American Idol: Week Five; The Top 8 Compete

Wrong choices.

That seemed to be the theme for almost all of last night’s performances, with the exception of 2-3 contestants. I was extremely disappointed with both song choices and performances by several of my favorites. (Kris, Lil) Some contestants managed to choose a great song and pull off a brilliant performance, (Adam, Matt, Allison), while others just completely surprised me. (Anoop)

Over all, I’d say it was a mediocre night. The theme of the night was “songs from the year that you were born”, an Idol theme staple. Did anyone else feel old when Ryan said the oldest contestant on the show was born in 1980? I know I sure did. Geez, when these guys were born, I was hearing these songs in junior high and high school! Oh wait a sec, I’m revealing a bit much about my age now. Let’s move on, shall we?

A quick note in regards to last week’s elimination; Megan knew she was going, and I admire her class in the way she went out. I do not, however, admire the way she was blown off by Simon and the judges. I agree, she really wasn’t a contender when it came to the “judges’ save”, but come on, at least give her a chance to sing for her life. Even if you don’t plan on using the save, give her the dignity she deserved. But alas, Megan is gone, and now we face the Top Eight.

How did the contestants do last night? Let’s jump in, starting with a strange musical arrangement for a classic song, sung by;

1) Danny Gokey – sung "Stand by Me” – I just don’t understand the arrangement for this song. It had to be the single worst version of this song I have ever heard. I’m not talking about Danny’s vocals, because they weren’t the problem. The problem was the musical arrangement made it almost impossible for someone to focus on Danny. Saying that though, Danny’s vocals weren’t as strong as some of the judges made them out to be. I thought he sounded off key in the beginning, and towards the middle is the only part I felt he started to pick himself up. By the end of the song, he hit his stride, and heard the booming voice that Danny has. (I think Simon had the same exact analysis of Danny’s performance as I did). While I don’t think he’s in any danger of going home, I don’t think this was a great performance at all. It wasn’t his worst, but by no means was this his best. Prediction: SAFE

2) Kris Allen - sung "All She Wants to Do is Dance” - I was sooooo disappointed in Kris last night. For someone who burst out of the fogs of the “unknowns”, Kris quickly became a favorite of mine when, apart from his “hottie” status, he proved what a great voice he has. But last night? Train wreck. Complete train wreck. Awful choice of song and pitiful arrangement made this sound a lot worse then it was. Kris’ vocals were still spot on, if only they were singing a better song. (my friend Kim thinks he holds the microphone waaay too close to his mouth, making it hard to understand the lyrics he's singing. I tend to agree, now that I thought about it!) I will applaud Kris for trying to make the song his own by changing it up, singing it a bit differently…but it didn’t work. It completely backfired, so I’m concerned that he’s put himself into the possible danger zone tonight. It’s a shame though, because he’s been consistently good for the past 2 weeks, and this drawback could be the one that sends his gaining popularity back down a few notches. Hopefully, though I predict him to be in danger this week, I’m hoping fans realize that another contestant’s performance was ultimately worse than this one.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

3) Lil Rounds – sung "What's Love Got To Do With It?” – Disappointment after disappointment, week after week. I’ve been a fan of Lil, but truth is, she’s losing me, and last night’s performance may have been the one that finally does her in. I just don’t understand Lil, this was a PERFECT song choice for her, but she failed to blow it out of the park. (as a TV Squad reviewer agreed) Not only did it come off as a well sung karaoke performance, but she even tried to sound, act and dance like Tina Turner a few times. Re-watch the performance and you’ll catch Lil doing the famous Tina “legs apart singing stance”. She even inflected her voice to sound like her on some of the lyrics! Ugh, it was frustrating to watch! She made no attempt to make the song her own, and that’s what aggravated me (and the judges) most about her performance. Lil has lost a lot of fans because of this, and her weekly disappointing performances has put her in serious danger tonight. Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

