Danny Gokey - “Dance Little Sister” by Terence Trent D’Arby
I didn't know the song. He brought a lot of energy to it, almost too much (it was a bit frantic). He didn't make me love the song, but although I have definitely seen Danny more engaged with the crowd before, he was in his comfort zone in terms of range. I would have liked to see him mix it up with the audience a little more. This song has a message (believe it or not!), but I don't know that he particularly connected to the lyrics and listening back, he missed a lot of them (letting the bgv's take over)--I think this might have been underprepared by Danny. Overall, an okay start to the show but not exceptional. MTME Rating: 3.75/5
Kris Allen - "Apologize" by One Republic
I thought this was a moderately strong vocal, just different enough from the original to have that particular Kris "uniqueness". Transitioning to head voice was smooth and lovely, but I noticed he didn't stay up there nearly as much as the original--so in fact, he DID re-arrange, and did so in a way that matched his vocal abilities and overcame his weaknesses. I didn't hear the bum note that Paula claimed was there -- anyone help me out here? I DEFINITELY loved him playing the piano on this. It was the right thing to do, especially given the emphasis in his second song on the acoustic guitar. Clever, showing us his musical virtuosity. I really like this song, and the hook, and the lyrics were delivered with the right amount of pathos. MTME Rating: 3.85 / 5
Adam Lambert - “One" by U2
Like Simon, this is one of my all-time favourite songs, so it's going to be pretty hard to get me to forget about the original (and Adam didn't manage to do it). The vocal was beautiful, of course, as usual. But there was something missing for me: I think it was the seriously abbreviated version, which didn't allow him to build the story of this song properly. He sang a couple of lines and then hit the most intensive part of the lyric and one of the key refrains: "love is a temple, love is a higher law". At that point, it became about the vocal acrobatics, and not the lyrics. He didn't sing any of the key lyrics, including: "You act like you never had love / And you want me to go without" and "Have you come here for forgiveness? / Have you come to raise the dead? / Have you come here to play Jesus? / To the lepers in your head" This song is a dialogue, and these lyrics are absolutely key to conveying the emotion and telling the story of the song. (Incidentally, the powerful dynamic set up in the lyrics are why this song works so well as a duet -- if you don't know it, check out the Bono/MJ Blige version. It is brilliant.) Adam also was not properly articulating the lyrics that he did sing. Also, I hated the ending in his arrangement--it left a very poignant song, which is filled with a sad anger and resignation, feeling sentimental and somewhat trite. I think Simon's pick for Adam fizzled out here: Adam didn't connect to these lyrics, as he did with Black & White or Mad World, and as a result his interpretation seemed over-dramatized and forced; and the rendition overall paled significantly in comparison to the original. MTME Rating: 4 / 5
Danny Gokey - "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker
When I first heard this song pick, I thought it was a fantastic choice by Danny--a classic song, heartfelt but not overly sentimental, and perfect for his vocal range and tone. I expected him to just copy-cat it, and would have probably been happy with that. I don't hear Danny as much of an arranger, but he ended up bringing a really unique interpretation to this beautiful love song. And he managed to make an emotional connection with it, and with the audience, that was NOT overly sentimentalized (as is his usual way). When it comes to Hallmark sentiment, I have a hair trigger gag reflex so even though the arrangement veered every now and again into the land of cornball, it didn't stay there long enough for me to need to reach for the bucket. So kudos to Danny! And, yes ... the vocal was virtually flawless (boy can sing, you've got to give him credit--about time Danny was helped out by the mixer with the reverb as much as Adam has been all year). "Masterclass" said Simon, for the very first time this season. I agree. MTME Rating: 4.75 / 5
Kris Allen – “Heartless” by Kanye West
HOLY MOLEY, FAITH AND BEGORRAH. Kris blew me right off my chaise lounge, laptop landing on the floor and mouth agape. Let's start with: a) I hate this song with a passion. Hate it. When I first heard he was going to do it, I cringed, not only because -- did I tell you? have you heard? I hate it! -- but also because we just saw Kanye singing this how many weeks ago? I'm still not over that performance. BUT. Oh my dear, is Kris smart or what? He made us all forget entirely about that abysmal Kanye performance and made me (for one) love a song I hate. b) who knew this song had lyrics? Kris did, apparently. And we could hear them. And he brought them to life. Hence the reason why he changed many of our minds on this song. Yayy!! c) Acoustic guitar? Played for the first time since one of the earliest shows so we could actually HEAR IT? And ... played remarkably well (Kris is an exceptionally good guitarist; check out the homecoming vid of him doing "Come Together" or any of his pre-Idol recordings, and you will hear it)? Yesssss... This was pure, unadulterated Kris. Randy said after Apologize that he could hear what kind of record Kris would make. After Heartless, he must've been placing calls to all his producer friends: this was a stroke of strategic and musical brilliance by Kris, a huge risk and exactly what he needed to do to have a hope of making the finale. MTME Rating: 4.85/5
Adam Lambert - “Cryin” by Aerosmith
Definitely the right song for him. Definitely a sly retaliation for Danny's butchery of Dream On. (Incidentally, both Danny and Adam were playing strategy games and politicking in their comments to curry votes all night, did anyone else notice that?) Definitely showed all the Adamness that we've grown to love (or not, as the case may be). The BGV's needed to be strangled back a notch. All definitely very good, but not exceptional--not by Adam's standards, and not by the standards of the night. Kind of a denouement. Sorry Adam, still love you -- still believe you should be in the finale with either Kris or Danny. MTME Rating: 4 / 5
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
MTME RANKS (Top 3):
KRIS: (3.85 + 4.85 / 2) = 4.35
DANNY: (3.75 + 4.75 / 2) = 4.25
ADAM: (4 + 4 / 2) = 4
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