The World According to S.J.

Good Evening, America! Here we are, back again for another week. We’re down to our Top 11 Finalists. Last week we said good-bye to… two people. Can’t quite remember who they were. Must not have been that important. I know one of them looked like he had two dead black caterpillars squished on his forehead in the shape of eyebrows. Oh well, bygones. Life goes on. So, without further ado… This… is American Idol!

Tonight, on our second week of completion, it is St. Patrick’s Day. And nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like… Country music? Huh? Okay, whatever. I know for many of you, country music isn’t your thing. At all. (I’m looking at you, Mom.) I’ve even heard that the only way to get through two hours of country music on Idol is to, and I quote, “Get some ear plugs and get DRUNK!” (Again, I’m looking at you, Mom.) But, of course, I’m a good boy, and I wouldn’t know about such things. Anyway, Randy Travis is here to mentor our Idols. This should be interesting. Grab your girl, your dog, and the keys to your pick-up truck. Here we go!

Resident Roughneck, Michael Sarver is our first singer of the night with “Ain’t Goin Down Till the Sun Comes Up”. If any of our Idols is suited for this genre, it’s Michael. This song has a heckuva lot words in a short order, so I’m impressed that he memorized them all. Unfortunately, this was not a good performance, and Michael Sarver is no Garth Brooks. It was bland and boring, and I would have rather listened to the guy on the harmonica the whole time instead of Michael mumbling quickly.

Next up is Allison Iraheta singing “Blame It on Your Heart”. This girl could sing the phone book, and I’d listen. Her voice gives a great rock edge to the song. You can tell she’s having fun, and her passion for this competition comes through in her performance. Nothing more to say. It was a solid performance.

Kris Allen is singing “To Make You Feel My Love”, another Garth Brooks song, though technically it was written and recorded by Bob Dylan first. He is minus his guitar this week. Kris is going for the vulnerable boy next door vibe. He has a wonderfully smooth voice, and this gave us the opportunity to truly focus on his talent. He’s not currently one of the front-runners, but Kris isn’t one to be ignored.

Singing 4^th tonight is Lil Rounds. Since I heard it was Country Week, I’ve been most interested to see Lil’s performance. She’s singing “Independence Day” by Martina McBride. This song calls for subtlety as well as a big voice, both of which Lil can do. She’s out of her comfort zone, and it shows. Not her strongest performance, but she should have no trouble during tomorrow’s elimination.

My night is that much better, because it is time for Adam Lambert. (I won’t even try to appear impartial when it comes to him.) Adam is singing “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, but this isn’t anything like the version you heard in “Walk the Line”. I can easily see where a lot of people won’t like this, but it is pure Adam, and I love it. I never would have imagined hearing this song that way, but it works, black nail polish and all.

And my night just got worse. It’s time for Scott “Pity Vote” MacIntyre to sing “Wild Angels” by Martina McBride. Let’s face it; Scott is a mediocre singer, but an amazing piano player. It’s really bad how little I care about listening to him. I was texting all through his performance, and then I realized I had to rewind it so I could listen to him and critique it. Then I realized that no I don’t, it’s my blog, and I can skip over him if I want to. Apparently, the audience enjoyed it. Blah. I’m sure it was a wonderful Hallmark moment.

Alexis Grace is singing “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, which was done last season by America’s Sweetheart Brooke White. This is an amazing song, and, for me, Alexis adds the right emphasis at the right time. She really nailed the heartbreaking tone of the song. It wasn’t her usual hard edge, but I appreciated the variety.

Danny Gokey is doing “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. I appreciate this song because there’s a shout out to Cincinnati in the first verse. Though he may have stumbled over the words with Randy Travis in rehearsal, the same cannot be said for his performance. There were a few notes that were slightly flat, but once he hit his stride in the chorus, it became another amazing Danny performance. His enthusiasm and spirit are contagious, and when he’s having a good time, you can’t help but have a good time too.

Needing a strong week, Anoop Desai is singing “You’re Always on My Mind” by Willie Nelson. This is an iconic song, and it’s hard to not compare his version to the original. From the first few notes, it was easy to tell that this was the Anoop we’ve been waiting to hear. It’s a slow song, but boring it was not. He infuses the song with emotion and gravity. Anoop will be sticking around for another week.

Megan Joy (didn’t her last name used to be Corkrey), who was hospitalized this week with the flu, is singing “I Go Walking after Midnight”. She’s turned this isn’t a bluesy jazzy number. Huge improvement after the incredulous performance that was last week. Like Adam, this was pure Megan, and again this worked. It was like Amy Winehouse meets Bjork. Loved the dress, not the dancing.

Closing the show is Matt Giraud with “So Small”. Just like Pity Vote, he’s using the piano. Matt has changed up the song just enough to suit him. If he keeps going the way he is, he’s on his way to becoming the new Michael Buble. The arrangement works in the chorus/bridge section. He does hit some bad notes throughout, but none so bad as his last note. Like I said last week, don’t go so high, please.

So, that’s our show for tonight. Congrats to all the non-country fans who made it through these past 2 hours. My favorites tonight were Adam, Danny, and Anoop. Hopefully in the bottom we’ll find Michael and Scott. This early in the voting portion of the season, it’s hard to tell what America is thinking. I guess we’ll find out together tomorrow. Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel.