American Idol recap

Watching American Idol last night made me realize just how much I love rocking out to old '70s music. I missed out on Zeppelin and Skynyrd the first time around. I'm now ready for a rock and roll revival and I think this year's crop of Idol contestants show real aptitude. Slash from Guns N Roses gave his advice to each of the contestants.

At this point, who really cares who wins, anyway? I love all four of the final contestants -- so much, I didn't even vote. How do you pick the best from such an array of talent?

What was truly odd were the duets -- if you can call them that -- where the contestants had to pair up. I thought the duets were entertaining, though a little over the top.  I couldn't possibly judge a person based on how well they work with others. Isn't that on work performance reviews? Not talent shows? Anyway... 

01 — Adam Lambert — A Whole Lot of Love — 5 Stars

Back in 2007 when Blake Lewis was getting close to winning American Idol, he told his friends, and his friends told their friends, and so on not to vote for him. He didn't want to win because he was worried he might get forced to sign a recording contract where he had to sing Barry Manilow songs.

Fortunately for Adam Lambert, if he wins this competition (and well he could), last night's performance solidified a spot for himself in the world of rock and roll. Kara Dioguardi said, "You got the vocals for it. It's your thing. Go at it!"

02 — Allison Iraheta — Cry Baby — 5 stars

This was the absolute perfect song for Allison Iraheta to showcase her amazing rocker voice. Her voice displayed soft feminine emotion mixed with rough, rocking excitement. I loved the performance. She is reminding me more and more of Tina Turner every week.

At the end of the performance, it was nice to see Iraheta defend her choice of songs. The girl's got moxie!

03 — Kris Allen — Come Together — 5 stars

Wow! Wow! Wow! I've been pretty bored with Allen's soft ballads all season. I was never a boy band fan and couldn't bear to listen to N Sync. So, when I felt that this year's finalists were being handpicked by the judges to be the next components of a new boy band, I automatically developed a dislike for anyone who fit the mold -- including Kris Allen.

However, by being forced to sing a rock and roll song, I heard a unique tonal character in Allen's voice that I'd never heard before. It's hard to explain, but I suppose you could consider his voice to be the male equivalent of Katy Perry's (listen to the ballads on her CD). His voice cracks and wanders in all the right places. 

04 — Danny Gokey — Dream On — 2 stars

Ugh! Rock and roll is not Gokey's forte. This is my favorite Aerosmith song and I've heard better renditions at our local karaoke biker bar. The beginning was off time and odd. The middle was great. The scream at the end sounded like he'd fallen off a building. Gokey would have done better singing Eric Clapton or the Who.

However, I still think he'll make it to the finals. Gokey was my favorite from day one. He has a huge following of fans and there's no doubt they are going to vote him through. Idol needs a good Christian rock ballad singer.