american idol talk's blog

the finals -- top 7, again.

by Steve Crisp
Published Apr. 21, 2009
Views: 196

Disco night. I've been waiting for this. And we get to see the same seven as last week since the judges used their save in a completely unwarranted circumstance. Now to the critique...

1. Lil Rounds: I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan. Great timing, but still horribly flat. She looked the part, but didn't sound it. And a lot of energy, but no emotion. Lil is rapidly running out of time to impress us again and this performance didn't do a thing to bolster her chances, though it may not have hurt her too much. If you can't wow them, the best thing to do is not to nauseate them. She accomplished that perfectly.

2.  Kris Allen: She Works Hard For The Money by Donna Summer. That was the most original arrangement of that song I have ever heard. It was also one of the strangest in the history of music. It's disco night, people, not pseudo-folk/calypso night. I should be able to jam around the living room to these tunes. Instead I feel like I'm recovering from a tropical island hangover. But for what it was, it was a great performance.

3. Danny Gokey: September by Earth Wind and Fire. From the first "wooo" I knew he was about to butcher a great song. And he did not disappoint. He did it with knives, cleavers, an ax, and an industrial logging saw. What an ignorant mess. There is something with Danny that I just don't see or hear. Ever. The jurors have got to be deaf. I just give up with this guy.

4. Allison Iraheta: Hot Stuff by Donna Summer. Like Kris, a great performance, but not disco. She took a classic and rocked it out. Shows originality, but not necessarily the ability to sing a particular genre. And I think what she was wearing and how she was moving on the stage, particularly in her opening, is illegal in 47 states. She nailed the notes and phrasing, though.

5. Adam Lambert: If I Can't Have You by Yvonne Elliman. Stunning, soaring vocals and emotive out the ying-yang. The arrangement absolutely reeked. These folks are just missing the whole point of disco night and American Idol. It is more than making a song your own; it is also showing the ability to sing a wide variety of different types of music. Another fabulous, yet abysmal performance.

6. Matt Giraud: Staying Alive by The Bee Gees. Some solid vocals and nice syncopation on the arrangement. He still needs to stay away from the falsetto, though. He simply can't hit it properly. Nice gritty version of that song, however.

7. Anoop Desai: Dim All The Lights by Donna Summer. Solid vocals with a very weird arrangement. Boring is the only thing I can say. But he did nail the notes. Or did he? Did you notice that the last note in his live performance was completely off, but when they played the recap, he nailed it? If they are going to pre-tape the recaps at least make them equivalent. Using the recap to cover a major error is simply unfair. If Major League Baseball can hit replays from five angles on a moment's notice, why can't AI put the recap together with the actual performances?

All in all, I was very disappointed with tonight. Not only from the standpoint that a lot of the songs were completely mangled, but also because these kids seemingly have no clue that there is more to disco than Donna Summer or Saturday Night Fever. And Chaka Khan and EWF are not even technically disco. They missed this night totally.

Based on tonight's performances alone, all of them are in trouble. But one was just so bad that it made the other ones look fantastic regardless of their own problems. Lil Rounds has got to go this week. However, there is a double elimination because of last week's save. For the second one to flush down the toilet to oblivion, I have to go with Danny Gokey. Again. Please toss him and be done with the two minutes of tone deafness experienced by the judges.

Filed under: Music