American Idol - 3.25.09 Motown Week

Introductions were shown on screen tonight, and it was odd. Why they keep futzing around with things that work fine I have no idea. Oh well.

Paula is wearing a ballerina outfit, I think. It's like a 5-year old's party dress. Very strange. Also very strange was odd pseudo-flirting between her and Ryan. Huh?

(Note - I will not be able to blog the whole show tonight, started very late. I'll be finishing it tomorrow)

First, we get a brief introduction to Motown History and music. The Top 10 got a tour of the Motown Museum, and met Smokey Robinson and Barry Gordy, the founder of Motown (and I may just have his name wrong. Sorry about that.)

Smokey came back to LA for guest mentoring duties. Looks like Aint No Mountain High Enough might be the group sing tomorrow, from the rehearsals.

Matt Giraud (Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye) - Matt sounded excellent on the song, and started off behind the piano, but got up after the intro to sing by himself. I like him playing the piano, but he did a really nice job. He is excellent at the octave switching, and it sounded effortless. Randy was yo, really happy, yo, dude, man, and loved Matt's fals(etto, I assume). Kara thought it was sexy. Paula thought he was sexy cool and didn't overdo the riffing, like many people in this day and age. Then she mumbled something about jeans. Simon thought it was a brilliant song choice, and loved Matt's voice on the song.

Kris Allen (How Sweet it Is - Marvin Gaye) - He has his guitar again, and I like that. His shirt, not so much. Looks like he was attacked by the guy from A Beautiful Mind. This song always reminds me of American Pie. He sounded really good on the song, and it got Paula up dancing. He certainly does have a good presence... if only I could remember him when he leaves the stage! Kara loved that Kris did his own version of the song, and not a copy of other versions, and thinks he did everything right. Paula loved the song choice and thought it was brilliant. Simon thought it was smart, but he needs to be more confident in himself. He wants more swagger from Kris. I like Kris as he is. Randy thinks he is consistent and is in the zone.

Scott MacIntyre (You Can't Hurry Love - Diana Ross) Boooooring in the beginning. And even though he upped the piano tempo, he was still really boring. Yawn. I'm so bored by him. He's a good piano player, but I don't think he's a good vocalist particularly. Paula loved it. Simon thought it was bad. He didn't like the piano playing, and then he dissed the back up singers. Randy called it a very hotel performance. Kara loved it and thought it brought tempo. She was not crazy about the liberties he took with the melody. Paula still stood up for him. Paula then went under the table and got a box of crayons a coloring book for Simon. What?

Megan Joy Corkrey (For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder) Her hair is kind of Carrie Underwood, and unfortunately, her voice is not in good form. It's a mess. Simon looked embarrased when they cut to him. I thin Megan is gone. He outfit is bad, her voice is bad tonight, and the whole thing was just ridiculous. She was better with the flu. Randy says yo, and has mad love for Megan, but dude, it was a trainwreck, and called it rushed and hectic. Kara wished she had sung My Guy, which would have been a good choice. Paula's breath is taken away by Megan's beauty, but agreed it was a bad song for her. Simon said the good news is she looks good, but the bad news is, it was horrible.

Anoop Desai (Ooh, Baby Baby - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) This is a very good song for his voice, and also has very nice falsetto. He does seem to be wearing about 5 layers, which is confusing, but I can forgive questionable fashion choices for such a good song. Nice job, Anoop. It was slow without being boring. Kara thought his chest voice was really strong, but some of the falsetto was a bit off. Still, he showed his skill set, and she wants to see more of his ability to change a song up. Paula wanted more confidence, but loved his phrasing, delivery, and falsetto. Simon thought it was a great vocal, but worried that Anoop looked half asleep during the performance. Randy wants some more energy next week, but enjoyed the crooning swooning balladeer.

Michael Sarver (Aint too Proud to Beg - Temptations) He was sick and missed the trip to Motown. This is better than last week's train wreck that should have sent him home (instead of Alexis - boo!). There's just something I don't dig about him. Still... yes. Much better than last week. His final notes were kind of all over the place, though. Paula thought it felt old Las Vegas Loungey (and she got booed!), and wanted him to be more dominating of the song, instead of letting the song dominate him. Simon thought it was painful, and wanted it to end, because he was screaming and shouting. Randy thought it was corny. Kara thought it lacked artistry. I'm actually suprised that the judges didn't like it more. Not disappointed. lol.

Lil Rounds (Heatwave) - I'm not sure what they did with her hair. I think they tried to make her look retro, but it just looked like a helmet. She's got a flappery dress on. Her performance wasn't terrible, but she seemed to be shouting half the time. There was no change in level the whole time - it was all one shouty bit. I didn't feel like she connected with the song much. Randy thought the front of the song was a little bit of torture, and felt like she was rushing though the whole thing. Agreed. Kara thought Lil looked great, but felt that Lil disappointed in being the diva everyone wanted to hear. She also agreed with me that Lil did a good bit of screaming. Predictably, Paula loved it. Simon thought it was an authentic Motown tribute, but didn't think the song gave her a Moment to shine. He reminded everyone that she is an excellent singer, but wants her to pick a song that allows he to blow everyone away.

(I will finish tomorrow)

Adam Lambert (Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson) Wow - he looks so much better (imo) with his hair in a pompadour instead of emo-ed out. And he's actually singing instead of screaming. See - this Adam I can see being appealing. I'm not saying that the pompadour is the best look for him, but I like it better than emo. I still think that many of the other men in the competition have a better falsetto than Adam does, sounding more natural and less ... Liza. That said, this is the absolute best I have ever seen him, and I could actually root for this Adam. It's nice to see his face. Kara did a rare standing O for him, and called it one of the best of the night, and threw out her favorite word, artistry. Paula (predictably) fell all over herself for him. She also loved seeing his face and the lack of (overwhelming) makeup. Simon said is was undoubtably THE best of the night, and summed up the points they've been making about originality, song choice, and all that. Randy liked that he showed his range and sang such beautiful tender moments. I would have to agree. My god, I liked him. A lot. I wish he would ditch the emo hair.

Danny Gokey (Get Ready) I'm happy to see Danny doing something upbeat. He did not take Smokey's advice and sing the end of the verses himself, instead giving it to the background singers. Honestly, I think it worked out fine, and think he would have sounded rushed if he had tried to sing them himself. I just love his voice, every freaking time I hear it. The night has hit it's stride. H even did a little dance move with the back up singers near the end, and he had a great time. This was wonderful. He has been teetering on the verge of cheesey, and this pulled him back. Paula called it a first class performance. Yikes - Simon thought it was clumsy and amateurish. Randy said he has a dope voice, and loves the energy. Kara loved the personality, thought it was good, not great, but loves him. The judges were rushed because the time was getting away from them.

Allison Iraheta (Papa was a Rolling Stone - Temptations) She had troubles with lyrics in rehearsals, but sounded really good. How will she do tonight? I think fantastic is a word. She is so amazing for being 16. She got a little mumbly sometimes, but it wasn't terrible. I really adored her. Her last note was amazing. Nothing short of. Randy called it blazing hot. Kara says she sings like she's been singing for 400 years, and said it comes from god. Paula (with a drawn on mustache from Simon - what?) said that she's awesome, and amazing. Simon said she's a survivor, and this was one of her best performances.

Tonight was really good, overall! While Matt, Kris, and Anoop had some really great moments, I only really remember the last three of the night. I can't believe how much I liked Adam. I think it's Megan or Scott going home. Michael was ok, but I still don't like him. Lil was also not good - just shouty and bland. Megan was just a total mess. I think her time has come, even though I have liked her... terrible performance.

What did you think?