4) Anoop Desai - sung "True Colors" – Any of the readers that know me personally know what a HUGE Cyndi Lauper fan I am. I have been for years and still follow her career very closely. So how do you think I reacted when I found out what song Anoop was singing? That’s right, terror and anger. But, I will admit this; it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. I attribute this to the fact that (yet again), Anoop has reverted to singing a ballad, and we all know how well Anoop does with ballads. Being a big fan of the original artist, I have more basis for judgment of Anoop’s performance than most people. This song has been redone over and over since its release, the best remake being Phil Collin’s version. Anoop could only hope to come within a sliver of that. I thought he sounded good in the beginning , but the change in style in the middle didn’t work out very well. Sometimes a song doesn’t need to be changed that much, but can still sound different. This was not Anoop’s best performance, but it didn’t turn out to be as bad as I was expecting it to be. (nothing could beat the train wreck that Nadia Turner turned this song into a couple of seasons ago.) Though I don’t think he’s in any danger, (partly because he reverted back to “balladeer”), I think there is a chance last week’s performance “stink” hasn’t washed out of fans minds yet.
Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

5) Scott Macintyre – sung "The Search is Over” – The “good song choice” streak that Scott was on has ended; funny though, it only lasted a week! I don’t get Scott, and I find it continually irritating that he made bad song choices for weeks, finally makes a breakthrough last week with a perfect song choice, and this week, reverts to form and chooses the worst possible song for himself. I hated this song from the original artist, so I was already going in jaded. Stepping out from behind the piano, we learn that Scott can also play the guitar, albeit not quite as well as the piano. I do understand his reasoning, that he wants to show how versatile a performer he is, but the guitar just didn’t work, especially when you add that it was a poor song choice to begin with. I thought Scott failed in hitting some of the key notes in the song, and though he clearly sung with passion, it fell flat on the vocals. His voice was simply not strong enough to carry some of the lyrics, and unfortunately it didn’t make for a very good performance. The only thing appealing about watching his performance last night was the occasional camera view of his blond hottie brother/friend in the audience. Was that harsh? Yes, but I’m frustrated. Much like Lil, Scott has lost his luster with me, and it’s mostly due to his consistency of bad song choices. I would be worried if I was Scott tonight. Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

6) Allison Iraheta - sung "I Can't Make You Love Me” – Now THIS was a performance. I’ve always liked Allison, and I’ve made no secret of that. But this performance really catapulted Allison into the top in my opinion. Everyone has heard this song a million times over on the radio, but if you actually listen to the lyrics sometime, you’ll realize what truly adult themes are being portrayed in the song. Allison, being only 16, sung this song with such passion, maturity and class, I really had a hard time believing her age. Close your eyes, and you’d think a seasoned veteran was singing, and not only is that a compliment and testament to the skill that Allison has, it is also an edge which is slowly giving her a lead over her competitors. The only critique I have is the same one Simon had, and one I mentioned when the competition first started; her personality. She isn’t showing enough of it, and she’s coming off too much like an immature 16-year-old kid. Regardless, I think Allison should be around next week easily. Prediction: SAFE

7) Matt Giraud - sung "Part-Time Lover” – Finally, a stand out performance from one of the most underrated contestants! Matt took a completely over done Stevie Wonder song, (that Kevin Covais turned into a corny joke years ago) and turned it into a bluesy, soulful song with great vocals. Matt is rocking the Justin Timberlake look, and it suits him. The hat is a perfect accessory to distract us from that odd mole right in the middle of his forehead. Matt looks like he's finally settling into his comfort zone, and I couldn't be happier. I still don't think he has the chops to win it all, but at the very least, this performance can put him in the running for the Top 5 or 4 at least.
Prediction: SAFE

8) Adam Lambert – sung "Mad World” – Looks like I wasn't quite in the minority as I thought last week. I spoke to a number of people that agreed that Adam was screeching most of the song. But this week? He pulled back the antics and the screeching, and gave a heartfelt ballad, with tender lyrics and passion. I was most impressed with this performance, and thought this was Adam's best performance to date. Adam keeps getting better every week, and barring some horrible performance, I don't see how he won't be one of the two finalists this season. His safety this week isn't even a question.
Prediction: SAFE

That's it for this week, readers! What did we think?

My predictions:

IN THE BOTTOM: Kris Allen, Lil Rounds and Scott Macintyre.

My pick to go home tonight: Scott Macintyre. (his time has come unfortunately, though I wouldn't be surprised if Lil goes instead. I'll be angry if Kris goes!)

So am I wrong? Were some of my reviews too harsh? Were they on the mark? Tell me if I'm crazy people! Who do you think should go home tonight? Take the poll below!
Until next week, faithful readers, I’m out for now!