American Idol: Top 4 Perform

by Kona Gallagher, posted May 6th 2009 12:08AM

With this particular final 4, you know that Rock Night is going to be interesting -- and they don't disappoint. Adam and Allison are definitely suited for this, while Kris and especially Danny have a bit of an uphill battle. Slash is the mentor, which sounds exciting, but we don't really see a whole lot of him. I have no idea if this is what actually happened or not, but we definitely get the impression that he didn't work with the contestants as much as some of the other mentors did.

Also this week we have something new: duets. Frankly, I thought the idea was going to be kind of a train wreck, but they turned out to be really interesting. Pairing Allison and Adam together makes sense, but it left the odd couple of Danny and Kris. It was really kind of hilarious, and I'm sad that they won't be able to do it again this season (unless they do it tomorrow during the results show), because it was a lot of fun.

Adam Lambert, "Whole Lotta Love"

This is a good song choice for him; Zeppelin is somewhat theatrical, and I think he could take it to an interesting level. The vocals are impressive, and he stays pretty close to the original version while still managing to add his own flair, plus he really stuck the ending. He's also got the androgynous rock god thing down, but that's also my problem with this performance, and really, Adam in general. I just watch this and feel like he's playing an androgynous rock god instead of being an androgynous rock god. He's got the attitude; he's got the clothes; he's got the makeup, but it just seems inauthentic to me, like he's playing a role. I also wish he would stop pointing his junk at me.

As for the judges, I have to laugh, because the first thing that Randy says is that nobody's going to be talking about Broadway after that performance (except for me, I guess). Hilariously, Kara actually uses the words, "rock god" in regards to him. Get out of my head, Idol judges! Paula calls him a "whole lotta perfect," and Simon says that it could have been a disaster, but was actually one of his favorite performances he's ever done, even going so far as to say no one can top it tonight.

Allison Iraheta, "Cry Baby"

Janis Joplin is the perfect choice for Allison. The tone in her voice is perfect for this song, so I'm really excited to hear what she does with it. Like Adam, she stays pretty faithful to the original version, without making it a "sound-alike." My only criticism is that she doesn't quite have the anguish behind the lyrics that the Joplin version does. Other than that, it's spot-on.

Randy disagrees with me and says that he didn't love it. Kara thinks "Piece of my Heart" would have been better, and I can see that. I actually like that she chose a less well-known song. Kara does say, however, that she sees Allison's personality in that song. Paula calls her "fearless," and Simon is really impressed with how far she's come in the past eight weeks, but he actually calls it a sound-alike.

Duet: Kris and Danny, "Renegade"

I love this song, in general -- the a capella opening has always gotten me, and I love what Kris and Danny do with it. It kind of falls apart in the middle, though. Danny growls his way through it, and Kris isn't quite powerful enough for the song. However, they pull it back together when they sing the end. Overall, Kris and Danny are an odd pairing, but I enjoy the result.

They're apparently judging this part, and Randy agrees with me completely. He says the individual vocals were okay, but that the harmonies were amazing. Kara says that it was "united and strong," while Paula calls it "powerful and compelling." Simon says that Danny was better than Kris.

Kris Allen, "Come Together"

Fact: The guy I briefly dated as a high school freshman and had a mad crush on for years afterward sang this song with his band at the school talent show, so I am predisposed to love this. Kris is also my favorite contestant, so he doesn't get more than three words in before I'm reduced to a giggly fourteen-year-old. I was going to be objective and say that he didn't make it original enough, but he switched it up halfway through and made the song really interesting.

Randy appreciates that he can pick a song that allows him to be himself and loves what he did on the guitar. Kara says that it was "trying too hard," while Paula says that doing a Beatles song was risky, but that his signature is all over it. Simon didn't like it that much and compares it to "eating ice for lunch."

Danny Gokey, "Dream On"

I don't go into this with high hopes, and my opinion doesn't change. I am really getting tired of the way Danny just growls his way through songs. He even seems to go off beat at one point. Oh, and the "do doo doo" things he added? Made me want to barf. The entire thing just devolves into madness when he tries to hit those high notes at the end. I hated every second of this performance -- it is by far the worst of the night.

Randy says it was alright, but gives him an A+ for effort. Kara thinks he took the "swagger and edge" comments a little too far. Paula doesn't know if this was the right song for him, but says that she's a huge fan of his, while Simon says the last note was like "watching a horror movie," but he thinks he's going to be safe tonight.

Duet: Allison and Adam, "Slow Ride"

I've played this song so much on Guitar Hero, that that's really all I can think of when I hear it. Video games aside, this is a stupid song choice for these two. It doesn't fit either of them and just seems really karaoke to me. I'm obviously not much of an Adam fan, but I like Allison and I still think this kind of sucks. It's not horrible, but it does not make me happy either.

Randy calls them "seasoned rock stars," and Kara calls them "rock god" and "rock goddess." Paula wants them to do a duet for real, while Simon tells them that in the battle of the duets, they win the show tonight. Simon even says that Adam has given Allison a chance of staying in the competition. Personally, I think Allison has gotten where she is on her own, but I guess that's just me.

Overall, Rock night was a lot of fun. I love that they've introduced duets. It allows us to see how the singers work together outside of the cheesy and embarrassing group sings. I hope this is a trend they'll stick with, because wouldn't you love to see what Adam and Kris would sing together? I know I would.

Who did the best this week?
Adam	905 (61.6%)
Allison	318 (21.7%)
Kris	168 (11.4%)
Danny	77 (5.2%)

Comments

by Phish, posted May 6th 2009

uhhh i hated kris' version of one of my fav songs, totally butchered it, this is all karaoke at this point, however it was a good effort from someone so inexperienced in life to sing such a heavy song like this. at least he tried.
i thought danny gave the most of himself into the song, and allison is extremely talented, she'll go far.
adam, in my not so humble opinion, is the biggest douche on the planet, i am ready to spit on anyone who buys his record. you'll see me standing outside the local record store, ready and aiming!

ps: i would have really liked to hear allison sing baracuda!
but thats something the douche would sing.

by dkny, posted May 6th 2009

I couldn’t agree more and was a little pissed that Simon diminished Alison by saying she would owe Adam anything - she's authentic he's in costume

by Raz, posted May 6th 2009

Danny is by far my favourite, I like Adam and think that he'll go far. Allison has a very powerful voice, i think that she'll go far as well, but i have to admit that i am not to fond of Kris. I thinks its time for him to leave.

by Dan, posted May 6th 2009

Why? Did you listen to last night (or any other night)? I've not heard anything so painful since the days of Sanjaya...he's the worst Idol contestant yet because he's not just bad, but also has a chance to win!

by Mark Acof, posted May 6th 2009

I agree that (my fav) Kris could have been better. I was sure after
that performance that his time had come. But wait...

Low-and-behold, out came Gokey, who gave the worst performance of the
night (and all eight seasons). My cat even tried to jump out the
window with him screaming. Finally even the ever-positive judges
began to crack, and said some negative things about their over hyped
boy.

Remember Michael Johns, Tamyra and Clay were never in the bottom
three either before they got booted. So, there is a chance Danny will
go.

I hope Kris has at least a 50-50 chance for another week.

On Danny's side though is Vote For The Worst, who finally did what
they should have done from day-one and picked him as worst.

Also, Kris and Danny's duet was a technical blunder. Their
microphones were not balanced, Kris' volume was much lower then
Gorey's (that's why Kris couldn't hear himself) and which ruined what
could have been a fairly good duet. They actually sounded good when
singing in harmony. Randy was right about that.

Top two - Adam and Allison (by far). Although I still like Kris best.

by alohamora, posted May 6th 2009

Did anyone else notice Kara's comment to Danny about what he should of sang? She said she'd have liked to see him do EARLY Aerosmith, maybe Crazy or Crying.

Umm, those are from the 90s and Dream On is 70s. What was she thinking?

This is just more proof that she doesn't belong at that table.

by Chadah77, posted May 6th 2009

That is exactly what I said to my wife last night as we watched her comments. Just goes to show what the "judges" actually know!

I said the same thing - she's awful and the suggestion that Alison sing Piece of my heart is just so spot on lame but then again it might be the only Janis song she knows - she sucks

by Scott, posted May 6th 2009

OK, I caught Kara's mistake too. But to say because she mis-dated a couple of Aerosmith songs that she has "no right to be at that table" is ridiculous. You sit at a microphone in front of an audience of 30 Million people and we'll see if you don't have a brain fart every now and then. Give me a break. Kara's standing and reputation in the recording industry speaks for itself; she just made a mistake. It happens.

Yeah, I laughed at that, because she was trying to show off her "knowledge" but she just proved again that she's a blowhard without any semblance of music knowledge. Dream On came out 20 years before Crazy and Cryin. PATHETIC.

Her Reputation? She's written songs for Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, Paris Hilton...yeah, she's got a reputation for polluting the airwaves with crap. So I guess it's only natural that she judge the same way.

And "Piece of my Heart" is not as good of a song for Idol, it is very raspy and has a limited range.

by malano2, posted May 6th 2009

Ok.. I totally agree with Phish and the Barracuda song.. I thought she would have gone with a Heart song, it would've suited her better than the Janis Joplin one. Danny was horrible...i cringed in my living room when he tried to hit that last note..it was like screeching... I liked Adam but what was with the Beetlejuice pants in the last song??? I thought Kris was ok, far better than Danny but I think it will be his swan song...maybe if I'm lucky Allison will go..

by karen, posted May 6th 2009

Hey -
I accidentally deleted the show from my DVR last night. (Im such an idiot). Does anyone know where i can watch the show online?

-Thanks

by BECKIE, posted May 6th 2009

ADAM IS ANOTHER FANTASIA. ALL OF HIS SONGS ARE ALL HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING. I DON'T KNOW HOW ALL THE JUDGES THINK HE DOES SUCH A GOOD JOB. AND WHERE IS FANTASIA NOW?? DANNY AND CHRIS ARE BY FAR THE BETTER SINGERS. THEY CAN SING OTHER SONGS BESIDES THE HARD ROCK, AND WHO IS SLASH ANYWAY ?

by gillygirl, posted May 6th 2009

Your last comment solidified my thoughts in reading your comment (in CAPS, so who's screaming now?)...what the heck is this person even watching Rock Night for if you have to ask who Slash is?

ALL CAPS is screaming. LOL Adam does not scream, and many of his best performances were very soft, low-key ballads? Are we watching the same show? Have you missed several episodes? Adam Lambert is the new American Idol. It's a foregone conclusion by now. The only real suspense remaining is over who will compete against him in the finals.

Not to mention that a lot of Zepplin's songs have that element of screaming. C'mon... Think of the last word he 'sings' in the line 'way down inside, woman, you need......LOOOOOVE (caps for screaming). That surely ain't no tender moment of the throat.

by Jimmy, posted May 6th 2009

Danny should go home. He's one dimensional, and his stage presence is only slightly better than Chris Richardson's.

Kara needs to go too. She's obviously trying way too hard, and her comments are becoming more Paula-esque every week. Last night, she actually said, "Together, you were united."

What happened to Idol Gives Back?

by Cherrie, posted May 6th 2009

Idol Gives Back was canceled at the beginning of the season due to the economy. Where have you been?

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American Idol: Top 4 Perform

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