Post by Walker, Texas Ranger on Apr 21, 2009 22:11:59 GMT -5
In a recent story about American Idol, the author wrote that this season has basically become a competition between Adam Lambert and “Somebody Else”. After watching Top 7: The Sequel take on the disco era, it has become ever more apparent to me that “Somebody Else” should now be spelled “Kris Allen”. It’s as if the rest of the contestants have all resigned themselves to future guest hosting slots of the TV Guide Channel and a once-in-a-lifetime summer tour. Except for Kris.
And even then, it doesn’t feel to me as if Kris is trying to win the competition. I think he, as do the rest of the 30 million or so watching Idol each week, is aware that this is Adam’s competition to lose (witness the gushing praise from the judges even over a not so brilliant performance). But instead of worrying about who will stand under a shower of confetti at the end of the season, Kris appears to have already moved past and is performing as though he is already an established star.
The confidence he showed tonight with his wonderfully stripped down and jazzy/funk/acoustic take on Donna Summer’s anthem “She Works Hard For The Money” (which actually came several years after disco was considered dead) was that of a seasoned performer with a hit album under his belt. It’s as if there is no pressure being placed on him, and he’s quite happy with that. Which makes him especially dangerous to Adam, who is getting perilously close to slipping over the over-confidence line, giving Kris a chance to pull an upset.
That said, short of a bout of permanent laryngitis or a freak eyeliner pencil accident, I doubt there is little that could actually derail Adam’s march on Idol stardom. Even singing a song which I have never liked and wearing a suite obviously stolen from Ryan Seacrest’s dressing room, Adam was the vocal star of the night. He got into the very heart of “If I Can’t Have You” and turned it into a gut wrenching tale of heartbreak. It even caused Paula Abdul to (correctly) use the word “visceral”, which is a historic moment all unto itself. Sure, I hated the song, sure, I thought the staging of the performance was cheesy, but once Adam starts to sing… well, damn. He really is that good.
As for the rest of the evening, it was the usual mixed bag. In spite of Randy Jackson’s claim that this is the “best top seven ever” vocally, which I think is wrong and a disservice to both seasons five and six, there were only two other performances that showed any real vocal skill, Danny’s and Anoop’s. Yet neither of them showed the spark that Simon correctly stated was needed at this point of the competition. I do think Danny Gokey has one of the best technical voices of the group, but each week he becomes less and less compelling. I have a strong feeling his post-Idol career will be in Contemporary Christian, and I am confident he will be very successful in that genre. Likewise, I think Anoop has some future potential as professional vocalist, but I don’t really see him being the guy who has to clear room on his walls to hang the platinum records.
Which brings me the contestant who has been the most difficult to get a handle on all season long, Allison Iraheta. One week she’s perched on the brink of elimination, the next she’s the star. She’s suffered through more bad wardrobe choices since Elton John was in his Donald Duck suit-wearing heyday, and yet still manages to stay in the game based on her voice and her spunky nature. But I was rather turned off tonight, not just by her growly and often off-key singing, but by the sight of a 16-year-old girl in tight leather and spandex hoping to get some “hot stuff baby tonight”. In a culture that sexually objectifies women far too much as it is, I really wonder what the Idol producers were thinking when they approved the song and her wardrobe.
Or maybe I’m just getting old and cranky. After all, I did skip a week of my reviews last Tuesday (and yes, I thank all of you who emailed me expressing their disappointment – it’s nice to know so many of you were reading) so maybe I’m just suffering from two weeks worth of pent-up snark. But seriously… am I the only one who thought that was a bit of the uncomfortable/creepy side?
I have no doubts, however, about my take on Matt Giraud and Lil Rounds. I was happy last week to see Matt benefit from the very first (and hopefully last) “Judge’s Save”, but in hindsight, all it really did was give us another chance to hear some really well-down karaoke. If there is such a thing as a Bee Gee’s tribute band, and I am fearful there likely is such a thing, Matt made an excellent audition for their next tour. He also got to wear his favorite hat, which is nice for him.
Plus, because of the save last week, this week it means Matt will have company as he watches his “Idol journey” video on the big stage monitor, for Lil Rounds will be standing next to him. Her season-long inability to connect with the audience or to give us any clue at all of what type of artist she really is has (hopefully) come to an end. I was rooting for her in the beginning, being a Tennessee girl and all, but she never did advance beyond karaoke and straight-up covers. “Well, I was having fun up here” is not why we tune in to the watch Idol, Lil. We tune in to watch you step it up, not phone it in.
