Ahh, you gotta love “songs from the year they were born” theme week on American Idol.
Not only do we get a wide array of songs to listen to (and since most contestants are born in the 80′s, the chances for cheesy pop numbers are high — and I love it!) but we also get to meet the families and see amazing embarrassing pics of our fav Idol wannabes when they were little. (Anoop Desai totally takes the prize for best baby photos. What a cutie!)
Now down to only eight performers, each contestant wanted to make this night one to remember but only a few 80′s babies — and one 90′s girly — truly delivered.
Song choice was, again, the downfall for the contestants who didn’t shine. They tried hard to take the judges advice from weeks back and ended up completely falling apart.
Let’s take a look at how it all went down:
Danny Gokey – Stand By Me: Danny got lucky with the year he was born. It automatically opened him to great songs to choose, and he chose a good one. The arrangement was a bit strange but DG delivered big time. He broke through the cheesy production and let his incredible voice soar–not a note was out of place. And even though he went first (a dangerous position) he’ll be just fine. No one will forget those vocals. The judges agreed that the arrangement blew, but there’s no denying that voice.
Kris Allen – All She Wants To Do Is Dance: Kris has been on top for the last few weeks. He’s steadily gotten better and better. Last week he really tore the house down and served up the best performance of the night. Could he keep it up? Eh. Not last night. The vocals were good but the song choice was bad. Really bad. He decided to bring his guitar along for the cheesy ride and it looked completely out of place. Didn’t love. The judges didn’t either.
Lil Rounds – What’s Love Got To Do With It: OMG! Finally! Lil is gonna tear it up! Great song choice. Great wig and ensemble to match the song. This is gonna be good! Wrong!!! OK. It wasn’t so bad. There were some really bright moments but Lil (and that is her real name) did nothing to try to make the song new, fresh or her own. She was again slammed for her song choice and lack of imagination. Simon called it a copy-cat performance. Ryan didn’t talk to her kids this week. Lil could be in trouble.
Anoop Desai – True Colors: I was afraid for Anoop when I heard he’d be performing a Cyndi Lauper classic, but shame on me. I need to have faith in Anoop. He vocally slayed the song. The slower arrangment meeting his tender voice was like heaven for the ears. I’ll never doubt him again. The judges loved it but they kinda annoyed me with their critique. It was like they’re just now noticing Anoop has one of the best voices in the competition. Get with it!
Scott MacIntyre – The Search Is Over: OMTG! Scott isn’t at his piano this week! But I wish he would have been. As much as I want to praise him for mixing it up, some musicians just perform better at their pianos. Scott is one of them. The awkward guitar playing (that sounded much like he was playing a Fisher-Price toy guitar) added nothing to the performance and he was pitchy beyond belief in some parts of the song. Not good overall. And the back-talk with the judges comes off as adorable for Scott, but would be downright rude if it were coming from another contestant. No like.
Allison Iraheta – I Can’t Make You Love Me: First things first: Allison’s pre-performance package = so ca-ute! Now that that’s out of the way… Allison chose a song many Idol’s have performed in the past. And not just performed, but kiiiilled! (Carrie Underwood for one.) When Idol fans look back on great performances of this song, Allison’s version will be mentioned. This girl just has it. She knows who she is and get voice is heaven-sent. It leaves me to wonder why she ends up in the bottom three so much. Simon thinks her personality doesn’t shine enough. Could be true. Thankfully there’s the save just in case America gets it wrong.
Matt Giraud – Part-time Lover: Matt is back on the soul bandwagon this week after being ripped a new poop shoot last week for performing You Found Me by The Fray. I am a big Matt fan but I’m beginning to get tired of the back and forth. At any rate, he performed the Stevie Wonder staple well–not as well as the judges made it seem. There were pitch problems and the performance seemed a little fake at times but when he was on, he was on.
Adam Lambert – Mad World: As we found out in Adam’s pre-performance package, he was a born performer. Clearly he knew what he was put on earth to do early and it’s a good thing he does it so well. Adam may get the crowd pumped up with his over-the-top rock numbers, but he his at his very best on the laid back, mellow performances. This week’s performance was goosebump-inducing. From his chilling full voice to his haunting falsetto, it was perfect. He totally deserved the standing ovation he got from every judge.
Predictions: Lil Rounds will see the bottom three for the first time this week. Joining her might be Scott and Anoop. It might be a lil too late for Lil.
See if I’m right tonight when the results are revealed!
Uhhh… Danny wasn’t born in 1961.
Danny performed the Mickey Gilley version from 1980…the year he was born. ;-)
Adam Glambert’s performance “was perfect”? Tell that to the three wine glasses that I have to replace after that last note.