American Idol: Week Three; The Top 10 Compete

It doesn’t always happen, but for one of the first times this season, I found myself agreeing with the judges (especially Simon) on almost every contestant last night.

This week, we go into an American Idol staple; Motown Week. This usually turns out to be a disaster week for almost half the contestants, but last night, maybe due to the caliber of the contestants this year, was really not as bad as previous seasons. There were two, possibly three really bad performances, (which easily fill our bottom three), but no one who really messed up that badly. I was pleasantly surprised by some (Matt), bored by others (Danny, Anoop), and genuinely horrified by a few (Megan, Michael).

The great Smokey Robinson was the Top Ten’s mentor this week, and as is usual with most mentors this season, they really didn’t have anything to add or constructive to add. I’m not sure if that’s because the contestants this season are too good, or it’s because these mentors are just there for their star power. (most likely the latter). As a side note, do Smokey’s eyes freak out anyone else? I never realized how bright green they are. Weird.

I’ll only mention this briefly, but I was HIGHLY disappointed at Alexis Grace’s departure last week. She really did not deserve to go before Megan or Michael, but if we need to be honest, she really hadn’t been making very good song choices. As we learned time and time again on this show, song choice is almost equally as important as how well it’s sung.

Nick’s Broken Record Moment This Week: Haven’t joined as a follower to this blog? Do it already! I want to see names people!

As usual, my rating system will remain the same: IN THE BOTTOM, POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM, or SAFE.

Shall we get to work? Let’s begin with a surprise of the night;

1) Matt Giraud – sung "Let's Get it On” – This song has been done to death and this could have been a disaster for Matt...but it wasn’t. I have never heard such a soulful rendition of this song before, and Matt proved he has vocals so strong that he can spring to the forefront of the competition in the coming weeks. The judges agreed, saying that Matt is starting to show how much he’s in it to win it. His voice sounded smooth, and, dare I say it, sexy. All he needs to do is come out of his shell a little more, and he will surpass most of the frontrunners in the Top Ten. Truly worth a couple of listens, and he looked great. Prediction: SAFE





2) Kris Allen - sung "How Sweet It Is” - Sigh. I’m starting to develop a crush on this season’s resident heartthrob. Not only that, he can really sing. This is yet another song that has been done to death, but somehow, it sounded different. He made it his own, making an often heard song sound original and new again. I was surprised at Kris' vocals, and his versatility is starting to make me a fan. Having learned the main lesson of Idol, he is starting to choose just the right songs for his range and style. Smart choices are going to take Kris pretty far, though I’m not sure at this stage he has the chops to actually win. (though who knows, he is surprising me week to week)
Prediction: SAFE

3) Scott MacIntyre – sung "You Can't Hurry Love” – Oh, Scott. I think Simon was the one who said it last night; I don’t know who is advising you on song choices, but he/she should be fired immediately. For three weeks now, we get one bad song choice after the other. This week, though Scott chose a relatively well-known song, but it was a very bad rendition. It didn’t suit his voice, and it actually sounded as if the song was getting away from him at times. I don’t care if he changed things up by having the backup singers stand by his piano; it wasn’t a good performance period. I just don’t understand it. Scott has a great voice, and he was one of my favorites as early as the audition rounds. But ever since making the Top 13, he has been making one bad song choice after the other, and as a fan I’m getting frustrated. He’s so much better then this, and I can see him rallying to the top of the heap if he just picks the right song. The only thing still keeping him in the competition is there are worse singers (for now) and his fans are still sticking to him. However, as the lesser singers are eliminated, will his fans stick around if he continues to choose bad songs? Time will tell, but for last night’s performance is going to put him in danger tonight.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

4) Megan Joy Corkrey - sung "For Once in My Life" – Oh god, this one hurt. It hurt in a way that hasn’t occurred since Sanjaya mangled that No Doubt song years ago. Megan has a unique sound, I will give you that. It’s this bluesy weird, sort of soul voice, but this had to be the worst song choice in the history of song choices. Not only was she off key, the song wound up being unlistenable and downright excruciating. Last week, Megan got the sympathy votes because she had the flu, but this week there are no excuses. I know some of my readers read my blog before watching the performances (thanks to DVRs), and sometimes use my reviews as a guide to what to skip over. Do yourself a favor and listen to Megan’s performance. Why? If I was in pain, so should you.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

5) Anoop Desai – sung "Ooh, Baby Baby” – Anoop dawg kind of bored me this week. I still think he had an amazing vocal, considering the difficulty of his song choice. But...I was bored. I think Randy said it best; I want to see the fun side of Anoop again. We’ve heard ballads for two weeks now, so we know he can do them. Let me hear something more up beat. That said, his rendition of this classic song was heartfelt and soulful, which I fully come to expect from him. He hit every note and not only did justice to Smokey, but made the song his own in some sense. Still, I want to see the fun Anoop again, so I hope next week he brings an upbeat tune again. (just please don’t attempt anything on the “Beat It” scale again). Prediction: SAFE

