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
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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, DannyBottom: Michael, Lil, Scott
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