Good Evening, America! After last week’s ‘SHOCKING’ (and by ‘shocking, I mean ‘not at all’) use of the Judge’s Save, two of our wannabe’s have to leave us tomorrow. But, that’s tomorrow. Tonight is all about singers trying to do their best, and my Adam Lambert-Martin shining above the rest. (Hey, that rhymed!) Without further ado, and mainly because I can’t think of anything else for my opening paragraph… This… is American Idol!
It’s time for you to put on your bell-bottoms, your glitter, and your platform shoes. It’s Disco Week! This could be an amazing night or a horrible fiasco. Either way, we’re in for some entertainment!
Lil Rounds starts the show with “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan. The judges have been whining for weeks that they want Lil to do some Chaka. Right off the bat, she seems a little off pitch. Not to preempt Paula’s future comment, but at least Lil looks good. This whole performance just screams, as does Lil, but the performance screams “too little, too late”. I think this is the last week we’re going to be seeing Lil Rounds and her Death Stares at the judges.
Kris Allen is second with “She Works Hard for the Money” by Donna Summer. Seacrest says this is a song about “a woman who has great work ethic”. Really? I thought it was about “a woman who was a PROSTITUTE”. I guess I was wrong. Though this song is from the Disco Era, Kris is taking us the cool acoustic guitar route. I like it. Definitely gives the song a different feel. You almost feel like you wanna like the little hooker who could. Kris didn’t do anything amazingly different with the vocals, but the arrangement and his performance were great.
Danny Gokey is third singing “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Even though Danny’s not doing anything really new with the song, he’s making it sound distinctly “Danny”. Got a little sharp in a few spots on the verse, but I’m willing to overlook that. He definitely finished strong. A solid performance from Danny. As much as I loved him in the beginning, I feel like his star is getting dimmer as the weeks go on. It’s not out like Lil’s, but it’s definitely not shining as brightly as it once did.
Allison Iraheta is singing “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. I’ll admit it, I love me some Donna Summer. (Yes, I’m sure you’re all shocked.) If I had my way, the finale would be a battle between Allison and my Adam Lambert-Martin. This week isn’t great for her theme-wise, but I’m interested to see what she does. Here’s another Donna Summer song that has had all the Disco stripped out of it, and again it works. This is pure Allison. She kept her edginess, and her flare, and I love it.
Adam Lambert-Martin is fifth tonight singing “If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Elliman. Week after week, Adam has never failed to amaze me with his performances. I’m sure a lot of people are expecting him to do something big and flashy, but with his wardrobe choice (rowr, by the way), this looks like it will be slow and emotional. The song starts off soulful with three spotlights aimed right at him, creating a minimalist effect which forces us to focus on just Adam and his performance. He reaches a dramatic part near the end, but the last note simply gave me shivers. Flawless. My Adam Lambert-Martin is flawless. And Kara, it’s “Saturday Night Fever” not “Saturday Night Live”. (When Paula flubs, it’s funny. When Kara does it, she just looks stupid.) Thanks to Seacrest, we have a new space on “Paula’s Wheel of Random Emotion”: A Pool of Abdul! Love it!
Matt Giraud, running on borrowed time, is singing “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees. Instead of going for a cheesy rendition, this is very much a Justin Timberlake Disco performance. It’s a refreshing twist on a classic, and I loved his falsetto. Matt proved tonight that he did deserve to be saved last week. This might be the thing that keeps him around.
Anoop Desai, whose fashion choices the past few weeks have been questionable at best, closes the show with “Dim All the Lights” by Donna Summer. (5 bucks says that after all the Donna Summer tonight, her downloads increase on iTunes. Yes, iTunes. This blog brought to you by… iTunes.) Not a fan of the suit, or his child molester moustache. His voice was off pitch, and his performance (including the abrupt ending) was very ugh.
Well, that’s our show for tonight. The stand-outs for me, and honestly isn’t that the only opinion that matters, were Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta, and of course my Adam Lambert-Martin. Thanks to Lil and Anoop, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind who should Hustle their way home tomorrow. Tune in then to find out. Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel