American Idol Recap – Top 7
Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey Stand out as Idol goes to the Movies
Apr 14, 2009
Last week the American Idol finalists sang songs from the year they were born, and it turned out to be the end of the line for Scott MacIntyre. This week, the Idols hit the silver screen, singing their favorite movie songs, and despite Quentin Tarantino being the ‘celebrity coach’, everything worked out pretty well. Here’s how each one did, and who might be going home.
Allison Iraheta – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, from Armageddon
Allison got off to a rough start, but found a way to pull it out in the end. She picked a key that was a bit low for her range, and because of that, the beginning sounded awkward, but once the band came in, she picked it up quite a bit. Simon and Paula commented, and both really liked the performance, but Allison was off compared to her usual standard – it was far from her best performance of the competition. Allison cannot be faulted for her song choice; Aerosmith seemed like a perfect fit, even though it did not work as well as expected. Still, Allison’s performance was plenty enough to get her through to next week.
Anoop Desai – “(Everything I Do) I Do it for You” by Bryan Adams, from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
After last week’s performance that landed him in the bottom two, Anoop needed to come up with something good, and that is exactly what he did. Anoop really stepped it up a couple of notches from what we have heard from him the past few weeks. He did a good job with a really tough song, and he actually made a rather mundane tune sound current and interesting. Coming into the week, Anoop looked like the top candidate to go home, but he stirred it up with this one. The voting will be very close.
Adam Lambert – “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf, from Easy Rider
Adam was in full-on 70’s British Rocker mode with this one, and as usual, his completely over-the-top performance was just right. Simon thought that his performance this week might not compare favorably with last week’s as far as the fans are concerned, but Simon’s viewpoint is a little skewed; the Tears for Fears song Adam performed last week was much bigger in Europe than it was in the U.S., so while last week’s performance may have technically been better, “Born to be Wild” is much more familiar to viewers here, and that should actually help with the voting. As usual, Adam should breeze through to the next round.
Matt Giraud – “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams, from Don Juan DeMarco
Matt got a great build-up from Quentin Tarantino, and then pretty much fell flat on his face once the music started. Matt was trying to do a lot with the song, and he simply got lost melodically just after the halfway point. He got himself figured out by the end, but by that point it was too late, and the end result was a really uncomfortable and difficult-to-follow rendition of the song. It was not a bad song choice, but it clearly did not go the way Matt had planned. Matt picked a tough week to make a mistake, and will likely land in the bottom three because of it.
Danny Gokey – “Endless Love” by Lionel Ritchie, from Endless Love
Danny picked a great song, and really showed vocal range with his performance. The only problem was that the song really doesn’t sound right without two voices, but that is not really Danny’s fault. As usual, Danny paced the performance very well, and finished with a big ending. Also as usual, Danny’s lacked the originality that we always get from his main competition, Adam, and that is the only thing that is holding him back from being a favorite to win the entire competition. He’s got arguably the best voice of all the finalists, though, and should have no problem being back next week.
Kris Allen – “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, from Once
Kris picked an obscure song from a rather obscure movie. Randy thought it was pitchy while Kara thought it was Kris’ best performance, but the reality lies somewhere in between. Kris was clearly trying to capture the same vibe that Adam had last week, but where Adam did a great job of conveying the tension of the Tears for Fears song last week, Kris’ performance really did not go anywhere, and while it sounded decent, it was devoid of real musicality. Plus, not many people are going to be familiar with the song, which may mean Kris makes a trip to the bottom three.
Lil Rounds – “The Rose” by Amanda McBroom (as performed by Bette Midler), from The Rose
This one was a complete shocker, because for the first time, Lil struggled vocally. Like Matt, there were a couple of points where Lil got lost melodically, and at other times it almost seemed like she was battling nerves. Whether the judge’s comments are getting to her or if she just feels overwhelmed by the competition, Lil seems to be headed in the wrong direction. Lil will likely make another appearance in the bottom three, but hopefully she will end up safe, because she deserves another chance to turn things around.
With only seven American Idol finalists left, the competition is tougher than ever, and with so many good performers, mistakes could make the difference between who stays and who goes home. Adam and Danny were the stars of movie night, but mistakes will probably put Lil and Matt in the bottom three, possibly with Kris. Kris will likely be safe, while Lil and Matt should be concerned.
Here is what happened as all 7 Idol finalists returned for Disco Night!
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