American Idol 2009 Recap – Top 4
Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta Steal the Spotlight on Rock Night
May 5, 2009
The American Idol Final Four were back to sing Classic Rock hits, but with an unexpected twist – for the first time ever, the Idol finalists were charged with singing a solo and a duet. Here’s how each one did, and who might be going home.
Adam Lambert – “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin
There really was no way Adam could go wrong singing Led Zeppelin. There are not many people who have a voice that is a perfect match for Robert Plant, but Adam had the pipes to pull it off brilliantly. Adam’s over-the-top style was just right for this one. There was nothing terribly original about Adam’s take on the song, but this is one time where a creative interpretation was not necessary; “Whole Lotta Love” is such a wild song, that it did not need anything extra. It was another classic performance by Adam.
Allison Iraheta – “Cry Baby” by Janis Joplin
While Janis Joplin is the right type of artist to match Allison’s voice, she took a bit of a risk with this one. It was a good song and a good performance, but on a night where Allison could have really rocked out, she picked something slower and more subdued. It is a gamble that may not pay off with the viewers, but Allison seems to be getting better every week and deserves to move on to the next round.
Kris Allen and Danny Gokey – “Renegade” by Styx
At the beginning of the song, it looked like Kris was going to steal the show; Danny actually looked like he wanted to be somewhere else during the first verse. By the end of the song, though, Danny really turned it on and showed off his range, and clearly was the better of the two by the end. The whole thing seemed a little strange, for the contestants and the judges, but that was to be expected with it being the first time the finalists have performed a duet on the show.
Kris Allen – “Come Together” by the Beatles
Kris picked a great Beatles song, but it just was not great for him. This tune really did not allow Kris to take advantage of his vocal range, and with the guitar, he was not able to sell the song as much as he needed. It was apparent that Kris is not really a rocker, and he was trying far too hard to try to make it interesting. The few times Kris tried to switch things up a bit with the arrangement, it really seemed awkward. Kris could be in trouble, especially compared to the other performances of the night.
Danny Gokey – “Dream On” by Aerosmith
Danny probably should have left this particular song to Adam. Danny took a huge risk, considering the vocal range at the end of the song. The judges gave him credit for trying, but the fact of the matter is that there were plenty of other songs that Danny could have - and should have - chosen that could have been challenging yet still in his range. Danny did not want to ‘play it safe’, but taking too big of a risk, he could be in jeopardy.
Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert – “Slow Ride” by Foghat
There could not have been a more perfect match for this song then Allison and Adam. The two played off of each other perfectly, they (amazingly) worked in the same vocal range the entire time and best of all – they simply had fun. Next to Adam’s solo, this was clearly the best performance of the night, and it very well could be a preview of the American Idol final.
The two duets added a new dynamic to the show, and Allison and Adam took full advantage, using their duet to solidify their spots in the Top-3. Taking into account both the duets and the solos, Adam and Allison were in a different league than Kris and Danny, and the latter pair could easily find themselves in the bottom two.
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