Post by Walker, Texas Ranger on May 12, 2009 22:40:49 GMT -5
It became apparent to even the most casual viewer many weeks ago that this season of American Idol was really a competition to see who was going to come in second to Adam Lambert. Ever since the glamorous one reduced Smokey Robinson nearly to tears with his take on "The Tracks Of My Tears", the remaining contestants have all been trying very hard to be the other one to make it to the finale. So, tonight, all eyes and ears were focused on Danny Gokey and Kris Allen to see which of them was worthy of being the answer to a future trivia question ("I'll take 'American Idol Runner-Ups' for $500, Alex").
But in the interest of journalistic fair play, I'll go ahead of critique all three just to show at least a sense of impartiality. Though I will say that if Adam doesn't make it to next week, I'm renting a movie and turning off the DVR.
Danny Gokey, fresh off last week's "Scream Heard Around The World", was the first up in the two song festivity, the first round of songs being selected by the judges. Paula Abdul saddled the bespectacled one with Terrence Trent D'Arby's rather monotonic "Dance Little Sister", which was an odd choice. I would have much rather heard him sing something more suitable to the husky voice he wields like a spiked club, but the musical choices of Paula have long been a major puzzlement to veteran Idol watchers. Danny's performance did little show his range, seemed more shouted than sung, and left me wondering if I would even be able to remember how the song went by the end of the show, much less the next day.
(The answer is, I had to check with Rickey Yaneza's excellent Idol fan site, rickey.org, to listen to a replay, and even minutes later the song had completely disappeared from my short-term memory).
Kris Allen was up next, with Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi selecting a more modern song, One Republic's "Apologize". The delicate piano-driven song was a good choice, although Kris inexplicably decided to play it straight and didn't put any of his normal personal stamps on the tune. Sure, he sang it well even if his falsetto notes were a bit weak, but it was a disappointment because I have come to expect so much more from him than just great singing. However, when it came time for the judges to weight in, it was obvious the "No Kris Memo" from the producers had once again been passed around. And it was just as obvious that Simon Cowell had finally had enough of Kara's weekly babble and proceeded to put her firmly in her place. I'm really wondering if Kara will be back next season or if she will go the way of Brian Dunkleman.
If you don't know who that is, let's just say he is the Peter Scolari to Ryan Seacrest's Tom Hanks. Think "Bosom Buddies". Okay, there's a reason Google exists, people.
Then came Adam. Simon picked a superb song, U2's "One" even going so far as to tilt the competition even more in Adam's favor by mentioning how he had to ask Bono permission to use the song. Gee... I wonder who Simon wants to win Idol this season? Hmmmmmm. OF course, Adam turned around and delivered an amazing performance. What more is there really left to even say about him? I've pretty much run out of superlatives without resorting to a thesaurus, but what I can say is that the song was over far too soon. I wanted to hear Adam sing the entire song, time limits be damned.
Round One to Adam in a knockout.
With the pressure mounting, the Three Amigos (nice line, Ryan) returned for round two, where they each got to sign a song of their own choosing. Danny picked a very good song in Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful" and set up the stage with a four-piece string section and an acoustic guitarist. And then proceeded to show a complete disconnect from the classic tune. He started off far too low and slow, and even when he bought out his power pipes, I never felt that he was inside the song as opposed to just merely singing the lyrics. Cocker always brought an intense personal feel to his material, and that was completely missing from Danny's performance. So, of course, the judges loved it and lavished praise on the somewhat smirking singer.
Need I remind you of the "No Kris In The Finals" memo?
Then a funny thing happened on the way to the finale. Kris Allen threw all caution to the wind and made a brilliantly gutsy song choice of hip-hop superstar Kanye West's "Heartless". And then made an even better decision in giving the house band a break to grab a smoke or a drink backstage. It was just Kris, his guitar, and his voice to give what was easily his best performance since his Top 7 reimaging of Donna Summer's "She Works Hard For The Money". It was original, it was quirky, and it was sung extraordinarily well. It was exactly what Kris needed to do to keep his dark horse in the race. In fact, given how lackluster Danny was, I certainly hope that he gets his just reward and a chance to face off against the human scream machine (in a good way, not a Gokey way) next week in the finals.
And then something even stranger happened. Adam made a musical misstep. Just when it was obvious to everyone in the universe that Adam was the preordained winner, he showed that he is no the perfect musical machine everyone has gotten used to. His cover of Aerosmith's "Cryin'" was merely decent. In fact, at times, it was actually fairly bad... though a lot of that goes to whichever backup singer was being strangled with a microphone cable. Note to Idol producers: can you stage a summer series, "The Search For American's Best Back-Up Singers" to replace the trio you have now. Please? Naturally, the judges were fawning all over Adam after he finished, but that was likely just a dress rehearsal for next week, so I'll let them slide this time.
So who will the final two be? Obviously, Adam will be there, but who should be joining him? Based on performance alone, it should be Kris. And if you want a really interesting finale, Kris would be the best choice as well. He, week after week, has maintained his own style and integrity in the face of obvious judging bias, and never seemed to let it get to him. I would be very intrigued to see how he would counter the bombast and big voice of Adam head-to-head, far more than listening to Danny. Yet, will the Idol voters agree with me? My gut is saying, "not a chance" as Danny has been the odds-on favorite for finish second for months now, but I have hope that the voters will for once vote with the ears and reward the most deserving one.
Let's put it this way: whose album would you be more interested in buying, Kris's or Danny's? I know which one will end up in my CD player next fall, and it's not the guy with the glasses.
Final Grades:
Danny - C+ for "Dance Little Sister", B for "You Are So Beautiful"
Kris - B- for "Apologize", A+ for "Heartless"
Adam - A for "One", B- for "Cryin;"
(Yes, in the cumulative scoring, I have Kris beating Adam for the night. Surprised me, too.)
