AI 8 3-25-09 A Trip to Hitsville USA or how many times can we say artistry

What do you get when you combine the most talked about singers with the most influential songs, the music from Motown and your Top Ten. THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL!

I said it last week and I will probably bitch about this the entire season it seems. I simply do not get the reason someone other then Ryan has to introduce the judges and then introduce Ryan, it is beyond over the top. It simply wastes time.

Ryan draws things out by asking Randy and Kara about the shocking elimination of Alexis Grace last week and whether it was tough. Randy says yes it was tough (what else is he going to say? I have no emotions and I don’t care she was humiliated in front of 31 million people when we told her she had a chance to be saved.) Kara also said yes-adding Alexis is a good singer she just chose a bad song.

Ryan asks Paula what she wants to see from the contestants. This ought to be quite interesting. I want to see them challenge themselves; we need to see their artistry and integrity. They need to take risks.

Ryan asks Simon if he is looking forward tonight and he responds with “I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to it.” Buddy at least you are getting the big bucks to be there. Simon is interested in seeing how the contestants will make these classic songs their own.

Oh, let us cue a montage of Motown who is celebrating their 50th Anniversary. How exciting I am as old as Motown but I do not have any of the cold hard cash Barry Gordie has. What a bummer! The contestants are flown to Detroit for a visit to Hitsville USA. Smokey Robinson is the mentor this week and flies to LA for his chance to provide words of wisdom. NOT!

I adore Smokey Robinson but these guest mentors are just way too nice. Every contestant is wonderful, I would not change a thing, and each one will blow you away. Come on give a little help to these up and coming artists. Well I am digressing too much.

Let us get to the dishing.

Matt Giraud – “Let’s Get It On”

Matt looked great and sounded even better. I liked how he started at the piano and then at the verse got up to sing. Matt gave this a really bluesy type sound. Matt has great control of his voice and this was a spot on vocal.

Randy – what I am happy about tonight is you set the tone for the evening, the run you did at the end, your falsetto, brilliant dog, you are challenging the others and you have a chance for the top spot

Kara – I think there are a lot of girls who would love to get it on with you (Kara your voice went up quite a bit, I am sure you would be happy as well). You are coming out of your shell, I like your voice, I think you could have pushed it more as I know you have it, it was a solid performance.

Paula – you are very comfortable on stage, there was a sexy cool vibe going on, you are tasteful, classy, and spot on, you are like a well worn pair of jeans (Excuse me)

Simon – this was a brilliant song choice, it a bit corny when you came up here to us but otherwise a cool performance, this type of song suits your voice, you are one of the front-runners.

Kris Allen – “How Sweet it Is”

Kris was styling tonight. I loved the shirt. I would buy that one. I enjoyed his playing the guitar again. Kris gave another solid performance. I like how he started out a capella and then the band kicked it. The arrangement was almost “folk” like. Kris has very good control of his voice and he was spot on tonight. That ending note was superb.

Kara – the reason I love this performance is because you didn’t do Marvin or James Taylor, you did Kris. This showed artistry, you brought something different with some riffs, starting low, going high, everything was right about this performance.

Paula – you are coming into your own, you picked the right song, your personality is infectious, technically the note at the end was brilliant. I am proud of you you grow each week.

Simon – you were smart to do this type of version, my only advice is you have to believe in yourself, “to be a star you have to be conceited”, you must have self-belief to bring impact

Randy – you are very consistent, you were in the zone, it was all good

Scott MacIntyre – “You Can’t Hurry Love”

I am sorry I have to bitch about Scott’s outfit. He should sue the stylist. What was up with that ridiculously horrible outfit? Why would anyone put a paisley print shirt with a striped sports jacket? Are they nuts? I love pink but come on, pink pants, can we embarrass the blind guy when he obviously does not have a clue what clothes they are picking for him. It hurt my eyes to look at it. Why does Scott continue to pick songs, which have been sung by female artists? I hated this entire performance. The arrangement was stupid and do not get me started on all the bad notes Scott was singing. He was flat for a good portion of the song and was even worse after the honky tonk came out of the piano. On the other hand, Scott is a fantastic piano player. This is yet another mediocre performance by Scott.

