american idol talk's blog

the finals -- top 5

 abuse

Rat Pack standards week. We all think of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin, but the Rat Pack was a lot more and spanned a few more years than the heyday of the 50's as most people think. You had Bogey who started it all. Followed by Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Norman Fell. Then there were the women members -- Angie Dickenson, Marilyn Monroe, Juliet Prowse and Shirley Maclaine. And as we found out many years later, a one John Kennedy did some hang time with the Summit when they were in town.

That group, and the second tier singers of the time, had a string of some of the most memorable hits in American history. They defined cool, hip, the American Dream, the beginning of the Jet Set, and all the other hopes of the era. They truly set the standards for music, comedy, acting, and stage performances for those who followed.

So what are our Idols going to do with what they have to work with? Let's see...

1. Kris Allen: The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra (music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Dorothy Fields.) It real tough to improve on Old Blue Eyes and Kris proved that. Way too slow and then he hit the tempo change and I'm thinking, what was that? Then he hit the falsetto and I'm thinking, what was that? Then he hit the minor on the last note and I'm thinking, what was that? Perhaps he and Linda Ronstadt can get together and mangle a few more American standards.

2. Allison Iraheta: Someone To Watch Over Me by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and about a thousand others (music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin.) That was a performance worthy of Billy Holliday. I can picture her at a club in the mid-1950s with Walt Levinsky on clarinet accompanying her with the strings playing mournfully in the background. Simply stunning. This girl can sing anything completely independent of her age and make it believable. Amazing range, Amazing timing. Amazing performance.

3. Matt Giraud: My Funny Valentine by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dinah Shore and many others (music and lyrics by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart.) Good performance, but he's just singing, not singing to someone as the song demands by its very nature. Simply no feeling. Too many pitch problems as well on the big notes and someone needs to remind him that he's not Mariah Carey, so lay off the riffs. Then he goes falsetto at the end and trashes what little good he did put into the performance.

4. Danny Gokey: Come Rain Or Come Shine by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, and a million others (music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer.) That was amazing. He kept it true to his style with just enough Satchmo influence to make it memorable. Then he went into full blues mode and blew it away at the end. It gave me goosebumps. Danny just found his niche in his musical life. Forget the rest of his tripe that has gone before. Though I am confident he will blow it again on a different genre in the coming weeks, this performance should put him through to the top 4.

5. Adam Lambert: Feeling Good by Sammy Davis, Jr. (music by Anthony Newley, lyrics by Lesley Bricusse.) He is an entertainer, not just a performer. He would have been the fifth member of the core Rat Pack had he been around in Vegas back then. That was hot -- just WOW! Adam just set the new century's standard for cool. For some reason, his style of entertaining reminds me a bit of Louis Prima at moments. Not sure why, but that's a good thing.

Great music. Lifelong songs. So who goes this week?

Please, please, please get rid of Kris Allen this time. Danny redeemed himself for one more week, but I really can't take any more of Kris.

Filed under: Music