So there you have it. Adam vs Kris for the finals, Matt and Lil going home tomorrow in a double elimination, and the other three working it out amongst themselves who will finish third through fifth. That’s what my crystal ball is telling me, and we all know how accurate it has been so far this season.
And even then, it doesn’t feel to me as if Kris is trying to win the competition. I think he, as do the rest of the 30 million or so watching Idol each week, is aware that this is Adam’s competition to lose (witness the gushing praise from the judges even over a not so brilliant performance). But instead of worrying about who will stand under a shower of confetti at the end of the season, Kris appears to have already moved past and is performing as though he is already an established star.
The confidence he showed tonight with his wonderfully stripped down and jazzy/funk/acoustic take on Donna Summer’s anthem “She Works Hard For The Money” (which actually came several years after disco was considered dead) was that of a seasoned performer with a hit album under his belt. It’s as if there is no pressure being placed on him, and he’s quite happy with that. Which makes him especially dangerous to Adam, who is getting perilously close to slipping over the over-confidence line, giving Kris a chance to pull an upset.
That said, short of a bout of permanent laryngitis or a freak eyeliner pencil accident, I doubt there is little that could actually derail Adam’s march on Idol stardom. Even singing a song which I have never liked and wearing a suite obviously stolen from Ryan Seacrest’s dressing room, Adam was the vocal star of the night. He got into the very heart of “If I Can’t Have You” and turned it into a gut wrenching tale of heartbreak. It even caused Paula Abdul to (correctly) use the word “visceral”, which is a historic moment all unto itself. Sure, I hated the song, sure, I thought the staging of the performance was cheesy, but once Adam starts to sing… well, damn. He really is that good.
As for the rest of the evening, it was the usual mixed bag. In spite of Randy Jackson’s claim that this is the “best top seven ever” vocally, which I think is wrong and a disservice to both seasons five and six, there were only two other performances that showed any real vocal skill, Danny’s and Anoop’s. Yet neither of them showed the spark that Simon correctly stated was needed at this point of the competition. I do think Danny Gokey has one of the best technical voices of the group, but each week he becomes less and less compelling. I have a strong feeling his post-Idol career will be in Contemporary Christian, and I am confident he will be very successful in that genre. Likewise, I think Anoop has some future potential as professional vocalist, but I don’t really see him being the guy who has to clear room on his walls to hang the platinum records.
Which brings me the contestant who has been the most difficult to get a handle on all season long, Allison Iraheta. One week she’s perched on the brink of elimination, the next she’s the star. She’s suffered through more bad wardrobe choices since Elton John was in his Donald Duck suit-wearing heyday, and yet still manages to stay in the game based on her voice and her spunky nature. But I was rather turned off tonight, not just by her growly and often off-key singing, but by the sight of a 16-year-old girl in tight leather and spandex hoping to get some “hot stuff baby tonight”. In a culture that sexually objectifies women far too much as it is, I really wonder what the Idol producers were thinking when they approved the song and her wardrobe.
Or maybe I’m just getting old and cranky. After all, I did skip a week of my reviews last Tuesday (and yes, I thank all of you who emailed me expressing their disappointment – it’s nice to know so many of you were reading) so maybe I’m just suffering from two weeks worth of pent-up snark. But seriously… am I the only one who thought that was a bit of the uncomfortable/creepy side?
I have no doubts, however, about my take on Matt Giraud and Lil Rounds. I was happy last week to see Matt benefit from the very first (and hopefully last) “Judge’s Save”, but in hindsight, all it really did was give us another chance to hear some really well-down karaoke. If there is such a thing as a Bee Gee’s tribute band, and I am fearful there likely is such a thing, Matt made an excellent audition for their next tour. He also got to wear his favorite hat, which is nice for him.
Plus, because of the save last week, this week it means Matt will have company as he watches his “Idol journey” video on the big stage monitor, for Lil Rounds will be standing next to him. Her season-long inability to connect with the audience or to give us any clue at all of what type of artist she really is has (hopefully) come to an end. I was rooting for her in the beginning, being a Tennessee girl and all, but she never did advance beyond karaoke and straight-up covers. “Well, I was having fun up here” is not why we tune in to the watch Idol, Lil. We tune in to watch you step it up, not phone it in.
So there you have it. Adam vs Kris for the finals, Matt and Lil going home tomorrow in a double elimination, and the other three working it out amongst themselves who will finish third through fifth. That’s what my crystal ball is telling me, and we all know how accurate it has been so far this season.