Paula – you pleased both me and Simon, you brought new life to the song (what the f*^k!), I loved the beginning and then the chord change, you brought something different
Simon – You sang a line “how much more can you take” and my answer is not much, not a great version, the honky tonk, it was a wrong song choice for you, a bit cheap for me, you are choosing the wrong songs, you are not showing how you are a relevant artist today.

Randy – I kind of agree, it was like a hotel type performance, it wasn’t the right song dude, not great

Kara – I love how you brought tempo, you took liberties with the melodies and when you do that you have to nail it, some you did, some you did not, you had a great idea but the execution was not great

We then get some stupid banter between Paula and Simon although I did love her reaching under the table and telling Simon she had something for a 6 year old and gave him some crayons and two coloring books. I did actually laugh out loud on that one.

Megan Joy – “For Once in My Life”

I am really ticked off, something happened with Fox 13 in Memphis the screen went blank and Ronald was having a heart attack but it came on again just as Ryan is announcing her so I missed her video. In addition, it happened several times again. I was not very pleased.

Excuse me did Megan forget her name. What happened to Corkey? Who cares she annoys me anyway. Oh, no she has chosen a dress, which matches the color of her tattoo, give me a break. It was a horrible looking dress. What is up with these stylists? I keep saying I should have the job. This was hands down the worst performance so far this evening and I think it tops last week’s bad performance. Megan was off key. I wonder if she can even hear the music. This was just a frigging mess. The girl cannot sing two notes in a row in tune. This was my fingers down the chalkboard moment of the evening. America put me out of my misery and get rid of her.

Randy – love the outfit – dude (oh please) but the song was a train wreck, it was rushed, you were shouting, I didn’t like it.

Kara – you were all over the place, there were bad notes, the phrasing was off, the song was dominating you rather then you dominating the song

Paula – you are stunning, you are a beauty, this was all over the place, at the beginning I wanted you to raise it up a key but by the end I wanted you to lower the key

Simon – the good news is you are beautiful, the bad news is this was horrible, it was a horrible song choice, the arrangement was not good, there were terrible vocals, all over the place

Anoop Desai – “Ooh Baby Baby”

Anoop starts by sitting down stage by the stairs and the beginning notes were very sharp. I think he was holding the mike way to close to his mouth as well. There were many bad notes; the whole performance was a bit off for me. The vocals tonight were not near as good as last week. What is up with Anoop? He is just not being consistent week to week. I was disappointed.

Kara – hard song to sing, some points worked some did not, you can sing, you have skills but you need to push it more, you did a pretty good job.

Paula – you have new found confidence, your phrasing, your delivery, not only was your falsetto spot on but also sweet and tender (no it wasn’t Paula – you need to chill girl)

Simon – it was a great vocal (good heavens Simon were you drinking from Paula’s glass by mistake), my problem is you looked like you were half a sleep while singing, I did not see showmanship.

Randy – it was nice hearing you croon, there were some pitchy moments, but next week you need to turn it up, show some energy, bring it on

Michael Sarver – “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”

Please cry me a river and are we pushing for the sympathy vote by telling us Michael was so sick he did not get to go on the trip to Detroit (I guess he should be mad at Megan for passing her illness on to him). Michael was having fun performing but I was not enjoying listening to him. I also noted he was tapping the mike, which irritates me. Michael was screaming for most of the number and he hit some really bad notes. This was just not very good. What is happening tonight? I was happy when the number ended.

Paula – it was a tough performance, it was a like a Vegas lounge act (she is booed by the audience and seems happy about it), you need to dominate the song rather then the reverse, some of the notes were not good, I still love you though

Simon – actually I couldn’t wait for it to end, you were screaming and shouting, if you want to win you can’t with a vocal like that, in the real world this was not good enough, it was below par.

Randy – it was corny, it was too much, not the right song choice, not a very good vocal

Kara – It is not about the singing (excuse me this is a singing contestant), it is about artistry, to bring that out, who are you as an artist.

Lil Rounds – “Heatwave”

Tonight Lil looked absolutely spectacular. This is the best she has ever looked. I loved the entire outfit, cool dress and her hair, accessories and shoes were killer. I only wish her vocals were as wonderful. Lil sang this song or should I say actually shouted the entire number. She was over the top and continued through the entire number. She started loud and finished the same way. There was no build, she was just there at the top and continued to rush through to the end. This could have been a perfect song for her if she had taken the time to make it special, to slow down, speed up, and to add some riffs but instead she powered through the melody by shouting. It was very sloppy. On the other hand, she has tremendous performance skills. She was having fun and playing to the audience.

