So last night during “24” I saw promo announcing that tonight’s American Idol is country music night, and as I watched the promo I couldn’t help but sigh just a little bit, mainly because there are few things as painful as listening to somebody butcher a Martina McBride song – unless it’s listening to someone offer up a disingenuous version of “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.”
But I’m trying to go into tonight’s episode with a positive attitude. And I’m praying that Anoop doesn’t sing “Chattahoochee.” Because that would just be wrong.
Michael Sarver – “Ain’t Goin’ Down ‘Til The Sun Comes Up” – If the country genre favors anyone, it favors Michael. This was a really good song choice for him in terms of showing off his personality, but the words in the verses got a little jumbled – something that Garth Brooks, oh God bless him, always managed to avoid. I think Michael showed that he can perform, but I’m not so sure that he showed that he can sing.
[By the way, we’re now fast forwarding through anything that Paula says.]
[I just couldn’t take it anymore.]
Allison Iraheta – “Blame It On Your Heart” – I loved this song when it was first released, and I love it now. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Allison’s version – a little more on the rock-n-roll side but still true to the country roots. She sounded a little winded in parts (nerves?), but her big voice served her well tonight.
Kris Allen – “To Make You Feel My Love” – Okay, here’s what I loved about this performance: he took a country song that’s over ten years old and turned into something you could hear on pop radio tomorrow. So many times ballads translate as boring on TV, but I wasn’t bored for one second. Absolutely beautiful. And I’ll be downloading it from iTunes on Thursday.
[Hey! Do y’all see the guy playing the piano in their rehearsals? That’s Matt, New Marti‘s brother-in-law.]
[Hey, Matt!]
[Of course, Matt doesn’t actually, you know, read my blog. But still: hey, Matt!]
Lil Rounds – “Independence Day” – Oh mercy. Lil decided to break out the Martina. And while she definitely has the voice for it, I felt like she lost some of her Lil-ness in this performance. It just felt watered down, and I think it would’ve been great if she had put some R&B spin on it. I’m just afraid that she lost the most unique part of her voice by doing such a straightforward version of this song.
Adam Lambert – “Ring of Fire” – Has anybody noticed that Adam and Kate Gosselin have the same haircut? Anyway, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell y’all that this performance MADE ME WANT TO STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STINKIN’ RING OF FIRE AND LET IT BURN ME SLAP UP. It all felt very overwrought and overly theatrical and borderline obnoxious. In my humble opinion, of course. It just wasn’t my thing, but if you loved it then I am delighted for you.
Scott MacIntyre – “Wild Angels” – So Scott decided to break out the Martina, too. I liked his spin on the arrangement, but I thought the vocals were rough. He doesn’t have the strongest voice in the competition, and that weakness was especially evident tonight, I thought. Plus, the song morphed into some strange sing-along (now! with the orchestra!), so the whole thing felt a little disjointed to me.
[Dear Contestants: PLEASE STOP TALKING BACK TO THE JUDGES, THANK YOU.]
Alexis Grace – “Jolene” – I think this is a brilliant song, but when she started singing it almost sounded like the arrangement was in a key that was way too high for her. I guess I expected for her to hit a total home run with this one, but it felt like she never really got comfortable. I think a lower key might have suited her better – and enabled her to do her “thang” a little bit more.
Danny Gokey – “Jesus Take The Wheel” – Was he wearing a Members Only ski jacket? It totally looked like a Members Only ski jacket. Anyway, I was a little bored when he was singing the verses, but he was able to hit his stride on the chorus. I guess my main concern is that he can’t stay in belt-it-out mode all the time when he sings, and this performance actually showed us some weaknesses we haven’t seen from him before. He dealt with the verses like they were a means to an end – and they totally fell by the wayside as a result. In the end I’m just not sure it was the best song choice for him.
Anoop Desai – “You Were Always On My Mind” – Perfect song choice. Best vocal from Anoop so far this season. Absolutely wonderful. LOVED IT A MILLION TIMES.
Megan Joy (Corkrey? Where’d the Corkrey go?) – “Walkin’ After Midnight” – She looked gorgeous, and I got a kick out of the old school arrangement. It was a quirky and fun and interesting – she did a great job.
Matt Giraud – “So Small” – There is a quiet confidence about this guy that I adore. Loved this performance and especially loved the humility behind it – he is so incredibly talented. He made a Carrie Underwood song completely his own, and I thought it was phenomenal. Not only would I buy Matt Giraud’s CD – I would go to one of his concerts.
So, to sum up: Kris, Anoop and Matt were my favorites. Adam was my least favorite. What did y’all think?
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