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the finals -- top 10

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Motown Week: The best way to describe this week is reverse country. Those who do well in the country genre usually blow Motown week badly and vice versa. There is a huge catalog of songs to choose from, but they all have that common sound that is instantly identifiable to any listener worldwide. So let's see how it goes.

1. Matt Giraud: Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye. He missed about a third of his notes and was weak on the other two thirds. When he is done playing the audience, he might remember that he is in more than a singing contest. The performance has to mate with the song and become an integral part of it. And he just doesn't have the stage presence to pull it off.

2. Kris Allen: How Sweet it Is by Marvin Gaye. You have a song here with two well-known versions, the original by Marvin and the cover by James Taylor. Both versions are in the top 100 songs of all time. And he thinks he can actually pull this one off? Well, he had some nice vocals and decent timing, but he still is not hitting it. His subtle reggae influence tried to impart some uniqueness to his arrangement, but just wasn't enough to rise above the crowd.

3. Scott MacIntyre: You Can't Hurry Love by Diana Ross. Fantastic arrangement and amazing piano work with the syncopation tossed in the mix and almost perfect vocals. So what's his problem? He comes off like a hunk of wood. Granted, he had some fun tonight and was far more energetic than he has been in the past, however he needs to smile.

4. Megan Joy: For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder. The horns came in blaring and I'm thinking that this can really be something. Then she opened her mouth and some noise came out. About ten minutes before the start of tonight's show two cats were tangling out front of my house. I thought they may be going at it again until I realized that hideous noise was coming out of my speakers. I'm not even going to bother with any technical critiques; pick your category -- it was all bad.

5. Anoop Desai: Ooh Baby Baby by Smokey Robinson. Finally the night begins. Solid vocal control and very clean segues in and out of the falsetto. There's not much interpretation you can do with that song, but he changed it up just enough to grab it as his own. Great performance.

8. Michael Sarver: Ain't Too Proud To Beg by The Temptations. Not pretty at all. It reminded me of karaoke night at a frat house sometime around one am trying to impress some drunk skank who was so tanked that she couldn't distinguish sound in the first place. Massive suckage. Stick to country.

7. Lil Rounds: Heatwave by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. This was her week and she blew it. Vocals were pitchy and thready in parts, and screaming in others. She never really found that right blend of vocals and performance. It's like she's self-destructing for some reason. Very forced and rushed. She should have done The Boss by Diana Ross and that would have been one to remember. Oh well.

8. Adam Lambert: Tracks Of My Tears by Smokey Robinson. Pure artistry. Pure professionalism. Reminded me of how Springsteen handles a ballad. No one can touch this guy. I mean, when the man who wrote the song and turned it into an everlasting number one hit gives you a standing ovation, you know you've done something right.

9. Danny Gokey: Get Ready by Rare Earth. Fair interpretation with some weird vocal timing. His voice is OK, but he simply does not have the presence to pull it off as an entertainer. It seems like he's trying to take lessons from Taylor Hicks while taking one to many Valium.

10. Allison Iraheta: Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Temptations. OK, so Adam has some competition. Astounding alto combined with amazing unforced range on the upper end makes this girl a force to be reckoned with. Tonight was a monstrous performance, a memorable performance.

It's far easier to pick the top three tonight than it is to pick the bottom three. There are just too many non-contenders who were utterly lousy. Remember, at this point, we are looking for artists, not singers. Almost anyone can be a singer if they can come close to hitting the correct notes, but to actually perform their art night after night in multiple venues, radio and television shows, and the studio takes more than just a good voice.

I can take a half-way decent singer and with enough orchestration, vocal modulation, effects, and tracking, turn a studio session into something just short of a masterpiece. A world-class stage manager and choreographer can teach the technical skills of audience contact and performance art. A lighting designer can mask a whole lot of dreck on a stage especially when combined with some pyrotechnics. But if the artist just doesn't have ability to hone, then he or she may crack the top 100 for a week or two, may sell out a small venue, and may have a small faithful following, but that's about it.

So who's leaving? Matt Giraud, Kris Allen, Lil Rounds, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver - take your choice. Drawing out of a hat, I'm gonna go with Megan Joy as the worst of the worst.

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Filed under: Music