American Idol: Week Four; The Top 9 Compete

We are officially down to the Top Nine, and though you hear it a million times from Ryan Seacrest, the competition is really starting to heat up.

Almost every season, they always say something to the effect of “the most talented Top 10 ever”, but this season, I seriously think that they are right. I can clearly see at least 2 or 3 contestants in the final, with perhaps a dark horse coming with a win that no one expects. (Kris!)

This week’s theme is relatively new to the season of Idol. The contestants were asked to pick songs that are top downloads of iTunes. (great plug for them though isn’t it? In addition to downloading songs from the season, they get a whole theme!) I have to say I was a bit surprised with some of the choices made (Lil, Matt), and some people finally made the right choices. (Scott!!)

As a side note to last week’s elimination, America got it right; it was Michael’s time to go. BUT, to have Matt in the bottom three and not Megan? I have nothing against Megan, I think she is lovely and has such a unique sound, and she would do great if she just would pick the right songs. But the fact is, it’s three weeks in, and she has yet to make a good choice. This week was no exception. (more on that when we get to her)

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Rating system remain the same, so shall we get started?

Let’s begin with the first disappointment of the night;

1) Anoop Desai – sung "Caught Up” – I will applaud Anoop for going back to doing an upbeat song, but for some reason, whenever he switches to singing an upbeat song, his inner singer always chooses the wrong song.(hello, remember “Beat It”?)He only seems to choose the right song when he sings ballads, and that’s very disappointing. None of the judges thought it was good, and I tend to agree. It seemed very karaoke to me, and amateurish, if I could borrow a phrase from Simon. One of the judges said that the performance seemed very copycat, and I agree wholeheartedly; there was nothing original in it, and none of Anoop’s personal touches were added. I’m not sure he’s quite ready to go home, but this performance, when measured against the rest of the performances tonight, has put him in danger. Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

2) Megan Joy Corkrey - sung "Turn Your Lights Down Low” - I want to start off by repeating what I wrote earlier; I have nothing against Megan. It’s not like past seasons of Idol, where there was one or two contestants that rubbed me the wrong way, or just sounded so horrible I wondered how they actually got to the Top 12 in the first place. I think Megan is beautiful and has such a great bluesy sound. I actually feel very disappointed with her performances for the past 3 weeks. Song choice makes a whole world of difference, and with such different sound, Megan needed to pick songs that suited her great tone and style. For the 4th week in a row, Megan has once again chosen a song that is not only boring, but it did not highlight her voice the way it should have. At times, it even sounded off key, and I know that it wasn’t...it was just the way she sung it. I feel bad for Megan, because whoever is coaching her on song choice should be fired. (and whoever is Scott’s coach too, though this week he picked a perfect song). Much to my dismay, I think Megan’s time to leave is fast approaching, and tonight might be the night.
Prediction:IN THE BOTTOM

3) Danny Gokey – sung "What Hurts the Most” – Danny pulled back on the cockiness a little, so perhaps he’s hearing what some Idol fans are saying about him. This week, Danny decided to go the opposite direction of his past two performances, and get introspective. This is where I think Danny shines, when he takes a song, and instead of wild corny dancing and over sung lyrics, it’s just him and his voice. I finally got reminded why I liked Danny when I first saw him; he has such a great smooth voice that fit the emotion of the song perfectly. It wasn’t copycat, and that’s what makes this one of his best performances. He made it his own. The way he put a different tone to some of the lyrics made this performance stand out for me. Now, if he could continue to keep that cockiness out for the rest of his time on Idol, I just might be rooting for him by season’s end. Prediction: SAFE

4) Allison Iraheta - sung "Don't Speak" – I will agree with the judges on a very glaring observation; what the heck is with that outfit?! Wow, I think Tim Gunn would faint from the horror of this fashion monstrosity. That aside, since this show isn’t about fashion, Allison’s vocals again were amazing. I like the fact she brought out her guitar, because no one realized she could even play. I’m no musician, but I’m pretty sure she missed a couple of cords, but it doesn’t matter; her vocals made up for it. She has such control of her voice, and for someone so young, she makes many singers twice her age seem amateurish. (as one of the judges said). Thing is though, the TV audience is a fickle bunch, and I have a gut feeling that the comments about her outfit distracting the audience from listening to the song might be right. I love Allison, and if she gets sent home tonight instead of Megan, I will not be a happy camper. But I think she very well might be my final choice for the Bottom three. (with possibly (and hopefully) being switched out to one of my other choices below). Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

5) Scott Macintyre – sung "Just The Way You Are” – Finally! FINALLY! Maybe Scott did fire his song coach, because for the first time in 4 weeks, Scott chose the most perfect song to highlight both his piano and his singing ability. It was the first performance by him that I will actually remember. His soft, yet passionate voice carried the song. Considering he opted to use only the piano and not the band, it completely focused the bulk of the song on his talents. And he delivered with a poignant and original performance. Bravo, Scott! Here’s the bad news though...it might be too late. Three weeks of mediocre performances may have dulled fans appreciation, so though he outshone a few people this week, he may replace one of my bottom picks. Hopefully not, so cross your fingers!! Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

6) Matt Giraud - sung "You Found Me” – I am really beginning to enjoy Matt’s singing style, but tonight, I think he made a critical mistake; he picked the wrong song. I disagreed with the judges when they said Matt shouldn’t have picked The Fray, because though the song choice was wrong, a better, more well-known song choice would have been that band’s breakout hit, “How To Save A Life”. A better choice above that? I think it was Kara who suggested One Republic’s “Apologize”, and I agree 100%. That song would have been perfect for Matt’s sound and style, but alas that didn’t happen did it? I thought the song was a bit “indulgent” as Simon would say, and didn’t really fit Matt’s sound very well. It was a mismatch in my opinion. I like the fact that he performed in the middle of the audience, but the performance was a bit of a let-down. I don’t think it was his worst, because his vocals were still almost perfect, but the song style and choice just made it a sub-par performance. I don’t think he should be going home just yet (as Kara pointed out, he still deserves to be there), but he might get another scare this week. Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

7) Lil Rounds - sung "I Surrender” – She’s almost there. Lil is coming just short of picking the right song. Celine was a decent song, because she can pull off some of the more powerful notes. But it wasn’t the perfect song choice, and I need to agree with what the judges said on her performance. I was expecting Mary J. Blige, or even some Mariah, since Lil has the kind of range to handle those songs. This was a mediocre performance to be honest, and a bit of a let down. (again) Just like last week, where Lil should have been the top performance of the night, this week should have had her at the top of the list. But as the judges pointed out, though the song choice was “meh”, the power in her voice only reminds us what a powerful range she has. I just wish she would have chosen a better song to highlight that. Prediction: SAFE

8) Adam Lambert – sung "Play That Funky Music” – Maybe I just didn’t hear what the judges were hearing. Please tell me in the comments below if I’m crazy, but to me, this was one of Adam’s worst performances. I hated it. I thought he was screeching have the song, and screaming the other half. It seemed like a karaoke performance and not a star performance. It could very well be just me, but I really hated this performance. And I am an Adam fan, so I’m not just saying that to be mean. Much like his “Ring of Fire”, I just didn’t get it. Regardless of what I think though, considering Adam’s popularity and ovations from the audience and the judges, there is no way he doesn’t sail through easily into next week. Prediction: SAFE

9) Kris Allen – sung "Ain't No Sunshine” – Call me an official Kris Allen fan. With this performance, Kris has risen from the status of “relatively unknown guy” to forerunner. I honestly think he out sang everyone else last night, and created something new out of something old. As pointed out by several of the judges, this song is 30 years old, yet it felt like it could be on the radio right now. The intimate arrangement, the tender vocals, and the passion behind the lyrics shone right through. As Kara said, “now THAT is artistry!”. Kris has quickly become one of my favorites, and it has nothing to do with how cute he is. (I mean, don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t hurt either) Kris has proven he is not just another pretty face, so don’t be surprised if he becomes the dark horse to win in this competition. He needs to keep up the momentum. Prediction: SAFE

Another week down! What did everyone think?
Do you think I was way off base about Adam’s performance? Should Megan prepare her good bye performance tonight? Who do you think had to best of the night?

My predictions:
IN THE BOTTOM: Anoop Desai, Allison Iraheta and Megan Joy Corkrey.

My pick to go home tonight: For the second week in a row, I choose Megan Joy Corkrey. (it’s really time, but don’t be surprised if she somehow slips by and Anoop/Allison go home.)

If you disagree, or even agree with me, let me know in the comments! Let’s chat it up! Take the poll below!

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