6) Michael Sarver - sung "Ain't Too Proud To Beg” – I could be wrong, but this song has been done in some form almost every season on American Idol. It is a song that should be banned because of its over use, but yet we continue to hear it season after season. Michael couldn’t have picked a worse song for his style. It lacked musicality, and not only did glaringly show that this song was way too big for him, it also showed his lack of star quality. Believe it or not, I understood what Simon was trying to say; at this stage in the competition, Michael is simply in the competition, but has no chance of winning it. And it’s a shame, because with the right song choices, Michael could have been a frontrunner. Coupled with last week’s bottom rating, his disappointing performance this week will definitely send him into the danger zone.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

7) Lil Rounds - sung "Heatwave” – Speaking of disappointments, we get a person who should have outshone everyone else during Motown week, but left me wanting more. Lil was greatly moved by her visit to Hitsville U.S.A., so you’d think she would have chosen a song that made her stand out more then anyone else. This song just kind of left me feeling blah, when I should have been feeling “WOW!”. It’s not that Lil didn’t sound good, because she still has one of the strongest voices and ranges in the entire Top Ten. It just sort of left me bummed, thinking, “that was it?” I wanted more, and Lil failed to deliver it. The performance had me torn, and maybe I need to rewatch it to get a more concrete opinion. First impression though, it was good, but not great. What gets me is it should have been great. I don’t think she’s in any danger of going home, but I think she may get a scare by taking a bottom spot.
Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

8) Adam Lambert – sung "Tracks of My Tears” – I was pleasantly surprised by Adam tonight. I know what some people have been saying; that he’s a bit over the top, a bit too dramatic in his singing, relies too much on his falsetto, etc. But you know what? Whatever he did last night, worked perfectly. Singing mostly in falsetto, this could have been a nightmare, but it worked. It worked amazingly well. I’ve heard the original version of this song many times, and I have never heard it performed with such passion, tenderness and emotion that Adam did last night. It reminded a bit of last season, when David Cook put himself ahead of the pack by doing an incredible version of Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby”. (which I still have on my iPod, thank you very much). I was actually leaning towards downloading Adam’s performance. (still am) It was that good. Safety is not even questioned for Adam this week as he breezes through to next week.
Prediction: SAFE

9) Danny Gokey – sung "Get Ready” – The luster is really starting to wear off for me for Danny. I think his arrogance is beginning to show, and it was proven to me last night when Danny chose to ignore Smokey’s advice. (Smokey told him to sing the backup lines too, to make the song more his own; he chose not to). Beyond the rose colored glasses the other three judges were wearing, I agreed with Simon’s view of Danny’s performance; it was clumsy and the song was over done. I admit, Danny did sing it well, but some parts were just plain over sang, and it made it awkward to hear. Also, the corny dancing just adds to the whole “clumsy” effect of it all. I’m know for a fact Danny is safe, because I’m most likely in the minority when it comes to what I heard, even though I’m right. (and Simon agrees with me!) No need to worry Gokey fans, your corny hero will be back next week. Prediction: SAFE

10) Allison Iraheta – sung "Papa Was a Rolling Stone” – Holy cow, now THIS is singing! Not only did Allison just about out sing almost all of the other female contestants tonight, but she showed maturity and range that you cannot believe is coming out of a 16 year old. Her voice is infectious and has such a sultry tone, you find yourself enamored like a sailor listening to a Siren’s call. Not only did this performance rank as one of the best of the night, but it showcased Allison enough to probably keep her out of the Bottom three for a long time. This was yet another song I was close to downloading, so it should tell you how much it impressed me. Do not skip this one readers, because the phrase “saving the best for last” was never truer with Allison’s performance. Prediction: SAFE

That’s it for this week everyone! What did you guys think?
Who had the best performance of the night? I wouldn’t be surprised if there are multiple answers for this question! Was Megan as bad as I made her out to be? Was Michael? Who disappointed you? Amazingly enough, my predictions are exactly the same as last week. Weird, or is it a precursor to who goes home in the next couple of weeks?

My predictions:

IN THE BOTTOM: Michael Sarver, Scott Macintyre and Megan Joy Corkrey.

My pick to go home tonight: Megan Joy Corkrey. (or easily replaced by Michael Sarver – they were both equally bad.)

How did I do? Think I’m crazy? Am I right on the nose about my predictions? Let me know in the comments! Let’s chat it up!

Until next week, faithful readers, I’m out for now!