Randy – you have mad, crazy vocals but the front of the song was torture, it was not the right song, it seemed liked you were rushing, you need to allow more space to the bar, not my favorite performance.

Kara – you look great, the dress, you are a beautiful girl, you were the diva tonight, this was going to be your week, I didn’t think it was the right song, you tried to remain true to the song, you were screaming, you are still a brilliant singer.

Paula – I disagree completely, you look unbelievable, what you did vocally, you owned it

Simon – it was an authentic tribute to Motown but there was no moment, I did not like the song choice, you sounded too fast, you are one of the best singers in the competition, we expect more from you

Adam Lambert – “Tracks of my Tears”

Where is the Adam I love? What a wonderful transformation? I would swear he looked like a very young Elvis. There was no make-up, no nail polish. I loved the choice of sitting in the chair with only a few members of the band. This was one freaking great performance. All I can say is wow. The performance totally rocked. Adam is a master; he has such control over his voice. What is up with that ridiculous falsetto? This was one of the most moving and tender performances ever. I was actually crying by the end because it was so emotionally raw. Adam sold the true emotion of the song. How awesome that he got the first standing ovation from Smokey Robinson and Barry Gordie, let alone the entire audience and the judging panel sans Simon of course.

Kara – I don’t usually stand but I have to for this, it was one of the best performances of the night, you bring such artistry.

Paula – you are in a complete league of your own, you have such clear instincts, your clean look, handsome, classy, element of surprise, you are exciting

Simon – I have to disagree with Kara, it is not one of the best, it is THE best performance of the night. You brought originality, it was relevant, you emerged as a star, well done

Randy – from day one I said you have the range, tonight you showed even more, it was cool, you sang such tender moments, unbelievably hot

Danny Gokey – “Get Ready”

Danny is looking very good. It looks like he ran out of new frames because he has worn those glasses before. I noticed he did not take the few suggestions Smokey made. Danny brings great joy when he is singing. He definitely was having fun but this has to be the worst vocal performance he has ever given. I do not mean it is bad in the way Megan’s was but it was not up to his usual excellent standards. It may be because he was running around and doing some of his ridiculous dance moves but he had some breath issues. There were also some pitchy moments and during the chorus, it appeared he was screaming which may have come because the band was very loud. This was sloppy. Danny is good but this was not his best vocal performance.

Paula – you are reliable and give a first class performance every week

Simon – this was clumsy and amateurish

Randy – you have a dope (this is a dumb saying Randy) voice, I loved the energy

Kara – love your personality, it was good but not great

Allison Iraheta – “Papa was a Rolling Stone”

For someone who is only 16 she was looking smoking hot. This was an interesting song choice but I think she pulled it off. Cutting a song, this long can be a challenge but who ever arranged it did a decent job. My only complaint is she forgot some of the words but covered it well. Allison can sing and vocally this was a brilliant performance. I just love how her voice sounds, that low natural growl. This was another wow moment.

Randy – check it out, you had a dopey (again with this phrase, I am going to hate it by the end of the season) swagger, blazing hot vocal

Kara – you are only 16 and you were in the bottom 3 last week, America wake up and vote for her that was amazing, you sing as if you have been doing it for 400 years, it was from God, you cannot teach that

Paula – your rocker edge was back, awesome, beautiful, amazing

Simon – you are a survivor, one of your best performances


Overall last night’s show went well. There were some very hot moments and then again, there were some really low moments. IF I HEAR THE WORD ARTISTRY ONE MORE TIME I WAS GOING TO SCREAM THOUGH.

I had another wonderful evening of power voting, 2 hours from my hotel phone and then another 2 hours from my cell phone (love my pacific coast phone number). Yes, I was up until 2:00 a.m. central time letting my fingers do the voting! I managed to get in 1,923 votes. I voted for Adam, Danny, Kris, Matt, Allison, and Lil Rounds.

Based on performances alone Scott, Megan, and Michael should be in the bottom 3.

Megan should be going home but my prediction for elimination is Michael.

Tonight’s elimination show should be interesting as Ruben is making an appearance along with Stevie Wonder doing a Motown medley and Joss Stone (she must have an album to plug) will be doing a duet with Smokey Robinson.

Until tomorrow…