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:
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
No comments:
Post a Comment